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Cholesterol is a unique substance.  It is a necessary component of all cellular membranes.  It is unique for two reasons.  First, all cells have the machinery to make it for their own use.  Second, it cannot be metabolized (broken down) by the body.  Therefore, it must be excreted (usually by the liver into the gut).  Therefore, absorbing too much cholesterol can cause two diseases.  One is cholesterol gall stones and the other is atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

This is the cholesterol molecule.  It contains four rings and a long side chain.  It is a very stable structure.  It forms the building block of many important substances in the body.  When there is too much of it, it is difficult to get rid of and causes disease.
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There is no question that a high cholesterol diet is not healthy.  The question is whether you can effectively eat a diet containing no cholesterol.  The answer is that you can if you only eat vegetables and fruits.  The reason for this is that vegetables and fruits do not contain cholesterol.  However, most people prefer to consume some animal products – meat, dairy products, and seafood.  Therefore, unless you are a vegetarian, you will be consuming cholesterol.  The good news is that there is a simple solution.  Simply block the cholesterol from being absorbed by your intestine.  Go to the “Medications” section of this website to get more information about blocking cholesterol absorption.

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High Cholesterol Foods
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