The straight dope on cholesterol – Part I
I’ve been planning to write at length about this topic for a few months, but I’ve been hesitant to do so for several reasons:
But here’s the thing. I am absolutely – perhaps pathologically – obsessed with lipidology, the science and study of lipids. Furthermore, I’m getting countless questions from you on this topic. Hence, despite my reservations above, I’m going to give this a shot.
By the end of this series, should you choose to internalize this content (and pick up a few homework assignments along the way), you will understand the field of lipidology and advanced lipid testing better than 95% of physicians in the United States. I am not being hyperbolic.
One last thing before jumping in: Everything I have learned and continue to learn on this topic has been patiently taught to me by the words and writings of my mentors on this subject: Dr. Tom Dayspring, Dr. Tara Dall, Dr. Bill Cromwell, and Dr. James Otvos. I am eternally in their debt and see it as my duty to pass this information on to everyone interested.
Cholesterol is a 27-carbon molecule shown in the figure below. Each line in this figure represents a bond between two carbon atoms. Sorry, I’ve got to get it out there. That’s it. Mystery over.
