The bad press of cholesterol is due to our bad habits of life.

-cholesterol is so necessary to our organism is generated internally using a lot of energy.

-cholesterol is the starting point for the synthesis of a series of molecules, notably the hormones.

– the fault is ours, because we live in a way for which we are not prepared ”

Bilbao, February 2012.- a molecule in our bodies with more bad press unjustified, is cholesterol ”, assures Dr. Felix Maria Goñi Urcelay during his speech at the second edition of the spoken Bilbao society magazine. Professor in biochemistry of the UPV has exposed the reasons by which cholesterol is not only not harmful to health, if not that is vital for our survival.

During his speech at the Bilbaína society, which brings the most prominent experts in the arts and Sciences, for his spoken magazine the biochemist expert said that, with the exception of bacteria, all living beings (including plants, yeast, fungi) have cholesterol or very similar molecules, and absolutely need it to live. In the case of the human species, is so essential to our body that synthesized it ourselves, which requires in addition to a great energy ”, says Dr. Goñi at the centuries-old headquarters of the social club from Bilbao. It therefore ensures that if it will reduce the decision-making of cholesterol in the diet, is it sintetizaría more, because it’s a tremendously regulated process. Normally, half of the cholesterol comes from our diet, and the other half we see ourselves ”, adds the biochemical expert.

Result of increased pollution of history

Cholesterol is a happy byproduct of the worst case of air pollution that has been in the history of the Earth, when it makes about 2,000 million years ago, at the beginning of the creation of life, appeared the toxic mayor of existing ones in the most imaginablewhich he finished with 90% of the forms of life then, and made that from then on, the remaining 10% lived in a tiny broad beans ”, advises Dr. Goñi. This poison was the oxygen, which appears as a result of the photosynthesis of algae and plants.

It was then when the remaining species, some enzymes began to function differently in the presence of the oxygen, and they began to introduce double bonds in the chains of chemical compounds of biological molecules, appearing including cholesterol.

There is no life without cholesterol,

All cells are surrounded by a membrane that delimits them, a fine of a type of specific fat film. In its interior are small filiform and flexible fat molecules, moving constantly. The role of these membranes is to provide a permeability selective, allowing entry only of what that suit, holding it inside, and expelling only from what you don’t, at the same time that collected information on cells which they surround him (if enemy or friend)(if there is compatibility or not, etc). This requires a certain degree of fluidity regulated, and is cholesterol who modulates the fluidity of these lipids that form part of the membranes ”, assures Dr. Goñi.

Another of the main functions of cholesterol is that, after him, summarizes a series of basic molecules for human life, in particular of the hormones, both men and women. Others include progesterone, being hormone that dominates the second phase of female menstruation for women and if there is a pregnancy, which the main hormone during the nine months of gestation. And from the progesterone summarizes other hormones, like cortisol, which is a natural anti-inflammatory and regulates the metabolism of sugars, as well as the mineralocorticoids, which regulate the control of water and sodium through the kidney. In the case of each sex hormones, on the one hand are testosterone, the male hormone and estradiol in females, which predominate in the first part of the menstrual cycle.

The fault is ours

Cholesterol, although necessary, has some physico-chemical properties that make that sometimes is ‘ install ’ on the walls of the arteries, and form there a few aggregates plates of atheroma which may cause the arteriosclerosis and its harmful effects for health, mainly myocardial infarction.

However, the professor in biochemistry says that guilt is the lifestyle sedentary and hiperalimentado which has the human being in the developed countries. A small group of humans has acquired an extrañísima custom, which is the eating every day, when no living being has never had unlimited access to food, and doing nothing of exercise ”, adds Dr. Goñi. Concluyo saying the físico-quimicas of our body features are the result of millions of years of attractón, so it isn’t really the cholesterol responsible for heart problems, if not a life which, it says, is biologically absurd ”.

On Bilbao society

Founded in 1839, Bilbaina society emerges as a Centre for recreation and culture of its partners, becoming throughout its long existence in depositary of a historical legacy of unquestionable value. Located for nearly 75 years in Bilbao Plaza Nueva, 1913 opens in the current social building, which was declared in the year 2000 good Cultural with the category of monument. It possesses a rich social and cultural heritage deeply rooted in our Villa, of which we are very honored to maintain and enhance.