Lipids by Mikayla

Lipids are fatty acids that can not be dissolved in water but can be dissolved in organic solvents. This includes things such as waxes, natural oils, and things such as unsaturated fats.

            Cholesterol is a very good example of a lipid. Cholesterol is hydrophobic which means it is water fearing and it is hydrophilic which means blood loving, those two don’t mix. This can help you in many ways, but can also harm you. It is very important because it helps your cell membranes function, it gives you vitamin D, helps make your hormones, and it also is helpful in digestion. This substance can also be very harmful to your body if you have too much intake. It is a very waxy substance so if you have more than you need, the waxy substance could clog your arteries. If this happens, which is called LDL, it can cause heart disease. However, HDL is good for you, it carries cholesterol from parts of your body into your liver.

            How do you think that you could keep yourself from getting LDL? I think this topic is so intriguing because it affects you drastically in both ways. You have to educate yourself to know how much and what kind is good. If you don’t do that cholesterol could be a bad thing for you. I find interesting that high cholesterol can be genetic, so even if you are educated in that area it could still be harmful to you. If you notice small bumps on your skin that could be a sign of high cholesterol, but this is more common with people that have medical conditions. High cholesterol is not good for you, but if it is too low it can also not be good for you. It could increase your risks for certain types of cancer etc.