Author: Dr Tibor GERE

Title: The cholesterol question: too much or too little? 2009

Source: http://www.termeszetgyogyaszat-1.eoldal.hu/cikkek/a-koleszterin-problemarol/a-koleszterinproblemarol

The large group of compounds formed from cholesterol are bile acids. They are produced by the liver and, in addition to their role in the digestion and absorption of fats, they are an important detoxification tool, being the only possible route of cholesterol excretion.
The role of optimal bile acid production is therefore of central importance, because low bile acid secretion can be the source of many diseases.
Their primary role is to help the body get rid of excess cholesterol, which can be harmful. When the liver produces and excretes less bile acid - caused by stagnant bile that is poorly and irregularly excreted - which results from eating less bile-forming foods, less bile is formed. This leaves more excess cholesterol in the body, the digestion of fats becomes more imperfect and the resulting absorbed fats raise blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, depositing in the circulatory system on the walls of blood vessels and causing catastrophic circulatory and heart attack situations.

Some of the bile acids that enter the intestine are reabsorbed allowing the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. The bile acids, which also circulate in the blood, then help the vitamins to reach their destination, the cells. Moreover, they allow the vitamins to reach their destination in the cells through the cell wall with its double fat-protein layer.

Two-thirds of the bile acids that enter the intestine - as I mentioned - are reabsorbed into the blood and then enter the liver, where they participate in the gut-blood-liver-intestinal cycle, thus fulfilling their physiological functions.