Tag Archives: Lasker

Cholesterol and cardiovascular disease Cholesterol has the Jekyll and Hyde characteristics of being both essential to life as a constituent of the body’s cells and of being the prime initiator of atherosclerosis, a process characterised by the formation of cholesterol-rich plaques in arteries. This disorder is the major cause of cardiovascular disease, mainly coronary heart disease and stroke, from which 11 million people die in the world each year. The most common single cause of death in Britain, its eradication is given a high priority by the government. Numerous studies have identified cholesterol, specifically low-density lipoprotein (