Diabetes has been shown to be a major risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In fact, people with diabetes are twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke. What’s more, these outcomes often are seen at an earlier age than in those without diabetes. What is cholesterol, and what role does it play in this process?
Cholesterol is important throughout the body
Cholesterol is a waxy substance in the body present in every cell. It plays an important role in many functions, such as building cell membranes, making bile acids to aid digestion, enabling vitamin D production, and helping the body make hormones.
“Being a fatty substance, cholesterol is packaged in a particle called a lipoprotein that transports it through the blood to where it is needed,” says Ronald B. Goldberg, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and
