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Meaning & use

cholesterol

noun·Academicmedicalbiology

Last updated

UK/kəˈlestərɒl/
US/kəˈlestərɔːl/

Meanings

  1. noununcountablemedicalbiology

    A fatty substance found in body cells and in some foods, which can block blood vessels in high amounts.

    Grammar: No plural and no 'a' before it: say 'high cholesterol', not 'a high cholesterol'.

    Patterns

    • high cholesterol
    • low cholesterol
    • cholesterol level
    • cholesterol in something

    My doctor said my cholesterol is too high and I should eat less fried food.

    Eggs contain cholesterol, but they are not the only source in a typical diet.

    Regular exercise can help lower your cholesterol over time.

  2. noununcountablebiologyspecialist

    A natural waxy alcohol made by the liver and needed by the body to build cells and hormones.

    Grammar: Used as a mass noun in scientific writing: 'the body produces cholesterol'.

    Patterns

    • produce cholesterol
    • cholesterol is made in something

    The liver produces most of the cholesterol that circulates in the blood.

    Cells need cholesterol to keep their membranes stable.

Common combinations

high cholesterol
High cholesterol often has no symptoms, so people are tested at routine checkups.
lower your cholesterol
Cutting back on butter and cheese helped him lower his cholesterol.
cholesterol level
Her cholesterol level dropped after six months of walking every day.
bad cholesterol
LDL is often called bad cholesterol because it can clog arteries.
a cholesterol test
The nurse did a quick cholesterol test using a drop of blood.

Synonyms and how they differ

lipid
A broader scientific term for all fats in the body, of which cholesterol is only one type; use 'lipid' in medical or biology writing, not in everyday talk.
fat
A general everyday word for greasy substances in food and the body; 'fat' is much wider than cholesterol and not a medical measurement.

Word family

cholesterolemia noun
A medical term for the amount of cholesterol in the blood, usually in compound terms like hypercholesterolemia.
hypercholesterolemia noun
A medical condition in which there is too much cholesterol in the blood.

Commonly confused: cholesterol or carbohydrate? cholesterol or calorie?

cholesterol vs carbohydrate

Both appear on food labels, but carbohydrate is a sugar or starch that gives energy, while cholesterol is a fatty substance linked to heart health.

cholesterol vs calorie

A calorie is a unit of energy in food; cholesterol is a substance in food and blood, so 'low-calorie' and 'low-cholesterol' mean different things.

Practice

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