ENGLISH
REFERENCE

cholesterol

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //kəˈɫɛstɝˌɔɫ// UK //kəlˈɛstəɹˌɒl// choles·terol

n. a fatty substance found in your blood and body cells. Your body needs some of it to work, but having too much can cause heart problems.

n. a sterol found in most body tissues, including the blood and the nerves. It functions as a structural component of mammalian cell membranes and as a precursor for steroid hormones.


SIMPLE

Eating too much fried food can raise your cholesterol.

CONTEXTUAL

The doctor recommended a low-fat diet and regular exercise to help lower his high cholesterol levels.

COMPLEX

While the body requires cholesterol for synthesizing vitamin D and bile acids, an excess of low-density lipoproteins is strongly associated with the development of atherosclerosis.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from French cholestérol.

Usage

Uncountable in its general biological sense; can be used with 'levels' or 'count' to refer to specific measurements.

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