fireblaze wrote:how do statins work? Most circulating
cholesterol is manufactured internally, typically about 1000
mg/24 hours, out of the carbohydrate metabolism, by the HMG-CoA
reductase pathway. Cholesterol, both from dietary intake and
secreted into the duodenum as bile from the liver, is typically
absorbed at a rate of 50% by the small intestines. The typical
diet in the United States and many other Western countries, is
estimated as adding about 200-300 mg/day to intestinal intake;
much smaller than that secreted into the intestine in the bile.
Thus internal production is an important factor. Cholesterol is
not water-soluble, and is therefore carried in the blood in the
form of lipoproteins, the type being determined by the
apoprotein, a protein coating that acts as an emulsifier. The
relative balance between these lipoproteins is determined by
various factors, including genetics, diet, insulin resistance.
Low density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low density lipoprotein
(VLDL) carry cholesterol towards ti