by 
The Curious Bag
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Despite cholesterol's negative reputation, it is an essential compound that your body produces to promote cellular health, and it acts as a precursor to chemicals like bile acids. Without it, our cells would lose integrity, and we would perish.
Term Origin
The word cholesterol comes from the Greek terms chole (bile) and stereos (solid), and the chemical suffix -ol, denoting an alcohol.
Synthesis
Synthesis begins with one molecule of acetyl-CoA and a molecule of acetoacetyl-CoA, which are molecules needed for aerobic respiration in cells. They then undergo a series of chemical processes that produce cholesterol. About 20 percent of your body's cholesterol is made by the liver.
Functions
Cholesterol is needed to build and maintain cell membranes and regulate membrane fluidity. It is also a precursor molecule for the synthesis of bile acids, steroid hormones, and several fat-soluble vitamins.
Sources
All animal sources of food (beef, pork, shrimp, egg yolk) have cholesterol, especially from organs. Since we make cholesterol in our body already, we do not have to consume extra cholesterol.
Structure
Cholesterol is a type of lipid and steroid, made up of three parts: a hydrocarbon tail, a ring structure region with four hydrocarbon rings, and a hydroxyl group (OH). It is non-soluble in water.
Source:
"Perspectives in Nutrition"; Gordon Wardlaw and Margaret Kessel; 2002
Resource:
Biochemistry of Cholesterol
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