No it isn’t, though its calorie count is great. Indeed, whiskey is advised as a substitute drink to help normalise cholesterol levels. All alcoholic drinks contain calories, a unit of energy which is stored in the body and must be burnt off through conversion into other forms; no drink, however, contains cholesterol which is a waxy steroid of fat that is manufactured in the liver or intestines.
It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals and establishes proper membrane permeability and fluidity. In addition, cholesterol is an important component for the manufacture of bile acids, steroid hormones, and Vitamin D. Cholesterol is the principal sterol synthesized by animals, necessary to build and maintain membranes; it modulates membrane fluidity over the range of physiological temperatures.
The hydroxyl group on cholesterol interacts with the polar head groups of the membrane phospholipids and sphingolipids, while the bulky steroid and the hydrocarbon chain are embedded in the membrane, alongside the non-polar fatty acid chain of the other lipids. In this structural role, cholesterol reduces the permeability of the plasma membrane to protons (positive hydrogen ions) and sodium ions.
Within the cell membrane, cholesterol also functions in intracellular transport, cell signalling and nerve conduction. Within cells, cholesterol is the precursor molecule in several biochemical pathways. In the liver, cholesterol is converted to bile, which is then stored in the gallbladder. Cholesterol is an important precursor molecule for the synthesis of Vitamin D and the steroid hormones. Major dietary sources of cholesterol include cheese, egg yolks, beef, pork, poultry, and shrimp. Human breast milk also contains significant quantities of cholesterol.
It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals and establishes proper membrane permeability and fluidity. In addition, cholesterol is an important component for the manufacture of bile acids, steroid hormones, and Vitamin D. Cholesterol is the principal sterol synthesized by animals, necessary to build and maintain membranes; it modulates membrane fluidity over the range of physiological temperatures.
The hydroxyl group on cholesterol interacts with the polar head groups of the membrane phospholipids and sphingolipids, while the bulky steroid and the hydrocarbon chain are embedded in the membrane, alongside the non-polar fatty acid chain of the other lipids. In this structural role, cholesterol reduces the permeability of the plasma membrane to protons (positive hydrogen ions) and sodium ions.
Within the cell membrane, cholesterol also functions in intracellular transport, cell signalling and nerve conduction. Within cells, cholesterol is the precursor molecule in several biochemical pathways. In the liver, cholesterol is converted to bile, which is then stored in the gallbladder. Cholesterol is an important precursor molecule for the synthesis of Vitamin D and the steroid hormones. Major dietary sources of cholesterol include cheese, egg yolks, beef, pork, poultry, and shrimp. Human breast milk also contains significant quantities of cholesterol.
