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  Cholesterol is related to but not the direct cause of arteriosclerosis, heart disease, or strokes. We cannot live without cholesterol; we must have it to make cell membranes, vitamin D, many hormones, many neurotransmitters, and bile salts. Yet it is related to heart disease. In general, the higher the cholesterol the worse the risk for heart disease....

Cholesterol is needed by the body to make bile salts for digestion, vitamin D, hormones, neurotransmitters, and cell membranes. The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL provides a metric for the development cholesterol plaque. Lowering cholesterol with drugs may have value for some situations, but it can be lowered too much and create other serious problems.