Of the seventy-four atoms in the cholesterol molecule, only two of them form the hydroxyl group. But the hydroxyl group is not only important because it makes cholesterol an alcohol, but becuase it is the only polar part of the molecule. This small polar region is water-soluble. The rest is fat-soluble.
Cholesterol's Hydroxyl Group
Cholesterol's Hydroxyl Group
Cholesterol's Hydroxyl Group
Of the seventy-four atoms in the cholesterol molecule, only two of them form the hydroxyl group. But the hydroxyl group is not only important because it makes cholesterol an alcohol, but becuase it is the only polar part of the molecule. This small polar region is water-soluble. The rest is fat-soluble.