The chemical composition of the sterol occurs in high levels in most people belonging to the high-risk group is referred to as cholesterol. The term cholesterol refers to a chemical compound naturally produced in the body. It is a building block to make cell membranes and hormones such as testosterones and estrogen (Wedro, 2013).
Cholesterol is classified as either good or bad cholesterol. The cholesterol that is carried by low-density lipoprotein is the ones that are called the bad cholesterol while those carried by the high-density lipoprotein are called good cholesterol. The low-density lipoprotein carries cholesterol to the various body parts that are in need of cholesterol. The high-density lipoprotein works as a vacuum cleaner by sucking up excess cholesterol that may be found in the body especially in the arteries. Bad cholesterol together with other different substances in the blood, it can form plaques that may result in narrowing the arteries and thus making them to be less flexible. Good cholesterol, on the other hand, helps remove these plagues (Freeman & Junge, 2005).
Four different foods that are a source of the bad cholesterol include meat that is full of fat such as beef and pork, chicken meat with the skin, whole-fat milk or cream, butter, ice cream and cheese (Vanta, 2010).
The good cholesterol works in the body to transport cholesterol that is deposited in the arteries and tissues back to the liver and other organs like testis, ovaries and adrenal glands where it is used in the production of other useful substances. This explains the fact that high level of good cholesterol in the body is associated with low chances of having a heart disease. Good cholesterol also contains molecules that work as antioxidant molecules, which may prevent the bad cholesterol from being altered to form a lipoprotein that may increase chances of developing a heart disease (Freeman & Junge, 2005).
Benedict's test is used to test the presence of various reducing sugars such as fructose and glucose. Positive result for the test is indicated by a change in the color of the solution from blue to brick red. The brick red color is an indication of the presence of a reducing sugar (Gurien, 2013). The test would indicate the presence of high glucose content in the urine as indicated by the change in color from blue to brick red.
A ketohexose refers to any ketone compound that is made up of six carbons. Some of the most common ones include sorbose, fructose, and tagatose. Ketohexoses are mostly stable even over various pH levels. Fruit jam contains sucrose as the main sugar. Sucrose is a disaccharide that is made up of glucose and fructose. The ketohexose that is found in the body after taking in fruit jam is, therefore, fructose. Some of the properties of fructose include having a molecular mass of 180.16g/mol, a density of 1.694g/cm3 and a melting point of 103 °C. The molecular formula of fructose is C6H12O6.
The ketohexose is able to act as a reducing sugar because it contains a free ketone group in its molecular structure. The free carbonyl group is reactive and is thus able to react with the copper sulfate that is present in the Benedict’s solution. This reaction results in the formation of cuprous oxide, which is a red-brown precipitate (Gurien, 2013).
Reference List
Freeman, M. W., & Junge, C. (2005). CHAPTER 1: Understanding Cholesterol: The Good, the Bad, and the Necessary. Retrieved August 19, 2013, from http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Understanding_Cholesterol.htm
Gurien, M. (2013). Benedict's Test for Reducing Sugars. Retrieved August 19, 2013, from http://www.biosci.ohiou.edu/introbioslab/Bios170/170_2/benedict.htm
Vanta, B. (2010). List of Foods With Good and Bad Cholesterol. Retrieved August 19, 2013, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/318993-list-of-foods-with-good-and-bad-cholesterol/
Wedro, B. (2013). Cholesterol. Retrieved August 19, 2013, from Medicine Net: http://www.onhealth.com/cholesterol/page2.htm
