# Pure cholesterol

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pure-cholesterol/739845>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 8, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pure-cholesterol/739845 "2015-12-08T19:54:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cardboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Cardboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardboard)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pure-cholesterol/739845/1 "2015-12-08T19:54:38Z")

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If I had a tablespoon of pure cholesterol, what would it look and taste like?

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**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pure-cholesterol/739845/2 "2015-12-08T21:27:34Z")

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Well, it’s a [white solid at room temperature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol#Physiology). It’s also quite hydrophobic. My guess is it might taste and feel something like chewing a stearin candle…

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**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pure-cholesterol/739845/3 "2015-12-09T08:30:52Z")

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Bacon.

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pure-cholesterol/739845/4 "2015-12-09T19:25:58Z")

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There are several [sellers on Alibaba](http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/99%2525-cholesterol.html) who will sell you 99% pure cholesterol as a white crystalline powder. Many of them have a minimum order of 1 kg which will set you back about $100 plus shipping. Don’t eat it all at once. One kg is nine years’ consumption of cholesterol for the average American man.

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**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pure-cholesterol/739845/5 "2015-12-09T20:30:42Z")

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Don’t have any on the shelf in my current lab, but in my last lab we’d use it in standard nematode growth media. It was pretty much an unremarkable white powder, like most purified biological organic chemicals. Powdery, a bit clumpy, not very soluble… I’d guess if you ate it, it wouldn’t taste like anything and it would feel like a thick greasy/plasticky paste.

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**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pure-cholesterol/739845/6 "2015-12-10T13:50:26Z")

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> [@bibliophage](#):
>
> Don’t eat it all at once. One kg is nine years’ consumption of cholesterol for the average American man.

Don’t be so finicky. You won’t get any dessert until you eat up all your cholesterol.

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**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pure-cholesterol/739845/7 "2015-12-10T14:13:36Z")

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I recall a stand-up comic (Jeff Foxworthy?) had a bit something like this:

> [@Comedian](#):
>
> Cholesterol? Heck when I was a kid if we’da knowed what it was we’da fried it up in some lard and 'et it with gravy! Mmm Mmm good!