Cholesterol: Clearing the Misinformation
“The report was initiated with a preconceived opinion of the conclusions. But the science behind those opinions was not holding up.”
- Bill Harlan, associate director of the Office of Disease Prevention at National Institutes of Health and a member of the oversight committee responsible for the “final and definitive” report on the dangers of dietary fat and cholesterol. The report was launched in 1988 by the US Surgeon General’s Office, only to be discontinued eleven years later.
What is Cholesterol? It is a fatty membrane substance found in the cell membranes of animals, humans included. It is NOT a low density lipoprotein (LDL) or a high density lipoprotein (HDL).
What are LDL and HDL? Low Density Lipoprotein and High Density Lipoprotein are proteins that bond with a fat to transport cholesterol to tissues in the body. LDL and HDL are commonly referred to as “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol,” which is inaccurate. As lipoproteins, LDL and HDL play a large role in the transportation of cholesterol throughout the body.
What does it do and how is it used?
- Cholesterol is essential in maintaining membrane permeability, which is the cell membrane’s ability to allow molecules to pass through it. When the permeability of cell membranes is disrupted by unnaturally low cholesterol (statins) or over-consumption of processed foods, the body will become toxic through an elevated level of pH.
- To make new cells, you must have cholesterol to build membranes.
- It is an important precursor for bile acids, which help metabolize dietary fat intake (i.e., absorbing vitamins and digesting foods).
- It protects against numerous types of infections.
- It enables the brains synapses to communicate properly.[1]
- It is crucial for developing steroid hormones within the body. These include numerous forms of testosterone, estrogens, progresterone, cortisol, etc.
- The body uses cholesterol to repair wounds such as tears, irritation and inflammation that may be caused by external toxins like processed foods, chemicals, etc.[2]
- It plays a very important role with the utilization of serotonin and is vital for the healthy functioning of the brain and nervous system.
- LDL transports cholesterol to rebuild damaged cells and tissue.
- HDL is the protein that actually recycles the cholesterol back to the liver.
- Cholesterol protects from endoxins.[3]
- It is the precursor to Vitamin D and the usage of vitamin D within the skin.
- It is a powerful antioxidant.[4]
Particle sizes of LDL and HDL…
- The size of the LDL and HDL particles in the body determines whether or not an individual will develop coronary heart disease.[5],[6] It is not the cholesterol itself, but the lipoprotein that may become lodged in the arterial wall and lead to oxidation of cholesterol.[7] Therefore, smaller particles of LDL and HDL may have an impact on heart disease by oxidizing in the arterial wall, specifically oxidized LDL. Modulating the size of particles is done through diet (glycemic control[8]) and is one of the major activities of insulin. Small LDL particles can potentially get stuck in the artery lining, leading to oxidation and unwanted blockage.[9] Proper nutrition is the only known way to regulate particle size.(http://www.jlr.org/cgi/reprint/39/9/1799.pdf) When an individual consumes healthy whole foods, particularly those high in DHA (cod liver oil) the LDL density will remain at a healthy level and will not stick to the arterial wall, allowing it to safely serve its purpose in repairing the body. (http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/26/1/253.1.full)
- The body actually recycles and reuses cholesterol: the liver produces cholesterol, LDL transports cholesterol to an area of need and then cholesterol returns to the liver via HDL. Because cholesterol is so valuable to the body, it is resourcefully recycled and utilized for repair, development, and general maintenance.
Why does cholesterol go up and down? How does the body utilize and function with cholesterol?
In industrialized worlds where toxins (e.g. heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical cleaners) are prevalent, a 200-300+ cholesterol score is normal. To combat these toxins, the body uses cholesterol. Chlorine, a pro-oxidant, is in a large majority of American water supplies and destroys our cardiovascular system. Fortunately, cholesterol helps protect our bodies from these harmful amounts of chlorine. The amount of cholesterol in the body is typically proportional to the amount currently needed to deal with inflammation and stress from external (environmental toxins) and internal (glycation) sources. When statins are used to unnaturally lower the cholesterol level, liver inflammation and muscle degeneration may result.
When consuming large amounts of processed carbohydrates, the body experiences a process known as glycation, which is caused by sugars such as glucose and fructose. These are the real culprits of heart disease, creating large amounts of arterial plaque and sparking chronic inflammation.
How does cholesterol enter the body? The amount of cholesterol one eats has little impact upon actual cholesterol levels found in the bloodstream.[10], [11] The liver produces cholesterol which then is transported by lipoproteins (LDL) to tissues as an inflammatory response to repair damage and then carried back by lipoproteins (HDL) to the liver. This is why HDL is known as the “good” cholesterol; it is supposedly taking cholesterol away from the arteries. In fact, this “good” cholesterol is simply completing the cycle that the body had initiated naturally. That is why there is no such thing as “good” or “bad” cholesterol at all; they both help the body maintain proper balance and function. Research has proven that less is actually not better when it comes to LDL levels[12], because LDL is needed to transport 60 to 80 percent of cholesterol to tissues and blood vessel walls.
Note that the body does not take cholesterol to the intestines or kidneys to process as excrement or urine. Instead, the body recognizes its importance and vitality and recycles the cholesterol for future use.
How can we avoid oxidizing fats and oxidizing LDL to prevent any irritation in our cardiovascular system? By eating healthier whole nutritious foods and occasionally cleansing the liver (via apple cider vinegar, milk thistle, etc.) the entire biological system will function appropriately and efficiently with minimal amounts of oxidized fats. It is crucial to avoid easily oxidized fats such as polyunsaturated fatty acids found in processed vegetable oils (e.g. canola, sunflower, cottonseed, soybean, corn, safflower) that contain high amounts of linoleic acid and extra virgin olive oil cooked at high temperatures. The chart below (provided by Dr. Stephen Guyenet, a neurobiologist at the University of Washington) shows the impact that specific fats have on increasing the oxidized LDL levels.
The researchers who created this Oxidized LDL chart also completed a study explaining the impact of polyunstaturated fatty acids on oxidized LDL levels[13].
Oxidized LDL in Four Diets with Saturated fatty acids (animal meats, cocoa, coconut oil), monounsaturated (olive oil, lard) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (veggie oils, canola oil, etc)
What happens when your cholesterol is low? Low LDL levels significantly increase the development of cancer cells.[14] Studies reviewed at the University of Minnesota have also shown that low cholesterol leads to gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases.[15] In August of 2001, Baycol was recalled after being linked to over thirty deaths due to rhabdomyolysis, an increase of protein in the bloodstream caused by death of skeletal muscle cells which leads to kidney failure. Your cholesterol is too low if you are taking a cholesterol-lowering drug. The body determines the appropriate cholesterol level. If an individual takes a cholesterol lowering drug while in need of heart therapy, there is a high chance that his cholesterol is too low and he may suffer from further coronary heart damage.[16] Unnaturally low cholesterol also puts a tremendous amount of stress on the brain, causing an influx in the brain circuitry, which also has a negative effect on mental health.[17] Preliminary research shows that in cholesterol levels below 220, the cancer rate increases. In fact, if your cholesterol levels get as low as 160, your risk for cancer is even worse than if you had high cholesterol.[18],[19] Also, around the age of 65, the higher your cholesterol, the longer you are most likely to live.[20]
Conclusion
Cholesterol is an extremely important substance used to control inflammatory damage. By eating whole nutrient dense foods, the body will have the appropriate cholesterol necessary to handle external and internal toxins experienced by the typical individual. Separating LDL and HDL into “bad” and “good” categories is ill-advised and misleading. Both of these substances function to keep human body balanced and healthy. Cholesterol levels have little to no effect on coronary heart disease or atherosclerosis. Instead, oxidized LDL levels seem to have a much greater impact on heart health. By avoiding polyunsaturated fatty acids found in industrial vegetable oils, oxidized LDL levels will maintain a healthy level for a happy and complete livelihood.
[1] Science November 9, 2001;294:1354-1357
[2] Ross R. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and update. New England Journal of Medicine 314, 488-500, 1986.
[3] http://iai.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/63/5/2041
[4] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1937129
[5] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8994419
[6] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1543692
[7] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8782636
[8] http://www.metabolismjournal.com/article/PIIS0026049503003263/abstract
[9] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15047623
[10] Drs. Harumi Okuyama, Bill Lands, et al., edited by Simopoulos “Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease: From the Cholesterol Hypothesis to w6/w3 Balance” (email me for charts from the book)
[11] http://www.ibcmt.com/2009-03-16-EffectsOfDietaryCholesterolOnSerumCholesterol-PaulHopkins.pdf
[12] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12888149
[13] http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/17/10/2088#R13
[14] http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/short/50/5/409
[15] http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/86/3/1046
[16] Rauchhaus M and others. The relationship between cholesterol and survival in patients with chronic heart failure. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 42, 1933-1940, 2003.
[17] Science November 9, 2001;294:1354-1357
[18] http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/50/5/421
[19] http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/179/5/427