Cholesterol: Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing

Cholesterol is the most misunderstood and wrongly maligned biological molecule in existence today. The idea that cholesterol is harmful for health is engrained in people’s minds.  So let us try to get some of our facts straight. Did you know that cholesterol is essential for life without which the human body would wither away. Further, it is not possible for us to consume enough cholesterol to meet the body’s need. To make up the difference, many organs such as the liver can synthesize cholesterol from the carbohydrate, proteins and fats that we eat.

Cholesterol is not a fat; it belongs to a group of molecules called sterols. Cholesterol is used by our body as a basic building block. It is found not only in the blood stream, but in every cell of the body. Cholesterol maintains the shape and rigidity of cell membranes and protects cells from free radical damage. Cholesterol in the skin helps the production of vitamin D. Many hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, cortisone cannot be made without cholesterol. The brain when well formed is largely made up of cholesterol and fat. Human milk is high in cholesterol. If infants during the first year of their life don’t get adequate cholesterol in their diet, they risk a loss of cognitive function. For some people, cholesterol is an absolute dietary requirement, as their body’s own synthesis is inadequate. Research at the University of California, Berkeley, USA has shown that cholesterol in eggs is helpful to older people whose memory is declining. Cholesterol is used by the body as a raw material for healing itself. This is the main reason the injured areas in the arteries or lungs have cholesterol deposits along with other components such as calcium and collagen.

We would not be here without out cholesterol, thus an obvious question comes to mind- why this mania about lowering cholesterol? Wont lowering cholesterol be a health hazard if it so important? Let us take a closer look. According Dr. Mary Enig, an expert on lipid biochemistry, high cholesterol is an “invented disease”. Total level of cholesterol in the blood is not a great indicator of heart disease risk. It is the ratio of HDL (high density lipoprotein or good cholesterol) to cholesterol and the ratio of triglyceride to HDL that highly correlates with heart disease. HDL percentage is a very potent heart disease risk factor. Divide the HDL level by cholesterol level and the percentage should ideally be above 24%. The same thing can be done with the triglyceride levels with HDL and the percentage should be below 2%. But do keep in mind this are still simply guidelines and there is lot more that goes into your risk of heart disease.

If you have increased levels of cholesterol, it is at least in part because of increased inflammation in your body. The cholesterol is there to do a job: help your body to heal and repair.  During inflammation blood vessels constrict to prevent bleeding and the blood become thicker so it can clot. This is followed by the immune system sending out cells and chemicals to prevent infection at that site, then cells multiply to repair damage and finally a scar is formed. If this process occurs inside an artery, the scar is known as a plaque. This plaque is responsible for increased risk of hypertension and heart attacks. Cholesterol enters the picture when damaged cells are being replaced. Conventional medicine misses the point when they recommend lowering cholesterol with drugs to reduce risk of heart attack rather than looking at the cause of inflammation. If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels, taking cholesterol-lowering drugs should be absolute last resort. Cholesterol lowering drugs or statin drugs work by inhibiting an enzyme in the liver to produce cholesterol. In this process the drug inhibits a whole family of substances that are important for biochemical function. One such compound is coenzymeQ10 (CoQ10). CoQ10 is responsible for providing energy to the heart and muscles. Depleted levels of CoQ10 leads to muscle fatigue and thus increased risk of heart failure. Side effects of statin drugs include weakened muscles thus pain in hands and feet, dizziness, memory loss, depression, increase risk for cancer, weak immune system and liver problems.

Chronic inflammation can be reduced naturally. First is not following the knee-jerk advice to avoid foods like eggs, saturated fat, butter, red meat, dairy due to their alleged artery clogging properties.  This is simply not true. This refutation is based on a lot of current research and is illustrated very well in a famous article by Drs. Fallon and Enig “The skinny on fats”.  The key is to avoid eating ready made and processed foods, sugar and grains, fried foods, trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, all of which are nutritional disasters. Apart from these bad eating habits, excessive stress and sedentary lifestyle of modern living contributes its share. Eating the right fats such omega 3 oil, olive oil, coconut oil, eating stir fried foods, eating dairy such as butter, cheese, sour cream, raw foods such as nuts or seeds, eggs (lightly cooked or raw), organic grass-fed meats, fish and limiting grains is the key to a healthy life. The bottom line is don’t worry about eating cholesterol but worry about eating the right kinds of fats!