CHOLESTEROL: Myths and Legends debunked

How many of you have "cholesterol problems"? How many of you know someone who is taking a daily pill to "correct" their cholesterol levels?

Cholesterol concerns ALL of us. It seems to be a very nasty compound that urgently needs to be eradicated... right?

Well, the time has come to put forward some facts that might shock some of you. Before we delve into this, I want to stress that I am in no way giving health advice here - this is simply a summary of my personal investigative work. Please talk to your health practitioner before you change your health routine or stop any prescribed medication.

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy fat-soluble nutrient, a natural by-product of the liver. The liver produces about 80-85% of your body's cholesterol. Why would the liver produce such a "harmful" substance? Is it really that harmful? If the diet is only responsible for 15-20% of our cholesterol, why are we not focusing more on the real reason why our body produces it?

The truth is that the liver produces the majority of your cholesterol because it is ESSENTIAL for your metabolism.

Cholesterol is found in EVERY SINGLE CELL of your body. It plays a key role in your overall health:

• -It helps produce the cells' membranes and serves as insulation for your nerve cells
• -It is essential to produce bile acids (you wouldn't be able to digest fats without it)
• -It plays a key role in Vitamin D production
• -It is crucial to produce steroid hormones (cortisol, testosterone, estrogen, aldosterone)
• -It is essential for your brain: your brain contains 25% of your body's cholesterol. Cholesterol is essential for neurons' connectivity, which allows you to think, learn and build memories. Low HDL levels have been linked to memory loss, Alzheimer's, increased risk of depression, stroke, and violent behaviour.

In a way, cholesterol is like a healing agent that your body sends to inflamed areas - like a scab to cover and protect the blood vessel walls from further damage. This means that too much cholesterol is often the result of too much inflammation. Instead of wanting to eliminate this signal, maybe we should be thankful for it and focus on the root causes.

What "High Cholesterol" Really Means

A simple total cholesterol test doesn't tell you much about your actual health. You need to know the proportion of HDL and LDL, and more particularly the SIZE of LDL particles. You also need to know your triglycerides levels.

Key ratios to understand:

• -HDL / Total Cholesterol ratio: should be more than 24%
• -Triglycerides / HDL ratio: should be below 2
• -Fasting blood sugar level: should be below 79mg/dl (around 100-125mg/dl = 300% higher risk of coronary heart disease)
• -LDL particle size: Only small dense LDL particles are harmful - they squeeze through artery linings and cause damage when they oxidize. LARGE LDL particles are NOT harmful.

We can talk about "bad" cholesterol when those ratios are imbalanced, or when LDL particles are too small and dense. It is "bad" because it shows that your body is in a serious inflammatory state. Fighting and decreasing the inflammation should be the first focus.

Healthy Fats Are Good For You

If our diet is not the main factor in cholesterol production, why have fats - and specifically saturated ones - been demonized?

The truth is, you need saturated fats and other essential fatty acids. They are NOT the cause of any imbalance in your cholesterol profile. Actually, avoiding good fats can be quite toxic to your health.

Avoiding healthy fats increases inflammation, and therefore participates in the imbalance of your cholesterol ratios. Today we know that the primary cause of disease-causing inflammation is: synthetic trans fats, refined sugars, processed grains. Healthy fats DECREASE your inflammation.

Where the Confusion Came From

Fats have been demonized since the early 1950s following Dr. Ancel Keys' flawed research. His 1953 paper analyzed the correlation between saturated fat intake and coronary heart disease, covering 22 different countries.

His conclusion - that saturated fats DO increase the risk of heart disease - was based on the analysis of only 6 countries, IGNORING THE 16 OTHER COUNTRIES that were part of the study. He ignored them because their results showed that the preconceived hypothesis was actually false. Those countries showed that a diet high in healthy fats actually DECREASES the risk of heart disease.

This is how the first published interpretation of a study on cholesterol mislead billions of people for decades. It is time to move past these misconceptions.

What Actually Causes Heart Disease?

Many now realize that it is actually the trans fats (in margarine and many processed foods and vegetable oils like canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil) that cause a significant amount of health problems. These are the villains - NOT the natural fats you find in meat, cheese, butter, avocado or coconut oil.

The primary dietary causes of inflammation and cardiovascular disease are:

• -Refined sugars and fructose
• -Processed grains
• -Synthetic trans fats
• -Vegetable and seed oils

What to Do

Focus on decreasing inflammation rather than blindly lowering cholesterol numbers. Eat real, whole, unprocessed foods. Embrace healthy natural fats. Eliminate refined sugars and processed foods.

And if you are currently on statin medication - please speak to your health practitioner before making any changes.

In Health and Happiness,

Stephanie