Ask any American what causes heart disease, and 99% of the time the
answer will be “high cholesterol.” You see, cholesterol has been
vilified and is now regarded as a “scary scary” substance that must be
lowered at all costs. However, if you speak with gerontologists that
specialize in elderly medicine, you will quickly find that almost all of
the most elderly patients have “high” cholesterol levels (according to
the supposedly “normal” standards). But these patients are still alive
and many of them are in very good health and are very active for their
age.
Believing all of these cholesterol myths, Americans decreased their intake of good fats and oils
(like coconut oil, fish oil, olive oil) and started consuming more vegetable oils and margarine (a “trans fat”). This diet has
caused
thousands of deaths from heart disease, as have the statin drugs which
supposedly prevent heart disease, but in reality have numerous
deleterious effects.
Statins are considered to be “HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors”, that is,
they act by blocking the enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) in your liver that
is responsible for making cholesterol. There are over 900 studies
proving the adverse effects of statin drugs, including anemia, cancer,
chronic fatigue, acidosis, liver dysfunction, thyroid disruption,
Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and even diabetes!
Statins have been shown to increase your risk of diabetes through a
few different mechanisms. The most important one is that they increase
insulin resistance, which contributes to chronic inflammation (the
common element of most diseases) and actually results in heart disease,
which, ironically, is the primary reason for taking a
cholesterol-reducing drug in the first place!
Perhaps most importantly, cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease. Your body needs cholesterol.
What Is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all the
cells of our body. It has a hormone-like structure that behaves like a
fat in that it is insoluble in water and in blood. Cholesterol travels
through your bloodstream in small packages called “lipoproteins” which
are made of lipids (fats) on the inside and proteins on the outside.
The cholesterol percentage of each lipoprotein varies depending upon
the specific type of lipoprotein. Cholesterol comprises 20% of high
density lipoproteins (HDLs), 46% of lipoprotein (a), 46% of low density
lipoproteins (LDLs), and 22% of very low density lipoproteins (VLDLs).
If your primary care giver
is treating you for high cholesterol and does not know these facts,
then you should find another primary caregiver. It is imperative for
your health that your care giver
completely understands all of the ramifications of the treatment as
well as the cause for cholesterol blocking your vascular system in the
first place. Once again we must stress that treating the
cause rather than a
symptom is needed to maintain health.
What you are almost never told is that cholesterol supports many
extremely important functions in the maintenance of good health. Below
is a small list of cholesterol’s functions.
Biological Functions of Cholesterol
Perhaps one of the most important functions of cholesterol is acting
as an essential precursor to all of our steroid hormones, which play a
crucial role in our health and without which we cannot live. Even low
levels of these hormones can cause serious health problems. The fact is
that when cholesterol levels fall below 160 mg/dL,
cholesterol deficiency symptoms may begin to be severe enough to be
noticed. One of the first problems often noticed is adrenal
insufficiency, which may cause allergic reactions (that have never
occurred before) to foods or plants. Sex hormones may also become
detrimentally affected, thus causing the person to become hypo-gonadal
or to have severe imbalances (ratios of testosterone to estradiol) and
have very low DHEA levels. All of these may lead to more serious
diseases, some of which may be life threatening.
Optimal serum cholesterol levels actually help to prevent some types
of cerebrovascular diseases and suboptimal cholesterol levels have been
associated with an increased risk of cerebrovascular diseases.
Cholesterol is also an essential component of cell membranes and, helps
maintain the integrity of cell membrane fluidity (which is constantly
changing do to fluctuations of dietary fat consumption). Cholesterol
also plays a particularly important function as a major constituent of
the myelin sheath, which acts as insulation of neurons. It should be
noted that cholesterol is so important to bodily functions that the cell
membranes actually manufacturer it in direct response to the body’s
demands.
Cholesterol also creates many valuable byproducts that are required
for complete digestion. These byproducts include cholic acid,
chenodeoxycholic acid, and deoxycholic acid, all of which are essential
components of bile, which is needed for fat digestion and their
absorption into the intestines. Cholesterol plays a large role in the
function of the immune system; low cholesterol levels may increase the
risk of several types of cancer. Cholesterol is actually secreted by
glands in the skin which help protect the skin from infections from
detrimental bacteria and fungi. Cholesterol also acts as an
antioxidant and possesses powerful antioxidant properties.
It has also been shown through several studies that optimal
cholesterol levels are required in order to prevent aggressiveness
(excessively low cholesterol levels increase the incidence of
aggressiveness). It would have been interesting if the studies had
analyzed sex hormone levels as well, since cholesterol is required for
testosterone synthesis and it is well proven that low testosterone
levels also increase aggressiveness. We realize that most physicians
(and most of the public) have bought into “‘roid rage” theory,
implicating excess testosterone with rage. However, science and peer
reviewed studies have proven the exact opposite to be true.
Aggressiveness increases when testosterone drops below normal levels or
when the ratio of testosterone to estradiol becomes low.
Cholesterol is also required to deal with stress, so you can see its
importance in our Western society. Cholesterol accomplishes this task by
being an essential constituent of all adrenal gland hormones. These
hormones include adrenaline, cortisone, and cortisol which are released
by the body in response to stress in order to counteract its effects.
It should also be noted that excessive stress causes production of high
quantities of endogenous cholesterol. Remember that cholesterol is the
precursor in the formation of all steroid hormones.
In the presence of sunlight, the body can use the photolytic action
of UV light on the cholesterol in the skin cells to make vitamin
D (specifically vitamin D3), which is essential for our immune
system and also maintains the balance of calcium and phosphorus for
strong bones and teeth. Vitamin D3 has also been shown to protect
against several cancers as well as being implicated in aiding in the
prevention of Rickets, bone loss, cancers, and numerous other illnesses.
For more information on vitamin D, please visit http://www.vitamindcouncil.org.
Perhaps most importantly, cholesterol is an essential component in
the machinery that triggers the release of neurotransmitters in the
brain. Mother’s milk is especially rich in cholesterol and contains a
special enzyme that helps the baby utilize it. Babies and children need
cholesterol-rich foods throughout their growing years to ensure proper
development of the brain and nervous system. Cholesterol is very
concentrated in the brain, where it contributes to the functioning of
“synapses” (tiny gaps between cells which allow nerves to communicate
with each other). Cholesterol may also help to prevent depression, since
low cholesterol (under 160 mg/dl) is associated with an increased risk
of depression. Once again, remember that cholesterol is the precursor of
testosterone and testosterone has been shown to be one of the most
effective antidepressants for both men and women.
