The Truth About Cholesterol
I am going to let you in on something shocking. Cholesterol is not the major culprit in heart disease. I know this may be hard to believe after all we have heard about the dangers of high cholesterol from our doctors, and the media. But the truth is, it is not the cholesterol levels themselves or the cholesterol containing foods that are the culprits in heart disease, it is those foods and any other thing that causes inflammation in your body that is the major cause of heart disease (as well as diabetes and high blood pressure).
What is cholesterol and why do we need it?
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all your body’s cells. It’s an important part of a healthy body because it’s used to form cell membranes. Cholesterol also aids in the manufacture of bile (which helps digest fats), and is also important for the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E and K. It is the major precursor for the synthesis of vitamin D and of the various steroid hormones (which include cortisol and aldosterone in the adrenal glands, and the sex hormones progesterone, the various estrogens, testosterone, and derivatives ).
How could something so good be so bad?
Cholesterol has been wrongly accused because upon inspection of the arteries of someone at risk for a heart attack, levels of cholesterol and plaque build up are very high. Cholesterol is actually being transported to tissues as part of an inflammatory response that is there to repair damage. It will only lodge itself onto the artery and cause plaque if the artery has become damaged. Inflammation in the artery is what causes this damage. In fact, it is now known that the coronary disease that causes heart attacks is now considered to be caused mostly from chronic inflammation.
To blame cholesterol for heart attacks would be the equivalent of blaming increased police security in a high crime area. It was not the police that caused the crime, they were just placed there in response to the crimes.
A more important question to ask ourselves, is how do we decrease the amount of inflammation in our bodies so that cholesterol will not bind to our arteries?
We must decrease all of those things that we do that cause inflammation and increase things that decrease inflammation. First and foremost we must stay away from foods that cause inflammation in our bodies. Any food that causes a fast rise in blood insulin levels will quickly cause inflammation in the body. These foods are sugar, white breads, most dairy products and almost all packaged and processed foods. What does this leave you with? Fresh, wholesome foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean animal proteins, nuts, and lots and lots of water. Also, taking in lots of omega-3 rich foods will dramatically decrease inflammation in the body (salmon, organic eggs, walnuts and sardines).
What about your cholesterol medication?
Some may be thinking, it is just easier to take a pill and not have to change what I am eating. But you may want to think twice considering the side effects of statins (cholesterol lowering drugs). The most common side effects reported are fatigued, headaches, nausea and the most common of them all, severe muscular pains and muscular degeneration. If you remember that cholesterol is essential for the formation of cell membranes, taking a drug that is drastically lowering cholesterol may be causing membrane damage in neural and muscle tissue. Most people on statins complain of neck, back or leg pain.
Millions of Americans are now on cholesterol lowering drugs, but the number of people suffering from heart attacks and heart disease is only increasing. Let’s take a personal responsibility for our health and truly get to the root of the problem. Managing your diet and staying away from those foods that are causing an inflammatory response in your body is your first step to decreasing your chance of heart disease and heart attacks.
Get Started on Your Own Weight Loss and Health Goals right away with these Simple and Effective Healthy Meal Plans.
Stay up to date on all of the Best Health Information Available.
I have a question; my job keeps me on the road for about 2 weeks out of every month. Regardless of any diet program it’s hard to order food in any cafe or restaurant. I also spend much of the time out in the middle of nowhere working in remote locations where there is nothing. I get back into my motel room when it is very late and many of the places I go to you are lucky if the motel has room service, so you are at the mercy of “fast foods”, or “Ma & Pa’s” Café. How would you address that problem? I am 60 years old and about to have my gallbladder removed because of “gall stones”. I really need to change the way I have been eating. I am also about 80 pounds over weight.
Best Regards,
Ty Browning
Ty, you just have to do the best you can! Look for the healthier options at restaurants, and try to find grocery stores where you can purchase things like fruits and vegetables. Also, are you able to bring raw nuts and fruits with you? I would suggest bringing them along on your trips – they will fill you up, and they’re good for you!
This is been really a Very good information and changed my mindset.
Can u suggest specific food & any exercised that will help in long run.
Thanks
FreeWeightLossDietTips
very good
My Mom has a stroke at the age of 79 yrs. old,
she was not on any medication for lowering
her cholesterol. My Mom survived her stoke
and lived to be 94 years old. My Dad suffered a fatal stroke at the age of 80 years old, he cut down on cholesterol quite a bit but no eliminating foods containing colesterol. His fatal stroke was brought on by major stress factors.
I and 2 of my brothers are on cholesterol lower medications. The 3 siblings, will in all likelyhood will at some point in time also suffer strokes in our lifetimes.
What would you suggest for us, other than eating fruits, vegetables & Omega 3 foods?
Paloma
Hi. I would like to eat more foods that lower inflammation in my body. My ESR is very high. I can’t eat salmon and I hate sardines. What else can I eat besides walnuts??
You know, walnuts also have B12 which is a great benefit if you do not eat a lot of meat, fish or other foods with B12. Clams, liver and eggs also a good source of B12.
Oatmeal is great and we put ground flax seed on our peanut butter sandwiches as well as using it for other dishes and cooking as it does take the place of oil in some recipes.
Tumeric also is supposed to have anti-inflammatory properties and is suggested by some to reduce and sometimes reverse certain cancers.
@I_Fortuna, you need to know that walnuts DO NOT contain B12! Unless you know of walnuts which are made out of animals, of course. They do have other good stuff– omega 3, especially. Maybe that’s what you were thinking of! B12 is only found in animal products– I’m a longtime lacto-ovo vegetarian, so get some of mine from eggs (it’s in the yolks, so people who think they’re being “healthy” by only eating the whites are making a huge mistake).
B12 is notoriously difficult to absorb through non-meaty sources, unfortunately. I regularly use a “triple action” form from Swanson Vitamins, which you start under the tongue (some is absorbed that way), then swallow, where it supposedly dissolves in two different digestive areas. You need a LARGE amount by mouth to get just a tiny amount to be absorbed.
And once again– walnuts, though excellnent in countless ways, are NOT a source of B12!!
This is one of the best reading materials on chlorestral that I have come upon so far. A few years ago I was on Slimvastin for about a year and was feeling terriable so I started reading the side effects. Although not recommended for everyone, I started to very slowly decrease my use abit at a time. Since it fully went out of my system to this day I am not sorry for doing that. Its what you put in your mouth that counts and lifestlye. A very important solution to try first. I will not take this kind of pill anymore and am willing to take my chances. I had a stent put in..chlorestal buildup in my artery was blamed. But this article really explains alot now. Thank you for writing it.
Isabel is a very informative individual who obviously has done her homework. What a wonderful resource she has provided all of us. Thank you Isabel for caring and for being a terrific coach and motivator.
finally, some sanity about cholesterol. for those interested in learning more about this topic, pick up the book, “Real Food: What to Eat and Why”.
To TyBrowning – take fresh vegetables and fruit with you! Eat an apple or some carrots to replace a coffee, that is a start. Next, do not enter a fast food restaurant, ever (or at least only once per month). Take a few minutes every morning to go to a grocery store and buy ingredients for a healthy cold lunch you can eat anywhere, in your car, or find a park on nice days.
I am sure you have spent some time to give this quality article to us. I don’t know how to thank you.
I was thrilled to read this article. I was told last year that my cholesterol was extremely high- My doctor put me on a statin drug but I immediately started feeling crappy. I went to a no cholesterol diet- age veggies and fruits and eliminated as muchfat as possible. I lost 23 pounds, lowered my BP and my cholesterol dropped below 200. I refuse to go on the statin. I have tried to add some fat back into my diet- as I was losing too much muscle and weight. But still I am watching my diet.
Well, there are two version of cholesterol, the LDL and the HDL. The HDL was said to be the good cholesterol, and the LOL was said to be the bad one. Now, lets check on the Triglycerides which has said to be the worst stuff in the blood in high amount.
Isabel is correct. Not all cholesterol is bad. Your body makes it and genetically you might have more than most others no matter what you do. AT 63 my total chol is 135, LDL <95, Trig <80 and BP 112/75 resting pulse 62. I dont eat any fats unless they are in nuts, never any hamburgers, maybe redmeat once a month, no white foods lots of oatmeal…and I run 3 miles or walk 4 every day. NOW don't get over excited thinking you can have chol running 230 in your lipid profile. You will get clogged arteries. If you have 230 chol then you probably have very high triglicerides too..now thats 2 different fats floating around in your blood..what you now need to have is the C Reactive Protein test..which as she states measures the imflammation in the arteries..If you dont want to take statins then YOU have to get off your can and lose weight and change your diet. If you dont you cant just sit there and think that high chol is not going to kill you it will.
Thank you
Medic Joe
I am glad to read the truth about cholesterol on a diet site!
Ty, you CAN eat healthy at a fast-food place. You can buy salads at all of them. McDonalds has their meal-sized salads with chicken…. ask for the grilled chicken breast, no sauce on top. Wendy’s has great salads, and so does Harvey’s.
You can also get a meal at all of them. You can get a burger without the bun and a salad instead of the fries, and water instead of pop. I’ve done it countless times (I have Celiac disease and can’t eat buns, which is just as well).
Ursula, it’s true that there are healthiER options at fast food restaurants – I wouldn’t suggest eating any of those things on a regular basis though. You should definitely choose water over soda and a salad over fries (still pay attention to the actual ingredients of the salad though.. and how fresh the lettuce and other vegetables are), but you should still be careful about the chicken and beef served at fast food places – it is FAR from organic.
great information…I don’t want to take meds as my dr suggest, will continue to eat healthy, and exercise. am 63, have fibromyalgia, so I really need to focus on getting enough movement in my day, and not to eat everything in sight on bad days…
I think you may have just saved my life with this. My doctor told me I have extremely high cholestoral but didn’t really explain it. I like foods that are rich in omega 3, I also love fruit and nuts. If the doctor had mentioned any of this instead of giving me a lot of jargon, I could have dealt with this thing months ago.