Do not misunderstand Cholesterol
Do not misunderstand Cholesterol.
There is a lot of misinformation about cholesterol. Cholesterol is needed by the body for a number of reasons. But it has become the bad guy in many cases due to the perception of cholesterol.
About 80-90% of cholesterol your body produces. The rest of your cholesterol comes from food. If you get more cholesterol in your diet, your body makes less. If you eat less, your body makes more. Excess Cholesterol is excreted. Winter causes it to increase. Summer has the opposite effect.
Cholesterol Fluctuates.
Cholesterol will fluctuate depending on time, weather, exposure to toxins, and whatever is going on in your life. If you are dealing with any injury, inflammation process, or stress (physical or mental) then Cholesterol will increase. After a heart attack or any other traumatic event, Cholesterol will increase. A woman’s cholesterol levels can vary as much as 20% depending on what phase of her menstrual cycle she is in. Average levels are highest in women during their peri- and early-menopausal years.
High Cholesterol levels may be seen with if a patient is hypothyroid. Obesity, insulin resistance, or diabetes will also produce high cholesterol (and triglycerides). Though Cholesterol is primarily manufactured in the body according to your need, the food we eat provides 90% of our triglycerides. If your Cholesterol level is too low it will increases risk for:
Depression,
Sleep Problems,
Aggression,
Violent Behavior,
Loss of Memory,
Poor Cognition,
Various types of Cancer,
Parkinson’s Disease,
Poor Immune Function,
Increased Mortality, and more.
What causes extra Cholesterol?
Cholesterol levels will increase when there is an insult of injury or any need for healing. When an area is damaged or stressed in any way the liver will send LDL to the sight to help to make a patch for repair and help to replace damaged cells. When they have completed their job, they are transported to the Liver by HDL where they are broken down and excreted by the body. Proper treatment is to find out why the body needed the extra Cholesterol (what is the cause?).
Of course we can just force down the levels with drugs but that does not fix the problem. Whether the number is high or low because of an effect of a drug the problem is still there. So with nutritional care we want to reduce the need for cholesterol instead of suppressing it. Remember it is high because the body needs it somewhere so just lowering it does not fix the problem. If we suppress it, the body’s ability to heal is effected.
Since the body manufactures 80-90% of its own Cholesterol many times changing your diet wont always have the effect that one desires. Food supplements which help the body to heal can help reduce the bodies need for Cholesterol. They boost cellular function, aid in repair, and help to get rid of damaging agents. Less Cholesterol is then needed as we heal and the levels go down.
“…Having a High Level of Cholesterol might be good for you..”
Patients who have diseases that have acute inflammation such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus will do better with higher Cholesterol levels. Of course these disease also do great in most circumstances with nutritional care. Andrew Clark, MD, says: “In contrast to what you might imagine, having a high level of cholesterol might be good for you.” If your immune system is working to fight against something your Cholesterol levels may increase at that time in order to heal. Cholesterol-lowering drugs suppress inflammation, interfering with the body’s efforts to resolve damage. Ronald Kraus is a member of the committee that writes the dietary guidelines for this country. His research indicates that total cholesterol and LDL are not linked with heart attacks. (He did find a correlation with a specific small dense type of LDL, but it subsided with increased consumption of saturated fat.) Most of the other members of the committee disagree and vote to recommend the opposite. Is that science? A number of studies found no connection between saturated fat intake and cardiovascular disease.
Statin Drugs
Cholesterol lowering drugs are called Statins. Some are (Lipitor, Mevacor, Zocor, Lescor, Crestor, Advicor, Pravachol). There are more prescriptions for statins than any other type of drug. Many studys are on the safety of Statin Drugs. Yet all of those studies are done by pharmaceutical companies or written by scientists with financial ties to the pharmaceutical companies that produce the drugs.
There are many side effects of statin drugs.
Liver damage (statins inhibit production of cholesterol by the liver)
Muscle weakness, aches and damage; severe with higher statin doses.
Tendonitis and tendon tears.
Increased fatigue after exertion; decline in overall energy.
Memory and cognition impairment; transient global amnesia.
Potential for depression, irritability, aggressiveness.
Damage to peripheral nerves, causing peripheral neuropathy if statins are taken longer than 2 years.
Lowered immune system function.
Potential increase in autoimmune diseases and cancer risk (impaired antitumor immune responses).
Increased risk for hemorrhagic stroke.
Increase in prevalence and extent of coronary artery and aortic artery calcification.
Abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Increased risk for type 2 diabetes; deterioration of blood sugar control in existing diabetics.
Worsened progression and symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.
Increased risk of developing cataracts.
Sexual dysfunction.
Reduced fat metabolism including that of essential fatty acids. May suppress omega-3 benefits.
Reduction in levels of CoQ10, vitamins A, D, E and K and carotenes.
May deplete mineral-protein complexes including zinc, copper, selenium, and chromium.
Lactic acidosis; anemia.
If one has high Cholesterol the nutritional approach is best as the goal is to heal the body so it will require less cholesterol and the number will come in range. Certain supplements depending on what is really going on with the patient can help to lower the Cholesterol to this ranges. If you have any questions about Cholesterol or any other health matters please give is a call at 314-843-9355.
References:
JAMA, 17 Oct 2012, 308(15):1545-54; M Mitka, JAMA, 22/29 Aug 2012, 308(8):750-1.
UC Berkeley Wellness Lttr, Sept 2012, 28(13):1-2; M Gillman, S Daniels, B Psatu, et al,
JAMA, 18 Jan 2012, 307(3):257-60; M Fernandez, D Webb, J
Am Coll Nutr, Feb 2008, 27(1):1-5; P
Duke Med Hlth News, Aug 2012, 18(8):1-2; J Despres,
Lancet, 4 Apr 2009, 373(9670):1147-8; M Mitka, JAMA, 4 Jan 2012, 307(1):21-2;
Presentation, Am Coll of Cardiology, 61st Annual Scientific Session, Chicago, IL, 24-27 Mar 2012; A Onat,
Clin Endocrinol Metab, Sept 2010, doi: 10.1210/jc 2010-0109, 95:E80-5; J Couzin-Frankel,
J Am Coll Cardiol, 2007, 50:409-18; P Coogan, L Rosenberg, et al,
Epidemiology, 2007, 18:213-9; J Swartzberg,
For a complete list of references please call the office at 314-843-9355.
