Top 4 Cholesterol Myths You’re Not Supposed To Know
Lowering Cholesterol Would Not Prevent Heart Disease
Myth #1 - Cholesterol is bad
4 reasons why you need cholesterol
Cell membranes
Cholesterol is a crucial component of cell membranes, providing structure and flexibility. It helps maintain the integrity of the cell wall, regulating what enters and leaves the cell.
Hormone Production
Cholesterol acts as a precursor for steroid hormones, including estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol. These hormones regulate a wide range of bodily functions, from metabolism and cell development to mood and stress response.
Bile production
Cholesterol is essential for the production of bile acids in the liver. Bile acids help break down fats in the small intestine, enabling absorption into the bloodstream.
Nervous System Support
Cholesterol is necessary for the development and maintenance of the myelin sheath in the brain and spinal cord, which insulates nerve fibers. This insulation is crucial for the proper transmission of nerve impulses throughout the body.
Myth #2 - All the cholesterol comes from food
Liver – the cholesterol factory
The liver produces 80% of your total cholesterol needs which is around 1,000 milligrams per day for a healthy adult. The remaining 20% comes from dietary intake such as meat, poultry and dairy.
Your body has a regulatory system for cholesterol. If you consume more cholesterol through your diet, your liver actually reduces its own production to maintain the balance.
Chronic inflammation is the killer
The imbalance of lipid metabolism occurs due to chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. Chronic inflammation can increase the oxidation of LDL particles in your bloodstream.
Oxidation makes LDL more sticky and prone to sticking to the walls of arteries. This leads to the formation of plaque, a buildup of fatty deposits that narrows arteries and increases the risk of heart disease.
Insulin resistance decreases LDL recycling
Insulin resistance decrease the liver’s ability to remove LDL particles from the bloodstream and maintain a heathy cholesterol level.
When you have insulin resistance, cells become less responsive to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. This can lead to elevated blood sugar levels.
In response to high blood sugar, the liver may prioritize processing excess glucose for energy storage over other functions, including LDL receptor production. Reduced LDL receptor production on the liver surface can lead to a decrease in LDL uptake from the bloodstream, hindering the LDL recycling process.
Myth #3 – Low cholesterol is good
Cholesterol is essential for basic physiological function such as building cell membrane, producing hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, adrenal hormones. All these hormones prevent premature aging.
A prospective study that involved 12,334 healthy adults in Japan showed that low cholesterol increased the risks of cancer, stroke and heart failure.
Myth #4 – Cholesterol causes atherosclerosis and heart disease
Atherosclerosis is the hardening and narrowing of arteries due to plaque build-up in the arterial wall caused by high blood pressure, smoking, high blood glucose level, chronic inflammation, obesity or poor diet.
It starts with the damage to the inner lining of the arteries. The body uses LDL cholesterol to repair the arteries. LDL cholesterol gets oxidized due to exposure to free radicals in the bloodstream.
White blood cells see oxidized LDL as foreign invaders and engulf the oxidized LDL. As these white blood cells engulf the oxidized LDL, it turns into foam cells. These foam cells accumulate and form fatty streaks into the arterial wall, this is how plaque is initially developed inside the artery
Chronic inflammation, high blood glucose, cigarette smoke, diet high in unhealthy fat and processed foods, air pollution, and excessive sun exposure all can contribute to free radical production.
Cholesterol itself is not the root cause of atherosclerosis, it is the oxidized LDL that caused the inflammation cascade along with chronic inflammation, oxidative stress and insulin resistance.
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References:
Alsheikh-Ali AA, Maddukuri PV, Han H, Karas RH. Effect of the magnitude of lipid lowering on risk of elevated liver enzymes, rhabdomyolysis, and cancer: insights from large randomized statin trials. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Jul 31;50(5):409-18.
Adams DD. The great cholesterol myth; unfortunate consequences of Brown and Goldstein's mistake. QJM. 2011 Oct;104(10):867-70.
Cardoso D, Perucha E. Cholesterol metabolism: a new molecular switch to control inflammation. Clin Sci (Lond). 2021 Jun 11;135(11):1389-1408.
DeMaria AN, Ben-Yehuda O. Low-density lipoprotein reduction and cancer: not definitive but provocative. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Jul 31;50(5):421-2.
Nago N, Ishikawa S, Goto T, Kayaba K. Low cholesterol is associated with mortality from stroke, heart disease, and cancer: the Jichi Medical School Cohort Study. J Epidemiol. 2011;21(1):67-74.
Wang MX, Wong CH, Kim JE. Impact of whole egg intake on blood pressure, lipids and lipoproteins in middle-aged and older population: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2019 Jul;29(7):653-664.
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