Five cholesterol myths debunked

Most of us are aware, particularly as we grow older, that our cholesterol levels matter tremendously.  Sometimes it seems like there’s a borderline obsession with cholesterol, and it takes some research to get beyond the myths and exaggerations and find the cholesterol facts that really matter. 

But before we consider some cholesterol-related myths, let’s look at what cholesterol really is.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a wax-like type of fat found in blood and cells. It course through your blood in bundles named lipoproteins. Your liver makes most of your cholesterol, but  you can also find it in foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. Cholesterol helps to synthesize sex hormones and adrenal steroids, vitamin D (which itself is a hormone), and digestive acids, and it also assists your organs to operate efficiently.

Cholesterol has two components:

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good,” healthy cholesterol. It carries excess cholesterol out of your arteries to your liver, which then escorts that excess cholesterol out of your body. 
• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is considered the “bad” or unhealthy cholesterol that can build up in your arteries and form fatty, waxy deposits called plaque.

Health practitioners usually measure cholesterol in three ways via blood tests:

• Total cholesterol, for which you want a reading of less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
• HDL, for which you want an ideal reading of 60 mg/dL or higher.  Anything lower than 40 mg/dL is a red flag for heart disease. You want higher HDL cholesterol for the protection it offers against heart attacks and strokes.
• LDL, for which you definitely want a reading of less than 100 mg/dL. Anything above 100 mg/dL, especially if it’s over 190 mg/dL, is problematic and can signal potential heart disease and stroke.

Most people have a hard time achieving these ideal readings; for example, LDL and total cholesterol ought to be low while HDL is ideally high. However, diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices are key factors that will help keep all three readings in their ideal zones.

So, what are these myths associated with cholesterol?

Myth #1: Cholesterol is simply cholesterol–and nothing more

While cholesterol is an actual molecule, the other molecules it may be bound to while it’s floating through your blood can be far more important than the overall amount of cholesterol.  In fact, depending on what cholesterol is combined with, it can have polar opposite effects on your arteries and heart.  

Cholesterol is just one component of compounds that float around your blood.  These compounds contain cholesterol as well as fats and lipoproteins, and are grouped into the two main categories we mentioned earlier, HDL and LDL, and both categories can be further broken down into subcategories. 

Myth #2: Cholesterol is bad

Cholesterol is absolutely necessary for your body to produce vitamin D when your skin is exposed to the sun, your sex hormones (e.g. estrogen and testosterone), and bile to help you absorb dietary fats.  Plus, it’s part of the membranes of your cells. Talk about an important molecule!

The overall amount of cholesterol in your blood (total cholesterol) isn’t nearly as important as how much of each kind (HDL and LDL) you have in your blood. While way too much LDL cholesterol compared with HDL (the LDL:HDL ratio) may be associated with an increased risk of heart disease, it is absolutely not the only thing to consider for heart health.

Myth #3: Eating foods high in cholesterol increases your bad cholesterol

Most of the cholesterol in your blood is made by your liver and doesn’t come from the cholesterol you eat.  Truth be told, eating high cholesterol foods will increase your good AND your bad cholesterol. But why do you think cholesterol medications block an enzyme in your liver (HMG CoA reductase, to be exact)?  Because that’s where cholesterol is made!

What you eat still can affect how much cholesterol your liver produces.  After a cholesterol-rich meal (think fatty meats, dairy, eggs), your liver doesn’t need to make as much.

Myth #4: Your cholesterol should be as low as possible

As with almost everything in health and wellness, you need to maintain a balance   There are very few extremes that are going to serve you well.

Although instances of super low cholesterol levels are very rare, individuals who go too low on cholesterol face an increased risk of death from other non-heart-related conditions, such as certain types of cancers, as well as suicide.

Myth #5: Drugs are the only way to get a good cholesterol balance

First, a word of warning:  Please don’t start or stop any medications without talking with your doctor.  And while drugs can certainly lower the “bad” LDL cholesterol, they don’t seem to be able to raise the “good” HDL cholesterol particularly well.  Guess what does?  Nutrition and exercise!

One of the most efficient ways to lower your cholesterol through diet is by eating lots of fruits and veggies, up to 10 servings a day, every day.  If half your plate comprises veggies or salads, and you snack on fruits instead of processed food, you can easily get to 10 servings per day.  Take a look at these salads!  

A doable cholesterol road map

The science of cholesterol and heart health is complicated, and we’re learning more about it every day.  Steps in the right cholesterol direction include:

• Heart-healthy and HDL-building foods;
• A regular exercise routine;
• An effective plan to lose weight;
• A smoking cessation plan; and
• Eating quality fats, including fatty fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel; avocados; and olive oil.  And while you’re at it, please ditch over-processed hydrogenated trans fats, which raise your LDL and lower your HDL.

Recipe: Orange Hemp Seed Dressing

Makes about ¾ cup to go with your cholesterol-balancing salad.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup hemp seeds
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled
• dash salt and/or pepper

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients together until creamy.
2. Serve on top of your favorite salad and enjoy!

Tip: Store extra salad dressing in an airtight container in the fridge.  It will keep for about a week.

References:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-cholesterol

http://summertomato.com/how-to-raise-your-hdl-cholesterol

https://authoritynutrition.com/top-9-biggest-lies-about-dietary-fat-and-cholesterol/