Cholesterol myths and actual facts

You have probably heard that high cholesterol is not good for you at this stage and that you should limit foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats  and consume low fat products instead.
These include using margarines instead of butter, restrict your egg intake per week, choose low fat dairy and meat products and reduce alcohol intake.

Unfortunately these recommendations are well dated and there is not current  evidence that high cholesterol and saturated fats are actually the cause of heart disease but it's rather a number of factors that will make the most profound impact.
In order to understand this concept it's essential to understand the role of cholesterol in the body.

What makes cholesterol so important for health?

• 75% of cholesterol is synthesize in the liver and only 25% account from food intake. Cholesterol is an essential structural component of cell membranes, it aids cell signalling and it's required to maintain cell fluidity and integrity. Every cell in the body requires essential nutrients to survive and function optimally so the structure of each membrane is essential in order to obtain these nutrients into the cells.

• Cholesterol is a precursor for steroid hormone synthesis such as    cortisol, estrogen , progesterone, testosterone to name a few. If cholesterol levels are too low (usually below 5.2 mmol/L) the manufacturing of these hormones may be impaired and therefore will disrupt hormonal balance. This may lead to Infertility, Chronic fatigue, Pre menstrual syndrome,  Hormone detoxification imbalances, Thyroid imbalances, Immune dysfunctions and skin issues.

• Cholesterol is a precursor of bile acids which are essential to digest fats properly and regulate gall bladder function. Being on a low fat diet can eventually lead to fat  malabsorption. This means that all the fat soluble vitamins are not going to be absorbed properly including the crucial Vitamin D which we lack from here in Ireland. Supplementation may not be as effective too as it needs fat to be absorbed in the small intestine. Not to mention Vitamin E which is one of the most powerful antioxidants and is usually obtained from good quality oils such as organic sunflower oil,  almond, olive oil and avocado.

So as you can see cholesterol is crucial for optimum health and there is no such a thing of "good"( also called HDL) or "bad" ( also called LDL)  cholesterol as new research is showing that there is actually only one type of cholesterol. However some types of LDL cholesterol can oxidise in the arteries and may cause inflammation and that's why antioxidants are so important in the diet especially from vegetables ( especially green leafy vegetables and rainbow coloured ones) and small fruit berries( blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, goji berries, acai berries).  Organic raw cacao and red wine are also included on the list but in small amounts otherwise they will rather act as "oxidants" !.


So my recommendation to you is to enjoy organic full fat butter, organic whole milk  yoghurt, green pasture meat, organic and free range eggs. However good quality fat  also needs to  be obtained from vegetarian sources  such as coconut oil( which is one the best oils for cooking), olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds.

If you would like more information feel free to contact me on my email virginianutritionaltherapy@gmail.com or phone +353 85 1139088.


REFERENCES:

Cholesterol and Diet

Avocado: Vitamin E content


Olive oil: Vitamin E content

Sunflower oil: Vitamin E content



Almond oil: Vitamin E content