Following up on my last post, here are  some quick and important facts about cholesterol. Playing such an important part in our bodies I feel it does not deserve the bad reputation it got in recent years.

Sure, high vLDL (bad cholesterol) levels are a major problem in every country that adopted the American diet. But instead of blaming natural, cholesterol containing foods the blame should be directed towards industries responsible for the manufacturing of foods that cause health problems instead of being nourishing and healing. The crucial factors leading to elevated levels of  bad cholesterol should be explained.

Here’s what you need to know:

The majority of cholesterol is produced by the body and only a smaller fraction is absorbed from food. A small percentage of people are more sensitive to cholesterol in foods and absorb greater amounts but usually the body adjusts its production to the amount consumed in foods. Some substances cause the body to produce more cholesterol than normal. This is why artificial foods and toxins that increase it’s production are of far greater relevance than natural, cholesterol containing foods.

Cholesterol is an important part of our body and has many critical benefits. Without it, we would not be able to survive. Common symptoms of cholesterol deficiency range from depression and anxiety to statistically higher frequency of Parkinson’s disease, cancer mortality, and death in elderly.

We need cholesterol to:

• Produce critical hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone
• Keep our nerves healthy
• Maintain healthy cell walls and structures
• Produce bile to digest fat and toxins
• Produce vitamin D
• Absorb vitamin A, D, K, E
• HDL (good cholesterol) cleans our arteries of plaque

Common factors that elevate cholesterol are:

• Carbohydrates (e.g. chocolate, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), others)
• Alcohol
• Coffee
• Hypoglycemia (e.g. due to skipping meals)
• Stress
• Artificial sweeteners (by stimulating appetite and increasing cravings for carbohydrates)
• Smoking
• Toxins (the body needs to produce cholesterol to digest and excrete toxins)

For how to keep your cholesterol levels healthy please click here.

Help me spread these health tips. Who do you know that might benefit from this information? Please forward them this email.

If you are not subscribed to this blog, it’s easy, just click here.

I look forward to receiving your comments, questions and topic requests!

Let me start by saying how thankful I am for people like Dr. Robert Lustig, pediatric endocrinologist and researcher at UCSF. Dr. Lustig made it his mission to fight childhood obesity and is a pioneer in decoding the sugar metabolism and related health problems. Dr. Lustig’s lecture “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” was recorded and published in July of 2009 and has had over 1,3 million views on youtube so far, the majority within the last 12 months. A health advocate extraordinaire he has not only debunked the last 30 years of nutrition information in the US, he is also a doctor who finally speaks out and advocates for the health of the general public.

Although his lecture is mainly addressing the cause for obesity in the US, it also reveals important facts about cholesterol, why so many people suffer from elevated levels and how to prevent/correct it.

The important message to take home here is that fats and cholesterol from food are not the culprit but carbohydrates (e.g. fructose/HFCS) and food additives. This is important to understand. Instead of consuming non-fat or cholesterol free processed foods it is much better to curb your carb intake and to focus on a diet based on wholesome, natural, non-processed foods. Non-fat or cholesterol free, processed foods are usually high in carbohydrates or sugars. According to latest research this is far worse for your cholesterol than eating eggs and full-fat, natural, non processed foods because the bad form of cholesterol (vLDL) is actually elevated by carbohydrates, toxins, and food additives, and not by fats or eggs.

To ensure healthy cholesterol levels:

• Focus on a diet rich in vegetables and protein
• Read food labels; avoid added fructose, HFCS, artificial sweeteners, and natural fruit based sweeteners
• Get your carbohydrates from vegetables; skip the bread, pasta, pizza, etc.
• Eat regularly, don’t skip meals
• Exercise regularly
• Manage your stress (acupuncture is great for this!)
• If you drink coffee try to switch to green tea