Cholesterol Isn’t ‘Bad’. It’s Actually an Antioxidant!
Did you grow up avoiding or limiting foods like eggs, red meat, butter and other dairy products because you thought cholesterol was “bad”?
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In my house growing up, we had margarine and vegetable oils on rotation because my dad thought saturated fat would “clog up your arteries.”
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Today I know better and most people do, but due to mass deception and diet dogma, there is still the misconception that cholesterol is “bad.”
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Let’s get one thing straight: cholesterol is an unsung hero. Cholesterol is a fundamental component of every cell - especially brain cells - and serves as a major antioxidant for the body, protecting from free radicals. It also serves as the basis for sex hormones (testosterone, progesterone, etc) and hormone-D.
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When there is inflammation, the liver makes cholesterol and sends it to the part of the body that needs help. This is called “bad” cholesterol. Once it’s done its job, it travels back to the liver for recycling and elimination. This is called “good” cholesterol.
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Cholesterol is the true MVP. Thinking otherwise would be like blaming firemen for getting your house - which was on fire - wet.
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Of course, the “density” of the cholesterol matters. But what this tells us is how severe the inflammation is.
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The root cause of the inflammation is what we should be looking into over impairing our body’s natural healing response.
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And aside from the fact that we need cholesterol for our cells to function, create hormones, etc., we also need cholesterol to get REAL Vitamin A, which only comes from animal fats! This is critical for many things, including allowing copper to work properly in the body. Unfortunately, because of low-fat or low-saturated fat dogma, most people are actually deficient in real Vitamin A.
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Other factors like low metabolism, poor thyroid function and oxidative stress can all lead to higher-than-usual levels of cholesterol in the body too. Check out my other posts on cholesterol for more info.
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This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before pursuing any changes to your personal healthcare regime.
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References
Campbell-McBride, N. (2016). Put Your Heart in Your Mouth. UK: Medinform Publishing.
Smith, L.L. (1991). Another cholesterol hypothesis: Cholesterol as antioxidant. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0891584991901878.
Tiecholz, N. (2014). The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat & Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks.
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