Cholesterol is a healing agent in the body. Cholesterol levels rise during stress and when it is needed to aid a healing process. The body sends cholesterol from the liver to damaged tissue for repair. When the cholesterol is no longer required for tissue repair, it returns to the liver.
Cholesterol travels to the artery to repair inflamed tissue, but it does not block the artery. If the inflammation is not addressed, then polyunsaturated fats and plaque form an arterial block. Inflammation, not cholesterol, causes heart disease.
Overwhelming research shows that consuming cholesterol-rich saturated fats (1 2) does not cause heart disease. Interestingly, low cholesterol levels are:
- correlated with a higher risk of cancer (1)
- correlated with criminal acts of violence and suicide (2, 3)
- correlated with a higher risk of mortality (4, 5. 6)
- correlated with a higher risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (7, 8)
- correlated with a higher risk of depression (9, 10)
LDL is not simply bad cholesterol. Heart-health expert Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride makes the analogy,
Because [LDL] cholesterol travels from the liver to the wound in the form of LDL, our “science,” in its wisdom calls LDL “bad” cholesterol. When the wound heals and the cholesterol is removed, it travels back to the liver in the form of HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). Because this cholesterol travels away from the artery back to the liver, our misguided “science” calls it “good” cholesterol. This is like calling an ambulance traveling from the hospital to the patient a “bad ambulance,” and the one traveling from the patient back to the hospital a “good ambulance.”
LDL cholesterol is not created equal. Dense, small, heavy LDL particles are correlated to an increased risk of heart disease. Large fluffy LDL particles are not. Consuming cholesterol-rich foods like eggs and butter raises the ratio of benign fluffy LDL particles to dense LDL. For about 2/3 of the population, cholesterol-rich eggs are shown to have no effect on blood cholesterol levels. For the other 1/3, it raises cholesterol levels – by raising the benign HDL and the particle size of LDL (11, 12).
Some foods like canola oil, touted by the American Heart Association as cholesterol-reducing, actually worsen the cholesterol profile. These foods reduce the beneficial fluffy LDL and the healthful HDL cholesterol (13). Vegetable oils also create dangerous oxidized LDL, which can build up in the arteries (14).
Cholesterol-rich saturated fats are nutrient-dense and a foundational component of a healthy diet. Saturated fat raises HDL cholesterol, which is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Saturated fat is correlated to a mild increase in the benign, fluffy LDL (15, 16). Research shows that saturated fat intake from old-fashioned fats like butter are beneficial, not dangerous, to heart health.
There is no correlation between dietary saturated fat intake and heart disease (17). Cholesterol is a nutrient required for health. Unprocessed, whole-food sources of cholesterol, including butter, egg yolks, and seafood are time-honored foods that have nourished humanity for millennia.
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It would have more authority if you had included some references. I do not disagree, however.
The little numbers in the text at the end of statements link to references. Just click on them.
I don’t disagree either, but this is an incomplete discussion. I think those of us who support this view, which I do, have to be careful to provide fuller, more detailed explanations. It’s still a controversial subject and while I appreciate the sentiment of offering an easy-to-read, condensed version, it’s a little too simplistic for a complex subject with multiple variables. Not disagreeing, but urging a more painstakingly detailed discussion!
its not controverisal, theres plenty of evidence supporting this, its the same with the saturated fat myth thats been debunked, coconut oil for exmaple is mostly saturated fat yet its health benefits are enormous, old unsubstantiated science is outdated now, and agendas arent at play. low fat no fat industry was ctreated on the back o scare tatics and unproven science, its been to the detriment of the popluation as oppossed to benefit…
I find this simple description of the process perfect for many audiences. There are a number of people I have talked to about this and to be honest, their eyes glaze over and they switch off if given too much detail. This article would be enough for many of those to understand and to take onboard sufficient information to make changes in attitude. I enjoy reading and listening to hour long lectures in detail, but so many don’t.
You are absolutely right. Our lives are busy & our attention spans short, today. Quick & to the point is best. We know that what has been done in the past, just isn’t working. Doctors “made” my Dad ill & eventually killed him, I believe, with all their prescription drugs/toxins. There had to be a better way, and this is it!
Sugar/useless carbs and processed foods create & feed cancers & other illnesses. If it didn’t come from nature, then we shouldn’t be ingesting it. That includes pharmaceuticals. How many chemicals can one poor body take? Those doctors had my Dad, then in his 80’s, on 15 different drugs per day!
They made him “so” sick & dizzy, hence his falling down all the time, causing serious injuries! He died at 90, having suffered in pain for several years. What kind of quality of life is that? If there is an alternative to a better, healthier life, we can all agree, that’s what we want.
What about Triglycerides?
You’re awesome, Lauren. Thank you for the knowledge you share with your readers, some of whom seem to be very picky and critical indeed. I’ve learned through reading your blog and comments that vegans are some of the nastiest people on earth. Keep on keeping on, and God bless you.
Leonard, thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words! It is disappointing when I receive comments that attack me, but I’ve learned to accept that their words do not reflect on my mission here – it only reflects the author’s own struggles. And I try to look at it from the perspective that if I had a vegan blog, I would think from my blog comments that many paleo-dieters are unpleasant people.
I was really enjoying this article, and the blog in general, until I read this (Leonard’s) comment. As I vegan (an open-minded one, I’d like to think), I find this comment extremely sad and insulting. I don’t know what comments are being referred to (they don’t seem to be on this page), but to label an entire group of people – millions of people worldwide, representing a vast array of religions, ethnicities, and nationalities – as the “nastiest on earth” is prejudiced (it seems like maybe you already had an opinion of vegans that you just wanted validated, without getting to know any in real life?). Most people go vegan because they believe that all life is sacred, they don’t want to hurt or kill anyone, no matter the species, and generally just want to spread more love in the world. How can that be “nasty” under any definition of the word? This has totally put me off reading any more from this blog, sadly.
Charlotte, can you help me better understand why a comment would influence your support of a blog that you have enjoyed? Especially since the blog author thanked the comment provider but also pointed out how important perspective is? Thanks.
Lauren, this article is well-researched, well-written, and so on point. I, myself, can attest to much of what you have written through my own experiences. I have genetically high cholesterol that runs in pretty much everyone on my dad’s side of the family. As a teenager I would get my cholesterol levels checked and always had very high total cholesterol, a poor LDL to HDL ratio, and insanely high levels of triglycerides. During this time I had a pretty nutrient-lacking diet and consumed a lot of junk and processed foods. Once I became healthier in my eating and exercise, my cholesterol levels came down a bit, but my LDL-HDL ratio was still not ideal. When I started my journey with GAPS/AIP a year ago I expected my cholesterol levels to sky rocket due to the high fat (especially saturated fat) content of my healing diet.
I just did my full blood work to check in on all of this. My total cholesterol did increase by 50 points, which is quite significant BUT 90% of the increase was in my HDL, which brought my ratio to what is considered perfectly healthy. I did this while eating butter, coconut oil, full fat cheese, grass-fed red meat, etc daily. I know my body had been suffering from inflammation for a long time and that’s probably a reason my LDL was always so high. My body was trying to heal itself, but I wasn’t giving my body a good enough diet to heal. Once I switched to AIP/GAPS, including plenty of whole fats, and gave myself the space to heal, my HDL levels went up, just as you describe here in your post.
The health world needs more articles on cholesterol like the one you have written to reverse a lot of the misconceptions out there.
We rely on blog posts like this one to help us understand health issues in more simplistic terms. There’s always more that can be said. I recently read an article on the possibility of sending space shuttles into space that don’t require thrust from standard fuel sources. Lots more could have been said about that, but why? It was written for a specific audience and did a great job of it. Discussions were triggered, people learned, and those who dare to brave deeper research probably did just that.
Thanks, Lauren, for your good work!
Great summary – sent to my friend who has high cholesterol and has been told to avoid certain foods and is on medication.
It would have been better if you had actually distinguished between blood lipids (LDL and HDL etc) and what they carry, protein, cholesterol , amino acids etc, so that people don’t get further confuse about what they are being told by their doctor, incorrectly.
LDL and HDL are not cholesterol , they are the transport, bit like a bus, with cholesterol being a passenger .
Oh and you could mention that blood lipids repair cell membranes, think repair heart disease if the cause is taken away( stress, omega 6 fatts etc), and possibly mean less dementia, as 25% of the bodies cholesterol ( yes I mean that) is found in the brain.
We didn’t evolve some 2.5m years ago on bread, pasta, sugar and wheat! We ate animals, and lots of them.
Tea tomorrow in our house? Full fat slow cooked oxtail with a few root veggies, the kids go mad for the cooked fat.
Yesterday’s tea? Slow cooked belly pork, bones and all.
Roll in more HFLC!
Regards
Steve W – UK.
This is a misguided article. You are claiming that small LDL:s are the only ones to worry about, but this is wrong. Later studies have shown that all particles are atherogenic, and the large ones are slightly worse, per particle.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3070150/
Small dense particles are associated with insulin resistance, and insulin resistance is associated with increased progression of atherosclerosis of other reasons besides increased number of LDL particles. Diabetics’ artery walls are more permeable and they are less able to deal with oxidized LDL, AGE:s and ROS. They have other problems besides small LDL:s.
Eating saturated fat will not remedy this situation. This will only result in jamming your LDL particles with more cholesterol, and increase your LDL particle number even more (that’s not to say it’s a good thing to eat refined carbs).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2950931/
A comparison of LDL with ambulances is juvenile. SFA increases particle number by reducing LDL receptor activity on cells in the body. This does not have any type of healing property, but will only result in more cholesterol hanging around in your arteries, not reaching their goal. Cutting out junk food, reducing saturated fat, eating complex carbs and healthy fats from whole foods, exercising and other life style factors is what reduces insulin resistance, increases LDL receptor activity, decreases all LDL particles and CVD risk.
We’ve heard it all before… but, it hasn’t worked.
Well Done Lauren! Well written and researched. Me and my family and many of my patients follow the no carb high fat Paleo lifestyle and this all makes so much sense.
It is these kind of articles that we use in our Chiropractic practice to educate our patients to follow a healthy diet – rather than the out of date ( head in the sand) diets espoused by the heart foundations!
Thank you
Dr.Greg Miles D.C.
Hallelujah!
High Cholestrol-A Medical Fraud
Dr. Biswaroop Roy Chowdhury
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qJ9EOhRfu8&t=101s