Cholesterol and it's role in life

What’s the new information?

Inflammation is the primary cause of heart disease and heart attacks.

Reducing sugars, grains, and vegetable oils is the most effective way of reducing inflammation in the body.

Statin have side effects that interfere with critical brain function.

Statins interfere at the first step of the mevalonate pathway which also blocks production of CoQ10 and dolichols biochemicals.

Lack/ Depletion of C0Q10 and dolichols result in ALS, and organ damage such as hepatitis and pancreatitis.

Statins block cholesterol production, cholesterol being vital for the formation of each memory synapse in the brain. This can result in memory loss (search for Dr. Duane Graveline for his personal experience).

Saturated fats contain a key amino acid; hence eliminating animal-based foods can cause serious health problems.

Saturated fats are primarily found in animal foods (meat, cheese, butter, eggs), and in certain plant foods, such as coconut, coconut oil, and palm oil.

Saturated fats are very stable. When exposed to high heat, they don’t mutate or damage as easily as the unsaturated fats do. The unsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oils are much more easily damaged by high heat and more susceptible to oxidation and the production of free radicals.

The heart, the brain, and the liver all store taurine (the only sulfated amino acid), and only found in animal products. A vegetarian diet gives zero taurine.

Egg yolks are a good source of all the taurine the body needs to thrive.

LDL [Low-density lipoprotein] particles serve as the body’s scouts or sentinels, detecting foreign threats like germs. This particle is very fragile and very easily oxidized. When LDL particles come in contact with bacterial cell wall components, it quickly becomes oxidized LDL. This oxidized LDL doesn’t get taken up by cells that are looking to take in fats. Instead, the oxidized LDL gets taken up by WBCs, and an appropriate immune response is mounted against the microbe that oxidized the LDL lipoprotein.

The only time cholesterol is a problem is if its oxidized (damaged). Damaged or oxidized LDL cholesterol sticks to the lining of the arteries and begins the process of inflammation.

LDL enables fat molecules to be transported through the bloodstream.

HDL enables transportation of triglycerides through the bloodstream. In healthy people, about 30% of fat in the blood is carried by HDL.

VLDL are made in the liver and carry triglycerides and other fats in the blood throughout the body. VLDL is considered bad cholesterol because higher levels indicate an increase in the blood concentration of triglycerides.

Triglycerides are fats composed of 3 fatty acids. Their very important job is to transfer the fat and blood glucose (the energy your body needs) from the liver. Elevated triglycerides indicate increased risk of heart disease.

Triglyceride level is inversely corelated with HDL level. Higher triglycerides indicate higher risk of developing atherosclerosis.

Ideal triglyceride level is 100mg/dL or lower, optimal being 70mg/dL.

To lower triglycerides, decrease carbohydrate intake.

HDL utilizes and excretes LDL from the body by delivering it to the liver. It acts as a cleanser of the endothelium, or the inner linings of the blood vessels.

When one’s endothelium gets damaged, this can lead to atherosclerosis, which causes a heart attack or stroke. An increased level of HDL-C is thus protective against cardiovascular disease while lower levels of HDL-C tend to raise one’s risk of heart disease.

Men tend to have lower HDL than women do. Ideal HDL cholesterol level is 70 mg/dL or higher. Anything below 50 is a cause for concern.

HDL-2 particles are large, buoyant, and the most protective. HDL-3 particles are small, dense and may be inflammatory. HDL-2 is anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic.

Ideally have higher levels of HDL-2 than HDL-3.

LDL particles are classified into 2 types: Pattern A is the large fluffy, and generally harmless kind which is the good LDL. Pattern B is the small dense potentially dangerous kind that is bad LDL.

Pattern B LDL can easily penetrate the arterial wall, which one needs to avoid. Knowing the breakdown of LDL particles is critical. Keeping the small LDL-P (the actual number of LDL particles contained in blood) number as low as possible is important.

High levels of oxidized LDL are associated with health problems, indicating that there are a lot of foreign things that shouldn’t be inside the body stimulating the immune system.

There is a very strong correlation between level of oxidized LDL and one’s risk of heart disease. Measuring oxidized LDL levels are important.

LDL is extremely important for one’s immunity. With too little LDL, one may not mount an appropriate immune response to infections. With too much, one might have an overactive immune response, which could lead to various problems, such as excess inflammation.

Inflammation is initiated by damage from free radicals (oxidative stress).

The LDL-C number on one’s basic cholesterol test result is a calculated number based on estimates using the Friedewald equation, which is taking your HDL number and adding in VLDL-C (your triglycerides divided by 5).

VLDL-C is calculated by dividing triglycerides by 5. Ideal VLDL-C range is between 10-14 mg/dL.

Most vegetable oils come from waste products like cottonseeds or canola seeds, or rice bran.

Vegetable and seed oils such as corn, peanut, sesame, safflower, sunflower and canola oils, with omega-6 polyunsaturated fats are the most dangerous oils for the body.

The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids should be 1:1. With a 3:1 ratio at the very worst. In reality, the ratio in one’s body is around 30:1.

Omega-6s are the precursors to the inflammatory compounds in our body, they’re the building blocks the body uses to make the inflammatory hormones.

Omega-3s have the opposite function to Omega-6s. The body uses omega-3s as building blocks for the anti-inflammatory compounds.

The omega-6 vegetable oils increase risk of heart attack. The omega-6 fatty acids impact the cholesterol by oxidizing it, which leads to cardiovascular damage.

ALA, EPA, and DHA are the 3 omega-3s. ALA is found in green leafy vegetables, flaxseeds, chia seeds, perilla seeds, and walnuts. The body can make EPA and DHA. It converts the ALA from the diet into EPA and DHA using enzymes and a complicated series of operations. However only a small amount of ALA successfully gets converted into the very critical EPA and DHA.

Omega-6s and Omega-3s compete for the same enzymes. A high intake of omega-6 reduces the conversion of ALA into EPA and DHA. Hence, Omega-6s are pro-inflammatory and also reduce the body’s ability to produce the 2 most anti-inflammatory substances EPA and DHA.

A complicated series of reactions lead to inflammation, which eventually weakens the artery wall so that it bleeds and forms a clot that can lead to a heart attack or a stroke.

HDL and triglycerides are the 2 most important numbers on the cholesterol panel.

Triglyceride to HDL ratio should be kept to 1 or lower. When this ratio is high, this indicates that there are more small LDL particles., which means an increased risk of heart disease.

Triglycerides under 100 and closer to 50 is a good target.

Measuring HgA1c (hemoglobin A1c) which measures consistency of blood sugar levels over time, should be ideally under 5.0.

Certain causes of high cholesterol, including chronic bacterial infections, especially in the teeth, are often overlooked.

Egg whites contain an antinutrient called avidin, which binds biotin and prevents its absorption.

What are the key learnings?

The single dietary factor that has the strongest association with coronary heart disease is sugar.

Majority of cholesterol in our blood comes from our body making it. The cholesterol we consume has very little to do with the cholesterol levels in our bloodstream.

Only 15% of dietary cholesterol is absorbed and used by the body; the remaining 85% is excreted.

Cholesterol has amazing antioxidant properties that help guard against heart disease.

Cholesterol levels go up as the body’s response to inflammation, or it could be a sign that part of the body is malfunctioning.

Cholesterol is the major line of defense when the immune system comes under attack.

Cholesterol is the parent molecule for sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone) as well as vitamin D, and bile acids needed for digestion.

Lowering cholesterol levels artificially with drugs makes one more susceptible to germs or bacteria.

Stress raises cortisol levels, which manifests as higher cholesterol.

Cholesterol is used to make hormones such as estrogen and testosterone, is transported into the adrenal gland to aid in hormone synthesis, repair nerves, and make bile for fat digestion.

Cholesterol is a structural component of our cells; it synthesizes vitamin D.

If cholesterol levels are too low, they can result in autoimmune diseases and cancer.

A lack of micronutrients, like iodine, selenium, zinc and copper, raises cholesterol.

Cholesterol helps our bodies to heal. Without proper amounts of it, we can’t repair inflammation or battle infection. Lowering the number of lipoproteins in one’s body by taking a statin drug prevents an essential healing substance from doing its job.

Cholesterol impacts serotonin which regulates our moods. Anti-depression medications aim to increase cholesterol levels. Cholesterol levels of 160 mg/dL or less have been linked to depression, aggression, cerebral hemorrhages, and loss of sex drive.

Measuring oxidized LDL particles is more important than cholesterol screening.

LDL is never a problem in the body until it becomes oxidized. Only oxidized LDL sticks to the arterial walls, contributing to plaque and causing further inflammation and injury.

A general metabolic screen with just a few tests includes measuring one’s waist circumference, uric acid, fasting insulin and lipid profile.

A total cholesterol level is useless. Cholesterol is the payload. It’s merely the vehicles that determines if there is a problem. When it’s in HDL, its good. When it’s in large buoyant LDL particles, its neutral. When it’s in VLDL, its bad, When it’s in small dense LDL particles, its disastrous.

Total cholesterol is the combined total of LDL-C, HDL-C, and VLDL-C. The total cholesterol number is meaningless because it doesn’t reveal the makeup of the cholesterol.

Cholesterol being a fatty substance is not soluble in water or blood. The liver coats it with a “protein wrapper” and bundles it with a few other substances (such as triglycerides); packaging it in these protective shells allowing it to enter the circulatory system. These packages are known as lipoproteins, and are actually measured during the measurement of cholesterol levels.

The LDL-C level is also meaningless, since it’s the particle count that matters.

LDL-P indicates the total particles it contains. Its important to look at the number and size of the LDL particles in the blood.

Small LDL-P should be 20% or less of the LDL-P number, and optimally less than 200 nmol/L.

Normal total cholesterol levels for women are 250mg/dL or below, and for men are 220 mg/dL or below.

High cholesterol could be triggered by presence of hypothyroidism. A full thyroid panel test is important.

Chronic inflammation (detected) from elevated CRP levels is the major cause of heart disease.

Cholesterol cannot accumulate in the arteries without inflammation.

Statin drugs taken to lower cholesterol levels cause the liver cells to die. When enough liver cells die, there’s less cholesterol in the blood, thereby showing a reduced cholesterol level.

Statin drugs unnaturally lower cholesterol without addressing the underlying cause for the elevated level. The elevated cholesterol could be a symptom of inflammation which is the root cause of heart disease.

Statins can integrate themselves into the mitochondria to create defective mitochondria that perpetuate themselves. Introducing this malignancy causes devastating effects on one’s health even long after stopping statin drugs.

Cholesterol increases to address any damage that is going on in the blood vessels.

Statins can play a role only for non-compliant people who refuse to change their diet.

Statins increase risk of developing diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and depletion of key nutrient CoQ10. Statin induced diabetes occurs as a direct result of CoQ10 depletion.

The drug for lowering cholesterol levels as a means of protecting cardiovascular health also depletes the body of CoQ10, a key heart-health nutrient.

The only foods that have any CoQ10 are organ meats such as heart and liver.

CoQ10 also has the ability to reduce blood pressure.

Heart-healthy foods: Bacon, whole eggs, butter, salmon, lard, coconut, avocado, full-fat sour cream, full-fat milk and cheese, fatty cuts of beef or poultry, pork, coconut/ avocado/ macadamia nut oils; raw nuts, nut butters like almond, macadamia, hazelnut; full-fat cream cheese, dark chocolate, cream, fish oil, green leafy non-starchy vegetables, organ meats.

The natural fats in animal-based foods do not become oxidized; rather, they protect other forms of oxidation in the body.

CoQ10 and Vitamin E act as fire extinguishers on the ‘fire’ of oxidation.

Cholesterol and fat do not clog arteries. Fatty foods are digested and packed into particles that can carry fat in our bloodstream without clogging them up, but only as long as those particles themselves are properly built. With corn or soy oil, or vegetable oils, the lipoprotein particles do not contain enough antioxidants. This causes lipoproteins to get easily destabilized. The fat that these particles were shuttling is suddenly unprotected, and cannot stay suspended in the blood, so it splats onto the inner lining of the artery (like paintball).

Carbohydrates raise triglycerides, VLDL, and small LDL particles.

The 4 things that cause heart disease are vitamin deficiencies particularly A, D, E, and K2, as well as B vitamins 6, 9, and 12; a low-fat diet, which means low saturated fat with high-carbohydrate consumption; polyunsaturated fats and stress. The worst is the lack of vitamin K2.

Magnesium relaxes the artery walls, reduces blood pressure, and makes it easier for the heart to pump blood and for the blood to flow freely. When magnesium is depleted, intracellular calcium rises. Magnesium inhibits platelet aggregation, an important step in the development of clots.

Magnesium lowers blood pressure, helps control blood sugar, and relaxes the lining of blood vessels. Recommended magnesium supplement of at least 400 mg/ day; not recommended for anyone with renal insufficiency (kidney disease).

Niacin lowers both triglycerides and the pattern-B LDL cholesterol. It also reduces the toxic substance Lp(a) and raises LDL. It also raises HDL-2 cholesterol.

People with low total cholesterol levels around 140 or 130 tend to have a higher risk of cancer and a higher propensity for violent suicidal tendencies. When levels of cholesterol are too low, there is an increased risk of death.

For women, high cholesterol is correlated with longer lifespan.

The brain contains only 2% of the body mass, yet 25% of the body’s cholesterol. Cholesterol is incredibly important in the synapse to transmit the message from one neuron to another. This can directly lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

The purpose of ApoB (Apolipoprotein B) is to carry LDL cholesterol to the tissues. ApoB carries cholesterol in a bad way because it carries chylomicrons, IDL, VLDL, LDL, and Lp(a). these are all the bad particles that comprise the ApoB number.

Lp(a) is a key genetic risk factory in coronary artery disease and stroke. It is genetically based.

Lp(a) is a very small, highly inflammatory particle that is thrombogenic (blood clotting). Lp(a) circulates and carries out repair and restoration work on damaged blood vessels.

The more repairs one needs on the arteries, the more Lp(a) is utilized. Lp(a) concentrates at the site of damage, binds with a couple of amino acids within the wall of a damaged blood vessel, dumps its LDL cargo, and starts to promote the deposition of oxidized LDL into the wall, leading to more inflammation and ultimately to plaque. Lp(a0 promotes the formation of blood clots on top of the newly formed plaque, which narrows blood vessels further.

A high ApoB number indicates higher risk of atherosclerosis, with exceptions. A CT heart calcium score measures the calcified plaque in the chest. Ideal score is 0.

The difference between saturated and unsaturated fat is that 2 hydrogen atoms are missing in the unsaturated fat, hence a double bond has formed between 2 carbon atoms in the chain. Mono unsaturated fat has only 1 double bond. Poly unsaturated fat has more than 1 double bond.

Hydrogenation is a process of saturating an unsaturated fat by adding more hydrogen atoms at high speed to an unsaturated fat. This turns a liquid fat into a solid fat and prevents fats from going rancid (by picking up random oxygen atoms).

Hydrogenation however creates a trans bond, instead of a cis bond, which results in trans-fatty acids, which are unnatural and potentially damaging to our health.

Trans fats increase the risk of heart disease and strokes.

Free radicals hit on existing stable pairs of electrons thousands of times a day, trying to find an electron they can pair-bond with, and meanwhile, inflicting enormous damage upon cells and DNA.

Free radicals that comes from oxygen are the most deadly and damaging. Antioxidants are a class of substances, including certain vitamins, minerals, and many plant chemicals, that help neutralize free radicals (soaking them up like little sponges), thus limiting the damage they can do to the body.

CoQ10 is an absolutely vital nutrient that is made in every cell in the body and is a major chemical participant in the production of cellular energy. It is critically important for the strong pumping action of the heart.

hs-CRP (High sensitivity C-Reactive protein) is found in the blood and measure the state of inflammation in the body. It is the primary marker for inflammation, and therefore the primary marker to determine the overall health of one’s arteries.

Inflammation can be acute or chronic. Acute inflammation hurts, but chronic inflammation kills.

Chronic inflammation is a significant component of every single degenerative condition, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, chronic lower respiratory disease, influenza and pneumonia, chronic liver and kidney disease, and heart disease.

Higher CRP levels greater is the risk of developing heart disease (irrespective of cholesterol numbers).

Healthy CRP numbers are between 0.0 - 3.0 mg/dL, ideal below 1. Reducing sugars, grains, and vegetable oils is the most effective way of reducing inflammation.

High CRP levels with high cholesterol levels indicate that the body is sending cholesterol to repair a problem.

Some root causes of inflammation are smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, consuming trans fats and processed carbs, high blood sugar levels, chemical exposure, high blood pressure, and stress.

What is the actionable next step?

Stop Statin drugs asap (unless you are a middle-aged male who has already suffered a heart attack).

If Statin is an absolute must for one’s situation, supplementing with CoQ10 is essential. Statins deplete the body of CoQ10.

Eat lots of fatty meats. If not possible, consume 6000 mg EPA/ DHA from fish oil as this helps lower Lp(a). This can take 2-3 years.

Eating a high-fat, low-carb diet will dramatically improve HDL and triglycerides.

Avoid foods with partially hydrogenated oil or hydrogenated oil, which means the food has trans fats.

Sources:

Cholesterol Clarity by Jimmy Moore and Eric Westman

The great cholesterol myth : why lowering your cholesterol won’t prevent heart disease — and the statin-free plan that will

The great cholesterol con : the truth about what really causes heart disease and how to avoid it

How statin drugs really lower cholesterol and kill you one cell at a time

The truth about statins : risks and alternatives to cholesterol-lowering drugs

Fat and cholesterol are good for you : what really causes heart disease

The big fat surprise : why butter, meat, and cheese belong in a healthy diet