The topic of cholesterol is well-debated, and the root of much controversy amongst medical and nutritional professionals. Generally, its role in nutritional health is misunderstood; it\u2019s usually given an automatic \u2018bad\u2019 status. In truth, the bigger picture is more complex \u2013 something we\u2019re going to explore in more detail.<\/p>\n
Comprised of a waxy-type substance, cholesterol is found within cell membranes and blood plasma; it\u2019s involved in a multitude of biological processes, including hormone synthesis, bile production, and the metabolism of fat-soluble vitamins. It forms an integral part of cell membrane structure and healthy neuron function (amongst its many roles).<\/p>\n
Cholesterol is commonly identified by its carriers; low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which transport cholesterol from the liver to the body\u2019s cells, and high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which do the opposite, transferring cholesterol back to the liver. The aforementioned are usually \u2018lumped\u2019 into two categories: \u2018good\u2019 (HDL) and \u2018bad\u2019 (LDL), though this is only part of the story.<\/p>\n
A standard cholesterol test will measure total cholesterol and then detail your total LDL and HDL. As a rule of thumb, we\u2019re advised that our LDL levels should be low, and HDL higher. The issue is that when total cholesterol levels are deemed high, we\u2019re told this is a risk factor for heart disease without understanding that it\u2019s really not that simple. The standard \u2018treatment\u2019 for this is to prescribe statins, medication which is designed to mop-up the overall cholesterol in the blood, as it were.<\/p>\n
There is a third sort of cholesterol known as triglycerides \u2013 a type of lipid that\u2019s formed by the body when excess calories are consumed. Raised triglyceride levels are almost always coupled with a high LDL count and low HDL, and it\u2019s in our best interests to reverse these figures. Interestingly, a high intake of carbohydrates are said to be the main cause of raised triglyceride levels in the blood \u2013 it’s not fat that causes it as many assume. High carb intake is also linked to increased inflammation. This is often an indicator of other conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and obesity.<\/p>\n
Although it has been given bad press over the years, research suggests that LDL cholesterol is not all \u2018bad\u2019 \u2013 as was once believed. Given the vital role of cholesterol, aiming to rid the body entirely of circulating LDL could, arguably, have a negative impact on health.<\/p>\n
The health damaging aspects of LDL are thought to only be related to one smaller sub-group of LDL molecules. A correlation has been seen between these and increased inflammation in the body \u2013 the marker of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. A diet high in refined carbohydrates is thought to be the driving force behind these effects.<\/p>\n
As it transpires, the topic of cholesterol is much more complex than simply stating whether someone has ‘high’ or ‘low’ cholesterol, and it seems that further investigation will continue to highlight the ins-and-outs of what cholesterol really does to our health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The topic of cholesterol is well-debated, and the root of much controversy amongst medical and nutritional professionals. Generally, its role in nutritional health is misunderstood; it\u2019s usually given an automatic \u2018bad\u2019 status. In truth, the bigger picture is more complex \u2013 something we\u2019re going to explore in more detail. Comprised of a waxy-type substance, cholesterol […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":2707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"class_list":["post-2706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-myth-busting"],"acf":{"post_private":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2706"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2708,"href":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2706\/revisions\/2708"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lowcarbprogram.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}