CHOLESTEROL IS HELPFUL?

In the previous journal article we discussed how high blood pressure is not a
disease. Here too, high cholesterol is not a disease either. It is the bodys way
of compensating for something wrong. It is a protective mechanism. It is one of
many signals the body gives us when it needs help. Medication to lower
cholesterol levels sabotages this natural protective mechanism and totally
bypasses the cause. These drugs may reduce the numbers, but you still have
high cholesterol, and drugs do nothing to eliminate the cause of the problem
(sound familiar!.
"holesterol is coined as a ris# factor for heart attac#s because there is too
much cholesterol in the blood. $ut%%.it may be that the ris# factor e&isted
before, and the cholesterol is the result of insult, injury or imbalance that
triggers an increased need for cholesterol in the cells involved.
In order to understand this, lets loo# at normal. Then well see what goes
wrong. "holesterol is an important fat'li#e substance, produced by the liver and
circulates normally in the blood. (hen levels of these substances are high the
condition is called hyperlipidemia. "holesterol is what ma#es our cells
waterproof ) without it we couldnt have a di*erent chemistry inside the cells
than outside. (hen cholesterol levels are not ade+uate, the cell membrane
becomes lea#y or porous, a situation the body interprets as an emergency and
transports cholesterol to areas where it is lac#ing. "holesterol is the bodys
repair substance.
"holesterol is needed by the body for many functions. Here are some of them-
it is needed for fat metabolism, to develop cells, maintains the strength and
pliability of blood vessel walls, precursor to ma#e .itamin /, needed for
mineral metabolism, is a component of brain cells, needed for brain function,
component of the myelin sheath that protects the nerves (and for nerve
impulse propagation!, used in seminal 0uid and vaginal lubrication, the basic
substance from which steroid hormones li#e /H12, cortisol, estrogen,
progesterone, and testosterone are produced, needed for normal development
of embryos, used to repair and protect tissues, without cholesterol, you cant
digest fats, it is a powerful antio&idant, protects against cancer, plays a #ey
role in the formation of memory, necessary to upta#e hormones in the brain,
especially serotonin ) the bodys 3feel good4 hormones, needed also for the
serotonin receptors to wor#, precursor to the adrenal corticoid hormones such
as glucocorticoids which regulate blood sugar and mineralcorticoids which
regulate mineral balance. These hormones also promote healing and helps
(hats the di*erence between 3good4 lipoproteins (H/5s! and 3bad4
lipoproteins (5/5s! H/5s a cholesterol carrier that attaches itself to the
pla+ue deposits and removes them, thereby helping to clear arterial
pathways and cells of e&cess. It is due to this e*ect that it is considered the
good cholesterol. 5/5s carry cholesterol from the liver to the peripheral
tissues, including the vascular wall. (hen cells need e&tra cholesterol for
repair or function, the 5/5s come to the rescue. $etween 67'879 of the
cholesterol carried in the blood is carried by 5/5. 5/5s are not bad: Theyre
needed:
(hat ma#es 3bad4 5/5s 3bad4 is o&idation. In other words, when 5/5s
become rancid, they contribute to tissue injury. ;o what causes them to
become o&idi<ed "onsuming damaged or altered fats in the diet introduces
unstable, rancid, altered fats to the tissues which are poisonous and harmful.
=oods that are stored too long, stale, degraded, denatured, deteriorating, or
prepared also contain increased amounts of o&idi<ed cholesterol molecules
and fats as well. These foods are short on antio&idants as well. /e>cits of
.itamins 2, $, " and 1 comple&es and the minerals calcium (ioni<able!,
magnesium, potassium, selenium, as well as essential fatty acids, cause
them to be o&idi<ed and therefore damaging. ;ugar, and re>ned
carbohydrates increase o&idative damage, inhibit immune functions and
interfere with the transport of the .itamin " "omple& which is essential to
the integrity of the vascular walls. ;ugar also results in elevated insulin
levels which may also increase cholesterol levels.
;tatin drugs are used to lower cholesterol levels. The most common is
5ipitor. These drugs do a good job generally of lowering high cholesterol
levels, but the +uestion is do we really want to They do so at a ris# (not to
mention they dont ta#e care of the reason the cholesterol is high in the >rst
place!. There are many side e*ects of these drugs, however, the most
disconcerting to me is that it contributes to heart failure.
Homocysteine is a better mar#er of cardiovascular disease than cholesterol
is. Homocysteines are released as a result of tissue damage and impair
vascular elasticity. Homocysteine is a natural regulator of leu#ocyte (white
blood cell! behavior, activating them when tissue damage has occurred in
order to heal the damage. 1levated homocysteine levels do not increase
cardiovascular ris#, rather are an indicator that tissue damage is occurring,
which can eventually cause cardiovascular disease. $ut if they accumulate
too long, they themselves can cause the tissue damage. .itamins 1 and "
lower homocysteine levels, but .itamin " as ascorbic acid causes a $?@
de>ciency which contributes to elevated homocysteine levels. Ather causes
of concentration of homocysteine include- stress, damaged dietary fats,
re>ned sugars, poor absorption (digestive incompetence and poor intestinal
0ora!, liver imbalances, disease or to&ic overload, diabetes, chronic illness,
tobacco, co*ee, alcohol, most statin drugs, synthetic niacin (nicotinic acid!,
hypothyroidism, hormone replacement therapy, lac# of physical activity,
obesity, and psychological factors such as hostility, stress, anger and
depression.
There are many ways to bring cholesterol into healthy levels. The most
important thing to do is to determine why your cholesterol is high in the >rst
place. 5ifestyle improvements such as a healthier diet, supplementing the