I have a CD on the subject of cholesterol and the importance it plays in human health. It is available through my office at 1-801-523-1890.
Today on Doug's show I am talking about the belief that low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol causes atherosclerosis and subsequent heart disease, and as such, is one of the main pillars of modern cardiovascular medicine.
LDL cholesterol is a very important substance manufactured every moment of life by the body. It does not in anyway, cause atherosclerosis. There is another form of LDL called oxidized LDL and a correlation between that form and atherosclerosis has been detected.
There has been a war against cholesterol for years without any reduction in the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). The number of deaths from CHD has decreased over the last few decades, but not the incidence, as CHD is still the leading cause of death in western countries.
Modern medicine has made many inroads in extending the lives of those suffering from heart attacks, but has failed in its attempt to prevent or at least avoid CHD in the first place. An interesting correlation maybe in the works as the pushing of low fat, high carbohydrate diets, in order to lower our cholesterol intake, has been accompanied with a virtual explosion of obesity and diabetes.
We have been told that there is a good cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein (HDL), and of course, the bad cholesterol LDL. Since cholesterol is a fat, it cannot be dissolved in the blood (water), so it must be "transported" around the body. LDL is a fat combined with a protein, as is HDL, but they serve two different missions. LDL transports fats from the liver to the body for use where ever the body needs the fats. HDL transports the "unused" fats back to the liver for further processing. The theory is that the transportation of fats to the body by LDL creates fatty deposits in the arteries that will grow and rupture and cause strokes or coronary occlusion (blockage). So if we have lower LDL and more HDL there is a greater movement of fats from the body to the liver than the other way around. In other words, we want the fats in the liver and not in the body, this is of course, ridiculous.
Our cell walls are made of cholesterol. Bile acids, that emulsify fats, are made of cholesterol. Cholesterol is essential for the adsorption of fats, especially fat based vitamins such as vitamins A,D, E, and K. Our most important hormones, testosterone, estrogen, dihydroepiandosterone (DHEA), progesterone, and cortisol all have cholesterol as a precursor. Cut back on cholesterol and you cut back on your hormones of emotion. The structure of our bodies is determined to a certain extent by the strength and shape of our cell walls, which is almost exclusively made of cholesterol.
Contrary to popular belief, arterial plaques are not made of big greasy balls of fat that cling to the inner walls of your arteries like mineral deposits in the pipes of your water heater. Atherosclerosis builds up between the outer and inner walls of your vessels, not in the hollow area of the vessel (lumen) itself.
These plaques are made of a complex of materials with numerous components, not the least of which is calcium, cholesterol, fatty acids, white blood cells, and connective tissue, to name a few. Why are they present, is the question. Does elevated cholesterol lead to that? Studies are not conclusive, however studies do show the negative influence of plaque buildup from poor nutrition, processed sugar intake, cigarette smoking, homocysteine, elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), high emotional stress levels (stress is a "killer" right?), dietary trans fatty acids, excessive refined carbohydrates, bacterial and viral infections, and too much omega-6 dietary intake with a commensurate deficient omega-3 intake.
Damage from one of these influences to the arterial wall will initiate inflammation. The body then responds to that inflammation by trying to repair it. There is considerable evidence to suggest that the presence of cholesterol is simply part of the repair mechanism. Remember, this is going on inside the tissues of the blood vessel, not inside the passage way for the blood itself.
The concept that LDL is "bad cholesterol" is too simplistic and simply not supported by exhaustive studies, in fact no exhaustive studies exist to support the notion that elevated cholesterol causes heart disease. There are simply too many people dying of CHD who have low levels of cholesterol, who are of normal weight, and who regularly exercise. There is much more to this subject available on my CD.
Web site: jackstockwell.com Office number: 1-801-523-1890
Hello Dr. Stockwell;
Great to hear you talking about cholesterol this morning. I appreciate that you are helping us better understand the fact that good nutrition through eating healthy food is so important to our health and well being. I just wish we had truly healthy food being produced at a more affordable level. I look forward to hearing from you more! Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise with all of us.
Posted by: Ed Brinton | February 10, 2009 at 09:14 AM