- Cell membranes – This is kind of technical but cholesterol keeps the cell membranes at just the right level of fluidity and permeability and helps regulate what goes in and out. In other words we need the cholesterol for the cells to function properly.
- Memory and learning – Cholesterol is needed for the neurons in the brain to form connections. (One of the main benefits of sleep for learning and memory is due to the fact that cholesterol production is highest when we sleep.)
- Digestion of fats – Bile acids are made from cholesterol and this allows us to digest fats and access fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.
- Vitamin D –It isn’t just the sunlight that increases our vitamin D levels. Cholesterol is a precursor to vitamin D. Vitamin D is best known for its role in calcium metabolism and bone health, but new roles are continually being discovered for it, including in mental health, blood sugar regulation, the immune system, and cancer prevention.
- Hormones - Cholesterol is the precursor to all steroid hormones, including:
- Glucocorticoids (blood sugar regulation)
- Mineralcorticoids (mineral balance and blood pressure regulation)
- Sex Hormones (many functions)
Sounds important, right? Well that’s because it really is!
So why do we think of cholesterol as the enemy?
Cholesterol has been one of the most maligned and misunderstood substances of the twentieth century.
Eating foods high in cholesterol was thought to raise blood cholesterol levels. At the same time, high blood cholesterol has been painted as the enemy or our arteries and the main cause of heart disease.
The popular version of cholesterol goes something like this: when you eat fatty foods, especially foods rich in animal fat, the saturated fat and cholesterol in these foods ends up in your blood and sticks to your arteries. Since saturated fats are solid outside your body, they will be solid inside your body too — (despite the 30-degree increase in temperature – ha ha!). Arteries are much like pipes. When they get caked up with grease, blood flow is impaired, and a heart attack ensues.
OK, so that is just not true!
The truth is that atherosclerosis, where plaque builds up in the arteries, is actually caused by inflammation. Initially it is caused primarily by the consumption of industrial seed oils like canola oil, which are degenerated due to the heat and pressure of processing. Other causes of inflammation in the body can then accelerate and exacerbate the process.
Since cholesterol is found in fatty foods that contain a greater proportion of saturated fat, these high cholesterol foods are likely not the culprits of atherosclerosis and heart disease.
So, bring back cholesterol in your diet! Bonus – it’s found in delicious foods that you are going to love reintroducing!
Want some help navigating all of this? Get in touch for some personalized suggestions. We can help you with your diet and offer comprehensive cardio metabolic blood testing which is a step above what you'll get from your doctor.
Check our blog next time for more info on your cholesterol blood test numbers and what to look for.