By: Nick Sienkiewicz, DPT, CSCS

Cholesterol Shenanigans

After discussing essential fats last week, I figured it was the perfect time to talk all things cholesterol today! There are so many misconceptions about cholesterol. Without a doubt, the conversation about cholesterol always begins with “my cholesterol came back high on my recent blood work…” I want to clear the air on this cultural deception right now! First and foremost, let’s get into some background. Cholesterol is a type of lipid or fat that is critical to human health. We cannot necessarily call it “essential” in the way we’ve been referring to essential nutrients in the past few weeks, as your body’s liver can produce cholesterol. Even though the liver can synthesize it’s own cholesterol, dietary forms of cholesterol are still extremely important. One of the main reasons is that our livers are on overdrive in our modern world trying to process manmade chemicals and toxins all day while simultaneously regulating your body’s hormone profiles and blood sugar levels, among other duties. The cell membranes of every single cell in your body are made from cholesterol, so without it, your cells would be permeable to everything in our external environment and we would cease to exist… So yes, cholesterol is not just necessary for optimal cellular function and health, but for survival of the human species!

When you get your cholesterol levels measured, it is through a blood test. Cholesterol travels throughout the entire body via the blood. Within the bloodstream, cholesterol is carried by lipoproteins; two of which are low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). You have been told that LDL is “bad cholesterol,” while HDL is considered “good cholesterol.” This is a very simplistic and childish approach! Here is a comprehensive list of the roles and functions of cholesterol, specifically LDL:

• Cell membrane formation
• Supporting immune function
• Vitamin D synthesis
• Decreases inflammatory response
• Hormone synthesis and delivery to bodily tissues
• Neurotransmitter signaling
• Repair of damaged cells
• Effective and efficient energy transport throughout the body
• Fat soluble vitamin (A, D, E, K) transport
• Supporting optimal muscle function
• Aids insulin receptor function
• Prevention of vascular calcification

That all sounds pretty important to me! So, how come the medical system wants us to believe LDL is bad?!? Actually, medical professionals who practice this way will initially backtrack and say “it’s just bad in high amounts.” And of course, too much of any one thing can be problematic. I mean water is unanimously regarded as beneficial and pertinent to human life, yet excessive water will drown you… This begs the question: How much cholesterol or LDL is too high?? Based on current “standards” in America, your doctor will tell you that your LDL level should be less than 100 mg/dL. However, a large study (over 10,000 subjects) in 2020 found that an LDL level between 117 mg/dL and 137 mg/dL was associated with lowest risk of all-cause mortality. This means people with LDL between 117-137 died the least during the 4 year study (If carried on longer, it is conceivable these individuals lived the longest). On the contrary, those with an LDL lower than 84 mg/dL had the highest rate of all-cause mortality, meaning those individuals died earlier from various health issues. This should absolutely be mind-blowing to you. We have high-quality data telling us optimal levels of LDL are above 100 mg/dL, but your medical provider who “determines if you are healthy or not” within our societal construct wants you to aggressively get it below 100 where risk of death is higher… I know it’s bonkers!! I am not going to go into reasons and/or conspiracy theories as to why this is the way things are currently (But just follow the money…). I’ll let you come to your own conclusions using the facts presented!

So your doctor wants your cholesterol to be lower overall. Let’s look at some of the recent associations multiple studies have shown with what is considered “low cholesterol” (typically below 100 mg/dL LDL and below 150 mg/dL total cholesterol are considered low):

• Decreased lifespan
• Increased all-cause mortality
• Increased risk of cancer
• Increased risk of dementia/Alzheimer’s
• Increased risk of stroke
• Increased risk of infection

When you look at that list, doesn’t it look like the conditions that medical professionals are typically threatening that you’ll get because of your high cholesterol?!? I know this just keeps getting crazier… It’s pretty much the opposite of what we have been told for decades. Much of this deception dates all the way back to the 1950s. If you don’t know who Ancel Keys is, then I highly recommend doing some research and looking into his lipid-heart hypothesis reported in 1953. I won’t dive into that here, but this sabotage on human health using cholesterol trickery has been ongoing since then! In reference to the list of cholesterol functions above, we could recreate that list showing what could happen to each role if cholesterol levels are too low within the body. Thus, low cholesterol would:

• Stiffen up cell membranes, impairing cellular function and lifespan of our body’s cells
• Dampen innate and adaptive immunity as cholesterol plays major role in both systems
• Lower vitamin D, which we know is not good for health
• Lead to excessive and uncontrolled inflammation
• Disrupt hormone production, balance, and recycling, leading to issues, such as estrogen dominance
• Impair neurotransmitter function, playing a role in conditions, like anxiety and depression
• Create delayed wound healing and poor recovery overall, whether from injury, surgery, exercise, etc.
• Limit ATP production, thus generating chronic fatigue
• Decrease functional levels of vitamins A, D, E, and K leading to variety of health concerns
• Impair optimal muscle function reducing performance and inhibiting our ability to maintain lean muscle mass, which is crucial for metabolic health
• Impede our ability to utilize and process insulin, leading to insulin resistance (aka diabetes)
• Allow for unmanaged calcification of blood vessels (weird because you are told cholesterol causes calcification and plaque build up, yet cholesterol is improperly blamed for this - cholesterol is the firefighter showing up to put out the fire!!)

Now, let’s say the medical system deems you have “high cholesterol.” Some providers may begin with some basic lifestyle changes, but if cholesterol remains what is said to be “high,” then a statin is often the drug of choice to be recommended (remember, what is deemed high isn’t really high, so it’s already a problem from the jump). Statins certainly do a great job of lowering cholesterol, oftentimes too low. The initial question we must ask ourselves is: “do I really need to be lowering my cholesterol, or are we targeting this based on unreasonable and inaccurate data?” Secondly, it is important to note that although statins are very good at decreasing cholesterol levels, they are also very good at other things that are not so good for the human body. Statins have been shown to trigger:

• Damage to our mitochondria (our energy producers of every cell)
• Depletion of CoQ10, an important compound for mitochondrial function and heart health
• Delay and rapid decline of cognition
• Insulin resistance
• Musculoskeletal pain
• Sexual dysfunction

I personally do not like any of those issues, and would strive to avoid them at all costs. This is not to say that there is absolutely never a time and place for the use of statins. Nonetheless, I would hesitate upon their recommendation and definitely would not want to take a statin in a situation where my cholesterol levels were just “culturally high” and not truly high for human health. Ultimately, when it comes to cholesterol, it is immensely important to understand that evaluating cholesterol values in isolation is inconclusive and treating normative values is not the answer! The normative values have absolutely been manipulated, and currently do not coincide with true human health. Instead, we have to appreciate the various functions cholesterol plays within the human body and look at the holistic picture of health for each individual. More on this next week!

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Let’s thrive together,
Nick

*Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. The information is meant to be educational in nature. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent and/or cure any disease or health condition. Simultaneously, the information is not stating that any supplements or methods mentioned can replace medications or any interventions prescribed by your healthcare provider. Please speak with your own healthcare provider before beginning any new supplements or making changes that may affect your health. By utilizing any of this information, you are assuming responsibility for your own health decisions and actions.