{"id":150302313996,"date":"2023-03-03T23:35:31","date_gmt":"2023-03-04T04:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bioptimizers.com\/blog\/?p=150302313996"},"modified":"2024-08-19T05:46:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T09:46:54","slug":"what-causes-high-cholesterol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bioptimizers.com\/blog\/what-causes-high-cholesterol\/","title":{"rendered":"What Causes High Cholesterol and Does It Really Cause Heart Disease?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Why Cholesterol Gets A Bad Rep<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Many people, including medical professionals, think cholesterol causes heart disease, even though the notion has been debunked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cholesterol is a fat-like waxy substance found in your blood. When anatomists study people with clogged arteries or buildup in the blood vessels, they find that the buildups contain cholesterol. We call this build-up atherosclerosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea that eating too much cholesterol can cause cardiovascular disease (CVD) began with a study in 1971. When they fed rabbits cholesterol, their cholesterol shot up 17 times and the rabbits started to develop heart disease.<\/span> However, humans are not rabbits. We\u2019re omnivores not herbivores.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many studies also found high cholesterol in people with higher risk of CVD. The researchers then proposed that the high cholesterol levels came from consuming too much cholesterol through the diet. Despite follow-up research to the contrary, the scientific community and public accepted this idea for decades.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1988, eggs (which are high in cholesterol) were villainized by a study that connected mortality and heart disease with egg consumption in women.<\/span> Multiple follow-up studies debunked the idea that eggs contribute to high cholesterol,<\/span> but yet again, the idea persisted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, why all of the confusion? The thing about high-cholesterol foods is that they also tend to be high in animal-based saturated fat\u2013 except for eggs and shrimp. Researchers found an accurate correlation, but attacked the wrong culprit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike the inconsistent studies surrounding the link between cholesterol in food and heart disease, the connection between saturated fat and heart disease is well-documented. A literature review by the American Heart Association established that CVD risk decreases when polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats replace saturated fats.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Why Cholesterol And LDL-C Don\u2019t Cause Heart Disease<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The bottom line is that your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol are probably not what\u2019s causing heart disease. It\u2019s more complicated than that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A literature review conducted a deep dive into CVD and LDL cholesterol studies. The researchers found that previous studies linking cholesterol to CVD contained errors.<\/span> Let\u2019s break down some of the big ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it\u2019s true that total cholesterol levels cause heart disease, then people with high total cholesterol should have higher rates of heart disease. However, studies show no difference in heart disease rates regardless of cholesterol levels. Additionally, when patients took cholesterol-lowering medication, total cholesterol declined. However, the medication and lower cholesterol levels did not change the rate of heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
This same review found that many studies disprove the relationship between LDL and heart disease. They could not establish any link between LDL cholesterol and atherosclerosis, the most common cause of CVD.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Multiple studies found that those with heart disease actually have low LDL levels. A massive study of almost 140,000 American patients admitted to the hospital with a heart attack had low LDL levels. The review also highlighted a study of elderly Japanese people showing that those with high LDL levels lived longer than those with lower LDL levels.<\/span> This supports the idea that high LDL may be healthy, at least in the elderly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond LDL, many other factors influence your risk of heart disease.<\/span> They include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
High blood pressure<\/strong><\/li>
Diabetes<\/li>
Smoking<\/strong><\/li>
Obesity<\/li>
Inactivity<\/strong><\/li>
Unhealthy diet<\/li>
Inflammation<\/strong><\/li>
Unhealthy calcium balance and vitamin K levels<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Essential Functions Of Cholesterol<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cholesterol is essential for your overall health and well-being. It is in your blood and every cell in your body. Its primary role is to maintain the cell in perfect condition and also allow your cells to change shape and move.<\/span> It is so critical to your body that your liver produces between 70-80% of the cholesterol you need, and just 20-30% comes from your diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You also need cholesterol for many other essential substances in your body. Without cholesterol, you would not be able to produce adequate amounts of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steroid hormones like testosterone, estrogen, and cortisol<\/span><\/strong><\/li>
How Dietary Cholesterol Affects Cholesterol Levels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Remember that your liver manages most of your cholesterol needs. Your body knows what it needs to maintain homeostasis and will make the necessary adjustments based on how much cholesterol you get from your diet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A meta-analysis explored the relationship between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels. Overall, studies failed to demonstrate a correlation between the two. Researchers believe studies fail to consider what happens after you eat cholesterol. It doesn\u2019t go directly into your blood.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you eat cholesterol, it travels into your intestines, where most of it enters the cell in your intestinal lining. The rest flows back to the intestines and leaves your body along with your stool. The cholesterol that enters your cells gets packed up along with triglycerides (fat) into chylomicrons and goes into circulation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The chylomicrons then lose most triglycerides and head to the liver, removing them from circulation. When cholesterol-loaded chylomicrons are present in the liver, it inhibits the liver from producing cholesterol. Therefore, the more dietary cholesterol you consume, the less your liver will produce.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Researchers are so convinced that consuming cholesterol through your diet does not raise cholesterol levels that the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans removed the upper limit for cholesterol consumption.<\/span> They do, however, still maintain that you should keep your consumption low. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What you do need to look out for is eating high-cholesterol foods that are also high in saturated or trans fats. They are more likely to increase your blood cholesterol levels.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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