Cholesterol is a 'lipid' (that is, a fat-like substance) that is essential for animal life. It is an integral component of every cell in the human body, it is used to make vitamin D (which is produced from cholesterol just under the skin, using sunlight for energy), it is necessary for the absorption of essential fatty acids from our intestines, and it is required for the production of the sex hormones. Cholesterol is vital to proper neurological function. It plays a key role in the formation of memory and the uptake of hormones in the brain, including serotonin, the body's feel-good chemical. Cholesterol is the main organic molecule in the brain, constituting over half the dry weight of the cerebral cortex. (Cholesterol is to the brain what calcium is to the bones).
Where does it come from?
Despite what many people believe it was determined many years ago that the majority of cholesterol in your bloodstream comes from what your liver is manufacturing and distributing. The amount of cholesterol that one eats plays little role in determining your cholesterol levels.
Why does our blood cholesterol become elevated?
According to the website of the leading cholesterol lowering drug manufacturer Pfizer, high cholesterol is generally caused by unhealthy diet and lack of exercise. You should also quit smoking and reduce the amount of alcohol you drink".
Cholesterol is the body's repair substance: scar tissue contains high levels of cholesterol, including scar tissue in the arteries. What this means is that if you live a life that if stressful on your body you will do damage to your arteries. If your arteries are damaged then you will produce cholesterol to help repair that damage.
So should we be trying to lower our cholesterol?
If excessive damage is occurring making it necessary to distribute extra cholesterol through the bloodstream, it would not seem very wise to merely lower the cholesterol and forget about why it is there in the first place. It would seem much smarter to reduce the extra need for the cholesterol.
What we should be concentrating on is not the cholesterol level but the lifestyle. Repairing dents in your car will not make you less likely to have car crash; just as lowering your cholesterol will not necessarily make you healthier.
Whilst research shows that while lowering cholesterol is correlated with a reduction in the risk of heart attacks; few can say that there is a reduction in the risk of mortality (death). It has never been conclusively shown that lowering cholesterol saves lives. In fact, several large studies have shown that lowering cholesterol into the range currently recommended is correlated with an increased risk of dying, especially of cancer. Cholesterol lowering drugs can have other implications as well. These include liver and muscular dysfunction and reducing your body's ability to produce serotonin and co-enzyme Q10. Both of these are very important to your overall health and immune function. As serotonin is the “feel good" chemical in your brain it is also not surprising that lowered cholesterol has been associated with aggression and depression. Cholesterol also functions as a powerful antioxidant, thus protecting us against cancer and aging.
So by all means try to lower your cholesterol level but if you are going to do it, do as Pfizer recommends. Eat and move in a way that provides your body with what it needs and you will not only lower your cholesterol but will live a happier healthier life with more energy and vitality.
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My husband has suffered with high cholesterol in the past, but with a little regular exercise and a healthy balanced diet, you really can make a difference!