I always cringe when I see “Egg White Omelets” on a restaurant menu. It seems like no matter how many scientific articles are published to the contrary, the idea that you need to cut back on cholesterol-rich foods to reduce your risk of heart disease just won’t die.
As an integrative medicine doctor, I’ve lost track of the number of patients who have come to see me after months or even years of this approach who still had abnormally high levels of “bad” cholesterol. They cut out eggs, dairy, and animal protein, they took all of the medications recommended by their doctor, and still they struggled to get their levels down.
That’s because the idea that your diet is solely responsible for your cholesterol numbers is a myth. (See The Great Cholesterol Myth by Jonny Bowden and Stephen T. Sinatra, MD)
And it isn’t the only one.
That’s why I’m taking this opportunity to demystify cholesterol.
What does it mean to have high levels of “bad” cholesterol? What causes your cholesterol to go out of balance? Are eggs really to blame?
We’ll start with the most pervasive myth of all: dietary cholesterol is the villain.
Dietary vs Endogenous Cholesterol
Dietary cholesterol is found in eggs, dairy, meat, and shellfish. Endogenous cholesterol, on the other hand, is cholesterol produced within the body, primarily by the liver. Your body uses cholesterol to build healthy cells, produce hormones, and support a healthy brain.
Your blood test does not measure dietary cholesterol, and its intake does not significantly influence traditional cholesterol markers. Instead, they measure cholesterol and triglycerides carried through the bloodstream by different lipoproteins, including HDL, LDL, and VLDL.
Endogenous Cholesterol: Three Types of Lipoproteins
Each type of endogenous cholesterol says something a little different about your overall health. Understanding these differences is the key to balancing your cholesterol.
The Good: High-Density Lipoprotein, or HDL, is known as “good” cholesterol because it helps remove other forms of “bad” cholesterol, discussed below, from your bloodstream, reducing the risk of heart disease. HDL levels rise in response to healthy lifestyle shifts like exercising regularly, eating healthy fats, balancing your hormones, and losing weight gradually.
The Bad: Low Density Lipoprotein, or LDL, operates in the opposite way and high levels can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. A little known fact about LDL is that it is actually what the body uses to produce sex hormones.
The Ugly: Very Low Density Lipoprotein, or VLDL, mainly carries triglycerides, a specific type of fat in your blood. High levels have the strongest association with the development of plaque deposits.
Increased levels of “bad cholesterol” (LDL or VLDL) are usually an indication of stress in your liver. The cause might be a high carbohydrate diet, excessive alcohol intake, abnormally high levels of toxins in the body caused by mold, environmental toxins, heavy metals, etc, and/or emotional stress.
According to Chinese medicine, one of the mechanisms of cholesterol production is the innate intelligence of our body producing a buffer for itself. Think of it as insulation. Cholesterol actually traps toxins (physical) at the same time as it creates a softening cushion to the blows of living a modern, stressful life (emotional).
Your “total cholesterol” combines all three endogenous lipoproteins and is often provided in lipid profiles. However, when you look at this number on its own, such as in over-the-counter test kits or health fairs, it offers limited value and can further confuse the public on an already complex topic.
In general, lumping all of these complex systems into one word “cholesterol” is inadequate and misleading. There are many different factors that contribute to high or low cholesterol levels, and the amount of eggs and dairy you eat are just the tip of the iceberg.
Causes of Cholesterol Imbalances
Cholesterol levels are influenced by factors both in and outside of the body. Some of the more common causes of cholesterol imbalances include:
- Poor diet and blood sugar regulation — common in people who eat a lot of refined carbohydrates and added sugars
- Insulin resistance and poor metabolic health — metabolic dysfunction can significantly affect triglycerides, HDL, and LDL patterns
- Hormonal changes — menopause, andropause, and thyroid dysfunction all affect your cholesterol levels
- Genetics — some people are genetically predisposed to high LDL cholesterol
- Liver health — the liver plays a central role in producing, processing, and clearing cholesterol and lipoproteins
- Lifestyle factors — physical activity, emotional and psychological stress, smoking, alcohol intake, sleep, and body composition all influence cholesterol
- Certain medical conditions and medications — kidney disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and some medications can alter lipid levels
At Kai Wellness, we take an individualized approach to healthcare, focusing on you as a whole human being while addressing your symptoms, concerns, and goals. Thorough testing helps reveal where we focus our attention, and a personalized, co-creative effort guides your personalized treatment plan.
Three Myths and Their Truths
So, what do I actually want you to take away from all of this? Let’s bust three of the biggest cholesterol myths once and for all.
Myth #1: Eating cholesterol causes high cholesterol
Dietary cholesterol and the cholesterol measured on your lipid panel aren’t the same thing. Rather than automatically blaming eggs, dairy, and meat, work with an integrative medicine doctor to see your cholesterol numbers as part of the larger metabolic picture.
Myth #2: You can fix your cholesterol without knowing the root cause.
If you focus all of your attention on your cholesterol, you’re going to miss the bigger picture. At Kai Wellness, we look at your cholesterol levels as a single piece in the puzzle of your health.
We look at your liver to see how well it’s processing, your exercise and lifestyle habits to understand how your body is using energy, your hormones to see how they may be influencing your lipid levels, your mental and emotional wellbeing (and offer depth trauma counseling and coaching), and your diet to make sure your body is metabolizing and receiving nutrition.
Think of it this way: if your body is inflamed (one of the predictable, underlying mechanisms in cholesterol over-production) and you take a medication that lowers cholesterol, you’ve effectively bypassed the inflammation, which, when left unaddressed, will continue to wreak havoc and lead to bigger issues down the line.
High cholesterol isn’t the root cause. It’s a clue. And instead of simply trying to make the number go down, we want to understand what your body is trying to tell us through that number.
Myth #3: Cholesterol levels and hormone imbalances are separate issues.
Here’s something you might not know: Cholesterol is one of the raw materials your body uses to produce estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and other hormones. Changes to your hormones can influence cholesterol levels, which is yet another reason you can’t assume high cholesterol is solely due to your favorite egg scramble.
Work with Kai Wellness
One lipid panel isn’t enough to tell the whole story of your health. Let us help you uncover what your cholesterol is trying to tell you.
When we look at your cholesterol as part of the bigger picture, things start to shift. Depending on what we discover in your consultation, we might decide to focus on your diet, nutrition, or genetics. We might look at balancing your hormones with acupuncture and herbs. Or we might look for other imbalances that may be putting strain on the liver such as toxic loads and emotional stress.
Whatever the case, know that your body wants to heal. It wants to be in balance.
We are here to guide that healing.
Schedule a consultation today.
Dr. Karina Menali
