Understanding Cholesterol

Understanding Cholesterol

Understanding what cholesterol really is and how it works in the body is your first step in making sure the numbers make sense to you.  Every BODY is different so the numbers can have a wide range of meaning depending on your age, and current and previous health issues. Cholesterol is a necessary ingredient that is required to be regularly delivered around the body to maintain the development and functions of our cells.  

Cholesterol is a push-pull mechanism, not a "good" or "bad" issue.
Its all about ratios, as cholesterol is necessary for hormone production and the health and quality of the arterial system.
Balancing the ratios between Total to HDL,  and HDL to LDL is more important than the actual numbers. At HBH we we strive for a 4:1 or less on Total to HDL, and no more than a 3:1 on HDL to LDL..
Cholesterol levels at 150 or lower put a person at greater risk for cancer. Every 10 points below 150 is an order of magnitude greater in terms of risk. Statins artificially drives cholesterol production down, and are not only damaging the liver, they also increase the risk of disease.
The most direct way to lower cholesterol, is to eat more clarified butter. Like hormones, cholesterol production by the liver will naturally decrease as consumption from external sources increases. However, your liver will naturally produce more cholesterol than you can possibly eat in a day. So unlike synthetic hormone use/abuse, you can't shut down the natural production by the liver by "eating too much" like what happens to the hormone drive of the body when steroids are employed in excessive levels.

 

Cholesterol is NOT "public enemy number one" even though you have been told that it is because it can build up in the walls of your arteries, causing a process called atherosclerosis and that HIGH cholesterol is one of the major risk factors leading to heart disease which by design gives you a better chance of a heart attack or stroke.  

Low-density lipoproteins( LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) are exactly the same, the only difference is the transporters that are used to move in around the body.  BOTH are ESSENTIAL for the human body's delivery logistics to work effectively.  

Cholesterol is vital to your health and well-being because it is a key factor in the production of vitamin D, hormones (including testosterone and estrogen), and fat-dissolving bile acids  Eighty percent of Cholesterol is made in the liver and intestines and  only twenty percent comes from what you ingest.  The measurement taken from the blood is a good starting point, but cholesterol is found in every cell in the body.   LDL carries cholesterol to various tissues such as the adrenal gland, gonads, muscle, and adipose tissue.  HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, absorbs cholesterol in the blood and carries it back to the liver. The liver then flushes it from the body. 

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