Your Cholesterol Numbers Don’t Matter
What is Cholesterol?
To put it simply. Cholesterol is necessary for life. It is produced in the liver, you can make some on your own but you also get it from animal proteins, eggs and dairy.
Cholesterol maintains the integrity of cell membranes, aids in the production of hormones, it's a building block for tissues, and also assists the digestion of food and bile production.
It is critical that we have enough cholesterol to feel good. There is no reason to fear it. There are so many other factors that create cardiovascular disease.
The Cholesterol Agenda
Blood cholesterol levels between 200 and 240 mg/dl are normal.
These levels have always been normal.
In older women, serum cholesterol levels greatly above these numbers are also quite normal, and in fact they have been shown to be associated with longevity.
Since 1984, however, in the United States and other parts of the western world, these normal numbers have been treated as if they were an indication of a disease in progress or a potential for disease in the future.
They are basically just preying on the older generation that does not know better, those that still trust them.
As a result of some of this misinformation, which was purposefully planted by the leadership of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in 1984, many hundreds of thousands of people are treated with expensive medications to prevent the development of a non-existent illness.
These medications are thoroughly dangerous medications for both physical and emotional reasons—for physical reasons because their use can lead to serious untreatable diseases such as liver cancer, and for emotional reasons because their use perpetuates the myth that cholesterol is dangerous and evil. -westonaprice.org
A month after the exposé in Science, the NHLBI responded by lowering its recommended “at risk” cholesterol level and increasing the number of people it wants to put on cholesterol lowering drugs.
But there may be hope that the truth will win.
Independent thoughtful researchers have continued to point out that there is a real need for correcting the wrong advice given to the public regarding the consumption of dietary fats.
New research continues to show that the saturated fats are not a problem, that the trans fatty acids found in partially hydrogenated vegetable fats and oils really are a problem, and that the lack of appropriate balance in the diet of the polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is also a problem. -westonaprice.org
Cardiovascular Blood Markers
When looking at blood tests you don't want to go off standard ranges but rather work with a practitioner that looks at functional ranges to determine patterns and make conclusions. It’s always about figuring out WHY a marker is high. One blood marker out of range does not give you enough information. Doctors need to start digging deeper. These are important markers to check for metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease risk.
+ Total Cholesterol
LDL Cholesterol
HDL Cholesterol
Triglycerides
Homocysteine
Platlets
MPV
Uric Acid
Apol A + B
Glucose
Insulin
HbA1c
SGOT
SGPT
Full Thyroid Panel
For example, as a functional nutritionist I like to see cholesterol a bit higher than standard ranges. Cholesterol is actually very important for many processes in the body.
Keep in mind, standard medicine just wants to prescribe and not get to the root of the problem.
Total Cholesterol:
Under 60 years old:
Standard Range: 100-200
Functional Range: 120-240
LDL:
Under 60 years old:
Standard Range: 0-99
Functional Range: 40-120
Causes of High Cholesterol
STRESS
Blood sugar dysregulation
Inflammation
Standard American Diet, seed oils + processed foods
Hypothyroidism
Adrenal dysfunction
Liver congestion
Oxidative Stress
Sedentary lifestyle
Mineral and vitamin deficiencies
SIBO/ leaky gut/ gut dysbiosis
Gum disease/ periodontal disease
Low Fiber
Genetics
Notice not one of these causes has anything to do with eating red meat or saturated fat?
And no, all you vegan brainwashers - eating red meat and saturated fat does not cause any of these, if that was the case I would simply not be functioning, mine and my clients blood markers would be through the roof and every person that consumes red meat or saturated fat would be ill.
Let's get real here. You can consume red meat and saturated fat and be a healthy thriving human, dare I say increase your longevity?
The Cholesterol + Thyroid Connection
One of the biggest things I see on blood labs is the correlation between thyroid numbers and cardiovascular numbers. They tend to go hand in hand and once the thyroid is addressed and overall metabolism is functioning better, cholesterol numbers follow suite.
Dr. Broda Barnes spent his life studying the relationship between the thyroid, cholesterol and cardiovascular risk. Patients who were being treated for hypothyroidism had a remarkably low rate of heart attacks, despite the fact that the incidence of heart attacks was rising in the general population. His landmark study, The Heart Disease Epidemiology Study, also known as the Framingham Study followed five thousand residents for the rest of their lives in order to determine the cause of heart disease. This ground breaking study concluded the intimate relationship between the thyroid, cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.
Saturated fat and red meat supply the thyroid vital nutrients and energy to function optimally that you can simply not get from a plant-based diet.
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