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Cholesterol: What You Need to Know
If you, like others, think cholesterol is your enemy, think again. Cholesterol has many important functions to carry out in your body that are needed to maintain good health. It helps promote a healthy immune system, makes important hormones, keeps cell membranes permeable, is essential for brain function and
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forms an insulation around nerves to keep electrical impulses moving. The inside of the cell is also filled with a variety of cholesterol-containing membranes that must be maintained for proper cell function.
When your body is comprised of cells that are cholesterol-depleted, and thereby less efficient, the biochemical processes of your metabolism are affected, which means your metabolism won’t function as it should. This results in accelerated metabolic aging, adding unnecessary stress on your body.
Your total cholesterol number is not a good predictor of having or dying of a heart attack. Statistically, there are just as many people having and dying of heart attacks with low cholesterol levels as there are with higher cholesterol levels.
“High total cholesterol numbers are not the cause of heart attacks,” says Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, M.D. And if you think reducing or eliminating cholesterol from your diet will decrease your risk of heart attacks, I challenge you to reconsider. Cholesterol is not raised by eating cholesterol, but rather by a high-insulin lifestyle.
What do we mean by a high-insulin lifestyle? First, a high carbohydrate and high sugar diet raise cholesterol – yes, even though these foods may be “cholesterol free”. They raise insulin levels, and insulin is a fat-storing hormone. That fat is deposited around the middle, and is inflammatory fat, raising our risk of heart disease.
A low-fat diet creates problems, too. There are only three sources of calories: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. When we restrict fats, we may also restrict many protein foods because of their fat content. That leaves us with an excess of carbohydrates – usually refined - once again.
Alcohol, caffeine, smoking and stress also contribute to the high insulin levels that precipitate elevated cholesterol and in turn inflammatory processes of heart disease.
Your body not only takes in cholesterol, it also makes cholesterol. It is important to understand that it isn’t cholesterol itself that is your enemy, but rather the inability of the body to keep it in balance. Your “cholesterol regulator” needs help through proper lifestyle, a diet of whole foods, beneficial fats, fiber, sugar restriction, and plentiful antioxidants. Many natural remedies can also aid this balance: CoQ10, Niacin, Policosonal, Libracol, BioK, liver herbs, and others. Ask our knowledgeable staff about any of these – and help your body regulate cholesterol in a positive and healthy, risk-lowering way.
“Recommended Reads” available in our Book Department at Goodness Me!:
The Schwarzbein Principle, by Diana Schwarzbein, M.D.
The All-Natural Cardio Cure, by Allan Magaziner, D.O.
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