Cholesterol isn’t a rare topic on this site. I’ve already covered the truth behind oxidized cholesterol. The same goes for which foods help you prevent it. Today, I’ll tackle a more basic subject: is cholesterol good?
Cholesterol is somewhat controversial as a topic. Basically, expert opinion keeps shifting:
- First, cholesterol was bad.
- Then, only low-density cholesterol was bad.
- High-density became a good addition.
- Finally, only oxidized cholesterol was unhealthy.
In this article, we’ll clarify those doubts. But, remember this is only today’s opinion. Always consult with your health professional.
Is cholesterol good? It can be
The answer is complicated. Traditionally, bad cholesterol has a low density (LDL). But, it’s technically not cholesterol. Today, experts consider it a lipoprotein. This component transports cholesterol.
If there’s bad cholesterol, it has a “good” counterpart. This time, it’s HDL, or high-density lipoprotein. Again, it’s a cholesterol carrier. It moves excess blood cholesterol to the liver.
Assessing our understanding of high cholesterol
High cholesterol can come from many sources. We can control some, like our diet and health habits. But, others are purely genetic.
Moreover, high cholesterol isn’t good or bad.
Yes, there might be a correlation between cholesterol and heart health. But, causality is still a mystery. Bad cholesterol might not be the cause. In many cases, high cholesterol complements poor nutrition.
We do know one thing, though.
Atherosclerosis has a direct relationship with cholesterol. So, we can safely assume that artery inflammation is the main risk.
We’re still quite confused on whether cholesterol is good
But, we can’t forget medicine’s history with cholesterol. Throughout the years, cholesterol has seen different opinions:
- High cholesterol was bad for our hearts. So, eating fewer fats—which lowers cholesterol—was ideal.
- Neglecting fats also reduced good cholesterol. Thus, eliminating them wasn’t ideal.
- It’s simply not viable to eliminate cholesterol from our diets.
- Minimizing bad cholesterol didn’t always result in lower heart disease risks.
And, the story goes on. There’s still lots of confusion when we talk about cholesterol. Thus, the best approach persists.
Don’t avoid cholesterol entirely. Instead, focus on keeping a balanced diet and exercising often.
So, is cholesterol good or bad? It depends
So, the dangers and benefits of cholesterol depend on our approach. Heart disease can attack people with low cholesterol. Likewise, some people have high-cholesterol diets and null heart disease risk.
As we mentioned, we can’t give up cholesterol easily. But, lowering its consumption could have some benefits. That said, we should set our eyes on atherosclerosis instead of heart disease directly.
How can you benefit from cholesterol?
Yes, cholesterol can increase your risks of artery inflammation. Yet, there’s a reason why our diets need it. Some of the benefits of cholesterol include the following:
- It’s a basic material needed by our organs, and cells. For instance, it can convert into vitamin D and steroid hormones.
- It’s responsible for cell protection and communication.{
- “Feel good” hormones depend on our brains’ cell receptors. These receptors require cholesterol to function properly.
- Cholesterol fulfills a crucial immune role. Even “bad” cholesterol tackles toxic bacterial products.
More than “is cholesterol good,” it’s vital for our diets
Good cholesterol protects you from bad cholesterol
As we mentioned, even bad cholesterol has useful functions. But, keeping it under control is still ideal.
Why does that matter?
Because diets rich in HDL tend to increase LDL as well. But, this reaction might have a positive undertone. HDL prevents the oxidation of LDL. That’s vital because LDL oxidation is the main reason behind cholesterol’s main health risks.
So, that maintains our thesis that eliminating cholesterol from our diets isn’t ideal. So, it’s worth switching our focus toward balance and fitness.
The holistic takeaway
The question isn’t “is cholesterol good?” Instead, we should be wondering how we are consuming it. Like almost everything, it’s bad in excess. It’s not something we should eliminate.
Instead, we ought to control and benefit from cholesterol.
That’s why I want to point you toward the real enemy. The Oxidized Cholesterol Strategy targets the real bad cholesterol.
If you want to learn more, check out my official review!
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