Support Your Body’s Ability to Metabolize Cholesterol

Do any of you remember the 1960s Spaghetti western called “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”?  It starred Clint Eastwood and told the story of three men looking for a fortune in buried coins.
If you are thinking to yourself  “Come on Dr. Loes, what does buried treasure have to do with my cholesterol levels?”  Let me assure you that I have not lost my marbles.  I am merely going to use the title of this entertaining movie to help illustrate what cholesterol can do to our bodies.

Let’s start out with the good things about this often-misunderstood fatty substance.  Our bodies require a certain amount of cholesterol for basic functioning.  Knowing this, our livers happily oblige by manufacturing the vast majority of cholesterol in our bloodstreams.  As you have undoubtedly heard by now, there is a type of cholesterol called high-density lipoprotein, or HDL for short, which is commonly referred to as the “good” cholesterol.  This is what we want in our bodies—it is beneficial to our health, and we actually want to try to raise our HDL readings to higher numbers.

Now, let’s move onto the bad.  In the yin-yang world of cholesterol, where there is good there is also bad.  And in this case it is called low-density lipoprotein, or LDL for short.  To borrow from my movie analogy a bit more, the LDL is the bad dude in the black cowboy hat and pointy mustache who rides in and wreaks havoc on everyone in town.  LDL is bad news for our health, and we want to reduce it—ride it out of town into the sunset, if you will.  In addition, we have to contend with triglycerides, another reading associated with cholesterol levels that we need to keep under control.  Too many triglycerides are also nasty and can adversely affect our health.

As you have probably already figured out (smart people that you are), now is the time when I’ll talk about the ugly aspects of cholesterol.  In my opinion, what is ugly about cholesterol is the effect it can have on our health.  High cholesterol levels can lead to some very serious health conditions, including cardiovascular disease and stroke.  Have you ever known or been around someone who has suffered a severe stroke?  I have on many occasions and it can be a truly jarring experience.  To go from someone who is completely capable of all aspects of life one minute to relying on other people to feed, dress and bathe him or her the next, truly gives one pause.  In many cases, people who have had strokes have been found to suffer from high cholesterol.  Heart patients are often the same way.

Okay, now that we have covered the good, bad and ugly elements about cholesterol, let’s move on to my favorite portion of any article – the solution.  What can we do, aside from committing ourselves to a lifetime of costly prescription drugs, to lower the LDL and triglyceride levels while also possibly raising our HDL levels?  As is often the case, the answer lies in good solid nutrition, a good night’s sleep, and a nice combination of vitamins and minerals and other natural remedies.

For example, vitamin C, so well known for its ability to keep the common cold at bay, is also a pretty amazing cholesterol reducer.  Studies have found that taking this potent antioxidant nutrient can lower both our cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  In addition, vitamin E may stop LDL cholesterol from oxidizing in our precious arteries, and the mineral chromium is well known for safely and effectively lowering cholesterol levels.

Garlic also appears to be a pretty amazing herbal remedy for cholesterol; in one study it caused about a 12 percent decrease in total levels.  Two other natural remedies –guar gum and guggul extract – have both been clinically proven to lower cholesterol.  In the case of the guggul extract, it appears to work by preventing new cholesterol from forming, which in turn will lead to lowered levels.  Remember – the liver creates most of our cholesterol so finding ways to stop this production is paramount.
Tocotrienols, gleaned from red palm oil, have really impressed me for their ability to reduce cholesterol levels.  Specifically, the alpha, beta, gamma and delta tocotrienols all work together to achieve this effect.  A substance called policosanol, which is technically a phytowax, appears to do the same thing.

So there you have it – a basic course in cholesterol plus my sincere and straightforward advice on how to improve our cholesterol levels.  You will never completely eliminate cholesterol from your body – nor would you ever want to.  But you can take steps to safely reduce it, and thus reduce the chances that you will ever experience a life-altering health problem.

And now, I’m off to the video store.  All of this movie talk has got me hankering to watch a good Western tonight.  Pass the popcorn!   

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