How to Naturally Manage Cholesterol Levels

National Cholesterol Month aims to empower people to achieve healthy cholesterol levels. But did you know cholesterol can be your friend as well as a danger?

Read on to cut through the confusion surrounding cholesterol and learn about how balanced cholesterol levels can support your health.

What is Cholesterol?

You might have heard that high cholesterol is bad for your health, especially in connection with your heart and blood vessels. Your GP may have told you your cholesterol is too high. But before we discuss what happens when levels are out of balance, let’s have a look at what cholesterol actually is and its purpose within your body.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance. It’s made by your liver, while around 25% of your total cholesterol comes from dietary sources. These include eggs, cheese, shellfish, organ meats, sardines, and full-fat dairy. In most people, the amount of cholesterol produced by the liver decreases in line with the amount in the diet.

Elevated levels of certain types of cholesterol are linked to heart disease and arterial blockages, referred to as arterial plaques. These consist of cholesterol deposits along with calcium and waste products. As they accumulate on the inside surface of blood vessels, they cause them to narrow. This pushes up blood pressure and places extra strain on the heart. In so doing, they increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

What’s the Purpose of Cholesterol?

Since your body produces cholesterol for you, this is a clue it’s needed for essential purposes. Therefore, overly low cholesterol levels can also have adverse impacts on your health.

Your body needs cholesterol to make hormones, including reproductive and stress hormones. It’s essential for your body to make vitamin D. Furthermore, it’s a component of the fatty protective membranes surrounding your brain cells. As it’s a key ingredient of bile, cholesterol helps your body digest fats.

People who have too little cholesterol may experience hormone imbalances, along with mood disturbances including depression and anxiety (1). Low cholesterol can cause issues connected with vitamin D deficiency like weak bones, impaired immunity, and elevated chronic inflammation. Meanwhile, some studies have suggested a link between disordered cholesterol levels and changes in the brain consistent with Alzheimer’s disease (2).

In fact, your body could not function without cholesterol.

Is all Cholesterol the Same?

No. Cholesterol exists in different forms within your body. Cholesterol can’t swill around in your blood on its own. Instead, it’s packaged with a type of fat called a triglyceride. Together, they’re known as lipoproteins. Blood cholesterol tests record the amounts of these lipoproteins.

Scientists previously believed high total cholesterol caused cardiovascular disease via the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. However, the first sign the situation wasn’t as simple as this was the observation that overall blood cholesterol levels did not predict the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. This is because lipoproteins vary in their density.

Low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol refers to how tightly packed the particles are. It’s often known as ‘bad’ cholesterol. It’s generally believed the lower the level of LDL, the lower the risk of heart disease.

On the other hand, HDL is high-density lipoprotein, known as ‘good’ cholesterol. Having higher levels of this type of cholesterol has been shown in some studies to reduce the risk of heart disease.

However, the link between cardiovascular disease and good vs bad cholesterol is far from simple, because other factors appear to be at play. In fact, some observational studies have shown high LDL to be linked to longer lifespans. This is the exact opposite of what would have been expected.

One complicating factor may be that within LDL, the density and size of lipoprotein particles vary, and so do their health effects. Smaller, dense particles can more easily collect on the inside of arteries. These types of lipoproteins, called very-low-density lipoproteins or VLDL, are considered to pose a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (3).

Cholesterol in whatever form is a particular problem if it’s been oxidised, in other words, damaged by free radicals. These are types of unstable molecules formed in the body during the process of releasing energy from food. They’re also produced as a result of stress, toxins, or poor sleep. Cholesterol damaged by oxidation triggers the immune system to increase inflammation. This can cause the smooth interior artery walls to become rough, meaning atherosclerotic plaques form more readily.

Therefore, it seems the role of cholesterol in healthy arteries is more nuanced than it first appears.

How Much Cholesterol is Too Much?

Current NHS guidelines suggest total blood cholesterol levels should be below 5mmol/L. On the other hand, HDL cholesterol should be above 1mmol/L for men and 1.2mmol/L for women. Non-HDL cholesterol should ideally be below 4mmol/L.

Statin drugs are designed to reduce high blood cholesterol levels. They do this by reducing its production by the liver and boosting the removal of LDL cholesterol. Over five million people in the UK are currently taking statin drugs to combat high cholesterol. Unfortunately, these drugs do have side effects and don’t address why so many people’s bodies are making so much cholesterol.

Integrative Help and Support for Healthy Cholesterol Levels

Natural strategies can be highly effective at reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, and at influencing cholesterol particle size.

The first stage is to measure the amount of cholesterol in your blood. The most useful tests measure levels of LDL, HDL, and the ratios of these to your total cholesterol. It’s also helpful to evaluate the levels of other blood fats called triglycerides, another risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

We offer Well Woman and Well Man tests. These simple tests are easily performed at home and will provide insights into the levels of these important blood fats. The tests come with doctor-led interpretation to inform the most appropriate dietary, supplement, and lifestyle interventions to re-establish healthy blood fat balance.

Book your test here, or alternatively, start your journey with an Integrative Health Assessment for a personalised multi-disciplinary health plan designed to fix the root causes of your health issues.