LDL is not the boogeyman

by Jack Wolfson, MD
Wolfson Integrative Cardiology
Paradise Valley, Arizona
WolfsonIntegrativeCardiology.com
480-535-6844

Over millions of years human beings have evolved. Take a minute to realize all that the human body can do: create, destroy, laugh, cry, run, jump, see, hear, taste etc. Human organs are so intricate and complex that despite technology, they cannot be duplicated.

Now think of one good reason why the human body has evolved over this amount of time and saddled itself with the “burden” of the LDL molecule. LDL stands for low density lipoprotein. It is not synonymous with cholesterol although this molecule does contain cholesterol. LDL is made by the liver to transport cholesterol and other fat soluble molecules throughout the body.

LDL is not the “Boogeyman”. LDL has been created by the body for a reason, actually many reasons which will be discussed shortly. Challenge the doctor, especially the one who states cholesterol or LDL is too high. Ask him/her what LDL does? Ask what cholesterol does? If these constituents are harmful and cause coronary disease, why are they manufactured by the body. Why does the liver use so much energy to create LDL? The liver is an amazing organ that makes protein, fat, and sugar. It also detoxifies the body and aids in digestion. Evolution gave humans the liver along with eyes, ears, mouths, noses, sex organs, and all the rest. Mankind evolved developing LDL and the cholesterol it carries. Without this molecule, man cannot live.

The LDL molecule is analogous to a bus. This “bus” is made in the liver. It drives out of the liver when somewhere in the body needs the LDL’s help. The LDL travels to the area of need and drops off passengers. The passengers on the bus are mostly cholesterol. CoQ10 is also on the bus. In fact, lipoproteins carry vitamins A, D, E, and K. Without LDL, the body cannot move cholesterol to areas of need. HDL is the bus that picks up the excess cholesterol and brings it back to the liver.

Cholesterol is the root molecule of many hormones. Cortisol is the main energy hormone of the body. Its primary functions are to increase blood sugar (critical in times of stress); suppress the immune system; and aid in fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. Cortisol also maintains blood pressure. Thyroid hormone is responsible for temperature maintenance, cell metabolism and energy. Testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen all come from the base cholesterol molecule.

Most people have heard the publicity that vitamin D is critical to health. It builds strong bones, normalizes blood pressure, boosts immune function, and decreases the risk of cancer. How is it made? Cholesterol is coursing through the skin where sunlight converts it into vitamin D.

A large percentage of the brain is made up of cholesterol. Cholesterol is used to coat the peripheral nerves in what is called the myelin sheath. Cholesterol is secreted by the liver into the bile ducts to help digest food.

Cholesterol is an integral part of the cell membrane in every single cell in the body. Infants can live for years on breast milk alone. Breast milk is loaded with cholesterol. Would the human body secrete a deleterious substance to nurse its young? A chicken cannot grow inside an egg without the cholesterol in the yolk. Every single cell in the human body contains cholesterol. So why do doctors want to lower LDL and cholesterol?

Lions, tigers, elephants, horses etc. all have LDL and cholesterol. Why don’t they have heart disease? Animals do not have heart disease because LDL and cholesterol are NOT the problem. Inflammation of the arterial wall from toxic food and chemicals causes arterial damage. Cholesterol is part of the repair crew that heals damaged tissue. The goal of physicians should be to teach techniques to lower inflammation that wreaks havoc on the body. Pharmaceuticals such as the statin class of drugs have an overblown benefit and a plethora of side effects. At best, statins only benefit the vascular system while inflammation damages the entire body. Appropriate nutrition, detoxification, chemical avoidance, chiropractic care, supplements, acupuncture, and many other modalities will lower the inflammatory burden. That is the path to true health. The cause is the cure.

Steve Minsky: Dr. Wolfson did a very good job of explaining how vital cholesterol is. Following are several other instances where cholesterol is vital, and, why low cholesterol is not a good thing.

Cholesterol Is Needed To Prevent Aggression: It has been known for almost 30 years that low serum cholesterol levels are associated with habitually violent tendencies of homicidal offenders under the influence of alcohol. One of the possible explanations for this association is that low membrane cholesterol decreases the number of serotonin receptors. Since membrane cholesterol exchanges freely with cholesterol in the surrounding medium, a lowered serum cholesterol concentration may contribute to a decrease in brain serotonin, with poorer suppression of aggressive behavior.

Cholesterol Is Needed To Prevent Hemorrhagic Stroke: There are two types of stroke: 1) Ischemic, associated with lack of blood flow and oxygen to the brain 2) Hemorrhagic, associated with the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, and bleeding. The risk for the former, in theory, could be raised in the presence of excessive oxidized cholesterol. However, it is the risk for the second, hemorrhagic stroke, which is increased when cholesterol levels are low.

Cholesterol Is Needed for Memory: Low HDL cholesterol has been identified as a risk factor for deficit and decline in memory in midlife. Even in Parkinson's disease, higher total serum cholesterol concentrations are associated with slower clinical progression of the disease. Statin drugs, which inhibit the production of cholesterol, hence severely affecting the brain, are now required by the FDA to display the black box warning that they may adversely affect the memory.

Cholesterol is Needed for Longevity: In a fascinating study published in PLoS in 2011, telomere length – the shoestring cap-like ends of the chromosomes which prevent DNA damage associated with cellular aging – was linked to higher LDL and total cholesterol levels. The longer the length of these protective caps, the higher the cholesterol.

Cholesterol Helps Us Fight Infection: It has been observed that a cholesterol-rich diet improves patients with tuberculosis, leading researchers to suggest "cholesterol should be used as a complementary measure in antitubercular treatment." Cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as statins showed recently, exhibit immunosuppressive and potent immunotoxic properties, likely in part due to their cholesterol depleting effects.

Given that cholesterol is essential for all animal life and that each cell is capable of synthesizing it from simpler molecules, we should not be surprised by examples provided above of cholesterol's significant health benefits.