Perhaps the greatest misconception about cholesterol is that eat-
ing foods containing it significantly raises levels in the blood. In truth,
most studies have shown that eating cholesterol does not alone sub-
stantially increase blood-cholesterol levels. Moreover, some studies
show that not eating cholesterol can prompt your body to make more
— and that eating eggs can improve your cholesterol numbers!
While there is a correlation between higher total cholesterol in the
blood and incidences of heart attacks, evaluating cardiac risk calls for
a complete fasting blood-lipid profile that measures at least total,
HDL and LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.
The most important thing to know about cholesterol is that cho-
lesterol itself isn’t “bad,” but rather something to be kept in balance.
It’s also important to understand that most of the cholesterol in the
bloodstream is actually made by the liver. If you eat more cholesterol,
your body prompts the liver to make less of it. But if you take in less,
your liver makes more. That’s why many people on a low-cholesterol
diet still have high blood-cholesterol levels.
Actually, all cells in the body — including those of the heart —
make cholesterol every day. That’s because cholesterol is necessary
for many essential processes that keep us healthy. For example, the
outer surfaces of cells contain cholesterol, which helps regulate which
chemicals enter and exit. Cholesterol is also used to make many hor-
mones, including sex hormones and those that control stress.
Cholesterol is also a key component of the brain and nerve structure
throughout the body, and a key compound in the skin allowing us to
make vitamin D from the sun. As you can see, cholesterol is necessary
— and good — for optimal health. It’s only bad when out of balance.
The Good Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol — high-density lipoprotein — is called “good” cho-
lesterol because it protects against disease by removing accumulated
deposits of cholesterol and transporting them back to the liver for dis-
posal. So higher HDL numbers are generally healthier. It’s best if you
can divide your total cholesterol figure by your HDL number and get
a ratio below 4.0, which is about the average risk for heart disease.
Aerobic exercise, monounsaturated fats, fish oil and moderate alcohol
can increase HDL. Excess stress and anaerobic exercise, hydrogenat-
316 • IN FITNESS AND IN HEALTH