Myths About Cholesterol — Demystified . . .

There are a lot of myths that exists related to Cholesterol. Let us together debunk these myths and understand what actually helps!

Atleast once in our life, we have heard of someone suffering from high cholesterol and been put under strict clean diet by doctors to reduce the risk of a heart attack. But have you ever thought how you can keep your Cholesterol levels under control, naturally? — strangely yes. At some point in our adulthood, we do think of our health and cholesterol is one of the hot topics people worry about when they are craving for a nice and greasy “gravy”.

Cholesterol is actually produced by our body and is important in the formation of cell walls. They also do not mix with blood and rush to spots of the body where inflammation occurs. A research by NIH shows that inflammation is the major reason of higher cholesterol levels in the body, which start coating the blood vessels making them narrow or blocking them increasing the risk of coronary disease or heart attacks.

So come on board with me to debunk some of the widespread myths about cholesterol that exists among people worldwide.

1. Not all cholesterol is bad

There are, essentially, two types of cholesterol — GOOD cholesterol (HDL) and BAD cholesterol (LDL). HDL grasps the excess bad LDL cholesterol and scraps it out of the bloodstream into the liver where it is broken down. While BAD cholesterol forms majority of the total cholesterol, there are some foods as we will gradually discuss, that promote GOOD cholesterol and keep you at a lower risk of a heart attack.

2. Consumption of fatty fish

Most people believe that consuming fish would negatively affect their LDL levels. Though unmerciful amounts of fish consumption is bad for your general health, a regular consumption of fatty fish such as Salmon, Tuna, Tilapia is actually good as they contain high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly anti-inflammatory and therefore can reduce the bad cholesterol level, because as we discussed before — more inflammation equals more bad cholesterol.

3. Eggs raise cholesterol levels ? — Not really

This is by far the most widespread myth about eggs. I have heard from many people including friends and family that egg yolks should not be consumed as they are high in cholesterol. Research has found no link between consumption of cholesterol with any cardiovascular disease. Rather, egg contains high levels of Omega-3 which reduce inflammation and improve the Good/Bad cholesterol ratio. Apart from that, eggs also contain important nutrients crucial to healthy functioning of your body. So, don’t be afraid to consume 4–5 eggs a week.

4. Slim people cannot have high cholesterol

This is one of those myths which our brain decides to believe intuitively whenever we read or hear about it. But, the fact is if you have a poor diet consisting of bad fats and highly inflammatory foods, and do not have enough enough physical activity in your routine, slim people are still at a risk of high levels of bad cholesterol.

Now that we have debunked the myths about cholesterol, let’s look at some “cholesterol lowering foods” you can buy from the grocery store.

1. Oats — Plain old fashioned oats are high in fiber which help to reduce your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels drastically and keep it in control. Be smart and do not buy oats with added natural sugars and artificial flavors.
2. Seeds — Flax seeds and Chia seeds contain high levels of Omega-3 which helps to keep your LDL levels in control. Ground them, put it in your smoothie and there you have, a healthy LDL lowering drink.
3. Legumes — Beans and legumes are high in soluble fiber, and like oats, can aid in keeping your cholesterol in control.
4. Vegetables — Eggplants and Okra, specifically are high in soluble fiber which helps in reducing your cholesterol.
5. Tea — As per research, green tea and herbal tea have been shown to reduce the LDL levels in blood to 2.19 mg/dL. Do read my article on the best way to drink green tea.

Apart from just eating healthy, a healthy lifestyle is also important

1. Moderate physical activity for about 20–30 minutes for about 5 times a week can strongly boost your good cholesterol (HDL) levels, as per research from US National Institute of Health.
2. QUIT SMOKING — If you are a smoker and have cholesterol problems or a history of cholesterol running in your family, then you have no other choice but to quit smoking at the earliest. Smoking damages your blood vessels and causes plaque buildup which eventually leads to a raise of LDL levels in your body. (read more)
3. Reduce sugar in your diet — Excess consumption of refined sugar not only puts you at a risk of diabetes, but also causes inflammation which increase the bad cholesterol levels in your body. It was shown in a study by CDC that patients having diabetes and high cholesterol had a significantly greater chance of cardiovascular disease and a heart attack than people with no diabetes.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and got an insight into the myths about cholesterol and their consequences. I am not a doctor or a health specialist, but all the above mentioned facts have been derived from research studies done by prominent US health research bodies such as the National Institute of Health and American Heart Association.

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