There is an online forum for Metabolic Typing Advisors. I recently came across a post, written by another Metabolic Typing Advisor that elaborates on my Fit Friday column on cholesterol from just a few weeks ago, entitled: Why You Shouldn't Worry About Cholesterol.
I think this post is important to share with friends, family and people that you know who are needlessly on cholesterol medication.
The advisor wrote that when he was just 18 years old, his total cholesterol reading of both HDL and LDL was 320 (it is important to note that he was playing football and living a active lifestyle).
It seems he inherited genetics that required his body to make more choleterol than the typical person. At that time, the doctors scared, as he puts it, "the crap out of me" and put him on statin drugs.
The advisor, after decades of questioning and researching has come to some conclusions. There are even some enlightened medical doctors who take a more holistic approach to wellness who now realize the following, which the overwhelming majority of people don't yet realize, but I venture to guess that in a short amount of time, maybe within five years, there will be a realization that:
LDL (low density lipoproteins; generally thought of as 'bad cholesterol') and HDL (high density lipoproteins; popularly known as 'good cholesterol') are NOT even cholesterol at all. They are actually protein carriers that bring cholesterol to places in your body where it is needed.
You can think of them as ambulance drivers - since cholesterol doesn't mix well in blood, the body uses LDL to pick up cholesterol and bring it to areas where new cell membranes are needed (For example, if you burned your hand and needed cholesterol to get to that area to help make new cell membranes to replace the damaged ones). Then the excess cholesterol is taken back to the liver for use in the future.
Cholesterol is just cholesterol and it is neither good or bad unless it becomes oxidized. This is the type of cholesterol that's a killer.
What are the causes of cholesterol become oxidized? One major source is cooking with vegetable oils that become rancid when exposed to high heat. Processed foods like margarin tend to also get oxidized.
So, if LDLs and HDLs aren't cholesterol, then what is the problem?
The problem manifests in the particle size of the LDL. It turns out that a healthy LDL particle is big and fluffy. As a result, it naturally flows through the system and is non-problematic. However, when the particle size is small and dense it doesn't flow so smoothly and has a tendency to get stuck in the small gaps in the arteries where nutrition flows in. When this happens, like all things that are stagnant, it creates inflammation and the beginnings of atherosclerosis.
Your doctor may be able to do a detest to determine the particle size of your LDLs.
To conclude, LDLs aren't necessarily the "bad cholesterol", in fact, they aren't even cholesterol. It's the size of the LDL molecules that are important.
To conclude, LDLs aren't necessarily the "bad cholesterol", in fact, they aren't even cholesterol. It's the size of the LDL molecules that are important.
It's also vital to note that the particle size of LDL can only be positively affected by diet and exercise.
If you know someone who takes Statin drugs, tell them those drugs have no effect on modulating the particle size.
Currently, the Metabolic Typing Advisor's cholesterol is close to 300, which it has been all his life. He concludes his post by saying, "I have no fear (of my cholesterol level) what-so-ever because I lead a healthy lifestyle."
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