This is a more technical article but we want to explain some of the anomalies around cholesterol. Remember to speak to a Health Care Professional if you have any concerns. We provide guidance, we do not provide medical advice.
We have provided referenced backups for all the statements we make within this article.
- Cholesterol is not all bad, cholesterol is in fact needed by the body for a whole host of functions from hormones synthesis to cell membrane health and brain health. (Zampelas, Magriplis, 2019). We must consider the fact that if we are significantly reducing cholesterol creation what are the downstream impacts. There are concerns about low cholesterol & the impact on brain health, cognition, and Alzheimer’s disease. (Van Vliet, 2012)
- Cardiovascular disease is a predominately a disease of aging – In most cases cardiovascular disease and Heart Attacks are linked to Atherosclerosis – Atherosclerosis is hardening of plaque on the walls of blood vessels and it is estimated that it is responsible for 45% of all deaths in the Western world (Lu et al., 2022). This does not happen overnight, while there can be incidences of this in younger people it is typically occurs mid to late life. It is caused by disruption to the Endothelium which is the lining of the blood vessels, LDL cholesterol becomes trapped, oxidizes, and turns into plaque. (Jebari-Benslaiman et al., 2022)
- There are 7 subtypes of LDL – One specific subtype is deemed to be the problem, not all LDL is problematic – sdLDL which is small dense LDL, this is the problem subtype. Standard tests do not test at the subtype level and this may be why one person has an issue with low LDL and another has no issue with high LDL. It depends on the subtype ! (Pokharel et al., 2019)
- Oxidization is a big problem – Just like a car rusting, when LDL becomes oxidised, it is a big problem. When the problematic subtype of cholesterol is not mopped up by HDL it can remain in the blood stream, become oxidised, and this results in plaque formation. (Hong et al., 2023)
- Lp(a) is the transport protein for sdLDL, this is a test which is becoming more popular and one we would highly recommend. (Vinci et al., 2023)
- Blood sugar dysregulation is a problem – It is now recognised that blood sugar dysregulation and Type II diabetes play a major role in heart disease. Poor diet, elevated BMI and increased diabetes are now identified as key factors in CHD (Kianoush et al., 2016)
- Statins act on the Mevolanate pathway which is responsible for CoQ10 creation, CoQ10 is a key component for energy production in the body. Statins and statin-like substances such as red rice yeast, lower cholesterol but also block CoQ10, it is VITAL to discuss this with a health professional. (Littlefield et al., 2014)
- Genetics – Family genetics can play a role but you must consider the elements you can control versus those you cannot, smoking is a key contributory factor while diet and stress also play a role. (Hajar, 2020)
- Stress – Stress is a key risk factors, while you cannot impact your genetics you can look at stress reducing techniques such as light to moderate exercise. (Vancheri et al., 2022)
We will post again in the future to articulate some strategies to supporting heart health which will address each of the point above. Supporting your vascular health is key and doing this as early as possible is ideal. Remember in the majority of cases heart disease, specifically atherosclerosis does not happen overnight!
For now, some low-cost approaches to overall health and cardiovascular health
Drink high quality water – stay hydrated
Breath – Use breathwork techniques to support your Vagus nerve and reduce stress
Exercise – Light to moderate exercise 4 times per week. Lots of walks in nature
Whole foods with the addition of high-quality fats such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil, watch the sugar! If a food type has more than 3 ingredients and you don’t understand what it is, chose another option.
At Celtic Sophia we have coaches to help you get you optimize your health, visit us at https://celticsophia.com/makeabooking.
References
Hajar, R. (2020). Genetics in cardiovascular disease. Heart Views, 21(1), 55. https://doi.org/10.4103/heartviews.heartviews_140_19
Hong, C. G., Florida, E., Li, H., Parel, P. M., Mehta, N. N., & Sorokin, A. V. (2023). Oxidized low-density lipoprotein associates with cardiovascular disease by a vicious cycle of atherosclerosis and inflammation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2022.1023651
Jebari-Benslaiman, S., Galicia-García, U., Larrea-Sebal, A., Olaetxea, J. R., Alloza, I., Vandenbroeck, K., Benito-Vicente, A., & Martín, C. (2022). Pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(6), 3346. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23063346
Karch, C. M., Cruchaga, C., & Goate, A. M. (2014). Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics: From the bench to the clinic. Neuron, 83(1), 11–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2014.05.041
Kianoush, S., Rifai, M. A., Whelton, S. P., Shaya, G. E., Bush, A. L., Graham, G., Wong, N. D., & Blaha, M. J. (2016). Stratifying cardiovascular risk in diabetes: The role of diabetes-related clinical characteristics and imaging. Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications, 30(7), 1408–1415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2016.04.021
Littlefield, N., Beckstrand, R. L., & Luthy, K. E. (2014). Statins’ effect on plasma levels of Coenzyme Q10 and improvement in myopathy with supplementation. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 26(2), 85–90. https://doi.org/10.1002/2327-6924.12046
Lu, N., Cheng, W., Liu, D., Liu, G., Cui, C., Feng, C., & Wang, X. (2022). NLRP3-Mediated Inflammation in Atherosclerosis and Associated Therapeutics. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2022.823387
Pokharel, Y., Mouhanna, F., Nambi, V., Virani, S. S., Hoogeveen, R., Alonso, A., Heiss, G., Coresh, J., Mosley, T., Gottesman, R. F., Ballantyne, C. M., & Power, M. C. (2019). ApoB, small-dense LDL-C, Lp(a), LpPLA 2 activity, and cognitive change. Neurology, 92(22). https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000007574
Van Vliet, P. (2012). Cholesterol and Late-Life cognitive decline. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 30(s2), S147–S162. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-2011-111028
Vancheri, F., Longo, G., Vancheri, E., & Henein, M. Y. (2022). Mental Stress and Cardiovascular Health—Part I. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(12), 3353. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11123353
Vinci, P., Di Girolamo, F. G., Panizon, E., Tosoni, L. M., Cerrato, C., Pellicori, F., Altamura, N., Pirulli, A., Zaccari, M., Biasinutto, C., Roni, C., Fiotti, N., Schincariol, P., Mangogna, A., & Biolo, G. (2023). Lipoprotein(A) as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases: Pathophysiology and treatment Perspectives. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health/International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(18), 6721. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20186721
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