Cholesterol Knows & Know-nots!

One of the biggest myths that we hear is that nuts cause high cholesterol! Cholesterol is only produced by animals. Plants do not produce cholesterol, therefore all nuts including cashews and coconut and all vegetable oils are cholesterol free! As we are animals we both produce and need cholesterol. But today many people have high cholesterol levels because of eating animal-derived foods or foods too rich in fat. Nowadays many people have low cholesterol levels because they are over medicated with anti-cholesterol medications.

Having high cholesterol does not produce any symptoms in itself. It’s only when cholesterol lining the arteries narrows them causing blockages that it causes problems . After switching to a whole plant based diet the cholesterol levels tend to normalise. This can take time because the cholesterol which has accumulated in the arteries over the years must dissolve. Thus an initial rise in levels is normal.

Simple questions that will help you understand cholesterol

What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy and fat-like substance found in animal cells. A certain amount of cholesterol is needed as it has important natural functions.

What does it do?
Cholesterol has four main functions –

• Contributes to the structure of cell walls
• Makes up the digestive bile in the intestine
• Allows the body to make Vitamin D
• Enables the body to create certain hormones

What is ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol?
Cholesterol is oil-based, so it doesn’t mix with blood (which is water-based). It is carried around the body in the blood by lipoproteins – LDL (low-density lipoprotein known as ‘bad’ cholesterol) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein known as ‘good’ cholesterol)

Why is it called good and bad cholesterol?
High levels of LDL lead to a build-up of cholesterol in the arteries, which blocks the blood flow, creating a major risk factor for heart disease. Whereas, HDL carries cholesterol to the liver for removal from the body.

What causes high cholesterol?
Two major causes are – wrong diet (animal products) and lack of exercise. Plus certain diseases like diabetes, liver or kidney disease, polycystic ovarian, pregnancy etc increase LDL. Also, certain drugs like steroids etc increase LDL and even reduce HDL.

How should one maintain the balance between good and bad cholesterol?
One can stop animal products, saturated fats which are found in processed foods, and trans fats found in fried foods. Plus one consumes high fiber foods which help.

When the body starts cleansing by going on a whole plant based diet, initially the cholesterol may rise, as the LDLs which were stuck to the walls of the arteries are flushed into the bloodstream (on the way out).