The real causes of high cholesterol levels
Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is found in every single cell within the human body.
Function
Builds Cell Membranes It's an important building block for the membranes
around your cells, protecting their structure and keeping them stable.
Prevents Infections It helps to build lipid rafts in your cells
which help to protect against getting infected or invaded by viruses or bacteria.
Building Hormones Cholesterol is vital for building steroid
hormones like testosterone, cortisol and estrogen, and also building vitamin D through your skin
Memory It's absolutely essential for building connections
or synapses in your brain so that you have a good and working memory
Building Bile And finally one of the most important benefits
of cholesterol si that is helps to build bile in your liver and gallbladder, which helps
your body to digest and process fats, and absorb fat soluble nutrients like vitamins
A, D, E, K, K2 and also phytonutrients from plants.
When you go to the doctors and get a blood test, they will usually measure your cholesterol
by checking HDL and LDL.
These are proteins that act as vehicles to carry cholesterol around your body where it
needs to be.
HDL is considered to be healthy, as it helps to carry and remove excess cholesterol from
your cells.
Whilst LDL is also important for carrying cholesterol from your liver to your cells
through your blood.
Unfortunately certain types of LDL (sdLDL) are dangerous as they contain cholesterol
which can stick inside your artery walls and oxidise,
raising the risk of heart attacks, blood clots, strokes and diabetes.
In this video we are going to take a look at the 6 main causes of high cholesterol levels
(HDL & LDL), and how to bring these numbers back into balance using nutrition and natural
remedies.
Just a quick reminder this video is for educational purposes only, so do speak to your doctor
if you have any medical concerns.
1.
Fatty Liver One of the main causes of high total cholesterol
levels or having too much LDL is due to having fatty liver disease.
Your liver makes a substance called bile, which is involved with breaking down fats
and lipids in the body such as cholesterol and triglycerides.
However, if you have any type of liver disease, are overweight in the belly area, or have
gallbladder problems,
You may not be making/releasing enough bile which is causing your body to store more cholesterol.
2.
Processed Sugars The main reason that people have liver problems
and too much cholesterol is because they eat too many processed carbohydrates,
Such as refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup or maltodextrin fillers found in sweets,
soda drinks, table sauces, jams, syrups, protein bars/shakes and junk foods.
These cause inflammation in your liver and cause the cholesterol in your LDL to become
dysfunctional which can clog your arteries and increase your risk of heart attacks or
blood clots.
3.
High Cortisol (Stress)
When you are emotionally stressed, your body produces more of a hormone called cortisol,
as part of the fight/flight mechanism.
This hormone raises your blood sugars, tightens your muscles and helps your body get ready
to fight or run away, as it perceives danger.
Unfortunately, if you remain stressed out and anxious for weeks, months or years this
can continue to raise blood sugars.
These blood sugars are converted into fat which raises the amount of LDL cholesterol
and triglycerides in your blood.
Which can raise the risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and a cascade of other health problems.
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4.
Losing Weight
If you are following a diet or exercise plan and are losing weight, it is very normal for
cholesterol levels to go up.
As your body is burning fat, the cholesterol that’s stored in your fat cells has to get
transported to your liver for elimination.
This means that there is more cholesterol in your blood temporarily, because your body
needs to break it down to get rid of it.
As you reach your weight loss goals your numbers will go back to normal, as this is a temporary
situation.
This is not a problem, as long as you have enough bile to break down these fats.
But we will talk more about this later in the video.
5.
Gut Dysbiosis
Inside your gut there are over 100 trillion friendly bacteria that help to produce vitamins,
brain chemicals and secondary bile.
Studies show that these friendly microbes help to regulate cholesterol levels and raise
HDL (good cholesterol) to lower the risk of heart problems.
Unfortunately if you suffer from any type of gut disease like SIBO, IBS, Celiac, Indigestion,
ulcers, etc…
It's likely that your LDL cholesterol will go higher, because of the damage that’s
happening to the walls of your intestines.
The liver produces more LDL to help repair the damage, but this cholesterol can become
oxidised and cause problems in your body.
6.
Overactive Thyroid (Hyperthyroidism)
People who have an overactive thyroid (hyper not hypo), also tend to have higher LDL cholesterol
levels.
This gland in your neck controls many parts of your metabolism, and if it's overworked
it can produce more of the dangerous type of LDL (VLDL) which can cause plaque in the
arteries.
If you suffer from this condition you may need to get more Vitamin B1 in your diet,
and be sure to avoid taking bile or TUDCA as a supplement which can make the problem
worse.
Other Causes of High Cholesterol
Diabetes
CETP Gene Mutation
Vegetable Oils & trans fats (Inflammatory, damage the liver)
Alcohol (also damages the liver and causes problems with cholesterol metabolism)
Smoking cigarettes or vaping.
(nicotine from cigarettes or vaping lowers HDL and can raise LDL)
Medications (such as beta blockers, diuretics, birth control or steroids)
Removed Gallbladder (which causes a lack of bile, so cholesterol and fats don’t break
down properly int eh body)
Niacin Deficiency (B3)
How To Lower Cholesterol
Now that you know about the main causes of high cholesterol levels, we will take a look
at 6 ways to help normalise your LDL and HDL numbers.
1.
Take 2-4 bile acid capsules every single day to help support your liver and gallbladder
in breaking down cholesterol.
Look for a brand which contains ox bile, or for a more powerful version take TUDCA or
Taurodeoxycholic Acid.
Avoid this however if you have an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroid).
I'll put some links down below the video to share my favourite products, which you may
also want to research in your own time.
2.
Cut out inflammatory vegetable oils and trans fats from fast foods, stop smoking and drinking
alcohol as these all damage your liver and accumulate bad types of cholesterol in your
body.
Stay away from foods that contain high fructose corn syrup and sugar like table sauces, jams,
syrups, sweets and soda drinks as much as possible.
3.
Eat anti-inflammatory foods to help reduce the dangerous small dense LDL cholesterol,
including avocados, sardines, pistachios, extra virgin olive oil, walnuts.
Focus specifically on eating more omega 3 rich fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel,
herring or taking fish oil/cod liver oil supplements.
4.
If you have concerns about heart attacks, suffer from atherosclerosis (arterial plaque),
or have heart disease consider taking Niacin (B3) at a dosage of 500-1000mg per day.
Make sure that the product you chose is extended release niacin, not niacinamide.
This causes flushing sensation within 2 hours of taking it as it opens up blood vessels.
Niacin has been shown to increase HDL and lower LDL for a healthier cholesterol profile.
5.
Exercise for at least 10-20 minutes twice per week, using high intensity interval training.
Biking, running, weight lifting or deadlifts are all excellent.
This will help cholesterol to be transported to the right places in your body, and lower
oxidative stress, making LDL more stable and less likely to cause damage to your arteries.
6.
Consume more soluble fiber and prebiotics in your diet from fermented foods like sauerkraut,
kimchi, pickles, berries, chia seeds, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, brussels sprouts
and cabbage.
These will help to boost the amount and diversity of the friendly microbes in your gut, which
will naturally reduce cholesterol levels.
6 Vitamins to UNCLOG Your ARTERIES
Thank you so much for watching my video today, and as always I wish you great health, wealth
and happiness.