Did you know that the liver produces cholesterol every day to regulate hormones, brain function and arterial health? Don’t let anyone tell you cholesterol is a disease. Your liver makes cholesterol because your body needs it. Calling cholesterol a disease is an utter contradiction.
Cholesterol produced by the liver helps protect the body – and the arteries – against harmful inflammation. Cholesterol is essential to health. It is oxidised cholesterol in low or high levels that is responsible for heart disease.
HOW DOES CHOLESTEROL OXIDISE?
Cholesterol oxidises after it is exposed to free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can destroy healthy cells in the body. Free radicals come from a number of external toxins like air pollution, cigarette smoke and drinking in excess. Free radicals can be found in our food and water in the form of pesticides and other toxic chemicals. So, free radicals are a given, though direct sources of free radical damage should be avoided, like pesticides and cigarette smoke. Free radical oxidation can be seen anywhere in nature – a banana that begins to turn brown, meat that goes bad, a scrape on the skin that becomes red and inflamed.
The process of oxidation is bound to happen, inside and outside of the body Though it is not possible to eliminate free radicals altogether, the main problem occurs when the body does not have enough antioxidants to fight off free radical damage. A lack of antioxidants will allow cholesterol to oxidise. Oxidised cholesterol contributes to existing damage in the arteries and can affect the health of the heart.
There are an astounding number of misconceptions surrounding heart health in the medical community. The first myth that needs busting is that of ‘bad’ cholesterol. You may have been told by your doctor that there are two different kinds of cholesterol: good and bad, or HDL and LDL.
Bad cholesterol should be avoided at all costs, right? According to recent research, this myth is far from true. LDL (considered ‘bad’) cholesterol is not the evil many medical professionals make it out to be. In a study published in the Journal of Gerontologyl, researchers assessed 52 adults from the ages of 60 to 69. The study participants were healthy, although not physically active in an exercise programme. The researchers were surprised to find that the study participants with the highest levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol gained the most muscle mass after completing an intense workout.
Study researcher Steve Riechman asserts that all cholesterol is good. Both LDL and HDL cholesterol are needed to balance overall health and provide specific benefits, such as the ability to gain muscle mass. Cutting out bad cholesterol completely can cause a number of health issues. Research supports cholesterol to prevent aggression, reduce the risk of haemorrhagic stroke, boost memory and fight infection.
The second heart-healthy myth that needs busting is the recommendation to avoid saturated fat. Contrary to popular belief, saturated fat does not cause heart disease. In fact, a cardiology specialist at the Croydon University Hospital in London, Aseem Malhotra, believes that quite the opposite is true: Saturated fats in dairy and red meat may help to prevent heart disease.2
The real danger can be found in trans fats in fast food and processed food, as well as baked goods and margarine. For years, we have been told by medical professionals to cut out trans fats and saturated fats completely. However, recent research points to the protective of saturated fat in dairy to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of diabetes, thus protecting against heart disease.
Both of these studies rebut ‘common medical wisdom’ that advises a heart healthy low-fat diet to lower total cholesterol. This is a dangerous, slippery slope that does nothing to protect the health of the heart. Reducing the amount of healthy fat in the diet can actually increase the risk of heart disease. A low-fat diet will not benefit your heart.
THE CRITICAL HEART NUTRIENT
If avoiding cholesterol isn’t the answer, what can you do to protect your heart? The best way to guard your heart is to cut out trans fats found in processed and fast foods. Avoid starchy carbohydrates like cereals, cookies, white rice. potatoes, pastry, breads, and pasta. Instead, enjoy really healthy foods like up to 14 small portions of fresh or frozen vegetables a day; 3-5 portions of beans, nuts, and world’s most researched seeds; 3-5 portions of dark-skinned fruits; and recognised and liberal amounts of healthy oils like hemp, krill and olive oil.
There’s more. You can strengthen your heart with one critical nutrient to rejuvenate and energise every part of your body. A young, healthy heart is protected by ample levels of coenzyme Q1O (CoQ10) Water Miscible CoQ10 that produced by the liver. CoQ10 is designed to support the heart, lungs and muscles and combat free radical damage. Doctors have even suggested that taking CoQ10 before strenuous exercise can decrease oxidative stress and inflammation that damages muscles.3 Over time, ageing poor diet and illness begin to take their toll. By the age 80, the body produces 65 percent less CoQ10. A 75 percent CoQ10 decline can lead to death.
The heart-healthy nutrient Ubiquinol is a form of CoQ10 that is eight times better absorbed. This powerhouse antioxidant can fuel each cell and process in your body, while protecting the health of your heart. Supplementing with Ubiquinol is critical to correct a CoQ10 deficiency. Ubiquinol can alleviate atherosclerosis, hypertension, congestive heart failure, angina, and arrhythmia to strengthen your heart for years to come.
A coenzyme Q10 that is x8 better absorbed compared to ordinary CoQ10. Derived from KanekaQ10, the world’s most researched and recognised CoQ10. Delivered in a gelatin soft gel.
These caps are made using an Advanced Bioavailability Water Miscible CoQ10 that uses pure Hydro-Q-Sorb CoQ10 – A Bioenhanced Coenzyme Q10 for enhanced dissolution and easier absorption. x4 better than ordinary Q10 and suitable for vegetarians.
- Riechman, S E, Andrews, R. D., MacLean, D A, and Sheather, S (2007) Statns and Dietary and Serum Cholesterol Are Associated With Increased Lean Mass following Resistance Training J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 62 (10) pp 116/A171.
- Malhotra, A (2013) Saturated fat is not the major issue. BMJ. 347; f6340
- Diaz-Castro. J. Gursado, Koprabille, N et at (2012) Eur J Nutr 51: 791.