Cholesterol Ain’t All Bad- But Here’s What Is
Y’all- I got a blood test to check on the status of my anemia and walked away with a whole new worry.
My iron was normal but my cholesterol levels were not.
I might tell you a joke but I’ll never tell you a lie :)
My vitamin D was also low and while that has been shown to connect with “unfavorable lipid profile among people without heart disease” (i.e. me) I still wanted to learn more about what was going on.
Have you ever wondered… what actually is high cholesterol and why is it such a worry? Great because so did I and here’s what I found.
Let’s start here. What is cholesterol?
It’s a type of lipid, or fat, in your body. It is naturally created in your liver and it also comes from the food you eat. In fact, your liver produces about 80% of the cholesterol you need while only 20% comes from what you eat.
Too much cholesterol in your blood can be harmful. But did you know that not all cholesterol is bad?
There are two types of cholesterol
1. LDL cholesterol
This is “bad” cholesterol
High levels increase your risk for heart disease and stroke
2. HDL cholesterol
This is “good” cholesterol
Collects some cholesterol in the blood and moves it to the liver to be flushed out
High levels can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke
Why is “bad” cholesterol bad?
When your body has too much LDL cholesterol, it can build up on the wall of the vessels that carry blood to your heart and make it harder for blood to flow.
Let me put it a different way.
LDL cholesterol is like a toddler spennanight. You are HDL cholesterol. You let the tot play around, explore and have fun. Then comes nap time. That’s when you have some time tidy up a bit- you sweep, place toys where they belong and even start working on lunch.
Now imagine, it’s not just you and one toddler. It’s 200 toddlers. Nap time is not enough time to clean up so you do what you can. The mess- and cleaning- rolls over to after bedtime.
It’s still not enough. You try to do some cleaning before all 200 wake up again but they’re up before you are. Eventually, your home is lined with sticky prints and crumbs. It’s simply too many of them and not enough of you. Too much LDL and not enough HDL.
LDL leaves cholesterol deposits behind in your arteries. HDL tries to clean it up and send some to the liver but when there’s too much to manage, the system gets overwhelmed. Over time, these cholesterol deposits turn hard. This narrows your arteries, making them stiff and less able to carry blood to your heart and brain. Your heart has to consistently work harder and you're more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
So yes, the “tots” are cute but too many can overwhelm your house.
As someone who recently found out my bad cholesterol levels were higher than they should be, especially for someone my age, I’ve made small changes that will hopefully make a big difference over time.
And now- I share them with you my dearest reader.
1. Drop the Fast Food
Eat less fast food. Remember these companies are NOT your friends. Demonize them in your heads. McDonald’s wants $11.47 of your hard-earned dollars for a chicken wrap meal? For $15 you can make 7 of them at home. Bojangles “combos” no longer come with drinks??! You didn’t need them anyways. Make. It. Personal.
2. Eat more fiber & healthy fats.
My friend’s husband once suggested that to deal with my low fiber levels I should focus on….. eating more fiber. My heart broke when he said that a type of tea or supplement wouldn’t account for all that I lacked. I now try to reach for more oats, beans, fruits, and vegetables to help lower LDL. I snack on nuts, add more avocado where I can and reach for olive oil over other- higher fat- options.
3. Move your body.
Intentional movement makes the difference. Doing laundry may briefly increase your heart rate but the intentional sustained movement is what will help raise the good kind of cholesterol. I try to strength train 2 days a week, walk for 30-45 minutes every day and I do group mobility workouts when I can.
4. Quit smoking. Cut back drinking
I don’t smoke. And I, now, rarely drink. And for this I have God and too many college hangovers to thank. If you smoke, quitting can boost your HDL and improve your heart and lung health. I’ll write some other time on myths about alcohol- is it good for you? Can you drink it while pregnant? What about wine? But for now, I’ll just say- too much of a good thing won’t be good for long.
Your heart will thank you for taking care of it.
I wrote it down so we could learn it together,
-Kiara
P.S. I’m running a little experiment to see if vitamin D supplements will impact my cholesterol levels by this time next year- I will return with updates.
Check out the sources.
1. Vitamin D and “unfavorable” cholesterol levels
3. LDL v HDL
4. Video
