Cholesterol is a household word regarding health these days, even though its cause/effect relationship on health (espectially cardiovascular disease) is still up in the air. As is the meaning of "high" cholesterol.
Yet despite the ubiquity of cholesterol warnings, there's still a lot of misinformation and no-information. Therefore, we're proud to bring you ... three things you probably don't know about cholesterol.
1. HDL and LDL are generally referred to as "good cholesterol" and "bad cholesterol". But did you know that neither one is actually cholesterol?
They're both proteins; lipoproteins specifically. HDL stands for "High-Density Lipoprotein" and LDL for "Low-Density Lipoprotein". They both carry cholesterol, but neither one actually is cholesterol. It's not intentionally misleading; it is a convenient way to refer to these particles. But still, it's nice to know, isn't it?
2. While LDL is considered the "bad" cholesterol-carrying lipoprotein, did you know there is more than one kind of LDL. These are commonly referred to as small and large LDL.
Studies indicated that the small LDL were the biggest troublemakers, being more strongly correlated to heart disease. Some more recent studies contradict this, indicating that particle size doesn't matter. Who knows? Some people think they know, and they have a 50-50 chance of being right (and insufferably smug about it). In the meantime, you should at least be aware that your LDL measurement may not mean what you think it means.
3. Dietary cholesterol has long been demonized, and its role in health was considered significant enough to warrant it inclusion on food labels. But did you know that has little impact on cholesterol levels in the body? (We should all know this: it's been an accepted fact for a long time.)
For one thing, the amount of cholesterol in food is very small compared to what the body manufactures. (Cholesterol is, after all, essential to cellular functions.) The biggest contributor is the liver which typically makes 1000-2000 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per day. (The intestines also produce quite a bit.) A nasty, cholesterol-filled egg yolk contains about 184 mg.
But dietary cholesterol doesn't all become usable cholesterol in the body. And since it's a self-regulating system, the body manufactures more or less cholesterol depending on its needs (in a healthy person).While this is old news, the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is now recommending that it not be considered a risk for overconsumption. The recommendation may not be followed, but it's likely just a matter of time. Clearly, the folks who have been demonizing it for decades are reluctant to say, "Oops. Never mind."
And there you have it: three things you probably didn't know about cholesterol. But you do now.
Be seeing you.
-gary