High-carb diets push body into cholesterol-making mode

By Nonie DeLong, ROHP, CNP

Dear Readers,

As you may recall, last month I received a question from Renee asking about the link between fat and cholesterol. Here is part two of my answer. Last month, I detailed the history of the diet-heart hypothesis, which states that saturated fat causes high LDL cholesterol, which then clogs the arteries and causes heart disease. 

I shared some of the copious data that now exists to show that the theory was wrong: high cholesterol in the blood is not the cause of heart disease. What’s more, we now know that the incidence of metabolic disease, as well as numerous other modern disease states — like obesity, diabetes, cancer, and dementia — have been rising dramatically since the diet-heart hypothesis was introduced.

Heart disease is the second leading cause of death among Canadians today. This is after the explosion of low-fat foods and low fat diets. We got it seriously wrong.

So last month we went into the roots of this mythinformation and why it has been so sticky as a nutrition “fact,” despite being disproved, as well as the five largest meta-analyses of the current data on the issue. If you haven’t read that article, I recommend you do before reading this one. Read it here.

So what is cholesterol?

I want to explain cholesterol from a holistic perspective and discuss what we currently understand on healthy fats. So. let’s get started by playing a game. (I borrowed this from a Twitter account I follow: @ketoaurelius.)

Who can tell me the answer to the following questions? The answer is something that many physicians and dieticians fear. It:

Is integral in every cell membrane

Helps build adrenal hormones

Is a precursor to testosterone

Is essential for a healthy immune system

Is critical for the brain, memory, and learning

What is it? If you said cholesterol, you’d be correct. Our bodies actually NEED it. You may want to read that sentence again.

Our bodies make cholesterol ‘in house’

Only about 25 per cent of the cholesterol in our blood is from food. The rest is produced ‘in house’ and our bodies regulate this very closely to ensure it is always present in the amount needed.

This is why eating cholesterol does not give you high cholesterol. Eating eggs (with yolk) and saturated fats has not proven to raise blood cholesterol (one study here) except in sensitive individuals and then it raised both good and bad cholesterol and did not raise the risk of heart disease. Moreover, all the nutrients (except protein) are in the egg yolk — 13 actually.

One of these nutrients is a common modern deficiency, essential for healthy neurotransmitter and brain function. It’s called choline and yolks are plentiful in it. This nutrient is difficult to get otherwise.

In addition, eating saturated fat is far more satiating than eating lean meat or veggies or grains. This means we feel more satisfied after a meal for much longer and are less likely to overeat or get cravings shortly after. 

What about hypercholesterolemia?

Now there are some people who are genetically predisposed to have higher than normal cholesterol, which we call hypercholesterolemia. In and of itself, this is not a marker for heart disease.

And, as mentioned in the last article, particularly in women, this is not something to worry about. Taken together with other testing for particle size, family history, risk factors like smoking, lifestyle and blood sugar, we see a more complete picture of risk. However, it’s best that readers learn a lot about this themselves or see an integrative practitioner, as many health professionals still subscribe to the outdated diet-heart hypothesis. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be changing yet.

So why is cholesterol high?

A holistic perspective of cholesterol in the arterial walls is not that cholesterol causes heart disease, but that it is a symptom of a deeper pathology. Cholesterol can accumulate in the arteries and cause blockages that can put strain on the heart.

But why does cholesterol do that? Eating less cholesterol and using drugs to lower cholesterol has not stopped cardiovascular disease. Or slowed it. And doing so causes a deficiency in a nutrient important for many things in our bodies.

Well, more recent research suggests that metabolic syndrome and insulin sensitivity are the most important risk factor for heart disease. It turns out, chronically high blood sugar causes micro tears in the internal lining of the blood vessels. When sugar is not taken out of the blood stream quickly enough it wreaks havoc on the vascular system, as we can see in advanced diabetes. As the vascular system deteriorates, blood flow becomes restricted and gangrene can set in in the limbs, particularly the toes and feet. You see, when insulin is chronically elevated, cells start to ignore it. At this point it can’t get the sugar out of the blood stream quickly enough to prevent damage to the inner lining of the blood vessels. 

Cholesterol is a response to that, along with a protein called fibrin. These are sent to sites where there are injuries, and the two together create a patch or bandage wherever there is damage to the inner lining of the arteries. So, cholesterol is not the bad guy! It’s there to protect us and it’s a response to a deeper metabolic problem.

High carbohydrate diets are the real problem.

A high carbohydrate diet, which has been promoted for decades since Keys’ research, has caused an explosion in type II diabetes — not only in adults, but now in children, as well. This diet is the prevalent driver of metabolic syndrome and associated heart disease risks. Chronically elevated blood sugar is the reason arteries are damaged and need cholesterol deposits to patch them. So, the suggestion that we should reduce our saturated fat and cholesterol intake and increase our grain intake has actually made the entire problem worse!

Does fat make you fat?

Back to fat in our diets, readers need to know that eating fat does not make us fat. And eating saturated fat does not increase our risk for heart disease. It does increase our ability to stay satiated and go longer without eating, which is very beneficial for health. 

Healthy fats are essential because the fat-soluble vitamins are so essential for bone and dental health, and for reproductive and brain health.

Isn’t animal fat toxic?

It’s a food industry myth that animal meat or fat is toxic!  It’s totally unfounded!  However, it’s important to get our fats from the healthiest sources possible. Free range eggs, pastured animals fed biologically appropriate diets (grass fed cows, pastured pigs, wild fish, etc.) are healthiest for human consumption.

This is because the toxins an animal is exposed to are often stored in its fat cells and the type of fat an animal produces is determined by its diet. Natural, grass-fed beef has a much higher ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid, whereas those fed grains are higher in omega 6. The problem with this is that while omega 6 fatty acids are part of a healthy diet, the ratio should be much lower than it is today. It has increased exponentially with modern farming practices and with the advent of vegetable and seed oils that are high in omega 6’s. Wild and grassfed animals and seafood are naturally higher in omega 3’s.

Not only are these seed and vegetable oils very high in omega 6 fatty acids, they are completely unnatural and heavily processed. The crops are also unsustainably grown. We now know an imbalance of omega 6 to 3 causes increased inflammation in the body.

And guess what tears arterial walls, in addition to unmitigated blood sugar? Yep. Inflammation. These vegetable and seed oils: soy, canola, grapeseed, vegetable oil, margarine, sunflower, and more are all very damaging to the body.

Which fats are healthiest?

By far, the healthiest fats to eat are organic, ethically sourced animal fat and coconut oil. These are stable at high temperatures and do not cause the same damage in the body that excess omega 6 containing oils do.

Organic or grass-fed butter, ghee, and extra virgin, first cold-pressed olive oil are also very healthy oils. Otherwise, I advise clients to get their fat from ethically raised animal products and cold-water fish and seafood, or to supplement with quality omega 3s to keep the balance in a healthy range.

Keeping the ratio of omega 6 to 3 closer to 4:1 or even lower is preferable, as this is what it was in pre-industrialized society. Now it’s closer to 16:1!

For more information on the dangers of vegetable oils I recommend readers go here. As always, I recommend readers eat an omnivore diet, low in carbs and processed foods (like processed oils) for all aspects of health.

Thank you, Renee, for that question! As always, if readers have their own health questions, I welcome them. Just send me an email. Of course, if you need further direction or assistance, you can always reach out! Find me online at https://www.hope-health.ca/ or by email at nonienutritionista@gmail.com.

Namaste!

Nonie Nutritionista

Nonie DeLong is a registered orthomolecular health practitioner, licensed nutritionist in both Canada and the U.S., and student of the Ontario College of Homeopathy.  

Photo credit: ©  aliaksandrbarysenka via Canva.com