For decades, cholesterol has been demonised as the villain behind heart disease. But what if the real culprit isn’t cholesterol at all? What if this molecule—vital to every single cell in the human body—has been wrongfully accused? This blog sets the record straight and dismantles the myths that have plagued cholesterol’s reputation for generations.
Why Your Body Makes Cholesterol
The human body is not foolish. It manufactures cholesterol because it’s essential. Cholesterol is involved in everything from hormone production and brain function to cellular repair and immune response. In fact, 80% of your cholesterol is made by your liver. If dietary cholesterol were harmful, your body wouldn’t be designed to produce more of it than you can possibly consume.
Inflammation, Not Cholesterol, Is the Culprit
Dr. Dwight Lundell, a heart surgeon with 25 years of experience and over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, publicly admitted the failure of the cholesterol-heart disease theory:
“Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes.”
According to Lundell, it’s chronic inflammation—not cholesterol—that initiates disease. Cholesterol is laid down like a biological bandage to patch damage in the arteries. But when we artificially drive cholesterol into the ditch with statin drugs, low-fat diets, sugar and processed foods, we interfere with that repair process.
- Excessive intake of processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour)
- Polyunsaturated vegetable oils (soybean, corn, sunflower)
- Chronic oxidative stress
- Glycolytic damage from frequent high-carb meals
These factors damage the endothelium (blood vessel lining), opening the door for lipoproteins to infiltrate, oxidize, and trigger immune responses.
What’s Really in Your Arteries?
Despite common belief, cholesterol is barely present in plaque buildup:
- Less than 0.1% of atherosclerotic plaque is cholesterol.
- 95% is scar tissue and calcified fibrous material.
- CAC scans detect calcium, not cholesterol.
So the next time you hear “cholesterol-rich plaque,” understand that it’s a myth. Scar tissue—not fat—is what clogs arteries.
Rethinking LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides
Forget the myth of “good” and “bad” cholesterol. There is only one cholesterol—and it isn’t good or bad—only vital.
- LDL isn’t bad. It’s a delivery system for cholesterol and nutrients. Calling it harmful is like blaming ambulances for being at accidents.
- HDL helps recycle cholesterol, but both LDL and HDL are part of a balanced system.
What Matters More Than LDL?
Focus on these health markers for heart disease:
- High blood pressure
- High HbA1c
- High triglycerides
- Low HDL
- Elevated C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
- Visceral belly fat
The triglyceride-to-HDL ratio is one of the most reliable predictors of heart health. Aim for a ratio under 1.5.
The Brain and Cholesterol
The brain is 60% fat, and 20% of your body’s cholesterol resides there. Cholesterol is essential for cognitive function, neurotransmitter balance, and protection against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Lowering cholesterol with statins? That may do more harm than good.
Hormones and Cholesterol: The Connection
All major hormones—testosterone, estrogen, cortisol—are synthesized from cholesterol. Without it, hormonal balance suffers. If your cholesterol is low, expect hormone dysfunction to follow.
The Dietary Myth
- Dietary cholesterol barely affects blood cholesterol.
- The liver regulates cholesterol production.
- Egg yolks and red meat are some of the most nutrient-dense foods available.
Avoiding these foods for fear of cholesterol is a nutritional mistake.
Fasting and Elevated LDL
Fasting often raises LDL levels. But rather than seeing this as dangerous, understand that it’s a sign your body is mobilising energy reserves—not harming itself. If LDL is supposedly the “bad cholesterol”, then fasting must also be bad because it elevates LDL significantly.
The Great Cholesterol Cover-Up
Back in the 1960s, they knew that sugar was metabolically harmful. Yet, instead of sounding the alarm, the sugar industry paid off scientists to say otherwise. This isn’t speculation—it’s documented history.
Legitimate documents housed at the UCSF Food Industry Documents Library reveal corporate interference in health science. These papers show that in 1965, the sugar industry approached two Harvard School of Public Health scientists—Fredrick Stare, the head of the Department of Nutrition, and Mark Hegsted, who later became the head of the USDA—and paid them $50,000 (equivalent to over $400,000 today) to produce two articles for the New England Journal of Medicine. These articles claimed that saturated fat and cholesterol were the culprits of heart disease, while sugar was conveniently exonerated.
We have all of this data in their own words to demonstrate that they knew exactly what they were doing. This is not conspiracy or speculation—this is factual, published information.
Cholesterol was found at the crime scene trying to stop the bleeding—then cuffed with statins and charged for murder—while sugar made a clean getaway.
Breastmilk: The Original Superfood
Breastmilk is the most cholesterol-rich food on the planet. It powers rapid brain development and immune function in infants. Cholesterol is so vital to early human development that it is even added to infant formulas to support brain growth and cellular health in babies who are not breastfed. If cholesterol were toxic, nature wouldn’t rely on it during the most critical phase of human development.
What Really Causes Heart Disease?
Heart disease isn’t caused by cholesterol—it’s caused by:
- Physical damage to the endothelial lining
- Chronic systemic inflammation
- Oxidative and glycolytic stress
When these conditions are met, lipoproteins can infiltrate the vessel walls and trigger immune responses leading to plaque development. Again, cholesterol is found at the scene—but it didn’t commit the crime.
The Numbers That Matter
Statins and cholesterol obsession have distracted us from what truly matters:
- Triglyceride-to-HDL ratio
- Blood pressure
- CRP and insulin sensitivity
Track these markers—not just your LDL.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Fear Cholesterol—Understand It
Cholesterol is not your enemy. It is:
- A vital building block for hormones and brain health
- An insulator for nerve cells
- A structural molecule for cell membranes
- A repair tool during times of stress or injury
Here’s what most people think cholesterol does: clogs arteries.
Here’s what it actually does:
- Makes up 20% of your brain
- Acts as a powerful antioxidant
- Elevates testosterone
- Supports hormone production
- Boosts mood
- Protects the heart
- Enhances vitamin D synthesis
- Increases longevity
The only vitamin your body produces is vitamin D—and you cannot synthesize it without cholesterol. That’s how crucial this stuff really is.
If your cholesterol is high, your body might be repairing inflammation, handling stress, or synthesizing hormones. And if it’s high, so what? It’s 100% controlled by your genes—and those genes have known exactly what they’re doing for over 1,000 million years.
Cholesterol is not the cause of disease—it’s a response to it.
Instead of fearing cholesterol, focus on what’s causing damage in the first place. Heal the system. Nourish the body. And stop fighting nature.
