CHOLESTEROL REPAIRS BRAIN TISSUE

I don't know all the details involved in why damaged tissue responds so well to cholesterol, but the findings so far are extremely interesting.  My one concern is that if someone begins consuming large amounts or larger amounts of certain kinds of cholesterol, will that produce kidney stones or gallstones? Therein lies at least one caveat.  But it does seem to be the case that a high intake of cholesterol foods is excellent for repairing the brain and other tissue. When we think of the brain, it's important to remember the layers of tissue, the substructure so to speak of the net of neurons and dendrites.  For these to have a place to implant themselves, the brain tissue not only has to be intact but it has to have the necessary building blocks for the nerves, brain tissue, dendrites, myelin sheath, and so forth.  One report on Alzheimer's brain repair says

Cholesterol acts to interlock 'lipid molecules,' which stabilize cell membranes," writes Shane Ellison, M.S., in his book Health Myths Exposed.  "Cholesterol is a vital building block for all bodily tissues.  Lowering such a vital molecule is absurdity.  To illustrate, imagine that your house represents your body and the nails holding it together cholesterol.  Now start pulling each and every nail out of  the houes.  What happens?  The house turns to a pile of rubble.  The same is true for the human body." 

Again, my biggest problem with popular health and nutrition literature is its literacy and wording to the point of absurdity and meaninglessness.  When the above writer offers the analogy of "imagine that your house represents your body and the nails holding it together cholesterol," that is such a terrible analogy because nails don't contain any biological chemistry that interacts with the cells, fluids, or hormones.  It only seems to have the effect of reducing the importance of cholesterol.  It doesn't inspire; it only redirects and diverts meaningful results and conclusions.  It's only when he ends his point by saying "The same is true for the human body" that leaves me only shaking my head.  I've never read such a bad analogy.  I mean that was absolutely bush league, 3rd-grade stuff.  Terrible.  "The same is true for the human body"?  Aside from the appalling lack of high school vocabulary, the logic is missing.  Disappointing.  

Lots of questions.  One, which food that is high in cholesterol should one consume?  Any food high in cholesterol?  Doubtful about that.  Shrimp is high in cholesterol.  Seafood in general has a fortifying effect.  Is this why?  Perhaps.  A nice halibut or salmon fillet will fix people right up.  But is this all?  Or does a person need another supplement with it, say, like Vitamin C or Vitamin B? Do these nutrients exist in some small quantity in a piece of fish, say, from the plankton?  Anyway, cholesterol is necessary, perhaps even vital for tissue repair.  So if you're into contact sports or your son is, be sure to feed him fish.  Regularly.  So that his muscles and organs repair in good fashion.  

So, we know that cholesterol is important for health and strength. Knowing this, how can anyone be on a steady prescription of statins that breaks down cholesterol and the tissues that it supports? 

What this all means for statin drugs, which mainstream medicine has ridiculously dubbed 'miracle drugs,' is that their cholesterol inhibiting properties can cause serious health problems down the road.  By interfering with the liver's natural function of producing cholesterol, statin drugs can actually strip the body of much-needed cholesterol, and cause serious nervous system and cognitive damage.  

CHOLESTEROL & STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

You would expect the folks at Weston A. Price to defend the use of cholesterol in the repair of the brain or any other tissue in the body. And so they do; in this case, Natasha Campbell-McBride points to the role of structural integrity that cholesterol plays in your body,

First of all, saturated fats and cholesterol make the membranes of the cells firm—without them the cells would become flabby and fluid. If we humans didn’t have cholesterol and saturated fats in the membranes of our cells, we would look like giant worms or slugs. And we are not talking about a few molecules of cholesterol here and there. In many cells, almost half of the cell membrane is made from cholesterol. Different kinds of cells in the body need different amounts of cholesterol, depending on their function and purpose. If the cell is part of a protective barrier, it will have a lot of cholesterol in it to make it strong, sturdy and resistant to any invasion. If a cell or an organelle inside the cell needs to be soft and fluid, it will have less cholesterol in its structure.

This ability of cholesterol and saturated fats to firm up and reinforce the tissues in the body is used by our blood vessels, particularly those that have to withstand the high pressure and turbulence of the blood flow. These are usually large or medium arteries in places where they divide or bend. The flow of blood pounding through these arteries forces them to incorporate a layer of cholesterol and saturated fat in the membranes, which makes it stronger, tougher and more rigid. These layers of cholesterol and fat are called fatty streaks. They are completely normal and form in all of us, starting from birth and sometimes even before we are born. Various indigenous populations around the world, who never suffer from heart disease, have plenty of fatty streaks in their blood vessels in old and young, including children. Fatty streaks are not indicative of the disease called atherosclerosis.  

A couple of good points here.  One, "Different kinds of cells in the body need different amounts of cholesterol, depending on their function and purpose."  That's important.  It's an important defense against the more sweeping "cholesterol is bad for you arguments" that we are used to hearing.  Two, it makes us aware that different organs and tissues in our body use cholesterol differently and in different amounts.  So don't worry about cholesterol.  In fact, cholesterol should be thought of as your friend.  The other point I liked was that cholesterol and saturated fats . . . firm up and reinforce . . . tissues in the body."  That bodes well for repair, don't you think? 

MYELIN: VITAL BRAIN MATTER?

Fascinating stuff. 

One of the most abundant materials in the brain and the rest of our nervous system is a fatty substance called myelin. Myelin coats every nerve cell and every nerve fiber like the insulating cover around electric wires. Apart from insulation, it provides nourishment and protection for every tiny structure in our brain and the rest of the nervous system. People who start losing their myelin develop a condition called multiple sclerosis. Well, 20 percent of myelin is cholesterol. If you start interfering with the body’s ability to produce cholesterol, you put the very structure of the brain and the rest of the nervous system under threat.

The synthesis of myelin in the brain is tightly connected with the synthesis of cholesterol. In my clinical experience, foods with high cholesterol and high animal fat content are an essential medicine for a person with multiple sclerosis. One of the most wonderful abilities we humans are blessed with is the ability to remember things—our human memory. How do we form memories? By our brain cells establishing connections with each other, called synapses. The more healthy synapses a person’s brain can make, the more mentally able and intelligent that person is. Scientists have discovered that synapse formation is almost entirely dependent on cholesterol, which is produced by the brain cells in a form called apolipoprotein E. Without the presence of this factor we cannot form synapses, and hence we would not be able to learn or remember anything. Memory loss is one of the side effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs.

In my clinic, I see growing numbers of people with memory loss who have been taking cholesterol- lowering pills. Dr Duane Graveline, MD, former NASA scientist and astronaut, suffered such memory loss while taking his cholesterol pill. He managed to save his memory by stopping the pill and eating lots of cholesterol-rich foods. Since then he has described his experience in his book, Lipitor: Thief of Memory, Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol in fresh eggs and other cholesterol-rich foods has been shown in scientific trials to improve memory in the elderly. In my clinical experience, any person with memory loss or learning problems needs to have plenty of these foods every single day in order to recover.

Finding the right foods, and by right I mean healthy foods, that are also high in cholesterol can be a challenge.  I just searched online and the sites that show up early in a Google search were mixed, combining all foods that are high in cholesterol whether good or bad.  For example, I saw chocolate chip cookies and baked muffins in the same article on foods high in cholesterol with beef liver and shellfish, both of which are good for you if your goal is tissue repair.  Not all high-cholesterol foods are created equal.  It also had hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, and fried chicken.  Well, there are benefits and detriments to each food.  I would stay away from the fried chicken, especially commercially fried chicken like Kentucky, Church's, Popeye's, and others.  Chicken fried at home not so bad.  Chicken is good.  You get meat that comes with its own bones.  The nutrients in the bones are good.  Think homemade chicken soup.  

FOODS HIGH IN CHOLESTEROL
1.  Eggs.
2.  Shrimp.
3.  Raw Cow's Butter.
4. 

Functions of Cholesterol

Cholesterol is the mortar used to fortify cell membranes. It provides the stiffness and stability they need to work.

Our hormones are made from cholesterol. Estrogen, testosterone and a host of other hormones necessary for function are produced from cholesterol. Corticosteroids, the hormones that protect the body from stress and protect the functioning of the immune system, are made from cholesterol.

The brain and nervous system depend upon cholesterol for both the creation of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine and their ability to attach to receptors.

Cholesterol is necessary to produce vitamin D–low levels of which have been linked to depression and heart disease.

Bile salts, necessary for the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and protein, are created with cholesterol.

Cholesterol helps maintain the intestinal wall, protecting the body from inflammation and exaggerated immune response.

Mother’s breast milk is 60% cholesterol. It is necessary for the development of the infant’s brain and nervous system. Recommendations to limit fat and cholesterol in the diets of young children resulted in increased infant mortality.

Cholesterol is the cavalry of the immune system. When damage and inflammation occur in blood vessels, cholesterol rushes to the site to make repairs and protect membranes. Cholesterol acts as an antioxidant to protect cells and tissue from free radical damage.