4 Key Nutrients To Make Your ‘Bad’ Cholesterol ‘Good’

How many of you have had your cholesterol measured?!

Generally speaking, if you’re over 40, you likely have! When they are measuring cholesterol in your blood it’s actually packaged. Most people don’t realize that cholesterol doesn’t float around solo in your blood.

Blood itself is water-based and cholesterol is fat-based. Those two generally don’t play well together. That is why cholesterol gets packaged into water ‘friendly’ spheres called lipoproteins. This allows cholesterol to get successfully delivered to its destinations.

FYI– If you have ever read the test you will notice they measure LDL cholesterol. This is what gets flagged as ‘bad’ cholesterol on people’s blood tests. LDL-cholesterol is referring to an LDL lipoprotein. LDL is one of many types of lipoprotein. For the sake of simplicity, I will be writing about lipoproteins in general.

Most of us think of cholesterol as bad. This is because high cholesterol can lead to plaque formation inside your arteries. That plaque is the culprit for things such as heart attacks and strokes. But, don’t forget, our cholesterol isn’t all bad! It’s essential for the production of vitamin D, hormones and bile.

It’s also important to note that these lipoproteins are more than just cholesterol. They contain cholesterol, proteins, other fats, antioxidants, etc.

Why Does It Matter What Is In Your Lipoproteins?

The compositions of those lipoproteins matter! If there LDL particle is ‘healthy’ it’s less dangerous! Atherosclerosis (aka the process of forming plaque in your arteries) can be a product of ‘unhealthy’ lipoproteins. The plaque will form quicker in the presence of inflammation and oxidation. If there is no inflammation or oxidation there is no plaque and that is a good thing!

Thus, we should try to balance inflammation and oxidation with our superhero antioxidants! But, there are tons of antioxidants. How does one choose which are most important? Well, as it turns out there are 3 specific antioxidants you can find in the lipoproteins themselves. 

Besides these key anti-oxidants I will mention 1 other that is important, but more about that soon. Let’s dive into the 4 antioxidants most important for ‘healthifying’ your lipoproteins.

The 4 Key Antioxidants

1. Co Q10 (aka ubiquinol or ubiquinone). Co Q10 is an antioxidant found in your lipoproteins. This helps protein your lipoproteins against oxidation. Oxidized lipoproteins are far more dangerous than regular lipoproteins. Co Q10 is also vital for energy-producing pathways. The heart is very energy demanding and Co Q10 is often recommended for that purpose as well. In fact, it’s one of the most commonly prescribed supplements for people with cardiovascular disease.
   1. Food sources of Co Q10
      1. Organ meats, fish, meat, pistachios, peanuts, sesame seeds, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, avocado, soybean and lentils.
      2. *** Keep in mind many of these foods need high intake if you’re trying to hit therapeutic doses. Furthermore, plant-based sources generally contain the least.
2. Beta carotene (aka the plant form of vitamin A). Like Co Q10, beta carotene is found within the lipoproteins.
   1. Food sources of beta-carotene
      1. Carrots, spinach, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, romaine lettuce, cantaloupe, squash, bell peppers, apricots, podded peas.
      2. *** Generally, you find beta carotene in your yellow, orange and green leafy vegetables and fruit.
3. Vitamin E (aka tocopherol or tocotrienols). Vitamin E is the 3rd key antioxidant found in lipoproteins.
   1. Foods high in Vitamin E
      1. Wheat germ oil, almonds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, avocado, peanuts, fish, spinach, swiss chard, butternut squash, beet greens and red bell peppers.
4. Vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid). Vitamin C isn’t found in the lipoproteins but it does play a key role in the recycling of the antioxidants above. This is important because once these antioxidants get used to counter oxidation in the arteries, they need to be replenished. This is why it’s the 4th key antioxidant. Without it, we can’t recycle the other antioxidants!
   1. Foods rich in vitamin C
      1. Guavas, kiwi, bell peppers, strawberries, oranges, papaya, broccoli, tomato, snow peas, and kale.

Disclaimer

Information can be empowering, but we all have unique health profiles and needs. The health-related information contained in this article is intended to be general in nature. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. In no cases should this information be used as a substitute for a visit with a licensed naturopathic doctor.

References

1. Houston, M. (2019). Personalized and Precision Integrative Cardiovascular Medicine. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.