Dispelling The Cholesterol Myth 
By Lisa Anne Leslie CCN 
 
There are a lot of misconceptions about cholesterol and its role in health and disease. Below 
is some information about cholesterol that ma y dispel any misinformation you may have. Important Terms 
 
Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)   
LDL carries cholesterol from your tissues into your blood stream. High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)   
HDL picks up and transports cholesterol in the blood back to the liver wher e it is eliminated 
from your body. HDL can help keep LDL cholesterol from building up in the walls of your 
arteries. Triglycerides   
Triglycerides are a form of fat carried through your  bloodstream. Most of your body's fat is in 
the form of triglycerides, stored in  fat tissue. Lipoproteins that are rich in triglycerides also 
contain cholesterol. How much and what kind of cholesterol do you need for good health? Cholesterol is a fat that is absolutely essential to life. It is part of ev ery cell and many of the 
hormones in your body. You need cholesterol to  survive. However, too much and oxidized 
LDL cholesterol and too little HDL cholestero l are associated with in creased risk of heart 
disease. Is cholesterol the best indicator of heart disease? Reducing LDL cholesterol is important BUT choles terol levels are not t he gold standard of for 
predicting heart attacks. Why? Reducing choles terol ALONE does not necessarily decrease 
risk of heart disease. ( Studies show there is NO association between high cholesterol and 
death from heart disease in people over 70 and nearly 50% of patient s with heart disease 
have normal cholesterol levels.) Studies show your fasting insulin levels are MO RE THAN TWICE as predictive of risk of heart 
disease than LDL cholesterol. ( Journal of American Medical Association 1998 ). Triglycerides are also more predictive of  risk of heart disease than LDL levels. Why? High triglyceride levels indicate insulin  resistance or carbohydrate sensitivity. How do I reduce my risk of heart disease? Dr Cass Ingram, in his popular book, Eat Right to Live Long  (published by Literary Visions 
Publishing Inc 1994) lists as the top six causes of high cholesterol as being: excess dietary 
sugar; excess dietary starch ; excess hydrogenated and processed fats; liver dysfunction; 
amino acid (protein) deficiency; and essential fatty acid deficiency. Avoiding foods containing unhealthy fat and choleste rol is important for optimal health (see 
foods to avoid list). However, 80%  of your daily cholesterol is produced in your body (liver), it 
does not come from your diet. So you also need to control the production of cholesterol in 
your liver. How do you do that? An ENZYME  (HMG CoA) controls the produc tion of cholesterol in your 
liver. The hormones GLUCAGON AND INSULIN control the release of this enzyme. GLUCAGON  inhibits the enzyme, and INSULIN  activates the enzyme. So a major KEY TO 
CONTROLLING CHOLESTEROL PRODUCTION  is to increase glucagon, and decrease 
insulin. This is exactly what common statin drugs do – inhibit the production of LDL by 
regulating the HMG CoA enzyme. You can achieve the same results as these harmful drugs, 
through balanced nutrition, wit hout the side effects! How do you lower insulin and increase glucagon through nutrition? The key is to eat in a manner that keeps your blood sugar stable. In keeping your blood sugar 
stable, you control the excess release of insulin. Excess insulin is secreted every time you “ove r-carb.” Whenever you eat sugar or processed 
carbohydrates, or simply too many carbohydrat es for your body, (because all carbohydrates 
break down into blood sugar called glucose) you will have excess glucose in your blood 
stream, causing your blood sugar to spike. In tu rn, your pancreas secretes insulin. Insulin is 
your body’s most powerful storage hormone. Insulin  totally blocks your body’s ability to burn 
fat, converts all the excess blood sugar into trigl ycerides (blood fats), and stores these fats in 
your fat cells. Glucagon is released every time you eat lean pr otein. Glucagon when present in your blood 
steam also lowers insulin levels. So it is important to eat lean pr otein every single meal. Most patients are told by their doctors to control their fat intake in order to reduce their LDL 
cholesterol and are advised to eat a high car bohydrate low fat diet. Lowering unhealthy fat 
intake decreases LDL levels. BUT increasing carbohydrate content  causes HDL (good 
cholesterol) to drop and triglycerides and to tal cholesterol to increase, which means 
increased risk of heart disease. To control the balance of glucagon and insulin, you should follow the energyfirst nutrition 
guidelines, eating a healthy balance of lean protei n, good fats/oils (containing essential fats 
omega 3 and 6), and unprocessed carbohydrates at each meal, eliminating processed 
carbohydrates, and never eating carbohydrates alone, always co mbining carbohydrates with 
lean protein and/or good fats/oils. This slows t he gastric emptying of the carbohydrates, 
preventing a blood sugar spike and controlling the release of insulin. In addition to these 
guidelines, you need to exercise regularly and take a basic s upplementation program. When 
you follow this lifestyle, you will find your choleste rol levels may return to healthy levels within 
60-90 days, without ever having to  touch a prescription drug!. To find out more about the energyfirst nutrition, exercise, and supplementation 
programs, visit energyfirst.com under “The Energyfirst Program” section.
High_cholesterol.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Dispelling The Cholesterol Myth 
By Lisa Anne Leslie CCN 
 
There are a lot of misconceptions about cholesterol and its role in health and disease. Below 
is some information about cholesterol that ma y dispel any misinformation you may have. Important Terms 
 
Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)   
LDL carries cholesterol from your tissues into your blood stream. High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)   
HDL picks up and transports cholesterol in the blood back to the liver wher e it is eliminated 
from your body. HDL can help keep LDL cholesterol from building up in the walls of your 
arteries. Triglycerides   
Triglycerides are a form of fat carried through your  bloodstream. Most of your body's fat is in 
the form of triglycerides, stored in  fat tissue. Lipoproteins that are rich in triglycerides also 
contain cholesterol. How much and what kind of cholesterol do you need for good health. Cholesterol is a fat that is absolutely essential to life. It is part of ev ery cell and many of the 
hormones in your body. You need cholesterol to  survive. However, too much and oxidized 
LDL cholesterol and too little HDL cholestero l are associated with in creased risk of heart 
disease. Is cholesterol the best indicator of heart disease. Reducing LDL cholesterol is important BUT choles terol levels are not t he gold standard of for 
predicting heart attacks. Why. Reducing choles terol ALONE does not necessarily decrease 
risk of heart disease. ( Studies show there is NO association between high cholesterol and 
death from heart disease in people over 70 and nearly 50% of patient s with heart disease 
have normal cholesterol levels. ) Studies show your fasting insulin levels are MO RE THAN TWICE as predictive of risk of heart 
disease than LDL cholesterol. ( Journal of American Medical Association 1998 ). Triglycerides are also more predictive of  risk of heart disease than LDL levels.
LDL carries cholesterol from the tissues into the bloodstream.
What is the primary function of Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) in the body?
HDL picks up and transports cholesterol from the blood to the liver, where it is eliminated from the body.
What is the role of High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) in the body?
Insulin, which converts excess blood sugar into triglycerides and stores them in fat cells.
According to the text, what is the most powerful storage hormone in the body?
It is recommended to follow the "energyfirst" nutrition guidelines, which involve eating a balanced diet of lean protein, healthy fats, and unprocessed carbohydrates, and exercising regularly.
What is the recommended approach to controlling cholesterol levels, according to the author?
No, according to the text, reducing fat intake can actually increase the risk of heart disease by decreasing HDL levels and increasing triglycerides and total cholesterol.
Can reducing fat intake alone lower the risk of heart disease?