Cholesterol

 

Preliminary note: Although the text below is scientifically supported, the content cannot replace the advice or treatment of a physician.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is an important building block for your body. Your brain, cells, and hormones need it daily. Whatever your liver cannot obtain from diet, it produces itself. Avoiding dietary cholesterol (such as in eggs) therefore has hardly any effect on blood levels for most people. What does have a major impact is cutting out saturated fats (such as in meat, dairy, and palm and coconut oil), as these slow down the liver's natural clearing of cholesterol. Unfiltered coffee can have the same effect.

High Cholesterol

A cholesterol level that is too high, and specifically an excess of "bad" LDL cholesterol, is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Yet LDL is not bad in itself: it is an essential transport vehicle to deliver cholesterol to your cells. Cholesterol is an important building block for cells, as well as for hormones. The problem only arises when LDL cholesterol oxidizes (becomes damaged). This happens faster in an unhealthy lifestyle or with insulin resistance. Furthermore, the chance of oxidation increases significantly if your LDL particles are small. Small particles get trapped more easily in the vessel wall, where they oxidize. You can measure both the amount of cholesterol and the number of particles. The first is called your LDL level, the second is called Apo(b).

Oxidized LDL damages the vessel walls and triggers an immune system response. This causes deposits (plaque) in the blood vessels. The more plaque, the more hardening of the arteries and the higher the risk of a heart attack.

How the Right Olive Oil Can Help

A healthy diet helps restore balance in your blood, with high-quality olive oil playing a valuable role — provided you use it to replace unhealthy saturated fats. Polyphenol-rich extra virgin olive oil supports vascular health through four mechanisms:

  • Protection against oxidation: Polyphenols are signaling molecules that ensure your cells are prepared to protect the lipids (fats) in the blood against oxidative stress. As a result, LDL cholesterol is damaged less quickly.

  • Flexible blood vessels: Polyphenols contribute to maintaining flexible vessels, which is beneficial for blood pressure.

  • Support for the vessel wall: Polyphenols help keep vessel walls healthy, making it harder for plaque to adhere.

  • Healthy fatty acid composition: Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats (such as oleic acid). By replacing saturated fats in your diet with these healthy fats, the liver can clear LDL cholesterol from the blood more quickly.

How to Use It

By using one to two tablespoons of polyphenol-rich extra virgin olive oil daily — for example as a replacement for butter or margarine, as a daily shot, or over salads and cooked vegetables — you actively support healthy cholesterol levels and a flexible vascular system.