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Cholesterol Confusion?

Updated: Mar 18

Did you know that there's a strong connection between menopause and rising cholesterol that you might have missed?



 

Let's begin with Estrogen, one of every woman's priamry sex hormones, because it influences virtually every system in our body.

Beginning in puberty all the way through the transition into menopause, this important hormone influences our health and lives in so many amazing ways:

  • Skin

  • Hair

  • Metabolism

  • Bones

  • Brain

  • Reproductive System

  • Cardiovascular System

In perimenopause, some of us may experience heart-health issues but for most of us, these troubling signs begin after menopause.

Climbing Cholesterol!

Beginning around age 45, as women loose the protective effect from adequate estrogen, and it becomes common to begin seeing consistently rising levels of triglycerides, LDL and lower HDL. This rise can point to other areas of concern around woman's heart health, in other words...

When Estrogen Drops - Cholesterol Pops!

Cardiovascular Health & Estrogen.

There's a strong connection between cardiovascular health and estrogen levels in our body.

  • Estrogen helps blood vessels maintain flexibility which enables them to expand and contract.

  • Estrogen is 'cardioprotective' by eliminating free radicals that can damage vital tissues.


 

Before the age of around 45, estrogen helps balance cholesterol which women need to produce estrogen, including progesterone and testosterone. Yet within one year of officially entering menopause, estrogen drops and this protective estrogen-induced advantage diminishes.

This dramatic drop causes cholesterol levels to rise.

Within one year of menopause, cholesterol can rise to levels that cause women to feel like their body is working against them - causing;

  • Climbing Weight

  • Poor Sleep

  • Achy Joints & Muscles

  • Fatigue

  • Low Moods

  • Dry Skin

  • Low Libido

  • High Blood Pressure


Is Rising LDL The Actual Problem?

This marker has sent women [and men] to pharmeceutical solutions before any actual nuanced conversation takes place and this I believe, is a huge problem.

Why aren't we focusing on the big picture? Because there are drugs to lower LDL levels.

Where is the conversation around HDL, a critical marker of heart health due to it's antioxidant protection against oxidation, inflammation and the damage caused by elevated LDL and triglycerides?


The Advantage Ends at Menopause.

The liver's estrogen sensors detect a drop in estrogen which invites disruption across the entire lipid panel.

  • HDL production drops, causing less protection.

  • LDL rises.

  • VLDL [a majority being triglycerides.] These are lipids stored in fat cells ready to be converted into energy when we aren't eating or exercising. This level increases as well because of the loss of estrogen that's needed to help break them down.


Consider VLDL - HDL Ratio.

There's good research suggesting that the ratio between VLDL and HDL [Triglyceride to HDL] may be a much greater indicator of risk for serious cardiovascular issues compared to only looking at LDL levels.

This decline of estradiol [estrogen] affects the smooth muscles throughout the body and in heart health markers, the resulting structural integrity of vessels as well as balanced constriction/relaxation response causes a higher blood pressure, chest pains, inflammation, and is damaging to the heart muscle.

Considering rising cholesterol numbers in blood lipid levels - as HDL lowers, LDL rises and total lipids in the blood begin to increase and modify into unhealthy forms.

The SAD [Standard American Diet] Diet

I urge you to begin at the beginning, by considering your plate.


Our modern food system is built on profit not health, therefore we need to become informed consumers and take our health seriously.

Women will greatly benefit from changing the compostion of their meals from predominantly carbohydrates to more protein and quality fats.

  1. Begin your day with 25-30 grams of protein found in real food.

  2. Choose real fats found in avocados, olives, organic butter & ghee.

  3. Enjoy an abundance of nature's carbohydrates, especially leafy greens and cruciferious vegetables.

  4. Add fruit afterwards, focusing on berries, kiwi and citrus.

  5. Support your gut with fermented foods like sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar, organic whole plain yogurt, keifir and probiotic cottage cheese.

  6. Reduce or eliminate [depending on your current metabolic health] highly processed foods, added sugars, and generally those foods that hijack your health.


 

I am not against using pharmaceuticals to address our health needs, but because we are always wanting that quick, easy and painless solution, we take the pill, even with the side-effects.

Here's the real truth. - there is no quick fix.

So, when we actually begin at the beginning, with what we put into our mouths 3X a day, 365 days a year, we can begin to heal our body by establishing a healthy whole-person approach.


I can help you navigate rising cholesterol and current health markers with targeted specific methods designed just for you.

Please reach out here.


Thanks for reading,

Jan



 
 
 

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