If our cholesterol levels aren’t causing cardiovascular disease, then what is?

Let’s first take a closer look at what cholesterol is.

•Cholesterol  is needed in every cell of our body.

•Cholesterol helps our bodies produce hormones.

•Cholesterol  is used in the production of bile, which then helps to digest other foods with fat in them.

•Cholesterol helps with the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins; A, D, E, and K. 

Cell Membrane

Most people know about their HDL and LDL markers. These stand for high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein and  that HDL is good and LDL is bad. What most people don’t know is that these are not cholesterol. Our HDLs and LDLs are more like little submarines that transport fat-soluble particles around our body. On the outside are the proteins and on the inside are the fats, cholesterols, and vitamins.

LDLs transport fats, cholesterol, and the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) around the body to where they are needed.

HDLs return the empty LDL particles back to the liver for recycling, which includes proteins, some fats, and some cholesterols.

We need this system and healthy amounts of HDLs, LDLs, and cholesterol in order to function properly. The important thing that we should be testing for is particle size.

Our LDLs are normally big and fluffy. The bigger and fluffier our LDLs are, the less likely they are to get stuck in the walls of our blood vessels. Sometimes, however, we start having more small, dense LDLs, and these are much easier to get stuck in walls of our arteries and cause plaquing.

So why do some people have more small , dense LDLs than others?

Too much Sugar!

In the bloodstream, sugar can latch on to the LDLs, causing them to become small, dense LDLs. Eating too much sugar increases your chance of cardiovascular disease. As our sugar consumption goes up, so does the amount of cardiovascular disease.

How Do You Test for Particle Size?

The VAP test, or the vertical auto profile test, is a cholesterol, lipid, and lipoprotein test. It measures the different sizes of your HDLs and LDLs and gives you a much better idea of your risk of heart disease. Testing your cholesterol, HDLs, and LDLs the normal way gives very little information into the state of your heart health. 

You can have an LDL level of 150, but if they are all fluffy, it doesn’t pose much of a health risk. You can also have an LDL level of 50, but if they are all small and dense, you are at much greater risk than the person at 150!

The VAP test