June - Cholesterol
Cholesterol
Cholesterol seems like a pretty straightforward topic, but it can be very (VERY) controversial.
Before I went to school for nutrition, I went to an info session for the school I was interested in going to. To give us a taste of what the program was like, they had 2 of their instructors give an hour lecture on their favourite topics. One of these lectures was on cholesterol.
It was by a prominent Naturopathic Doctor in Toronto (where I lived at the time) and she started it with something like “cholesterol isn’t bad, it helps to heal the body”. Right there, mind blown.
For context, it was 2005, just two years after Crestor was released and the news was filled with stories about how harmful cholesterol was and why we need to lower it. This nasty substance is gumming up your arteries and it’s a heart attack waiting to happen!
Crestor and other statin drugs were extremely well marketed and seen as a saviour of cardiovascular health. Rarely did I find anyone talking about the possible side effects.
While statins have their time and place, we now know that the role of cholesterol in our body is nuanced and statins have their pros AND cons.
So, in this masterclass we’re diving into everything about Cholesterol…including the controversial stuff.
This masterclass is in 3 parts:
Part 1 – Cholesterol Unveiled – what is its role in the body?
Part 2 – It’s time for controversy! – we look at saturated fat, dietary cholesterol, and statins
Part 3 – Lifestyle, Food, and Supplements
Let’s dive in!
Got any questions or comments? Comment below, jump to our private Facebook Group, or the Ask Lisa page :).
Let’s get started! Head over to Part 1.