CHOLESTEROL… FRIEND OR FOE?

EVERY CELL IN THE BODY HAS CHOLESTEROL. WHY THEN ARE WE ALWAYS TRYING TO LOWER IT?

WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?

Cholesterol is a waxy steroid metabolite found in all of our cell membranes where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity.

It is primarily made in the liver and transported in the blood to other places in the body where it is used to manufacture numerous other chemicals and cell structures.

For example, cholesterol is an important component for the manufacture of bile acids, steroid hormones (such as testosterone, progesterone, estrogen, DHEA and Cortisol), and several fat-soluble vitamins (like vitamins A, D, E and K).

The name cholesterol originates from the Greek ”chole-” (bile) and ”stereos” (solid), and the chemical suffix ”-ol” for an alcohol, as François Poulletier de la Salle first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones, in 1769. However, it was only in 1815 that chemist Eugène Chevreul named the compound “cholesterine”.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE FUNCTIONS OF CHOLESTEROL?

The brain needs a high level of cholesterol. The brain represents only about 2 percent of your body weight, but actually has about 20 percent of your body’s cholesterol. There is strong evidence that cholesterol is important for synaptic function and is an essential component of cell membranes in the brain, and it is believed that partial defects in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism in the brain likely contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s.

Cholesterol is also used for repair and is therefore seen at the “scene of the crime” in inflammation and injury and is therefore mistakenly implicated as the cause of diseases such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries leading to heart attacks and stroke), which is now being identified as an inflammatory disease (1). An atherosclerotic plaque is composed of cholesterol, white blood cells and calcium and not just cholesterol.

Although most physicians are obsessed with lowering cholesterol levels with statins, low serum cholesterol has been linked in numerous scientific papers to depression, suicide, accidents, and violence (2).

Low cholesterol has also been associated with an increase risk of cancer (3).

My favorite question to myself has always been- “Why did the cholesterol elevate in the first place?” Our body was designed to make cholesterol, so why are we always trying to lower it without first knowing why it elevated (i.e., to balance pathologically decreasing hormone levels, for repair of damaged cells and protection against cancer, depression, suicide and Alzheimer’s)? Also, ask yourself this… if the elevation of cholesterol is pathologic to all of us and is implicated in heart disease then why did a recent report find that 50 percent of people diagnosed with heart attacks in the emergency room, also have normal or low cholesterol levels (4) . Maybe we should be looking for the true cause of heart disease instead of blaming an “innocent bystander,” cholesterol.

Therefore, before you are told to go on a drug or natural substance to lower your cholesterol, maybe you should find out first if the cholesterol is causing any disease at all, and if lowering your cholesterol will reduce your risks for heart disease or worsen your risk for other serious medical conditions (5)  . Let this be food for thought.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

GLUTEN FREE- THE ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE ENHANCER

          You might have seen the news about tennis player Novak Djokovic when he went gluten-free despite never being diagnosed with celiac disease.  Yet his athletic performance improved so vastly that he went 37-0 in 2011 and was later considered the athlete of the year according the Wall Street Journal Article of May 18, 2011 .

According to the article, Novak gained mental energy and was able to come from obscurity to a major contender in the world of tennis. 

Prior to this, an article entitled Winning Without Wheat written in Men’s Journal- February 18, 2010  reported how the Tour de France champions Garmin-Transitions pro cycling team’s performance was considerably enhanced after a going gluten-free.   

In every case, all of the athletes reported a notable increase in performance and recovery.

Removing gluten from the diet allows for more energy to perform necessary bodily functions rather than trying to breakdown a protein that we were never meant to eat in the first place.  At the same time, the immune system is allowed to rest and the adrenals left to do what they do best… “fight or flight”… only when it needs to and not when it’s having to continually fight gluten in the gut.

The following are Tips for Good Nutrition for Gluten-Free Athletes:

1.  
   1. Make sure you get enough calories- this is especially true for high intensity or long duration training.   If your basal metabolic rate (BMR- calories burned per day) at rest is 1500 calories at rest, you should multiple this number by 1.5 for moderate exercise and by 2.0 for higher level training.
   2. Eat enough Carbohydrates.  Carbohydrates help maintain blood sugar and also replace the glycogen (sugar stores) in muscle to prevent muscle wasting.   Athletic performance can be enhanced by eating 200 to 300 grams of carbs in a meal three to four hours before training of an event.  That’s about 2.5 to 4.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight (i.e. 120 pound person x 2.5 grams of carbs = 300 grams of carbs). Approximately 50 to 60 percent of energy used during the first one to four hours of continuous exercise is derived from carbohydrates.  Carbohydrate foods include starches such as rice, gluten-free pasta, quinoa, gluten-free oats, fruits, vegetables. 
   3. The other main source of energy after carbohydrates is from Fatty Acids derived from Fish Oil (Omega-3- Fatty Acids) as well as Nuts, Avocados and Olive Oil (Omega-9 Fatty Acids).  Athletes might not recognize the importance of fat, but 20 to 35 percent of total calories should come from fat.
   4. Protein is also important for athletes who should get about 0.5 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day (i.e., 120 lbs x 0.5 = 60 grams of protein per day at minimum).  Protein rich foods include lean meats, fish and poultry, eggs, cheese, yogurt and milk.  Greek yogurt is very high in protein.  Legumes such as kidney beans, lentils and chickpeas contain carbohydrates and protein and have a low glycemic index.   This is an exceptional choice for athletes to consume during training.   Sounds lke a GF Chicken Burrito Bowl with rice, beans and “extra” guacamole just might come in handy.
   5. For additional nutritional support I recommend supplements that will ”feed” the powerhouses of the cells- the Mitochondria.  Nutrients to support these organelles include CoQ10, Magnesium, d-oxy-Ribose or “Core Energy Plus” (the “D” in DNA),  Lipoic Acid, Resveratrol and Carnitine in addition to multivitamins and minerals such as Vitamin D and  calcium, which are commonly depleted in athletes.
   6. If finding the right foods seem to be a problem during an event, you can always find Gluten-free protein-carb bars specifically designed for working out.

I hope these tips will help you get the competitive edge the next time you’re out there on the playing field and give you the best and most natural performance enhancement you have ever had.  Go get ‘em!

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