The Link Between Cholesterol and Protein

by Dr. David Minkoff April 21, 2021 4 min read

Athletic male eating a protein bar while in nature.

A Simple, Hidden Secret to Supporting Heart Health

When it comes to cholesterol, virtually everyone is aware that too much LDL cholesterol is an indicator of heart disease and that optimizing LDL/HDL levels is critical for heart health.

People avoid foods that are high in cholesterol, exercise, lose weight, and try countless other methods to lower their LDL – which are all met with varying levels of success. But, despite all this, heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the USA.

Today we’re going to discuss a simple, science-backed alternative solution to lowering LDL levels – and it’s all about protein.

Yes, that’s right. Protein.

While I’m not about to claim that I have the end-all solution for preventing heart disease, recent scientific breakthroughs and analyses have shed further light on the link between cholesterol and protein. This breakthrough opens the door to a simple, effective solution that everyone can do to help keep their cardiovascular system functioning as nature intended.

So, what is the secret?

Your body requires all eight EAAs in the right proportions to produce healthy levels of HDL and LDL cholesterol to keep your body safe and functioning.

LDL and HDL are synthesized compounds of protein + cholesterol, and if your body can’t make HDL, it will inevitably make LDL instead.

Let’s look at the science behind this.

[1,2,3]

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is an organic, yellow, waxy lipid that is used by your body for many critical bioactive functions, such as:

The production of estrogen, testosterone, and adrenal hormones
The synthesis of Vitamin D
The production of bile acids, which help digest fat and enable the body to absorb essential nutrients
The formation of cell membranes

Your liver can produce all the cholesterol you need, but you also obtain cholesterol from dietary sources such as eggs, meat, and other foods. Interestingly enough, your total body cholesterol does not tend to vary based on how much cholesterol you eat – your liver makes just enough to supplement dietary cholesterol for optimal function.

Cholesterol vs. Fat

While cholesterol and fat are both lipids and are innately similar in structure, they behave very differently. Unlike fat, cholesterol is not burned for energy or stored for future use. Instead, cholesterol is either used for biochemical processes or flushed out as excess.

[4]

LDL and HDL – Lipoproteins

Because cholesterol cannot be absorbed directly into the bloodstream, your body coats it with a protein structure called a lipoprotein. The lipoprotein enables your body to move the cholesterol where it needs to go, supplying your cells with this vital nutrient.

When most people think of cholesterol, they think of HDL and LDL as “good” and “bad” cholesterol. If you consider what these really are, everything comes into focus:

LDL: Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is a form of lipoprotein made by your body to transport cholesterol to your arteries and specific locations throughout your body. While it is vital in small amounts, high concentrations of LDL can cause cholesterol to be deposited in your arteries, which restricts blood flow and increases your risk of heart disease.
HDL: High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is an alternate form of lipoprotein that transports cholesterol with your liver as the final destination. HDL cholesterol is safely removed through the bowels rather than becoming stuck in your arteries.

When cholesterol enters your body, whether through dietary sources or synthesized by your liver, your body then produces a lipoprotein to coat it.

When everything is working as it should, your body balances the creation of LDL and HDL in an optimal ratio, avoiding an excess of LDL cholesterol that gets lodged in your arteries.

[5,6,7,8]

And this is where the link between cholesterol and protein comes in:

HDL cannot be synthesized without all eight essential amino acids.

So, what happens when your diet is deficient in one or more EAAs? The body is forced to overproduce LDL to transport and manage dietary cholesterol.

Providing your body with the EAAs it needs facilitates the production of healthy HDL levels.

In fact, a recent article from a top researcher in comparative biosciences claims that “the ‘bad cholesterol’ that doctors consider a sign of potential heart disease, is merely a marker of a diet lacking in all of the essential amino acids.”

The science behind this is simple – LDL contains ApoB (Apolipoprotein B), which lacks the EAA tryptophan. HDL, along with the other common lipoproteins, contain two or more apolipoproteins – which altogether contain all eight EAAs.

In other words, when your body has all eight EAAs in the right porpotions, it can produce healthy levels of HDL and reduce the quantity of “bad” LDL cholesterol.

And yes, it’s that simple.

[1,4]

Essential Amino Acids – The Secret to Optimizing Your Health

Amino Acids are the building blocks of a vast number of bioactive compounds and cells. Without the right amino acids in the right proportion, your body is left to “make do,” which inevitably leads to deficiencies and a wide range of health problems.

Supplying your body with the eight essential amino acids in the perfect ratio not only helps you stay healthy but also helps you optimize your athletic performance and enhance your overall wellbeing, strength, and ability to heal.

While we would never recommend stopping or replacing an effective health program to reduce your risk of heart disease, I strongly recommend you enjoy a diet rich in all eight essential amino acids to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

Alternatively, PerfectAmino contains all eight essential amino acids in a supplementary form that is ideal for human consumption. It was developed after years of exhaustive research to achieve 99.99% utilization, making it the perfect amino acid supplement for the body to build healthy proteins, hormones, cells, muscles and good cholesterol!

Good luck!

References:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/understanding-cholesterol-hdl-vs-ldl-2018041213608

Perfect Amino Facebook VIP Group - Join now!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.