How High Carb can Equal High Cholesterol

Let’s start from the beginning

A cell is a fancy word for a microscopic container and for this analogy let’s think of them as rooms in a hotel. Our bodies have several hotels so we’ll name each major hotel after the type of tissue/organ they represent i.e. the muscle hotel, the liver hotel, the body fat hotel, and the highway that connects them all aka the bloodstream.

When carbohydrates are consumed, they are broken down into molecules of glucose. Glucose can be used for energy (more on this in another post) or stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. Now let’s put this into the context of our analogy.

After we digest our carbs, some of the glucose driving on the bloodstream highway stops in the various little cells along the way (it’s a touristy area) but most of the glucose is just trying to get to their hotel. The best hotels to stay at are the muscle and liver hotels (in that order) and everyone knows it so they run out of rooms pretty quickly. Luckily, the liver hotel has partnership with another hotel chain so any glucose without a place to stay can get converted into a fatty acid and get a free room at the body fat hotel, the only catch is this conversion is permanent. We also have police (cholesterol) patrolling the highway to keep the traffic flowing. Stick with me, it’s about to all come together.

When we overconsume carbohydrates (typically in relation to physical activity) and the hotels are all at capacity, we have to hire more and more cholesterol police to keep the highways open. With more and more molecules of glucose coming to town, the only option they have is fatty acid conversion to stay at the body fat hotel which increases your overall body fat. Groups of fatty acids get packaged together to form triglycerides. Over time, this build up of triglycerides can cause plaques in arteries (think of them as random abandoned cars on the highway causing delays) leading to heart disease and stroke.

There you have it. High Cholesterol from Carbohydrates

I try not to raise problems without offering solutions, so what can be done about it?

1. Physical Activity

   Regardless of the cause, everyone can benefit from regular exercise. Exercise will empty out some of the rooms in the hotels (more on this in another post).

2. Eat Protein

   Incorporating more protein in your diet will not only give your body the building materials to add more rooms at the muscle hotel but it will give your body a break from the constant flow of glucose coming to town, as well as increase satiety (feeling fuller longer).

3. Sunlight

   UV-B ray exposure converts cholesterol into Vitamin D which, among other things, allows the body to absorb calcium and phosphorus. As little as 20 minutes of sun exposure per day can produce desired effects.

4. Sleep

   Many hormones in our bodies are derived from cholesterol, particularly steroid hormones and sex hormones. Many of these are produced during the overnight hours as part of your body’s recovery process. The importance of proper sleep can not be understated.

This can and does happen in the absence of animal products, with or without a family history of high cholesterol, and is a common cause of high cholesterol among vegans and vegetarians. This doesn’t mean carbs are evil, and this doesn’t mean that a family history of high cholesterol means you will also suffer the same fate. What this does mean is to keep all things in moderation.