Health Matters: With the power of nature

For a long time, cholesterol has had negative associations. Everyone knows about the risks. Cholesterol is responsible for atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes, and must therefore be reduced. When there is no other alternative, drug treatment is needed. And so it has become a matter of course to reach for cholesterol-lowering drugs.

But the truth is not so simple and nothing in our bodies is entirely bad. Nature and evolution allotted important functions to cholesterol and, actually, we couldn’t live without it. The fact that cholesterol levels are kept relatively constant, independent of food intake, confirms this. The biological functions of cholesterol include the stabilisation of membranes (the outer layer of cells, body surfaces) as well as the production of hormones, particularly cortisol and the sex hormones. And it is precisely this hormone production which is a deciding factor in the cholesterol level.

As a precursor of cortisol, cholesterol rises with stress, in order to be able to react appropriately. A raised cholesterol level is therefore primarily related to stress, rather than diet. This was also proven in a study from the University of Vienna. In order for cholesterol to be converted into the individual hormones, we require vitamin B, antioxidants and zinc. We have therefore developed the product GlanduPlex, in conjunction with the firm Biogena, to balance these deficits or to meet the increased demand caused by stress.

Despite this, cholesterol does a risk of atherosclerosis, although this should be considered in greater depth. The laboratory investigations for cholesterol alone are insufficient. At Vivamayr, therefore, we assess the individual risk by measuring oxidized LDL-cholesterol, which is formed under conditions of oxidative stress, as well as the seven subgroups of LDL-cholesterol. The individual risk can then be estimated from these parameters. 

The aim should always be to modify the stressful situation. Integrating breaks as recovery phases is just as important as the culture of eating and the inclusion of cold-pressed plant oils. First and foremost, we require vitamins, minerals and trace elements such as antioxidants or Glanduplex, or whereappropriate, hormonal support. In this way the positive side of cholesterol is of benefit to us and cholesterol — lowering drugs, with all their side effects, can be avoided.