The Healthy Home RN Blog: Uncovering the Real Drivers of Modern Disease

What Cholesterol Actually Does in the Body

Cholesterol is not a toxin. It is an essential molecule that your body needs to survive.

Cholesterol is required for:

• Hormone production (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol)
• Brain and nervous system function
• Cell membrane integrity
• Vitamin D synthesis
• Bile production for digestion

In fact, your liver produces the majority of the cholesterol in your body — even if you eat none at all. When the body needs more cholesterol, it simply makes more.

So why has cholesterol been linked to heart disease?

The Real Problem: Oxidized Cholesterol, Not Cholesterol Itself

Cholesterol becomes dangerous only when it is damaged — specifically when it becomes oxidized.

Oxidized LDL (not total LDL) is what contributes to:

• Arterial plaque formation
• Endothelial damage
• Chronic inflammation
• Atherosclerosis

The key question is not how much cholesterol you have, but how much oxidative stress and inflammation is occurring in the body.

And this is where seed oils and sugar enter the picture.

Seed Oils: Highly Processed and Highly Oxidative

Seed oils like:

• Canola oil
• Soybean oil
• Corn oil
• Sunflower oil
• Safflower oil
• “Vegetable” oil

are industrial products, not traditional foods.

Why seed oils are problematic:

• They are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are chemically unstable
• They oxidize easily when exposed to heat, light, and air
• They are refined using high heat, chemical solvents, and deodorization
• They increase lipid peroxidation in the body

When these oils oxidize — either during processing, cooking, or inside the body — they contribute directly to LDL oxidation and systemic inflammation, the true drivers of cardiovascular disease.

Lowering LDL numbers while increasing oxidative damage is not protective — it’s misleading.

Sugar: The Silent Driver of Dyslipidemia

While saturated fat was blamed, sugar quietly took center stage.

Excess sugar (especially fructose and refined carbohydrates):

• Raises triglycerides
• Increases small, dense LDL particles
• Lowers protective HDL
• Drives insulin resistance
• Promotes fatty liver disease
• Increases systemic inflammation

This combination is what creates the classic “bad lipid panel” — not animal fat intake.

In other words: sugar and refined carbs damage lipid metabolism, while cholesterol often gets blamed for the aftermath.

Animal Fats: Stable, Traditional, and Misunderstood

Traditional animal fats like:

• Tallow
• Butter
• Ghee
• Lard

have been used for thousands of years — long before modern heart disease rates existed.

Why animal fats are different:

• They are heat-stable
• Resistant to oxidation
• Do not produce harmful lipid peroxides when cooked
• Support hormone and brain health
• Do not inherently raise cardiovascular risk in metabolically healthy individuals

When consumed in the context of whole foods, adequate protein, micronutrients, and low sugar intake, animal fats are not the enemy — they are often protective.

What About Fried Foods?

An important nuance: fried foods are inflammatory regardless of the fat used.

High-heat frying creates:

• Oxidized fats
• Advanced glycation end products (AGEs)
• Inflammatory byproducts that stress the liver and cardiovascular system

This doesn’t mean fried foods can never be enjoyed — but frequency matters, and they should not be a daily staple no matter the oil.

The Bigger Picture: Metabolic Health Matters More Than LDL

Heart disease risk is influenced far more by:

• Insulin resistance
• Chronic inflammation
• Oxidative stress
• Triglyceride levels
• HDL levels
• Blood sugar control
• Lifestyle factors (sleep, stress, movement)

Focusing on cholesterol in isolation ignores the real drivers of disease.

The Takeaway

Cholesterol is not the villain it was made out to be.

The real culprits behind poor lipid profiles and cardiovascular disease are:

• Industrial seed oils
• Excess sugar and refined carbohydrates
• Chronic inflammation
• Metabolic dysfunction

Healthy fats — whether animal-based or unsaturated — when minimally processed and used appropriately, can absolutely be part of a heart-healthy diet.

The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is understanding, balance, and informed choice.

And sometimes… that informed