What the VA say...

JohnWalkerRN

I went to a nutrition class at the VA. All older vets of the 'Nam era (like me). They were pushing a hard corps low cholesterol diet. I was snarky and asked some questions. "What is the brain made of? What feeds the sex drive? Cholesterol, right?" Long, convoluted answer from the nutritionist that said nothing. I asked the other vets, "anyone here concerned about their sex drive and the possibility of Alzheimer's?" Then l asked the nutritionist, where does our body get cholesterol when there's not enough in our food, from breaking down the body's supply, right?". I haven't been invited back.

CSARdiver

JohnWalkerRN wrote: »

I went to a nutrition class at the VA. All older vets of the 'Nam era (like me). They were pushing a hard corps low cholesterol diet. I was snarky and asked some questions. "What is the brain made of? What feeds the sex drive? Cholesterol, right?" Long, convoluted answer from the nutritionist that said nothing. I asked the other vets, "anyone here concerned about their sex drive and the possibility of Alzheimer's?" Then l asked the nutritionist, where does our body get cholesterol when there's not enough in our food, from breaking down the body's supply, right?". I haven't been invited back.

Ugh - nothing better than an unqualified government "expert" pushing diet industry woo.

jseams1234

I thought that the body produced its own cholesterol, about 80%, in the liver and intestines from raw materials (Protein, fat, sugar) - and only needed a small amount of dietary supplementation. Basically, the equivalent of one egg yolk. The issue being that most are getting way more than they need and this can cause long term issues.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/how-its-made-cholesterol-production-in-your-body

edit: or are you saying they were promoting some sort of zero cholesterol diet?

janejellyroll

jseams1234 wrote: »

I thought that the body produced it's own cholesterol, about 80%, in the liver and intestines from raw materials (Protein, fat, sugar) - and only needed a small amount of dietary supplementation. Basically, the equivalent of one egg yolk. The issue being that most are getting way more than they need and this can cause long term issues.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/how-its-made-cholesterol-production-in-your-body

edit: or are you saying they were promoting some sort of zero cholesterol diet?

Your body will produce cholesterol even if you aren't consuming it directly (vegans, for example, don't need to supplement cholesterol -- they just have to make sure they're getting sufficient fat).

jseams1234

janejellyroll wrote: »

jseams1234 wrote: »

I thought that the body produced it's own cholesterol, about 80%, in the liver and intestines from raw materials (Protein, fat, sugar) - and only needed a small amount of dietary supplementation. Basically, the equivalent of one egg yolk. The issue being that most are getting way more than they need and this can cause long term issues.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/how-its-made-cholesterol-production-in-your-body

edit: or are you saying they were promoting some sort of zero cholesterol diet?

Your body will produce cholesterol even if you aren't consuming it directly (vegans, for example, don't need to supplement cholesterol -- they just have to make sure they're getting sufficient fat).

Yeah, which is why the OP's post confuses me. High cholesterol is a huge issue for many and promoting a low cholesterol diet, especially for older folks who probably subsist on a meat and potatoes type diet doesn't seem like it's very much out of line. I'd think a dietary change would be more beneficial than simply using medication to control those levels.

youngmomtaz

My understanding is that when undersupplied, the body actually goes into overdrive and makes an excess. But when cholesterol is a non regulated part of a diet along with weight loss and exercise, the body production evens out. I could be way off though. My cholesterol has been high since my teens. Now that my thyroid is being looked after those numbers have dropped. Huge correlation. I ate low fat, high fruit/veg/grain in my teens and 20s, doc figures I “make better good choices” now. I haven’t brought myself to discuss my Keto woe with them yet.