Cholesterol: The highest concentration of cholesterol occurs in the brain, where it plays an especially important role in memory formation. After the brain, our endocrine glands and organs with the two main “eaters” for cholesterol being our adrenal and sex glands. Cholesterol also plays a major role in regulating serotonin levels in the brain – low cholesterol levels are associated with depression, anti-social behavior and even suicide.
In our endocrine system, the following hormones are produced from cholesterol: testosterone, progesterone, pregnenolone, androsterone, estrone, estradiol, corticosterone, aldosterone and others. These hormones help our bodies with a magnitude of different functions but more specifically for trying moms-to-be it helps us be able to have children. Every sex hormone in our bodies is made from cholesterol and without cholesterol we are unable to adequately produce hormones that help our fertility and reproduction.
Did you know that new research shows a diet in full-cream dairy products has helped infertility in women. Dr. Jorge Chavarro of the Harvard School of Public Health, emphasized: “Women wanting to conceive should examine their diet. They should consider changing low-fat dairy foods for high-fat dairy foods, for instance by swapping skimmed milk for whole milk and eating cream, not low-fat yoghurt.”
Young adult women are no different than helping the fertility of women. One study found that when young girls stopped eating animal foods their estradiol level dropped by 30% (2003 article in National Cancer Institute). Yet estrogen has a vital function in allowing the full expression of female traits and when this hormone drops too low it can cause young women to stop menstruating. This lack of healthy animal fats, or cholesterol, deceased their sex hormone causing decrease in growth, energy, and hormone production. Our bodies needs other nutrients besides just cholesterol in animal foods, such as vitamin A which helps produce hormones like progesterone.
Switching to enjoy and appreciate cholesterol and healthy fats in our diet is imperative to our bodies proper function. The best sources of cholesterol are caviar, cod liver oil, fresh egg yolk (not egg powder!), real butter (not butter substitutes), cold-water fish, and lard. I frequently recommend people exchange vegetable oil in their cooking for real butter or even lard! Have you ever had a fried egg in bacon fat? If not you should try it today!
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