Cholesterol is produced in the body and can also be consumed by some foods we eat. Cholesterol especially LDL is a chemical marker of inflammation in the body. It can be elevated from a diet high in pro inflammatory foods such as sugars and starches. Mental and emotional stress is another significant cause of elevated cholesterol levels. Emerging science is showing that cholesterol containing foods are not as big a factor in elevated cholesterol levels as we once thought. Cholesterol is a key building block for the production of hormones.
A recent research article suggests a connection between cancer and cholesterol. Published in top international journal, Cell Reports, the research found ‘bad’ cholesterol (Low Density Lipoprotein, or LDL) regulates the machinery that controls cell migration, a major finding in the search to explain why cancer spreads throughout the body.
Paper senior author, Associate Professor Thomas Grewal from the University’s Faculty of Pharmacy, said the research had important implications for cancer research.
“One of the things that makes cancer so difficult to treat is the fact that it can spread around the body,” he said.
“Most of the cells in our bodies stick to neighbouring cells through the help of ‘Velcro-like’ molecules on their surface known as integrins. Unfortunately, integrins also help cancer cells that have broken away from a cancerous tumour to take root elsewhere in the body.
“Our study identified that ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol controls the trafficking of tiny vessels which also contain these integrins, and this has huge effects on the ability of cancer cells to move and spread throughout the body.
“Our research found that having high amounts of ‘bad’ cholesterol seem to help the integrins in cancer cells to move and spread.
“In contrast, we found that high levels of ‘good’ (HDL) cholesterol keeps integrins inside cells and may therefore protect against cancer cell spread.”
Reducing total cholesterol may not be as beneficial as we once thought. Holistic doctors often preached the importance of maintaining adequate levels of healthy cholesterol while reducing bad cholesterol levels. This is exciting research that can add to the dialogue on proper cholesterol management.
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Sources:
“Cholesterol Regulates Syntaxin 6 Trafficking at trans-Golgi Network Endosomal Boundaries.” Meritxell Reverter, et al. Cell Reports. Accepted: March 17, 2014; Published Online: April 17, 2014DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2014.03.043
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-05-bad-cholesterol-contributes-cancer-body.html