The ‘forbidden’ fat your brain needs most
It’s critical to the brain and essential for stimulating the production of the nerve cells that produce dopamine — and you’ve been told to avoid it. Heck, if you were like most adults, you’d probably already be taking drugs to get rid of it!
Good thing you’re not like most adults. You’re a Daily Dose reader, and you know the truth about cholesterol — that this H-E-A-L-T-H-Y blood fat is absolutely critical to a number of functions, including brain function.
And if people with low cholesterol — like statin users — often seem like they’re losing a little something upstairs, it’s because they ARE losing a little something upstairs — specifically the nerve cells the brain needs to produce dopamine.
That’s the “feel good” chemical the brain releases when we feel happy, excited, or just plain satisfied. It’s also the chemical that goes AWOL in Parkinson’s patients.
In a recent series of experiments on mice and zebrafish, researchers in Sweden found that a molecule called 24,25-EC is needed for that internal dopamine factory to function.
Now, I don’t expect you to remember the name 24,25-EC. It’s like trying to remember a license plate number. But what you do need to remember is this: 24,25-EC is derived from the very same cholesterol you’ve been told is bad for you.
Miss out on cholesterol, and the 24,25-EC plant goes on strike — and dopamine production shuts down.
No wonder low LDL cholesterol has been shown to TRIPLE the risk of Parkinson’s disease in other studies — and the brain damage doesn’t end there. Low cholesterol can also lead to depression, memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease, and more.
Elsewhere in the body, cholesterol is also critical for healthy arteries, strong muscles, and a sex life you can be proud of at any age. Not coincidentally, statin use leads to stiffer arteries, painfully weak muscles, and erectile dysfunction.
See the connection?
Clearly, you need cholesterol — and plenty of it. I recommend total cholesterol of between 200 and 300. Any lower, and you need to get busy with a steak knife.
I know this goes against everything the mainstream says about cholesterol. But trust me, not them — because I’ve got science on my side, and I have everything you need to know right here.