When High LDL Cholesterol Is a Sign Your Body Needs Support

For decades I followed the classic food pyramid: low-fat, high-carb, “heart-healthy” eating. Until one day my body said enough. Chronic symptoms piled up, my energy crashed, and my bloodwork showed LDL cholesterol = ‘bad cholesterol’, through the roof.

The carnivore and ketovore clinicians weren’t alarmed. “Expected on this way of eating,” they said. But I wasn’t fully convinced.

What I discovered changed how I view cholesterol forever.

Cholesterol Isn’t the Villain

Most of us were taught that high LDL = heart attack waiting to happen.

Yet cholesterol is one of the most important molecules in the human body. Here’s what it actually does:

Hormone Production

Every steroid hormone — testosterone, oestrogen, progesterone, cortisol, even vitamin D — begins with cholesterol. Reduce the raw material and you risk crashing your entire endocrine system.

Brain Health

Your brain is roughly 60% fat by dry weight. Cholesterol is essential for myelin sheaths, synapses, and neuronal communication. Low cholesterol availability has been linked to brain fog, memory issues, and long-term cognitive decline.

Cell Membrane Integrity

The wall of every single one of your 30+ trillion cells is built with cholesterol. It maintains fluidity, allows nutrients and signalling molecules to enter, and protects the machinery inside where energy, proteins, and DNA are made. Without it, cells literally can’t function.

When Cholesterol Rises

When cholesterol rises, it’s often not a defect — it’s a compensatory response.

Your liver is working overtime. Inflammation is high. The body ramps up cholesterol production to patch damaged tissues, support hormone balance, and keep cells alive. It’s trying to help.

The Real Culprit: A Struggling Liver + Silent Inflammation

• Chronic low-grade inflammation
• An overburdened liver (the organ that both produces and clears cholesterol)
• Compromised drainage, energy, and immune resilience

A stressed liver can’t keep up with detoxification and repair. So the body increases cholesterol output as a protective measure.

Meanwhile, when the liver, brain, hormones, and cells aren’t working optimally, your immune system weakens. That creates the perfect environment for opportunistic threats — parasites, mould, viruses, and bacteria — to thrive.

High LDL, in this context, is an alarm bell. Not the fire itself.

Take Control of Your Liver Today

If you’re struggling with your health, don’t wait and keep suffering — there is a way forward. If you’re unsure where to start, I am here to help.

Please remember that you are not broken. Your body is incredibly resilient and always on your side. Sometimes we just need to give it the right support, and let it do what it’s designed to do — heal and thrive.

Where to Start

Frequently Asked Questions

Is high LDL cholesterol always bad?

Most of us were taught that high LDL = heart attack waiting to happen. Yet when cholesterol rises, it’s often not a defect but a compensatory response. Your liver is working overtime, inflammation is high, and the body ramps up cholesterol production to patch damaged tissues, support hormone balance and keep cells alive. High LDL, in this context, is an alarm bell. Not the fire itself.

What does cholesterol do in the body?

Cholesterol is one of the most important molecules in the human body. Every steroid hormone, from testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone to cortisol and even vitamin D, begins with cholesterol. It is essential for myelin sheaths, synapses and neuronal communication in the brain. And the wall of every one of your 30+ trillion cells is built with it; without it, cells literally can’t function.

What is the link between the liver and high cholesterol?

The liver is the organ that both produces and clears cholesterol. A stressed liver can’t keep up with detoxification and repair, so the body increases cholesterol output as a protective measure. Together with chronic low-grade inflammation and compromised drainage, energy and immune resilience, an overburdened liver is the real culprit behind high LDL, not the cholesterol itself.

Can low cholesterol affect your brain?

Your brain is roughly 60% fat by dry weight, and cholesterol is essential for myelin sheaths, synapses and neuronal communication. Low cholesterol availability has been linked to brain fog, memory issues and long-term cognitive decline. Reduce the raw material and you also risk crashing your entire endocrine system, because every steroid hormone begins with cholesterol.

Is high LDL on a carnivore or keto diet just “expected”?

When my bloodwork showed LDL cholesterol through the roof, the carnivore and ketovore clinicians weren’t alarmed. “Expected on this way of eating,” they said. But I wasn’t fully convinced. What I discovered is that rising cholesterol is often a compensatory response: a struggling liver and silent inflammation push the body to increase cholesterol output as a protective measure.