Confused

[Nestito]

How do PUFAs lower cholesterol and why would high cholesterol be a sign of hypothyroidism (PUFA suppressed) if they lower it?

 

[yerrag]

Do PUFAs lower cholesterol?

 

[Lee Simeon]

I think high cholesterol would be a sign of hypothyroidism in that it in a hypothyroid state, only a small amount of the cholesterol would be made in to hormones. In a hyperthyroid state, the cholesterol would often be low because of how effective it is at generating hormones.

 

[Nestito]

Do PUFAs lower cholesterol?

Supposedly, it's mentioned in the Peat's cholesterol article and how the companies jumped on that anti-cholesterol bandwagon with their oils, etc.

It's just confusing to me. Like if they cause hypothyroidism wouldn't they raise cholesterol? Or is it because the cholesterol is getting into the tissues instead of remaining free in the plasma that they are lowered?

 

[Mito]

How do PUFAs lower cholesterol and why would high cholesterol be a sign of hypothyroidism (PUFA suppressed) if they lower it?

PUFA only lowers blood levels of cholesterol not total body tissue cholesterol. PUFA's esterfy (join with a fatty acid) cholesterol. The liver perceives this as a decrease in "free" cholesterol (even though bound cholesterol increased in body tissues). When the liver thinks that its pool of free cholesterol is too small it upregulates LDL receptors which brings more cholesterol in from the blood, this lowers blood levels of cholesterol.

High cholesterol can be a sign of low metabolism because cholesterol should be used by the liver for making bile acids and also for hormone synthesis. If you are hypothyroid the rate of conversion to bile and hormones will be slow. This will slow LDL receptor activity and cholesterol will accumulate in the blood.

 

[Nestito]

PUFA only lowers blood levels of cholesterol not total body tissue cholesterol. PUFA's esterfy (join with a fatty acid) cholesterol. The liver perceives this as a decrease in "free" cholesterol (even though bound cholesterol increased in body tissues). When the liver thinks that its pool of free cholesterol is too small it upregulates LDL receptors which brings more cholesterol in from the blood, this lowers blood levels of cholesterol.

High cholesterol can be a sign of low metabolism because cholesterol should be used by the liver for making bile acids and also for hormone synthesis. If you are hypothyroid the rate of conversion to bile and hormones will be slow. This will slow LDL receptor activity and cholesterol will accumulate in the blood.

Thank you, this provides a better understanding. So if you are hypothyroid to begin with high cholesterol would be from a slowed metabolism, but if you ate PUFA until you became hypothyroid as a result of it, your cholesterol levels would initially drop due to the PUFA esterfying, but then rise as a result of them slowing the metabolism?