The Vital Roles of Cholesterol: Hormones, Brain Health, and Vitamin D Production
Cholesterol: just hearing the word might make you recall headlines, dietary fads, and perhaps more than a little confusion—especially if you’re approaching or well into your second 50 years. On the latest episode of the Your Second 50 podcast, Alan Ogden tackled this much-misunderstood molecule head-on, sharing his seasoned insights to demystify “cholesterol function in body” and challenge long-standing myths. If you’ve ever wondered why our bodies produce cholesterol in the first place—or if it’s really the villain it’s been made out to be—you’re in the right place.
Let’s dig in, guided by Alan’s unusual blend of pharmaceutical science, real-world experience, and a strong grounding in genetics. As Alan points out, the story around cholesterol is much deeper and far more interesting than the fat-free wave of the ’70s and ’80s would have you believe.
Essential Biological Functions of Cholesterol
Cholesterol: Not Just a “Bad Guy”
According to Alan, an essential starting point is understanding cholesterol’s role as a building block in the human body. In his words:
So just for the audience, you know, you can’t make, you make vitamin D from cholesterol. You make your hormones. So your insulin, your testosterone, your estrogen, your progesterone, all the hormones we depend on, have their root in cholesterol. So upstream from many of the activities in our body is something called cholesterol.
Alan emphasizes that the liver is particularly “very good at making cholesterol,” underlining its biological importance. Rather than being merely the substance doctors warn us about, cholesterol is a starting point for many essential hormones—those that regulate metabolism, reproductive cycles, stress responses, and more. Vitamin D, too, is synthesized from cholesterol—a crucial point rarely underlined in routine health conversations. Alan’s concern is direct: when we “start interrupting that pattern,” such as by interfering with cholesterol production without cause, “we are going to get downstream effects.”
The Hormone Connection
Why does this matter? Hormones form the chemical communication system for our bodies, affecting everything from mood and metabolism to fertility and immune strength. Alan specifically connects the body’s ability to generate essential hormones—like insulin, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone—directly to cholesterol. Disrupting cholesterol synthesis, according to Alan, can influence all these interconnected systems. It’s a powerful reminder that lowering cholesterol levels isn’t automatically a health win without context and careful consideration.
Cholesterol as a Transport Mechanism
How Cholesterol Travels (and Why That Matters)
Cholesterol doesn’t just float aimlessly in the bloodstream; it gets around via special particles called lipoproteins. Alan explains how these operate and why doctors pay so much attention to them:
When we eat fat, our body has to emulsify this fat. It’s going to make something called HDL cholesterol. Okay, so you can just take the H and remember heart. So HDL is cardioprotective cholesterol. And if we have high cardioprotective cholesterol, then from the very start we have to start minimizing the ultimate effect of LDL cholesterol.
In his conversational style, Alan simplifies what can be a confusing tangle of acronyms. He encourages listeners to think of HDL as “heart-protective” and notes the ongoing balancing act between HDL and LDL cholesterol. The standard blood test at your doctor’s office will typically measure:
- HDL cholesterol (High-Density Lipoprotein): Sometimes called “good” cholesterol. Alan describes it as “cardioprotective.”
- LDL cholesterol (Low-Density Lipoprotein): Often labeled “bad” cholesterol, but, as Alan implies, its story is more nuanced.
- Triglycerides: A different type of fat molecule also measured during evaluation.
Alan further mentions another layer of testing, the lipoprotein panel, to better understand the transport and impact of fats in the body. This advanced test looks at both the types and quantities of cholesterol carriers, including very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) and even smaller compounds, which, as Alan notes, are now recognized as the real culprits behind arterial damage. He shares this layered approach to testing helps reveal whether elevated LDL actually presents a genuine risk, rather than simply relying on superficial numbers.
Genetics Underpin Your Cholesterol Story
Alan’s professional background in genetics and pharmaceutical sciences uniquely positions him to interpret these test results. He points out that genetic factors can significantly influence how your body handles cholesterol and saturated fats. For some people, high LDL levels are the result of “genetics…forcing this,” making them less responsive to diet and lifestyle changes. He shares stories from his own clinical experience—such as collaborating with a doctor whose cholesterol was perpetually high despite intervention, later found to be genetically driven.
We have genetics for our dietary cholesterol, saturated cholesterols, unsaturated cholesterols. We have a selection of genetics that we can look at that would indicate a predisposition and then we know what to go look for.
This genetic nuance is critically missing from the standard annual checkup, Alan contends. Most doctors base their treatment recommendations on bloodwork numbers alone, not genetic testing. This can result in a one-size-fits-all approach to prescription therapy that Alan views as outdated and incomplete.
Protective Functions of Cholesterol
Brain Health and Beyond
While the podcast episode didn’t dwell extensively on brain health, Alan alludes to cholesterol’s foundational role in numerous cellular and hormonal functions—many of which are critical to a healthy brain. Given its structural importance in creating hormones and vitamin D and being fundamental in building cell membranes, cholesterol is clearly more of a “helper” than an adversary when properly balanced. Rather than treating cholesterol as an enemy, Alan encourages listeners (and his own clients) to understand its value within larger metabolic systems.
It’s Not Always About Lowering Cholesterol
Alan is clear: sometimes, lowering cholesterol with medication is necessary, especially for people with a profound genetic predisposition or who are unable to make lifestyle changes. But, he cautions, immediately resorting to statins for anyone with a slightly elevated LDL might be an overreaction.
There are some people, and I want to say this clearly, there are some people that statin therapy is a requirement for because of the genetics. Maybe even because they don’t have the ability to change their diet too much or the desire to change their diet too much. So there is some. And the newer cholesterol drugs that are coming out are now not actually acting in the liver. They’re actually acting in the intestinal tract, which is where the problems are coming from.
He recommends a comprehensive approach, beginning with genetic screening and a detailed panel of bloodwork before considering medical intervention. That means looking at the dietary pattern, liver function (as the producer and processor of cholesterol), kidney function, and even how well the gut can process and eliminate excess fats. Alan illustrates this approach using his wife Donna’s experience: despite “very high” cholesterol on standard tests, a more advanced lipoprotein panel showed her risk was minimal, so they successfully managed her cholesterol through dietary adjustments and natural products, rather than defaulting to statin medication.
The Influence of Menopause
An important and often-overlooked factor: cholesterol levels naturally shift with age, particularly for women as they pass through menopause. Alan details how postmenopausal women often experience rises in LDL cholesterol, but this doesn’t automatically translate to higher disease risk—the picture is more complex:
It was pretty well known that as women go through menopause and they become postmenopausal, their LDL cholesterol naturally rises…We look at our grandparents, many who’ve lived into their 80s and 90s and never had cardiovascular disease. And yet they had this LDL cholesterol.
Alan draws attention to how original statin research was conducted almost exclusively on men, further complicating the relevance of those study results for women. It’s one reason he and his colleagues look beyond basic cholesterol numbers, delving into lipoprotein profiles and genetic context, especially as women age.
Debunking Myths, Building Understanding
Alan’s historical perspective is especially valuable: he remembers firsthand how guidance swung from vilifying all fats (and cholesterol by association) to a later, overdue realization that sugar-laden “fat-free” replacements may have harmed public health even more. He connects this shift to early influential research that he says “cherry-picked” a few studies to support broad recommendations—recommendations that soon became official guidelines, industry marketing campaigns, and ultimately, mainstream beliefs about heart health and fat.
All the original tests were done on males…a very small study had been done on preventing secondary heart attacks in men…The original approval for this drug, you had to be a male, you’d had to have already had a heart attack, they would start you on a statin drug, or you had to have genetically high cholesterol.
Alan isn’t dismissing the risks of high cholesterol entirely, but he offers a clear call to “expand our understanding” and avoid reactive, one-note solutions. Cholesterol is not simply a health villain; it’s an essential molecule with vital roles in hormonal health, vitamin production, and cellular communication.
Conclusion: Embrace a New Perspective on Cholesterol’s Role in Your Body
Alan Ogden’s perspective, grounded in both science and decades of clinical practice, reveals that cholesterol’s function in the body is far more nuanced than conventional wisdom suggests. The next time your annual bloodwork includes a cholesterol panel, ask yourself: What is my full health context? Could genetics or other metabolic factors be influencing my numbers? Are advanced tests or nutritional adjustments a better first step than medication?
As Alan encourages, don’t settle for an oversimplified “good versus bad” narrative. Understand the vital processes cholesterol fuels—from hormone creation to vitamin D synthesis and beyond—and explore comprehensive, evidence-informed ways to support your health as you age.
If you’re considering a deeper dive into your own cholesterol story, talk with a practitioner who understands genetics and metabolic individuality. And be sure to check out more discussions with Alan Ogden on the Your Second 50 podcast for further clarity—and inspiration—on making the most of your second 50 years.