You go in for routine or screening labs and the results come back that your cholesterol is high. Your provider gives you the whole spiel, except you’re already eating pretty well, moving your body, and doing what you always have, so what the hell is going on?.
In this episode, I break down why cholesterol often changes in perimenopause, and no — it’s not just about fat or “eating better.”
We talk through:
How estrogen shifts affect cholesterol production and clearance
LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and ApoB explained in real-life terms
Why ratios matter more than total cholesterol
The role your liver and blood sugar play behind the scenes
What actually supports healthy cholesterol in midlife (without extremes)
This is a practical, science-backed conversation meant to clear up the confusion, connect the dots, and help you understand what your labs are really telling you — so you can decide your next steps with confidence instead of panic.
If you’ve ever looked at your results and thought, I’m doing everything right… so what gives?
This episode will make it make sense.
Some references for the fellow nerds out there:
El Khoudary SR et al. Menopause transition and cardiovascular disease risk. Circulation.
Rosenson RS et al. Apolipoprotein B and cardiovascular risk assessment. J Am Coll Cardiol.
Grundy SM et al. 2018 AHA/ACC Cholesterol Guidelines.
Taskinen MR et al. Triglycerides and insulin resistance. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol.
Younossi ZM et al. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic health. Hepatology.
Mensink RP et al. Effects of dietary fats on blood lipids. Am J Clin Nutr.
Stanhope KL. Sugar consumption, lipogenesis, and cardiometabolic risk. Curr Opin Lipidol.
Want a personalized, grown-ass woman plan of your own? Book your Functional Nutrition Session for a one-time down and dirty review of what you're currently doing and the tweaks I'd make to help you improve your energy, support your hormones and feel better in general.
Learn more here: Function Nutrition Session
Check out Hormone Health 101 if you want just the basics on WTF our hormones even are and what they do!
