You can hear or read it everywhere : cholesterol is bad for you, cholesterol can lead to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and dietary cholesterol has no place in a bodybuilding diet. What if we say that all these claims are all false?

Cholesterol is a waxy substance created in the liver and it is responsible and even essential for a wide range of normal body functions and between them is also muscle growth. Dietary cholesterol has little influence on levels of blood cholesterol or the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In fact, very low blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of depression, anxiety, respiratory illness, and stroke.

Cholesterol is also responsible for gaining muscle. Eating a diet that's higher in cholesterol may be better for building muscle and increasing strength, according to new research from Kent State University in Ohio.

In the study 47 adults (age 60-69) were put on a 12 week training program and tested for strength and muscle mass.They were divided in two groups that consumed same (moderate) amounts of protein a day, but different amounts of cholesterol a day.After 12 weeks of weight training, the lower-cholesterol group (1.6mg/lb) increased strength by about 35% with no increase in muscle mass.The subjects from the high cholesterol consuming group (2.6mg/lb) increased their strength by 90% and saw an increase in muscle mass of about 5 lbs.

The reason of why the high cholesterol group gained more muscle and strength is not exactly known, but it's speculated that cholesterol is important for testosterone production as well as maintaining the integrity of muscle cell membranes.In other words, cholesterol may be necessary for building muscle and strength.

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