You eat well. You exercise. You’ve cut back on fried food and started paying attention to your fat intake. But your Cholesterol is still high, and you’re left wondering what else you can change.
This is where most patients get stuck. But here at Kairos Integrative Care, we often find that stubborn cholesterol has less to do with what you’re eating and more to do with how your body processes and clears cholesterol behind the scenes. It may reflect underlying issues with liver function, thyroid health, genetics, metabolic flexibility, or even chronic stress. Let’s find the problem.
Causes of High Cholesterol That Go Beyond Diet
When cholesterol stays high despite your best efforts, here are some common, but often overlooked, root causes we investigate:
1. Your Liver Isn’t Clearing Cholesterol Well
Your liver is where cholesterol gets filtered, broken down, and sent out of the body. If it’s under stress, inflamed, or lacking the nutrients it needs, like choline or taurine, the clearance process slows down, and cholesterol builds up in your bloodstream.
2. Your Genes Play a Role
Some people are genetically wired to have higher cholesterol. If you carry the ApoE4 gene or have a family history of high LDL (like familial hypercholesterolemia), your body may struggle to clear cholesterol efficiently. These patterns require a personalized plan, not just a low-fat food list.
2. You’re Missing Key Nutrients for Clearance
Cholesterol doesn’t leave your body on its own. It needs bile, thyroid hormones, and liver support to be cleared properly. When nutrients like choline, selenium, zinc, or taurine are low, the whole system slows down.
3. Your Thyroid Is Underactive
Even a mild thyroid slowdown can affect how your liver clears cholesterol. You might not feel hypothyroid, but your lab work and your LDL might tell a different story. That’s why we always check full thyroid function, not just TSH.
4. You’re Following a Trendy Diet
Not everybody does well on keto or high-fat paleo. If your cholesterol is already high, too much saturated fat, even from “clean” foods, can make things worse. This is especially true if you’re an ApoE4 carrier. The right diet depends on your biology.
5. You May Have Insulin Resistance
High insulin levels make it harder for your liver to clear LDL. This often goes unnoticed because your blood sugar might still look normal. But insulin resistance can silently drive up cholesterol and inflammation over time.
6. You’re Under Chronic Stress
When stress is constant, your body shifts into survival mode. Cortisol rises, thyroid hormones dip, inflammation builds, and your cholesterol clearance suffers. It’s not about managing stress with a bubble bath. It’s about regulating your nervous system with the right strategy..
How We Test Smarter at Kairos
If you’ve only been told your total cholesterol is too high, you’re not getting the full picture. Here’s what your doctor probably isn’t testing:
- ApoB: Tells us how many LDL particles your body is producing (a better marker than total LDL)
- ApoE Genotype: Shows us how your genes handle cholesterol and saturated fat
- LDL Particle Size & Oxidation: Small, dense, or oxidized particles are more dangerous, and harder to clear
- Insulin & HOMA-IR: Reveals hidden metabolic dysfunction that affects liver clearance
- Full Thyroid Panel: We test Free T3, T4, and reverse T3 for better insight
Easy Ways to Lower Cholesterol Naturally
Are you giving your body what it needs to clear cholesterol the way it was designed to? Alongside advanced testing and personalized care, simple daily habits can go a long way in helping your body clear cholesterol more effectively:
Walk after meals: Even a short 10–15 minute walk after eating can help balance blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and support liver function.
Prioritize restful sleep: Getting 7–8 hours of quality sleep helps regulate hormones, calm inflammation, and improve how your metabolism clears cholesterol.
Eat more fiber: Soluble fiber from oats, flaxseed, chia, beans, and vegetables helps bind excess cholesterol and supports gut and liver health.
Go easy on alcohol: Drinking less reduces the stress on your liver, which plays a key role in filtering and clearing cholesterol from your system.
Manage stress intentionally: Simple practices like deep breathing, grounding, or morning sunlight can lower cortisol, support your thyroid, and help LDL clearance.
Stay hydrated: Drinking enough water throughout the day keeps your bile flowing, which is essential for cholesterol elimination and detox.
Final Thought
If your cholesterol is still high, even though you eat well and take care of yourself, it’s time to look deeper. At Kairos Integrative Care, we go beyond surface-level numbers. We look at your genes, hormones, liver function, and lifestyle to find out what’s really going on.
Lola, one of our board certified nurse practitioners, uses advanced labs and a functional medicine approach to uncover the root cause, so you can finally get answers that make sense. We proudly serve Houston, Sugar Land & nearby areas 77046 & 77478.
Ready to take the next step? Book your personalized cholesterol review today.
