CHOLESTEROL LINK TO THE FLU

New research from the University of Illinois suggests high levels of dietary cholesterol are linked with more severe illness when people are infected with influenza. The study is the first to link cholesterol in the diet with exacerbation of a viral infection. Previously, scientists linked high-fat diets and elevated blood cholesterol with increased susceptibility to infection. But few studies have separated out the contribution of cholesterol in these infections, and none have delineated the effect of dietary cholesterol. “We knew high serum cholesterol levels can lead to higher risk of sepsis in influenza infections and that statins – cholesterol-lowering medications – can improve survival during influenza pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2 infection, and sepsis. But it wasn’t clear whether or how dietary cholesterol was involved,” says lead researcher Allison Louie. Cholesterol is essential in the body. It’s part of our cell membranes, helps us make hormones and Vitamin D, and allows for proper immune cell function. Our bodies manufacture it for us, requiring little from dietary sources. The research indicates that a high-cholesterol diet may cause an aberrant immune response in the lungs.