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 In the United States, the idea that cholesterol is evil is very much ingrained in most people’s minds. But this is a very harmful myth that needs to be put to rest right now. As Ron Rosedale, MD, who is widely considered to be the leading anti-aging doctor in the United States, points out9:
“First and foremost, cholesterol is a vital component of every cell membrane on Earth. In other words, there is no life on Earth that can live without cholesterol. That will automatically tell you that, in of itself, it cannot be evil. In fact it is one of our best friends. We would not be here without it. No wonder lowering cholesterol too much increases one's risk of dying. Cholesterol also is a precursor to all of the steroid hormones. You cannot make estrogen, testosterone, cortisone, and a host of other vital hormones without cholesterol.”
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found not only in your bloodstream but also in every cell in your body, where it helps to produce cell membranes, hormones, vitamin D and bile acids that help you to digest fat. Cholesterol also helps in the formation of memories and is vital for your neurological function.
Other “evidence” that cholesterol is good for you?
Consider the role of “good” HDL cholesterol. Essentially, HDL takes cholesterol from your body’s tissues and arteries, and brings it back to your liver, where most of your cholesterol is produced. If the purpose of this was to eliminate cholesterol from your body, it would make sense that the cholesterol would be shuttled back to your kidneys or intestines so your body could remove it.
Instead, it goes back to your liver.
Why?
Because your liver is going to reuse it.
“It is taking it back to your liver so that your liver can recycle it; put it back into other particles to be taken to tissues and cells that need it,” Dr. Rosedale says. “Your body is trying to make and conserve the cholesterol for the precise reason that it is so important, indeed vital, for health.”
Do You Really Have “High” Cholesterol?
Sally Fallon, the president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and Mary Enig, Ph.D, an expert in lipid biochemistry, have gone so far as to call high cholesterol “an invented disease, a ‘problem’ that emerged when health professionals learned how to measure cholesterol levels in the blood.”10
And this explanation is spot on.
If you have increased levels of cholesterol, it is at least in part because of increased inflammation in your body. The cholesterol is there to do a job: help your body heal and repair.
Conventional medicine misses the boat entirely when they recommend that lowering cholesterol is the way to reduce your risk of heart attacks, because what is actually needed is to address whatever is causing your body damage -- and leading to increased inflammation and then increased cholesterol.
Further, there is absolutely NO evidence to show that lowering your LDL cholesterol to 100 or below is good for you, but what do you think the American Heart Association STILL recommends?
Lowering your LDL cholesterol levels to less than 100.11
And to make matters worse, the standard recommendation to get to that level almost always includes cholesterol-lowering drugs.
The Risks of Lowering Your Cholesterol Too Much
The common mindset in much of the developed world is that lowering your total blood cholesterol below 200 mg/dL is a key to good heart health. In reality, lowering your cholesterol does nothing to address any underlying problems … and lowering it too much can seriously devastate your health.
One large study conduced by Dutch researchers found that men with chronically low cholesterol levels showed a consistently higher risk of having depressive symptoms.12 This may be because cholesterol affects the metabolism of serotonin, a substance involved in the regulation of your mood.
On a similar note, Canadian researchers found that those in the lowest quarter of total cholesterol concentration had more than six times the risk of committing suicide as did those in the highest quarter.13
Dozens of studies also support a connection between low or lowered cholesterol levels and violent behavior, through this same pathway: lowered cholesterol levels may lead to lowered brain serotonin activity, which may, in turn, lead to increased violence and aggression.14
And one meta-analysis of over 41,000 patient records found that people who take statin drugs to lower their cholesterol as much as possible may have a higher risk of cancer,15 while other studies have linked low cholesterol to Parkinson’s disease.
What cholesterol level is too low?
Brace yourself.
Probably any level much under 150, an optimum would be more like 200.
So how do you know if your cholesterol really is too high?
How to Find Out What Your Cholesterol Levels Really Mean
Personally, I believe anything above 330 is likely too high. But another powerful way to determine if you’re at risk from abnormal cholesterol metabolism is to check your ratio of HDL, or “good” cholesterol, and your total cholesterol.
Your HDL percentage is a very potent heart disease risk factor.
Simply divide your HDL level by your cholesterol. That percentage should ideally be above 25 percent. Typically, the higher the better, as there are no known side effects of having too high good cholesterol.
If your ratio falls below 15-20 percent you are at high risk, and below 10 percent, it’s a significant indicator of risk for heart disease.
You can also do the same thing with your triglycerides and HDL ratio. That percentage should be below 2.
Keep in mind, however, that these are still simply guidelines, and there’s a lot more that goes into your risk of heart disease than any one of these numbers.
Do You Want to Safely and Effectively Optimize Your Cholesterol Levels?
First, please realize that simply lowering your dietary cholesterol intake is not an effective primary strategy.
Why?
Because 75 percent of your cholesterol is produced by your liver, which is influenced by your insulin levels. Therefore, if you optimize your insulin levels, you will also regulate your cholesterol levels.
One of the most powerful ways you can do that is by exercising, and paying attention to the foods you eat. Foods that increase your insulin levels will also contribute to high cholesterol by making your liver produce more of it.
With that in mind, here are my primary recommendations for safely regulating your cholesterol levels:
1. Get the right amount of exercise. When you exercise you increase your circulation and the blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of fighting an illness before it has the opportunity to spread.
2. Make sure you’re getting plenty of high-quality, animal-based omega3-fats, such as those from krill oil.
3. Reduce, with the plan of eliminating, grains and sugars in your daily diet.
4. Eat the right foods for your nutritional type.
5. Eat a good portion of your food raw.
6. Eat healthy, preferably raw, fats that correspond to your nutritional type. This includes:
• Olive oil
• Coconut and coconut oil
• Organic raw dairy products (including butter, cream, sour cream, cheese, etc.)
• Avocados
• Raw nuts
• Seeds
• Eggs (lightly cooked with yolks intact or raw)
• Organic, grass-fed meats
7. Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol excessively.
8. Address your emotional challenges. I particularly love Meridian Tapping Techniques (MTT) for stress management.
As you’ll notice, these recommendations are all lifestyle-based, meaning that with a few key changes to your diet, activity level and emotional health your cholesterol levels will naturally optimize -- without the need for statin drugs or supplements like red yeast rice.
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[9] Mercola.com, Cholesterol is NOT the Cause of Heart Disease, Ron Rosedale May 28, 2005 http://www.mercola.com/2005/may/28/cholesterol_heart.htm (Accessed July 3, 2009)
[10] Fallon, S. and Mary Enig. “Dangers of Statin Drugs: What You Haven’t Been Told About Popular Cholesterol-Lowering Medicines,” The Weston A. Price Foundation http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/statin.html (Accessed July 3, 2009)
[11] American Heart Association, “What Your Cholesterol Level Means,” accessed May 22, 2008 http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=183 (Accessed July 3, 2009)
[12] Psychosomatic Medicine 2000;62.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/03/26/cholesterol-depression.aspx
[13] Epidemiology 2001 Mar;12:168-72
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/08/08/suicide.aspx
[14] Annals of Internal Medicine (1998;128(6):478-487)
The Journal of the American Medical Association (1997;278:313-321)
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/01/02/low-cholesterol-linked-to-violence.aspx
[15] Journal of the American College of Cardiology July 31, 2007; 50:409-418 http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/short/50/5/409
Article from http://blogs.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/rss.aspx [half way down]. Dr. Mercola is a private doctor in Chicago.
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Why You Need CholesterolTuesday, 01 September 2009 In the United States, the idea that cholesterol is evil is very much ingrained in most people’s minds. But this is a very harmful myth that needs...
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