Dispel the Myths: High Cholesterol is Not to Blame for Heart Disease

(NaturalNews) Most people react to being told they have high cholesterol in the same way they would if they were told they have cancer. Somehow the idea of having high cholesterol can strike deep fear into the heart of a person. After all, doesn't a high cholesterol reading mean you are a walking heart attack waiting to happen?

That's what we've been told for decades by the media and the medical profession, but more recently evidence is coming to light that says high cholesterol may not be an accurate predictor of heart attack. This may come as a shock to anyone who has followed the idea that lowering your cholesterol will prevent heart disease. In fact, such ideas prevent people from looking at the big picture: there are many risk factors associated with heart disease, and putting all of the blame on cholesterol causes people to ignore other more prevalent factors.

Most people are familiar with the terms "good" cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol. HDL is considered good cholesterol, while LDL is considered bad. High LDL levels may not be as much of a risk factor if HDL levels are also high. In the same way, low HDL levels and moderate LDL may show up as a low cholesterol reading, but it might be a more dangerous arrangement than overall high cholesterol numbers.

In addition, traditional cholesterol readings do not look at the possible variations in LDL cholesterol particles. LDL is considered the "bad" cholesterol, but this is only half true. In simple terms, LDL particles can be either small or large. Large particles seem to do little harm in the body while small LDL particles do more serious damage and may be a more reliable predictor of heart disease.

It's important to keep in mind that one of cholesterol's many duties is to repair lesions in the arteries. So, the reality is that cholesterol in the arteries is a symptom of heart problems more than an actual cause. It does not actually travel to the heart just to stick to the walls of your arteries and give you heart disease. Cholesterol is really in your arteries because of damage that has already been incurred.

If high cholesterol itself was a clear predictor of heart attack, then you must assume that lowing cholesterol levels is an effective way to prevent heart attacks. This is simply not true. Looking at the combined results of more than 40 different trials which looked at whether lowering cholesterol levels reduced the occurrence of heart disease, you might be surprised at the results. Analysis shows there were similar rates of heart attack and overall mortality both in the groups who lowered their cholesterol and in those who did not.

A study done at the University Hospital in Toronto looked at 120 men who had previously had a heart attack. The study showed men with high cholesterol or low cholesterol were equally likely to have a second heart attack. Another Canadian study followed 5,000 men for twelve years and could not find a link between high cholesterol and heart attack.

A study called the Honolulu Heart Program was published in 2001. It looked at more than 8,000 individuals and made this statement: "Long-term persistence of low cholesterol concentration actually increases the risk of death. Thus, the earlier the patients start to have lower cholesterol concentrations, the greater the risk of death."

Of course, cholesterol levels shouldn't be ignored entirely. It's important to have an accurate picture of your overall health, and very high cholesterol may be an indicator of other risk factors. But simply lowering your cholesterol may not prevent the onset of heart disease. By taking some of the heat off cholesterol, people can truly take charge of their health by minimizing other risk factors such as stress, obesity and inactivity.

About the author
Elizabeth Walling is a freelance writer, specializing in articles about health and family nutrition. She is a strong believer in natural living as a way to improve health and prevent common illnesses.

Low Cholesterol Linked to Depression and Suicide

The next time you stop in for your annual check-up with your doctor, chances are you'll be checking on your cholesterol levels. With fears spiked about having high cholesterol, even those in the low-risk categories are monitoring their levels religiously. After all, there's nothing like the merit badge of a low cholesterol reading. It's good enough to put a big, bright smile right across your faceâ€"or it may just drive you into depression. That's right. Those charmingly low numbers may be the cause behind depression, anxiety, violence and even suicide.

This is hardly an extremist idea fed by a few confused souls. Just take a look in the British Medical Journal published in September of 1996, where a French study looked at over 6,000 men. The study revealed that men with low cholesterol were three times more likely to commit suicide. A similar study at Payne Whitney Clinic in New York showed a similar result: when dividing men into four groups based on cholesterol levels, suicide risk doubled in the group with the lowest levels.

Equally as disturbing is the link between low cholesterol and violent, impulsive behavior. Dr. Vivian Mitropoulou and her colleagues at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York examined 42 patients with personality disorders. Low cholesterol was a strong indicator of irrationally aggressive behavior.

Just one of the many studies linking low cholesterol to deep depression came from Finland's National Public Health Institute, where a study of almost 30,000 people showed men with lower cholesterol readings were the most likely to suffer from crippling depression.

All of these disorders may be explained by low serotonin levels, which are often connected to violent and suicidal behavior. Dr. Beatrice Golomb from The University of California looked at studies linking low cholesterol to violence. She points out that studies which placed monkeys on a diet low in fat and cholesterol suffered from dramatically lower serotonin levels. These low-serotonin monkeys exhibited climbing aggression and violence.

Of course, these findings aren't enough to convince most doctors to overlook other evidence that points toward cholesterol causing health problems. After all, they need to keep writing prescriptions for those cholesterol-lowering drugs that draw in billions of dollars to the industry each year.

Aside from that, these findings are something to seriously consider if you've had a history of depression or violence and your cholesterol levels are running low. Your physician may claim these levels are good for your heart, but there's a chance they could be affecting your head.