It's puzzling how people worry about high cholesterol without knowing the facts. I am amazed at the number of folks on statin drugs, enduring pain and complications of them, yet not fully understanding the mechanisms of cholesterol, LDL, and HDL in the body.
 
Why not question your doctor as to why they're prescribing pharmaceutical drugs to lower a natural hormone (cholesterol) that we can not live without.

In this article, I will explain what cholesterol is, what purpose it has in our bodies, and why some people have more than others. I will also show you what LLD and HDL, also known as ("good" or "bad" cholesterol) really are and their purpose in our bodies. And, lastly, I will show you the best way to intervene and lower your high cholesterol and why statin drugs may not be your best solution.

So, what is cholesterol? Cholesterol is defined by wordnetweb.princeton as, "an animal sterol that is normally synthesized by the liver; the most abundant steroid in animal tissues."  You see, cholesterol is naturally occurring, produced in our bodies and we can not live without it. The purpose of cholesterol is to repair damaged cells, it is a steroid hormone precursor, and it is needed for fat digestion and vitamin D formation in the skin.

So, why is something so important getting a bad rap? Because too much cholesterol can build up on arterial walls and contribute to blockage and heart attack risk. Although, studies show that the amount of calcium in one's blood may be a better predictor of heart disease.
 

"The amount of calcium in the coronary vessels, as measured by CT, is of high predictive value for subsequent serious or fatal heart attack in these patients, independent of the patient's age, sex and other coronary risk factors," said the study's lead author, Marcus Hacker, M.D., resident physician in the Department of Nuclear Medicine...

...CAD is a condition in which plaque, consisting of cholesterol, calcium, fat and other substances, builds up inside the arteries that supply blood to the heart. When plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, blood flow to the heart is reduced and may lead to arrhythmia, heart attack or heart failure.

Starting to see some discrepancies? Let me confuse inform you more of the idiosyncrasies. We are told that LDL is our "good cholesterol" and HDL is our "bad cholesterol" when, in fact, they are not cholesterol at all. LDL is the technical term for low density lipoprotein and HDL is high density lipoprotein; yes protein! They are actually forms of protein that transport cholesterol to and from cells.

LDL transports cholesterol to cells to be used, while HDL is believed to transport cholesterol away from cells to be recycled in the liver or excreted from our bodies. So, you see, they are markers for how much cholesterol may be in your body, not cholesterol at all. 

What's really the problem?

Evidence from Dr. Mercola, "The fixation on cholesterol as a major cause of heart disease defies the last 15 years of science and deflects from real causes such as the damage (via glycation) that sugars such as glucose and fructose inflict on tissues, including the lining of arteries, causing chronic inflammation and resultant plaque."

Inflammation? Yes, chronic inflammation is the cause of heart disease and not cholesterol. Cholesterol is a symptom and simply a form of inflammation our bodies produce in response to cellular and arterial damage. That damage being caused by foods such as sugars, grains, and omega 6 fatty acids such as vegetable oil.

Inflammation is the key predictor of heart disease but not its cause. In order to reduce your risk of heart disease one must reduce the cause of inflammation - that means to reduce the things in your life that cause inflammation. Reducing such things as sugar and simple carbohydrate intake, processed foods, smoking, stress, and high blood pressure will reduce inflammation and have a profound effect on your heart and overall health.

Statin drugs should be carefully scrutinized upon their consideration. "Low cholesterol levels have been shown to worsen patients with congestive heart failure, a life-threatening condition where the heart becomes too weak to effectively pump blood. Statin drugs have been shown to also cause nerve damage and to greatly impair memory.

What's more, statin drugs cause considerable damage to muscles, causing muscle atrophy, aches, and pains.

Hmm, isn't the heart a muscle, too?

Start today! Start taking care of your heart, your health, and your longevity by eating foods your grandmother would recognize such as vegetables, fruits, meat, nuts, and seeds. These are the foods nature intended for us. They are high in nutrients and antioxidants, keep you satiated, and they won't leave you with chronic inflammation like processed foods may.

Call for your free consultation today and let's get busy!