Not Cholesterol, But Cholesterol Oxidation Is The Culprit

There's No Correlation Between Just Lowering Your Cholesterol and Increased Longevity

By: Lee Cummings

“The majority of people who end up having heart attacks or stroke don’t have high cholesterol.”

The New York Times once published an article entitled – “U.S. calls for major cholesterol reductions” and which was also printed in numerous local papers.

Sounds like a great way to fight heart disease, right?

Let’s take a look at what the article does not tell you about lowering your cholesterol. Because you must understand the effects of artificially lowering your cholesterol levels without implementing other strategies which are crucial to your health.

Because the fact of the matter is the Framingham Heart study - which has followed people for over 5 decades - proved without a doubt that LDL cholesterol is just one of many misleading factors of heart disease.

In fact, LDL cholesterol levels are only a very minor factor of heart disease and only under certain conditions.

Here is a quote from Christie Ballantyne, M.D., a cardiologist from the Baylor College of Medicine – “The majority of people who end up having heart attacks or stroke don’t have high cholesterol.”

Here is another quote from an article in the Red Flags Daily By Malcolm Kendrick, M.D. who talks about the Framingham Study results as published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“There is a direct association between falling cholesterol levels over the first 14 years and mortality over the following 18 years.”

You guessed it, the mortality rate goes with falling cholesterol up .

Scientific research also suggests that as people lower their LDL cholesterol level, their chances for stroke go up.

What About Cholesterol Lowering Drugs?

Using cholesterol lowering drugs may artificially lower cholesterol levels, however, they may also increase the risk of death from stroke. And because of toxicity to the body, you could also face liver and kidney failure.

You see, your body not only produces cholesterol, it also needs cholesterol for a variety of functions. Cholesterol is an essential part of each and every cell membrane.

Cholesterol also provides the critical starting point and building block for the steroid hormones in our bodies. These hormones include testosterone and Estrogen.

It's the Oxidation of Cholesterol That is The Demon

As you can see, cholesterol itself is not bad. It is the oxidation of cholesterol which is just one of the factors of developing heart disease.

Oxidation of cholesterol is the more specific problem which would enable the cholesterol to become "sticky" and start to form plaque in the walls of the arteries.

We have all seen an apple cut open and watch as it turns brown - this is oxidation. Your body will oxidize on the inside unless steps are taken to help prevent this.

Antioxidants to the Rescue

The way to keep oxidation from damaging your cholesterol is to zap them with antioxidants! You can keep oxidation of cholesterol in check by eating plenty of food and supplements which are rich in antioxidants.

A few of the most powerful antioxidants are:

Coenzyme Q10
Vitamin E
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Alpha Lipoic Acid

And the mother of all antioxidants - Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA).ALA is produced naturally by your body but, as you age, your body produces less and less, so it is wise to supplement.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids Keep Your Cholesterol in Balance

There are also low-cost food sources which you can easily get, which are high in omega 3's and the right fats to help keep your cholesterol levels in balance.

A partial list is as follows:

Garlic
Ginger
Olive oil
Olives
Almonds
Walnuts
Flaxseed
Eggplant
Okra
Organic Eggs (stick with egg whites, egg yolks carry a lot of food cholesterol)
Fresh fruit

These foods are readily available and easily purchased, safe, and natural ways to help prevent cholesterol from becoming a problem.

And if you are someone who truly needs to lower their cholesterol, there is an organic plant alcohol from sugar cane which is a powerful ways to reduce bad cholesterol levels. It’s called - Policosanol (it's a mixture of fatty alcohols derived from waxes of sugar cane, yams, and bees wax) .

Ways to Raise Your HDL Levels (the Good Guys)

As for the majority of you, focus on raising your HDL cholesterol levels because as you raise your good cholesterol it decreases the concern about your LDL levels of cholesterol and gives you a better total cholesterol profile.

Some of the best ways to improve your “Good” or HDL cholesterol is through:

Exercise.
Vitamin D
Niacin
Alcohol

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with raising HDL cholesterol levels

Sources:

Framingham Heart Study conducted on healthy people since the 1950s. cholesterol misleading as only one of 240 factors in heart disease.
Health Sciences Institute e-alert “Cholesterol Cowboys”, August 2nd , 2004, Jenny Thompson
Dr. Al Sears Health Confidential for Men – “Ignore the hype focus on cholesterol that matters” April 4, 2004
Hyman, Mark M.D., Liponis, Mark M.D., Ultra-Prevention, The 6-Week Plan that will Make you healthy for life, New York, Scribner, 2003

About Lee Cummings

Lee Cummings has been helping people solve problems and feel better with proven nutrition for over 4 years. Lee publishes the montly LC Nutrition newsletter. For a no cost report, email: report@lc-nutrition.com.

More Like This…

Natural Ways to Lower Bad Cholesterol, Boost The Good, Improve Your HDL Factor and Get Healthy

Alternatives to Statin Drugs To Lower Cholesterol

What's your opinion?

Tell us what you think by writing a review. Please click on the "Write a Review" link at the very bottom of this page.

end of story