Many people have been taught that high cholesterol leads to heart attacks and heart disease. But is that true? Well, the answer is NOT REALLY. But before we talk about the association between cholesterol and heart disease, let's first discuss cholesterol.
What is cholesterol? Well, for starters, it isn't a fat. Instead, it's more like a waxy, fat-like substance. Your body manufactures some cholesterol. Your body also absorbs some dietary cholesterol — which is found in foods such as meat and eggs. Cholesterol is vital to your health because, among other important functions, it helps build your body's cells and produces certain hormones. But your body makes enough cholesterol to meet its needs. You don't need any dietary cholesterol.
With that said, the recommendation for cholesterol intake is less than 300 milligrams a day. If you're at high risk for cardiovascular disease, the recommendation is less than 200 milligrams a day. Major sources of cholesterol include eggs and egg dishes, chicken dishes, beef dishes and hamburgers. Other sources include seafood, dairy products, lard and butter. [Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010]
Excessive cholesterol in your diet CAN increase your LDL cholesterol level. But does this increase your risk of heart disease and stroke? What most people don't understand is that HEART DISEASE IS AN INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF THE ARTERY and not a disease of cholesterol.
Contrary to popular belief, researchers have found that more than 50% of patients who have heart attacks in this country have normal cholesterol levels. You might want to read that again. Our LDL cholesterol level isn't the issue. It's our OXIDIZED LDL cholesterol that is the problem. It is the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and oxidation of the arterial walls, leading to inflammation, which appears to be the primary cause of atherosclerosis and heart disease, according to the medical literature today.
So if oxidation is the problem, how does LDL cholesterol get oxidized? It gets oxidized by MANY different sources: cigarette smoke, "bad" foods, drugs, stress, pesticides, and pollution are common sources.
As far as the arterial walls, they can be oxidized by toxins, which cause inflammation and plaque buildup, regardless of a person's cholesterol level. One of the biggest culprits that causes oxidation of the arteries is something called homocysteine. (You can have your homocysteine level checked and should do so.) For optimal health, your homocysteine level should be less than 7.0. Homocysteine is second only to cigarette smoke in causing damage to the arteries, inflammation, and plaque buildup, which causes atherosclerosis, and eventually heart disease and death. This, again, is independent of your cholesterol level. High LDL cholesterol is only bad if it is oxidized. It is oxidation that is the key to heart disease. If your LDL cholesterol were not oxidized, and your arteries were not oxidized and inflamed, you would not develop atherosclerosis and heart attack...even if your LDL cholesterol were elevated.
The greater the oxidation from sources such as cigarette smoke, homocysteine, "bad" foods, lack of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, drugs, stress, pesticides, and pollution, the more likely you are to develop heart disease. And as a matter of fact, greater oxidation puts you at greater risk for stroke, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease as well.
So how do we control this oxidation? We consume antioxidants. The more antioxidants we put in our body, the broader the type of antioxidants we put into our body, and the better the quality of antioxidants we put into our body, the less chance we will have of developing a degenerative disease or experiencing premature death. This is the primary reason you need to look at consuming high quality supplements. It is truly your best health insurance. The key here is also understanding the meaning of the phrase "high quality" and then learning how to identify such supplements. Then the next key is actually taking them!
If you do not consume an optimal level of antioxidants DAILY, the cells in your body cannot fully protect themselves. And without proper protection, cellular repair processes will ultimately wear out and the result will be disease. Understand that the health of your body is determined by the health of the cells that make up your body. The key to having excellent health is to maintain healthy cells. So PROTECT them!
Also take note that essential fatty acids, along with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants help protect the cells from oxidative damage and inflammation. In fact, the medical research indicates that taking nutritional supplements: vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids, along with a healthy diet and exercise, is the BEST and SAFEST option for possibly reducing the risk of several chronic degenerative diseases, including, but not limited to, heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, cancer, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, numerous autoimmune diseases, as well as many chronic inflammatory diseases, such as fibromyalgia and ulcerative colitis.
But even though this is true, many people still rely on drugs to save them from heart attacks or heart disease. And if you are one of those that put all your faith in cholesterol-lowering drugs, you should be asking yourself why heart disease hasn't significantly declined when people have spent decades lowering their cholesterol. Don't you find it interesting that the number one cause of death in both men and women is still heart disease and stroke? I hope this wakes you up and gets you asking more questions. Your health is precious. You owe it to yourself to understand the truth.
You should also be asking yourself about the safety of these cholesterol-lowering drugs. Have you ever really taken notice of ALL of the side effects? While I will never encourage others to stop taking their medications, I will encourage them to discuss the benefits and risks with their doctor. In addition, I will encourage them to start learning about the link between poor nutrition and disease. The answer lies in changing dietary and supplementation habits, not in taking drugs.
Did you know, in the U.S. alone, there are over 100,000 deaths per year from drugs? These deaths are not a result of drugs that are mis-prescribed. These deaths are a result of drugs that were taken THE WAY THEY WERE PRESCRIBED. Prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. This fact is often ignored, or not known, when a drug is prescribed for cholesterol or blood pressure. Think about that the next time you are handed a prescription drug and told not to worry about it. Also, keep in mind how many deaths occur per year in the U.S. from following a proper diet and taking quality supplements. The answer is none! Which path are you going to follow?
Don't get me wrong. Drugs do have a place in this world, but drugs should be a last priority, behind proper diet, proper supplementation, and exercise (except, of course, in critical situations). The problem today is that drugs are either prescribed when unnecessary or over-prescribed. Understand that there is a better way, a healthier way, and also a less expensive way to manage your health. And remember, a drug only fixes a symptom. Modifying nutritional habits gets to the root of the problem. So the only path to the root of the problem is through proper diet, proper supplementation, and exercise, although pharmaceutical companies may not want you to follow that path.
The final point I want to make is this: We are not born into this world deficient of drugs such as statin drugs. We do, however, become deficient in nutrients our body needs to remain healthy, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. And there are numerous studies that show that proper diet, exercise, and proper supplementation, such as fish oil, do more to lower the risk of death from heart attacks than do cholesterol-lowering drugs.
I hope this gives you a better understanding of the link between cholesterol and heart disease.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to send me a message.
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