7 Factors to Consider if You're Told Your Cholesterol Is Too High

Cholesterol is a vital substance that is needed for hormonal production, bile production and for the proper functioning of the nervous system. The human brain is composed of approximately 25% cholesterol. Low cholesterol is therefore every bit as dangerous as high cholesterol, but for different reasons.

Contrary to previous beliefs, it is now becoming more clear that dietary cholesterol intake doesn't have as dramatic of an impact as previously thought on blood cholesterol levels.

The well known Framingham Heart Study, showed that in most age groups, high cholesterol wasn’t associated with more deaths. In fact, for older people, deaths were more common with low cholesterol.

Three-quarters of people having a first heart attack have normal cholesterol levels.

Dr. Lipman discusses seven things you need to know when you have a talk with your doctor about your cholesterol level.

Here is a summary:

#1: Flawed Cholesterol Science Has Done Untold Harm... - This includes Dr. Ancel Keys’ 1953 Seven Countries Study, which linked the consumption of dietary fat to coronary heart disease. When Keys published his analysis that claimed to prove this link, he selectively included information from only seven countries, despite having data from 22 countries at his disposal. The studies he excluded were those that did not fit with his preconceived hypothesis. Once the data from all 22 countries is analyzed, the correlation vanishes.

#2: Cholesterol Is Important for Health - Cholesterol, a soft, waxy substance, is found not only in your bloodstream but also in every cell in your body, where it helps to produce cell membranes, hormones (including the sex hormones testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen), and bile acids that help you digest fat. It’s also important for the production of vitamin D, which is vital for optimal health. When sunlight strikes your bare skin, the cholesterol in your skin is converted into vitamin D. It also serves as insulation for your nerve cells.

Cholesterol is also important for brain health, and helps with the formation of your memories. Low levels of HDL cholesterol has been linked to memory loss and Alzheimer's disease and may also increase your risk of depression, stroke, violent behavior, and suicide.

#3: Total Cholesterol Tells You Virtually Nothing About Your Health Risk - Your liver makes about three-quarters or more of your body's cholesterol, which can be divided into two types:

• High-density lipoprotein or HDL: This is known as the "good" cholesterol, which may actually help prevent heart disease.
• Low-density lipoprotein or LDL: This "bad" cholesterol circulates in your blood and, according to conventional thinking, may build up in your arteries, forming plaque that makes your arteries narrow and less flexible (atherosclerosis). If a clot forms in one of these narrowed arteries leading to your heart or brain, a heart attack or stroke may result. Large LDL particles are not harmful. Only small dense LDL particles can potentially be a problem, as they can squeeze through the lining of your arteries. If they oxidize, they can cause damage and inflammation.

#4: Dig Deeper into Your Risk Factors... - Fortunately, once you know about particle size numbers, you can take control of your health and either ask your doctor for this test, or order it yourself. Kresser recommends using the NMR LipoProfile. All major labs offer it, including LabCorp and Quest. As noted by Dr. Lipman, if your doctor tells you your cholesterol is too high based on the standard lipid profile, getting a more complete picture is important—especially if you have a family history of heart disease or other risk factors.

#5: Be Very Wary of Pro-Statin Studies - Most pro-statin studies are sponsored by the drug manufacturers, which will typically skew results in their favor. Worse yet, conflicts of interest have become more of the norm than the exception when guidelines are created. For example, the revised and highly controversial cholesterol-treatment guidelines issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in 2013 were created by a number of individuals who had conflicting interests.

#6: Assess Your Actual Need for a Cholesterol-Lowering Drug - As noted by Dr. Lipman, cholesterol-lowering drugs are not required or prudent for the majority of people—especially if high cholesterol and longevity run in your family. “Regardless, don’t be afraid to push back and tell your doc you’d prefer to avoid drug therapies,” he writes. “Assuming you’re not in a mission critical situation, discuss the possibility of trying a more holistic approach to get your numbers down to what is considered a normal or healthy zone based on all of your specific risk factors, not just your cholesterol numbers.”

In addition to the tests mentioned earlier, including the NMR Lipoprofile, the following tests can give you a far better assessment of your heart disease risk than your total cholesterol alone:

• HDL/Cholesterol ratio: HDL percentage is a very potent heart disease risk factor. Just divide your HDL level by your total cholesterol. That percentage should ideally be above 24 percent.
• Triglyceride/HDL ratios: You can also do the same thing with your triglycerides and HDL ratio. That percentage should be below 2.
• Your fasting insulin level: Any meal or snack high in carbohydrates like fructose and refined grains generates a rapid rise in blood glucose and then insulin to compensate for the rise in blood sugar. The insulin released from eating too many carbs promotes fat accumulation and makes it more difficult for your body to shed excess weight. Excess fat, particularly around your belly, is one of the major contributors to heart disease
• Your fasting blood sugar level: Studies have shown that people with a fasting blood sugar level of 100-125 mg/dl had a nearly 300 percent increase higher risk of having coronary heart disease than people with a level below 79 mg/dl.
• Your iron level: Iron can be a very potent oxidative stress, so if you have excess iron levels you can damage your blood vessels and increase your risk of heart disease. Ideally, you should monitor your ferritin levels and make sure they are not much above 80 ng/ml. The simplest way to lower them if they are elevated is to donate your blood. If that is not possible you can have a therapeutic phlebotomy and that will effectively eliminate the excess iron from your body.

#7: Focus on Boosting Your HDLs - The science of heart disease is still imprecise. As noted by Dr. Lipman: “Ultimately, the more HDL-boosting steps you take, the better the odds, and if you’re able to do it without medicating the numbers, so much the better.” What exactly are these steps? Needless to say, your diet has a lot to do with it, and step number one is to ignore conventional advice to eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.

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