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- Total Cholesterol Health: A New Concept
- By:Kurt Hagemeister
Most of us have been told by doctors, drug companies, and the health media
that the key to lowering the risk of heart disease is to reduce our LDL (bad)
cholesterol. It is characterized as the villain that gunks up our arteries
and causes heart attacks. Well, this is only partly true; but at best, it is
a gross oversimplification of the cholesterol problem. At worst, it’s a myth
that lulls us all into a false sense of security about our cardiovascular
health by leading us to feel safe once we’ve dropped our bad cholesterol
count.
A broader view of cholesterol is needed which encompasses 6 key elements
affecting heart disease risk: LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, Triglycerides,
Oxidized LDL cholesterol, Homocysteine, and Inflammation. This view takes
into account the entire process in which cholesterol is transformed from a
harmless substance into dangerous plaque buildups in the arteries. Here are
summaries of each element….
1. LDL (stands for low density lipoprotein) cholesterol is NOT bad by itself.
In fact, it’s vital to life. Without it, none of us would live more than a
day. Cholesterol is used by the body to create various hormones, digestive
enzymes, and sheathing for nerve cells. Also, almost 80% of cholesterol is
produced by the liver. Only 20% comes from our food. So, for the most part,
cholesterol is not this “bad stuff” that comes from outside our bodies.
2. HDL (good) cholesterol, unlike LDL, is desirable. You want more of it in
your body because it transports bad cholesterol back to the liver for
processing.
So, we should NOT be focusing on just getting rid of all the cholesterol we
can. We should be trying to achieve Total Cholesterol Health in which HDL (
good) cholesterol is high enough, and LDL (bad) cholesterol is in a healthy
range. But, there’s still much more to cholesterol health than this.
3. Triglycerides are fat storage cells in your blood that increase when you
eat more fatty or processed foods, drink too much alcohol, or don’t get
enough exercise. Basically, your risk of heart disease goes up as your
triglyceride count rises. So, you want to lower your triglycerides as much
as you can. The cholesterol count done by your doctor measures triglycerides.
4. Oxidized LDL cholesterol is at the core of the problem. If LDL gets
oxidized by what’s known as free radicals (unstable molecules with extra
electrons that are produced normally by the body), it can set off a chain of
metabolic events that leads to plaque formation in the arteries. And when
plaques increase enough, they can cause blockages which can rupture and lead
to heart attacks, or even to strokes. Research has shown that the less
oxidized LDL cholesterol you have, the lower your risk of heart disease.
5. Homocysteine is a byproduct in our bodies produced when an essential amino
acid called methionine is broken down. It is common in dairy products,
canned foods, meat, and highly processed foods. The more of these foods you
eat, the more homocysteine will be produced. The body can deal with this
problem up to a point. B vitamins (B6, B12, Folic acid) are used to convert
homocysteine back into a harmless substance. But, if there is either too
much of it being produced, or the body is deficient in these B vitamins,
homocysteine will increase.
How is too much homocysteine a problem? Basically, it can damage the inner
walls of the arteries starting the process leading to the buildup of plaque.
Also, it can trigger LDL cholesterol to oxidize. The higher the level of
homocysteine, the greater the risk of heart attacks. There’s no level in the
blood that’s considered safe.
6. Inflammation is at the center of a lot of research related to heart
disease. Inflammation is a normal process in the body that is critical in
dealing with injuries. Once the injury is repaired, the inflammation ends.
However, when the inflammation process attacks healthy cells and tissues for
whatever reason, big health problems can result. If this continues
indefinitely, a “chronic” inflammation results, such as what can occur in our
arteries if the formation of plaque goes on long enough. Although, it is not
known for sure how inflammation triggers plaques to rupture causing heart
attacks, it IS known to be a serious indicator of heart health problems.
In addition, inflammation is believed to be the core reason for many
degenerative diseases including arthritis, Alzheimers, fibromyalgia, macular