The cholesterol controversy: Part I

When the word "cholesterol" comes up in conversation, most Americans react with some thought of "cholesterol equals heart disease." It is a fear that has been fed us since the 1950s, yet we are nearly the only country with that fear. Most countries laugh at our cholesterol hysteria. Why? Because it is mostly unfounded.

According to nutrition researcher and author Nina Planck:

"In 1998, a British National Health Service review found that blood cholesterol alone was a 'relatively poor predictor of individual risk.' The authors concluded that for the general population, 'cholesterol screening is unlikely to reduce mortality and can be misleading or even harmful.'"

She stated that "The American anticholesterol campaign, which British experts gently mock as 'know-your-number' medicine, baffles foreigners."

The study most quoted relative to cholesterol and its link to heart disease is the Framingham Heart Study. While barely over one half of the study participants with high cholesterol had heart attacks, a hair less had low or normal cholesterol levels - not enough of either to be statistically significant. Maryann Napoli, Associate Director of the Center for Medical Consumers, summarized Framingham researcher's findings: 'Cholesterol was identified as one, but only one, of 240 risk factors that included male baldness, creased ear lobes, and being married to a highly educated woman. Research focused on cholesterol because it is a modifiable risk factor (translation: drug industry opportunity)."

The antithesis to cholesterol being bad, is that it is actually an essential nutrient! Cholesterol is one of the most important components of brain and nerve cells, and organs (including the heart, kidneys, liver and sex organs). It is essential to making Vitamin D, bile acids (necessary to help metabolize dietary fats), and hormones (brain hormones, sex hormones, pain and anti-inflammatory hormones and others). What that means, is that without cholesterol, those organs cannot function correctly, and the body can't make enough of the hormones, so we have imbalances that lead to a myriad of "diseases."

The surprising (to some) function of cholesterol is that it is the healing serum of the body. As the authors of Human Nutrition and Dietetics describe low -density lipoproteins (LDL's), "their role is to deliver cholesterol to tissues for the vital functions of membrane synthesis and repair." In other words, when there is tissue damage, cholesterol, riding on its carrier "LDL," comes to the rescue to repair it. Be that skin tissue or arterial walls, without it, repair can't take place. If total cholesterol levels drop too low, the body is at increased risk of a cardiovascular event.

So if LDL's (the so-called "bad cholesterol") are high, the question should be asked, "Why?" "What is my body trying to repair?" If the LDL's are carrying the cholesterol to heal tissue, are they really the bad guys? Or, are they an indicator of something deeper that's amiss? The LDL's are akin to firefighters fighting a fire, not starting a fire.

Next in Part II: The truth about dietary cholesterol and fat, and what you can do to help your cholesterol levels and heart.

Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with more than 32 years of experience. She is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health-care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d'Alene clinic.

Visit Carling's website at www.vitalhealthandfitness.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. She can be reached at (208) 765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.