If the diagnosis of high cholesterol sounds like a death sentence to your ears,
you may be the victim of cholesterol propaganda. It's not uncommon to believe
that lower is better when it comes to cholesterol, but new research shows
otherwise. In fact, a recent study in Norway says women with high cholesterol
live longer and suffer from fewer heart attacks and strokes than those with
lower cholesterol.
Can High Cholesterol Save Your Life?
Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology looked at
52,087 individuals between the ages of 20 and 74. After adjusting for factors
like age, smoking and blood pressure, researchers found women with high
cholesterol (more than 270 mg/dl) had a 28 percent lower mortality risk than
women with low cholesterol (under 193 mg/dl). Risk for heart disease, cardiac
arrest and stroke also declined as cholesterol levels rose.
The researchers involved in the study admit this contradicts commonly
accepted beliefs about cholesterol. They say current guideline information is
misleading because the role of cholesterol in heart disease is overestimated.
These results fly in the face of what most of us have been told about
cholesterol. Our misconceptions about cholesterol may in fact be endangering
countless lives. For instance, millions of people are prescribed statin drugs to
lower their cholesterol levels, believing that this will save their lives. Not only do
statin drugs come with a plethora of dangerous side effects, but now the very
premise of their existence is also brought into question.
Our focus on lowering cholesterol to prevent heart disease and mortality is
misplaced. It also fails to serve in the best interest of our health and wellness. In
fact, the dogmatic belief that cholesterol must be lowered appears to best serve
pharmaceutical companies, which profit from cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Better results will be achieved when we develop a more well-rounded focus on
other risks for heart disease, which include stress, toxins, a sedentary lifestyle
and a poor diet. As an added bonus, these factors aren't treated with
dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, but with simple, healthful lifestyle changes.
Sources for this article include:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...
http://anthonycolpo.com/?p=2341
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
About the author:
Elizabeth Walling is a freelance writer specializing in health and family nutrition.
She is a strong believer in natural living as a way to improve health and prevent
modern disease. She enjoys thinking outside of the box and challenging
common myths about health and wellness. You can visit her blog to learn more:
www.livingthenourishedlife.com/2009...
Women with high cholesterol live longer, have
fewer heart attacks and strokes
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