Cholesterol often wrong target in heart disease risk - By Dr. Tracy McAlvanah
Everyone has heard that high cholesterol is bad for heart health. But as it turns out, the association between cholesterol and cardiovascular disease has been somewhat misrepresented. Doctors are starting to accept that cholesterol levels do not necessarily predict risk for heart disease as much as we thought. Consider the following: 75 percent of people who have heart attacks have normal cholesterol. Older patients with lower cholesterol have a higher risk of death than those with higher cholesterol. Countries with higher average cholesterol than Americans such as the Swiss or Spanish have less heart disease. Recent evidence shows that it is likely statins’ ability to lower inflammation that accounts for the benefits of statins, not their ability to lower cholesterol. We need cholesterol! Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in every cell in the human body. The liver makes 75 percent of cholesterol. Cholesterol helps produce cell membranes, vitami...