Is higher cholesterol healthier for us? A new study says it is, questioning the value of cholesterol-lowering drugs. High cholesterol is bad for us, or is it? LDL, HDL, the balance of the two, cholesterol in our foods? Should we really worry about our intake of cholesterol or even the cholesterol in our bloodstream. The current concerns about cholesterol and cardiovascular plaques are a narrative we have all heard about, except the current research suggests that inflammation is the true problem, rather than cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol intake is balanced by the body, so when we take in more, the liver produces less cholesterol. Exercise helps tip the scales of HDL and LDL levels, but should we even worry about it, and worse, should we be on a drug (statin) that affects the liver, muscles, and brain with long term usage, creating diseases we never would have developed if we never took the drug. The truth is, we need cholesterol for the proper function of the muscles and nervous system, and depriving ourselves of this important chemical structure is what is really dangerous. Are our doctors making us dependent and ill by recommending cholesterol-lowering drugs? They may be, especially after you read this new post. Check this out A new study makes case for HIGHER Cholesterol Posted on June 18, 2016 by Brad Hoppmann Last year the government finally admitted it was wrong about cholesterol when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee released its new recommendations: “Available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol.” Not only that “¦ “Cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.” And the evidence just keeps piling up that cholesterol has been vilified for far too long. The latest study [R], just published in BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), questions the established view that high cholesterol is always a bad thing. Researchers looked at the relationship between serum LDL-cholesterol and mortality in studies of people aged 60 and older. The 60-and-older set is an important focus group. That”™s because this is generally the age when someone would be prescribed “statins” and other medications designed to lower cholesterol. Related story: A delicious, natural way to lower your cholesterol The authors of the study said “¦ “We identified 19 cohort studies including 30 cohorts with a total of 68,094 elderly people, where all-cause mortality was recorded in 28 cohorts and CV mortality in 9 cohorts. Inverse association between all-cause mortality and LDL-C was seen in 16 cohorts (in 14 with statistical significance) representing 92% of the number of participants, where this association was recorded. “In the rest, no association was found between elevated cholesterol levels and mortality. In two cohorts, CV mortality was highest in the lowest LDL-C quartile and with statistical significance; in seven cohorts, no association was found.” In other words “¦ In a population without the pre-existing disease, higher LDL-cholesterol predicts a lower risk of death in those over 60. But it does not predict an increased risk of death from heart disease or stroke. High LDL cholesterol isn’t a problem in normal older people unless it’s low! Read more