There is a controversy on the benefits of lowering cholesterol levels and what normal cholesterol levels should be. For a long time the medical community has preached that lowering cholesterol directly reduces the risk of heart attacks.
In part, this message was promoted by pharmaceutical companies that are making staggering sums of money on chemical cholesterol treatments. With guidance and help from the pharmaceutical industry, the federal government has repeatedly adjusted its guidelines for normal cholesterol levels. Each time the normal cholesterol level is adjusted, a larger percentage of the population falls under the definition of patients with high cholesterol that need medication. Statin drugs, the standard medication for high cholesterol, inhibits the liver's ability to manufacture cholesterol.
High cholesterol levels should be thought of as an alarm warning us of a problem in our bodies. Turning that alarm off using Statin drugs does not address the root cause of the problem, but rather hides the problem. Using natural means for lowering LDL cholesterol (" bad cholesterol ") and raising HDL cholesterol (" good cholesterol ") addresses the root cause and has health benefits related to coronary diseases such as arterial sclerosis.
Background information on cholesterol, an explanation of the difference between HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, and guidelines on levels can be found in normal cholesterol levels.
From the background on normal cholesterol levels, you learned that HDL cholesterol moves cholesterol safely to its destination and tends to remove cholesterol from artery walls. LDL cholesterol, on the other hand, can damage you arteries when it oxidizes. This damage can lead to mineral and fat deposits which can thicken and stiffen the artery walls. This is called arterial sclerosis.
This constriction, limits blood flow to all of your vital organs. The kidneys and heart normally react by increasing your blood pressure, thus putting strain on the hardened arteries and all of your organs. Increasing your HDL cholesterol levels and lowering your LDL cholesterol levels can stop the progression of arterial sclerosis and in some cases even reverse it. These medical studies support the information presented here regarding the connection between lowering cholesterol levels, the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and coronary artery disease.
A gentleman I know was diagnosed with high cholesterol about 30 years ago. This was when an overall cholesterol level under 300 mg/dL was considered normal (as opposed to 200 mg/dL today). At the time, natural cholesterol treatments consisted of reducing cholesterol and saturated fats in your diet and getting more cardiovascular exercise. This person went on an extreme version of this dietary plan by avoiding all foods with cholesterol and avoiding all foods with saturated fats. Despite these extreme measures, his cholesterol level did not come down meaningfully. However, he robbed himself of the beneficial nutritional value of certain high cholesterol foods, such as liver, eggs and coconut oil (which contains saturated fat). He finally succumbed to the advice of his doctor and resorted to cholesterol lowering medication to bring his cholesterol under control. The latest versions of these drugs, called Statins, inhibit the cholesterol generation functions of your liver. There is insufficient long term data to know the lasting side effects of these drugs on your liver's health. Liver functions and cleansing will teach you more about the many functions your liver performs and why damaging your liver is the last thing you want to do.
Your liver creates 3-8 times the cholesterol that the typical person consumes. Eliminating cholesterol from your food will only cause your body to compensate by increasing its cholesterol production.
Your focus should be on lowering cholesterol levels in your body, not merely on lowering the cholesterol in the food you eat. An effective and safe way to do this is using a common sense, natural cholesterol treatment plan.
Lowering your cholesterol is The Natural Path to good health.
BY USING THIS SITE YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE TO THIS MEDICAL
DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT NOTICE