Cholesterol and its True Impact on Heart Health
Cholesterol has been considered a crucial indicator in the risk of heart diseases, but is that really the case? Discover the truth about cholesterol and its impact on your health.
cholesterol not an indicator of heart attacks
Health authorities in the United States have recommended that people over 20 years old check their cholesterol levels once every five years. Total cholesterol is part of this test, or the sum of the cholesterol content in the blood, including HDL, LDL, and VLDL…
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that total cholesterol be less than 200mg/dL, but what they don’t say is that total cholesterol level is almost useless for determining the risk of heart disease, unless it is above 330.
Additionally, the AHA updated its guidelines in 2004, lowering the recommended LDL level from 130 to less than 100, or even less than 70 in patients at higher risk.
In order to reach these very low levels that are extremely dangerous, it is generally necessary to take different medications to lower cholesterol. Therefore, this guideline serves to increase the market for these types of dangerous medications. Currently, it is also recommended that children check their cholesterol levels, which further increases their market.
I have seen many people with a total cholesterol level above 250; however, they actually have a low risk of developing heart disease due to their HDL levels. Conversely, I have seen many people who have cholesterol levels below 200 but have a very high risk of heart disease based on the following tests:
- HDL/Cholesterol Ratio
- Triglycerides/HDL Ratio
The percentage of HDL is a very important risk factor for heart diseases. All you need to do is divide your HDL level by your cholesterol. Ideally, the percentage should be above 24 percent.
You can do the same with the triglycerides and HDL ratio. That percentage should be less than 2.
However, keep in mind that this is simply a guideline and that there are many more factors that influence the risk of heart diseases apart from these numbers. In fact, it was not long ago that it was discovered that total cholesterol does not serve to predict heart disease, which is why more attention has been paid to HDL and LDL.
The latter give you a better idea of what is happening; however, they do not show everything that is really going on.
