Cholesterol has long been considered a key indicator of heart disease risk, but is that really the case? Discover the truth about cholesterol and its impact on your health.
Cholesterol Is Not an Indicator of Heart Attacks
Health authorities in the United States have recommended that people over the age of 20 have their cholesterol levels checked once every five years. Total cholesterol is part of this test—that is, 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 200 mg/dL, but what they don't say is that total cholesterol levels are almost useless for determining the risk of heart disease, unless they're above 330.
In addition, 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 achieve these extremely low levels—which are highly dangerous—it is usually necessary to take various cholesterol-lowering medications. This guide, therefore, serves to expand the market for these dangerous drugs. Currently, it is also recommended that children have their cholesterol levels checked, which further expands the market for these drugs.
I have seen many people with total cholesterol levels above 250, yet they actually have a low risk of heart disease because of their HDL levels. On the other hand, I have seen many people whose cholesterol levels are below 200 but who have a very high risk of heart disease based on the following tests:
- HDL-to-Cholesterol Ratio
- Triglycerides-to-HDL Ratio
The HDL percentage is a very important risk factor for heart disease. All you need to do is divide your HDL level by your total cholesterol. Ideally, this percentage should be above 24 percent.
You can do the same with the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio. That percentage should be less than 2.
However, keep in mind that this is merely a guideline and that there are many other factors that influence the risk of heart disease besides these numbers. In fact, it was only recently discovered that total cholesterol is not a reliable predictor of heart disease, which is why more attention has been paid to HDL and LDL.
The latter give you a better idea of what's going on, but they don't show everything that's actually happening.
