Is Cholesterol Good Or Bad? - A Twist In The Tale!

Cholesterol is now being touted as the new villain for anyone who is in ill health. Whether it is diabetes or heart disease, it is attributed to cholesterol. While it may be hereditary, another contributor is the changing food habits & stressful life style. With sedentary lifestyles setting in, more food is consumed than required and the excess is converted to fat and stored, which leads to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. 

Read on to know why cholesterol is not the villain that it is being made out to be. Also, let us talk about its vital role in the human functioning. 

1. Cholesterol is fat, is not soluble in water, and so requires a vehicle for transportation. These are the lipoproteins, which are HDL and LDL depending on their density. LDL carries fresh cholesterol and HDL carries recycled cholesterol. The total amount of cholesterol in the body is the sum of these two types plus VLDL and triglycerides. Cholesterol is not measured, it is only estimated. What is measured is actually amount of these lipoproteins, not the cholesterol level per se. And to base one’s health on the levels of these is scientifically baseless. 
2. Essential Cellular Component: Cholesterol is an absolutely essential component of every cell and is found in cell membranes, hormones (such as thyroid and Vitamin D), bile acids, vitamin D, neurons, etc. Almost all body cells contain cholesterol and it is essential for various functions including digestion, sensory perception, body movement, reproduction, etc. Without cholesterol, all functions would come to a standstill. 
3. Cholesterol is made in the body: The body does not need cholesterol from external food sources for its normal function. 75% of the required cholesterol is produced by the liver to meet the above demands. 
4. Familial issues can cause some people to have abnormalities with cholesterol production. However, this is rare at about 1 in 500. In others, reducing cholesterol levels by artificial means is not desirable. 
5. Statins that are used to reduce cholesterol levels were originally used for their anti-inflammatory properties and had the desirable side effect of reducing cholesterol. This became one of their main indications, but stopping cholesterol production is stopping a very vital body function, such as the production of thyroid and vitamin D which is not desirable. 
6. Newer studies have shown that cholesterol levels in the food have no impact on the blood cholesterol levels. Animal fats like liver, meat, fish, eggs, which were believed to increase cholesterol levels were avoided, but research now says the contrary. 

Cholesterol is neither good nor bad, is not an indicator of heart health, and is absolutely essential for healthy functioning. So, while we are constantly worried about reducing the cholesterol numbers, there is definitely a twist in the tale.

Experts also advice a lifestyle modification approaches before starting any cholesterol reducing medications. So before you jump into correcting your cholesterol level through drugs, correct your hormonal levels, Vit D levels and your stress levels. Consult an expert & get answers to your questions!