Facts About Cholesterol

Cholesterol levels are confusing. There is good and bad cholesterol, triglycerides, lipids and many other confusing terms. Are you unsure as to what it all means! You are not alone! There is a wealth of information on the subject but how do you know what is fact and what is fiction?

You may want to take the time to study the subject so that you are clear what is true and what is fiction. Here are some frequently asked questions or perceptions mainly circulating around the society.

True or False: The elderly are the only ones with high cholesterol.

This is SO not true! You can be in your 20’s and have high cholesterol. In fact it is recommended that you have your cholesterol checked on a regular basis. Especially when you have a history of heart disease in your family, and/or live a sedentary lifestyle, and/or eat poorly, you are at risk. Cholesterol tests should be done regularly and at least once in every five to seven years to prevent health problems, avoid health complications in the future.

True or False: I do not have a problem with cholesterol because I am rarely sick and I exercise on a regular basis.

You may not have any symptoms if your cholesterol is too high. If you exercise on a regular basis, that is great but, you could still have a problem with cholesterol. Other factors are diet, your weight, age and gender, family history, and many others.

True or False: If you take vitamin C and vitamin E which are, known as anti-oxidants, you will not have any problems with cholesterol.

False! There are no guarantees! There are several factors that affect greatly the levels of Cholesterol. Vitamins help but there are other determining factors as well. If you want to get started in reducing your cholesterol level, start eating a healthy diet and start exercising.

True or False: Drinking a glass of red wine on a daily basis during dinner makes you immune to heart disease.

Studies have shown that moderate amounts of red wine will increase HDL the good cholesterol. However, alcohol is high in calories. It may cause an increase in triglycerides, which will put undue pressure on the liver, and will increase blood pressure.

True or False: Look for health conscious products that have low cholesterol labels.

No. There are some products that are low in cholesterol however, they may be high in saturated fats.

True or False: You should never try to lower your cholesterol level.

The liver produces enough Cholesterol to perform its functions. If you start living a healthy lifestyle, and start an exercise routine, this will help lower your cholesterol level.

True or False: If you are overweight you are destined to have high cholesterol.

Not necessarily, however, it is a contributing factor. You may have problems with high cholesterol and not even know it. You may want to consider a healthy diet and exercise so that you are on your way to living a long and healthy life.

Cholesterol, depression linked to gender

While cholesterol increases the risk of depression in the elderly, it may affect men and women differently, a new research indicates.

Good cholesterol may mean little for statin users

People with high levels of the so-called good cholesterol HDL tend to have fewer heart attacks but HDL may offer little protective benefit in people who take statins to lower harmful LDL cholesterol, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

Cholesterol Study: Low HDL May Not Be So Bad

Patients on statin drugs who reduce their LDL ''bad'' cholesterol to very low levels may not need to be so concerned about boosting their HDL ''good" cholesterol levels for protection against cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.

Good Cholesterol Seems Less Important Once Statins Have Lowered Bad Cholesterol

Results of an international trial suggest that once statins have lowered LDL or "bad" cholesterol, the level of HDL or "good" cholesterol is less important in terms of predicting cardiovascular risk than it is during pre-treatment assessment. You can read about the research behind these particular findings from the JUPITER trial in a report published in the early online issue of The Lancet on 22 ...

No firm conclusions about HDL cholesterol can be drawn from JUPITER sub-analysis

The European Society of Cardiology is concerned that interpretations of a paper about cholesterol could act to deter ongoing research efforts into developing new therapeutic strategies to increase high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Caution, the ESC experts advise, should be displayed in the interpretation of the results.