Cholesterol, Heart Disease and Common Sense

Getting Older Does Not Mean Getting Slower
Cholesterol is dropped frequently into adverts by marketing agencies to try and get us to buy their latest low fat, low salt, low taste offering. We hear regularly the word cholesterol mentioned in the same (short) breath as heart disease, stroke, arteries and atherosclerosis and in the process the substance has been demonized. This is actually unfair if we look at the facts about cholesterol.

Good, Bad or a Rebel Protein with a Serious Cause?
Cholesterol is 100% natural. It is made by humans and other vertebrates and it is an important part of cell membranes as well as a forerunner to other critical proteins like steroid hormones. It is harvested from foods by the liver after eating. In between meals it is produced by the liver and secreted into the bloodstream. It is the body's method of transporting the cholesterol from the liver and back that has prompted the split between good and bad in discussions of arterial hardening, plaque buildup, cardiac infarction and other unsavory conditions.

LDL and HDL: OTT?
The molecules responsible for transporting cholesterol around the blood stream are protein complexes called lipoproteins. One type of lipoprotein is termed Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), which is responsible for carrying the cholesterol from the liver to where it is needed in the body, such as the cell walls. The other type is High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) which collects the cholesterol from the blood stream and drops it off back at the liver, where it is eventually excreted. Recent research now suggests that it is the relative abundance of two of these types of lipoproteins that give a good indication of risk for heart disease. The ratio of LDL to HDL is what your physician will be measuring when he sizes you up for your heart disease risk. This brought about the monikers "good and bad" that marketers are so fond of.

Cholesterol – the Reality
The media spin concerning good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) in our food suggests that we should be calculating our lipoprotein ratio at the supermarket point of sale. Of course there is some value in physicians knowing this ratio for prescription and advice but when it comes to heart disease things get more complicated. Cholesterol is just one of the risk factors in cardiovascular disease. Fitness, activity, obesity, heredity and a good general lifestyle are the other essential factors. Stop smoking, stop drinking to excess and get down to the gym. Obvious advice? Yes, and don't say you have not heard it already.
Of course, it is a lot easier to take one capsule a day than to go jogging and there are some pharmaceuticals on the market today, with the ever attendant risks that they bring. There are also some other simple ways to lower your risk of heart attacks, by just eating well.

Vitamin C Along with other benefits can also help bring about a reduction in risk of heart disease. You can get this from citrus fruits and lots of different vegetables.
Pantothenic Acid
This is gained from eggs, milk, fish, whole grain cereals and broccoli.

Red Yeast Rice Traditional medicine component and it is thought to reduce LDL levels. Soy

Isoflavones, Garlic and Gugul Help to lower total cholesterol and increase the HDL/LDL ratio.

CoQ10, Ester C, Vitamin E Powerful antioxidants that prevent dangerous oxidation of cholesterol that can damage the arterial walls and encourage arterial plaque.