CHOLESTEROL: MYTHS ABOUND

Let’s establish one thing right off the bat: cholesterol is bad news.

And that, friends and neighbors, is Cholesterol Myth #1. In fact, it’s essential for life. Much like pizza, we couldn’t survive without it. But also like pizza, too much of it is not good.

Even that last statement is a bit mythological in that the complete picture is not how much cholesterol we individually have, but what type of cholesterol it is.

As you’ve heard there are two kinds of cholesterol, abbreviated HDL and LDL, short for high- and low-density lipoproteins. HDL is the better of the two because it describes cholesterol which, after doings its job, is transported back to the liver and from there is processed out of the body. LDL, on the other hand, continues to circulate until eventually it builds up inside arteries (see illustration), impeding blood flow and elevating the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Some people think they have good cholesterol levels because they don’t have any symptoms, or because their weight is at a healthy level.

Those are myths.

High cholesterol levels don’t necessarily result in symptoms — at least not at first. Unchecked, the symptoms will come, and by the time they do they are likely to be severe: things like heart attacks and strokes.

Similarly, who ever said weight and cholesterol are the same thing? They are not. Someone of healthy weight can have high cholesterol, while an overweight person may have perfect cholesterol.

Cholesterol levels can be affected by diet, genetics, exercise, medications, sleep habits, how much alcohol a person consumes, whether or not they smoke, and still other factors.

That same list is also the checklist for controlling cholesterol: eat right, get regular exercise, quit smoking, don’t drink excessively, maintain a healthy weight, and choose your parents wisely. Your doctor can help you with specifics. Most of them anyway.

Some people who are on cholesterol-controlling medications (like statins) think they can eat whatever they want. Too bad that’s a myth. A pill does not relieve us of the responsibility to take care of our bodies.

Yet another myth: checking cholesterol is for old people. There are various opinions about when routine screening should begin, but some groups (like the American Heart Association) recommend cholesterol screening as early as age 20.

In summary, the subject of cholesterol is an important one, but the topic is riddled with mythology. Getting accurate information about your cholesterol health promote better health and longer life.