healthy arteries

cholesterol facts

High cholesterol has been the focus of the medical community as the cause of heart attacks and strokes. However, the nutrition community sees things a little differently.

While I realize that high cholesterol levels are found in heart disease, most nutritionists maintain this is but a symptom of the disease, not a cause. High cholesterol is symptomatic of many other diseases as well, and is caused by an underlying nutritional deficiency, dietary intake and lifestyle.

Medications such as statin drugs to lower cholesterol have made the drug companies enormous profits; anyone who uses them can attest to their high cost. But high cholesterol is only part of the problem.

The facts are as follows: more than 60% of all heart attacks occur in people with normal cholesterol, the majority of people with high cholesterol never suffer heart attacks, and half of all heart attack victims have none of the standard risk factors, i.e., smoking, obesity, genetics, or high cholesterol.