Cholesterol is NOT the enemy!

We've all been running around with these numbers in our brains concerning "good" or "bad" cholesterol, and worried about what was happening to the inside of our arteries. First the confusion was over which is good and which is bad. Then there was a lot of talk about what the ratio between these two numbers should be. We were inundated with pleading public announcements concerning the perils of eating real butter, skin-on chicken, red meat, and lots of other food items. We were encouraged to go on low-fat diets, high-carb diets, cabbage diets, ginger bread diets, beet juice diets, cleansing diets, and on and on and on. We were encouraged to run for our lives, then, sadly, one of the most visible proponents of running died while running. Is it any wonder people are confused?

What concerns me is the tendency we might have to just "tune out" all this noise and do nothing. That would be an unfortunate choice. Cholesterol is something to keep an eye on, low density cholesterol (LDL) is not something you want too much of, the ratio between LDL and HDL may have some value. But really, what's the bottom line? Does anyone really know?

I am going to devote the next few articles on answers to at least some of these issues, to provide the latest, best advice, and to dispel some of the worries. Let me start by saying that moderation in all things is still the absolute best advice to follow concerning anything to do with your present or future wellness. Exercise is definitely good. We were designed for it and thrive because of it. But forget the "no pain, no gain" foolishness. Keep your LDL cholesterol levels in control by whatever means necessary, but don't go overboard on the low fat diets. About 1/3 of the population actually is healthier and feels better with higher levels carbs and fats in their diet. Ask your physician to tell you about simple test that determine what is best for you. Each individual has specific, unique needs. But today I wanted to just touch on what is likely a far more important marker, or indicator, of possible heart disease (CHD). Elevated homocysteine levels consistently and far more reliably predict cardiac problems than HDL and LDL levels. In conjunction with elevated homocysteine levels, those with CHD almost invariably will have reduced vitamin B6 levels in their blood. Everything I've been reading for more than a year now concerning cardiac health points to these two levels as the most significant warning levels for CHD. So next time you visit your doctor for a routine checkup, ask him to run the whole blood panel, and to tell you what he knows about these two substances in the blood, as well as what actions you can take to lower your homocysteine levels. I'll write more on this and other related cardiac health issues in the days ahead. As always, your comments and e-mails are welcome.