High cholesterol: A problem or a signal?

How important is controlling cholesterol levels?

At an annual physical more than a decade ago, my doctor noted that people with my LDL cholesterol levels were having heart attacks. He suggested that I start taking a statin drug. I opted to investigate alternatives and I’m glad I did.

The medical community has millions of people on statin drugs to manage cholesterol levels in the blood. But is high cholesterol really the problem or is it a symptom of one or more other problems? 

Cholesterol has several functions within the body. One is to be the “patching plaster” for tissue damage in the blood vessels. Blood vessels will get tiny tears in them. Rather than suffer an on-going loss of blood, the body patches the tear with oxidized cholesterol (plaque) until the damage can be repaired. Of course, plaque buildup will force the heart to pump harder, creating high blood pressure. Too much plaque accumulating in one place can lead to a heart attack. But is the problem due to the cholesterol or the tear in the blood vessel? Would it be more effective to focus on the reason for the tear in the blood vessel?

High cholesterol is also associated with chronic stress. Cholesterol is an essential component of hormone production. Hormones are critical to the body’s normal performance. For example, high stress levels raise adrenaline and cortisol levels in the body. Adrenaline and cortisol are both hormones. So chronic stress requires higher levels of cholesterol, and indeed, elevated levels of cholesterol are associated with chronic stress. Would it be more effective to focus on managing stress rather than limiting cholesterol levels?

Statin drugs reduce the liver’s production of cholesterol. Did you know they also reduce the liver’s production of CoQ10? Both cholesterol and CoQ10 are produced in the same reaction. Deficiency of CoQ10 will lead to weak and sore muscles. Of course, the heart is the most important muscle in the body and a deficiency of CoQ10 will likely lead to heart problems.

Me? I address the reason for high cholesterol levels instead of taking a drug. I never did take a statin drug and my cholesterol levels have been fine.