Risks of Low Cholesterol

Everything you've heard about cholesterol numbers is... debatable. Turns out that although LDL cholesterol is often the bad guy for middle-aged patients, both LDL and HDL are essential for the health of the elderly.

UK and French scientists studied 3,673 civil servants and found that patients with low levels of HDL cholesterol were 53 percent more likely to suffer memory loss, which is often a precursor to Alzheimer's and dementia.

This makes perfect sense. Cholesterol is not a disease: it's one of the building blocks of life. Cholesterol is found in every cell in your body. It helps build and maintain cell membranes. It aids in the production of bile, which helps the body digest fats, and it is important for the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K.

Cholesterol is essential for the synthesis of Vitamin D. If you're an avid reader of the latest health research, you know that Vitamin D is now considered an essential piece of anti-cancer nutrition.

In addition, cholesterol is an essential precursor for steroid hormones such as progesterone, estrogen and testosterone.

In fact, a 2005 study discovered that while cholesterol lowering medications decreased mortality levels in middle-aged patients, there remained a strong correlation between low cholesterol and mortality in elderly patients. In short, low cholesterol was clinically linked to increased mortality.

Obviously, if you are middle-aged and at risk for heart attack or stroke, you should make an effort to lower your cholesterol. But these numbers suggest that if you aren't at risk for heart disease, the decision to lower your cholesterol should be weighed against the health risks associated with low cholesterol.

You've got to do what's right for you. And, if you have any doubts, just eat a balanced diet, get plenty of rest, exercise, drink a bunch of water and everything else will sort itself out.