"Together, these findings suggest that the current total cholesterol and LDL recommendations advised by doctors and other health professionals are way off beam."
In the UK and Europe generally, it is recommended that levels of cholesterol in the blood should not be above 5.0 mmol/l (= about 190 mg/dl). We are given the impression that having levels above this puts us at increased risk of heart disease - a major 'killer'. However, if this is true, it does not tell the whole story. Because while having a 'raised' cholesterol may be associated with an increased risk of heart disease, it might also be associated with a reduced risk of other conditions.
It is known, for instance, that
higher levels of cholesterol are associated with a reduced risk of cancer. And even last week I wrote about
some research which suggests that
putting downward pressure on cholesterol levels increases the risk of death due to suicide, accidents and violence.
For these reasons, when assessing the relationship between any lifestyle factor and health, it pays to take as wider a view as possible. This is best done by focusing on the relationship the factor has with overall risk of death.
Such a study published recently in the
Scandinavian Journal of Health Care makes for some interesting reading, I think [1]. Here, researchers assessed the levels of cholesterol and risk of death in almost 120,000 adults living in Denmark.
The researchers found that having
higher than recommended levels of total cholesterol was associated with a reduced risk of death. For instance, in men aged 60-70, compared with those of total cholesterol levels of less than 5.0 mmol/l, those with total cholesterol levels of 5.00-5.99 had a 32 per cent reduced risk of death. For those with levels 6.0-7.99 mmol/l, risk of death was 33 per cent lower. Even in individuals with levels with 8.00 mmol/l and above, risk of death was no higher than it was for those with levels less than 5.0 mmol/l.
Comment: Omega 3 deficiencies have been shown to have a deleterious effect on health in many studies. Considering the fact that the Standard Western Diet has been shown to be seriously lacking in most vital nutrients while containing a plethora of toxic substances, it is not surprising that there has been a surge in ADHD. The good news is that improving diet and supplementing with essential nutrients may help improve not only ADHD but a host of other conditions.
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