Bad Cholesterol Not So Bad?

The whole bad and good cholesterolstory jumped out in full flight some years ago with perhaps a smidgeon ofscience to support it and it has not really gotten a lot better.  Although we all try to work against theproposed guidelines, I have always had a sneaking suspicion that the argumentwas weak at best.

Here is work that is chewing onthe edges of the big story and perhaps someday we will really understand whatwe are doing.

It is interesting thatcholesterol plays a role in supporting new muscle growth in agingpatients.  This is an area were we are onlynow starting to get a handle on the biological changes.

"Bad Cholesterol" Not As Bad As People Think

Released: 5/5/2011 8:00 AM EDT 

Source: TexasA&M University

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/576488/?sc=dwhn

Newswise — COLLEGE STATION, May 4, 2011 – The so-called “bad cholesterol”– low-density lipoprotein commonly called LDL – may not be so bad after all,shows a Texas A&M University study that casts new light on the cholesteroldebate, particularly among adults who exercise.

Steve Riechman, a researcher in the Department of Health andKinesiology, says the study reveals that LDL is not the evil Darth Vader ofhealth it has been made out to be in recent years and that new attitudes needto be adopted in regards to the substance. His work, with help from colleaguesfrom the University of Pittsburgh, KentState University,the Johns HopkinsWeight ManagementCenter and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, ispublished in the Journal of Gerontology.

Riechman and colleagues examined 52 adults from ages to 60 to 69 whowere in generally good health but not physically active, and none of them wereparticipating in a training program. The study showed that after fairlyvigorous workouts, participants who had gained the most muscle mass also hadthe highest levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, “a very unexpected result and onethat surprised us.

“It shows that you do need a certain amount of LDL to gain more musclemass. There’s no doubt you need both – the LDL and the HDL -- and the truth is,it (cholesterol) is all good. You simply can’t remove all the ‘bad’ cholesterolfrom your body without serious problems occurring.

Cholesterol is found in all humans and is a type of fat around thebody. A person’s total cholesterol level is comprised of LDL (low-densitylipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol.

LDL is almost always referred to as the “bad” cholesterol because ittends to build up in the walls of arteries, causing a slowing of the blood flowwhich often leads to heart disease and heart attacks.

HDL, usually called the “good cholesterol,” often helps removecholesterol from arteries.

“But here is where people tend to get things wrong,” Riechman says.

“LDL serves a very useful purpose. It acts as a warning sign thatsomething is wrong and it signals the body to these warning signs. It does itsjob the way it is supposed to.

“People often say, ‘I want to get rid of all my bad (LDL) cholesterol,’but the fact is, if you did so, you would die,” the Texas A&M professor adds. “Everyoneneeds a certain amount of both LDL and HDL in their bodies. We need to changethis idea of LDL always being the evil thing – we all need it, and we need itto do its job.”

According to the American Heart Association, about 36 million Americanadults have high cholesterol levels.

“Our tissues need cholesterol, and LDL delivers it,” he notes. “HDL,the good cholesterol, cleans up after the repair is done. And the more LDL youhave in your blood, the better you are able to build muscle during resistancetraining.”

Riechman says the study could be helpful in looking at a conditioncalled sarcopenia, which is muscle loss due to aging. Previous studies showmuscle is usually lost at a rate of 5 percent per decade after the age of 40, ahuge concern since muscle mass is the major determinant of physical strength.After the age of 60, the prevalence of moderate to severe sarcopenia is foundin about 65 percent of all men and about 30 percent of all women, and itaccounts for more than $18 billion of health care costs in the United States.

“The bottom line is that LDL – the bad cholesterol – serves as areminder that something is wrong and we need to find out what it is,” Riechmansays.

“It gives us warning signs. Is smoking the problem, is it diet, is itlack of exercise that a person’s cholesterol is too high? It plays a veryuseful role, does the job it was intended to do, and we need to back off byalways calling it ‘bad’ cholesterol because it is not totally bad.”