“High cholesterol is healthy!” (Myth finally explained)

Summary

This video challenges the widespread belief that high cholesterol is harmful to health, suggesting that lower cholesterol is often linked to higher mortality in older or chronically ill individuals due to factors like malnutrition and disease. The speaker emphasizes that this correlation does not imply causation and that lower cholesterol in healthy individuals is associated with lower mortality. They also critique oversimplified health claims from social media influencers, advocating for more rigorous, science-backed reasoning and encouraging viewers to question misleading arguments about cholesterol and health.

Takeaways

• 😀 High cholesterol is often misrepresented on social media, with influencers claiming that higher levels are healthier, but this is a misunderstanding of the science.
• 😀 Scientific studies show that lower cholesterol levels do not increase the risk of death, and there is no causal relationship between low cholesterol and higher mortality.
• 😀 The same argument used for cholesterol—higher levels being better—could be applied to other health metrics like BMI, blood pressure, and A1C, but social media influencers do not make the same claims about these metrics.
• 😀 The apparent correlation between low cholesterol and higher mortality is due to factors like malnutrition, frailty, and chronic diseases, which often occur in older populations.
• 😀 Once adjusted for malnutrition and chronic diseases, the curve showing a higher risk of death with low cholesterol disappears, suggesting that low cholesterol is not harmful in healthy individuals.
• 😀 People with genetically low cholesterol or those who lower it through medication tend to have a lower risk of mortality, further refuting the claim that low cholesterol causes death.
• 😀 Cholesterol plays an important role in various physiological functions, but just like glucose, it can be harmful when blood levels become too high. The body regulates these levels for optimal health.
• 😀 The argument that 'high cholesterol is good for you because it's essential for the brain' is flawed—while the brain needs cholesterol, it produces its own, and the blood-brain barrier prevents cholesterol from the bloodstream from impacting brain health directly.
• 😀 The claim that plaque only forms in arteries and not veins is incorrect—plaque formation is a result of higher pressure in arteries, and conditions like diabetes accelerate plaque growth in both arteries and veins under certain circumstances.
• 😀 The video encourages viewers to adopt healthy skepticism and demand more accurate scientific information, both from influencers and from health professionals, to avoid misleading claims and oversimplified arguments.
• 😀 Ultimately, cholesterol is one of many factors in heart disease risk, but it’s important to understand the full context of how cholesterol levels interact with other health metrics and conditions.

Q & A

Why does the script argue that high cholesterol is not bad for you?

The script suggests that the idea of high cholesterol being harmful is misleading. It points out that low cholesterol levels, which are often associated with higher mortality, are usually linked to factors like malnutrition or chronic illness, not the cholesterol itself. The argument is that lower cholesterol doesn't directly cause death, but rather correlates with disease or aging.

What is the connection between cholesterol and mortality in older individuals?

In older individuals, cholesterol levels often drop due to illness or malnutrition. The script explains that this reduction in cholesterol is associated with higher mortality because older, sicker people tend to have lower cholesterol, not because low cholesterol causes death. The correlation is influenced by the person's overall health and frailty.

What is the main issue with how influencers present cholesterol and its effects on health?

Influencers tend to oversimplify complex health topics for entertainment or viral purposes, often promoting misleading or inaccurate information. In this case, they claim that high cholesterol is good, ignoring the nuance and broader context, like the fact that cholesterol levels can be low due to serious illness, which increases mortality.

How do other health metrics, like blood pressure and BMI, follow a similar pattern to cholesterol in terms of mortality?

The script draws parallels between cholesterol and other health metrics, like BMI, blood pressure, and A1C. In these cases, people with 'normal' levels often have higher mortality risks, but this is also explained by age and disease. The script argues that these metrics decrease naturally in older adults due to frailty or illness, which skews the data, similar to cholesterol.

Why do people with pre-diabetes or hypertension sometimes have lower mortality rates?

The script explains that studies show the lowest mortality rates are often seen in people with slightly elevated blood pressure or those who are pre-diabetic. This pattern is explained by the fact that these individuals are not yet frail or ill, unlike those with low blood pressure or A1C levels caused by age or disease.

What does the script say about the relationship between cholesterol and its role in the body?

Cholesterol is crucial for several physiological functions, such as forming cell membranes and producing hormones. The script emphasizes that while the body needs cholesterol, having it at excessively high levels in the blood can still be harmful, similar to other essential substances like glucose.

What is the significance of the brain's cholesterol needs, and how does this relate to blood cholesterol levels?

The brain uses cholesterol for its functions, but it doesn't rely on cholesterol from the blood because of the blood-brain barrier. The script clarifies that while cholesterol is important, it doesn't need to be excessively high in the bloodstream to support brain health.

Why does the script argue that the logic of high cholesterol not being harmful is flawed?

The script argues that while cholesterol is essential for bodily functions, it should not be present in excessively high levels in the blood. Just like glucose or sodium, high levels of cholesterol can be harmful and lead to issues like heart disease, making the argument that cholesterol should never be lowered purely based on physiological roles misleading.

What example does the script use to counter the argument that high cholesterol can't be harmful because it’s found everywhere in the body?

The script uses the example of diabetes, where high glucose is found throughout the body, yet it only causes problems in the arteries. This counters the idea that high cholesterol can't be harmful because it's present throughout the body; instead, high cholesterol contributes to plaque build-up in the arteries, where the higher pressure system is more conducive to plaque formation.

How does the script emphasize the importance of healthy skepticism when it comes to health advice on social media?

The script encourages viewers to be skeptical of simplistic one-liners found on social media, urging them not to accept viral health advice at face value. It stresses that while influencers may present catchy narratives, these messages often lack scientific rigor and may mislead the public about complex health topics.