To read the full report click onto [www.healthdiscoveries.net]


You may have to rub your eyes, because this may be hard to believe!

Japanese researchers found a link between LOW cholesterol levels and a heart rhythm disturbance known as atrial fibrillation, or AFIB.

• In Japan, cardioembolic strokes are quite common.

• These are caused by small blood clots that form in the heart, and they then travel to the vessels in the brain causing blockages.

The relevance of the Japanese research is:

1) atrial fibrillation, or AFIB is a risk factor for clot formation in the heart, or cardioembolic stroke.

2) bleeding or haemorrhagic strokes were 96% LOWER for people who had the HIGHEST CHOLESTEROL levels!

LOW Cholesterol = MORE Risk of Stroke!!

Yes, you read that right!

Japanese researchers have found a relationship between LOW cholesterol and INCREASED risk of stroke.

Dr. Hisako Tsuki of Kansai Medical University, in Japan, presented data for risk of strolke at different levels of cholesterol in more than 16,500 people followed for a decade.

The amazing results were that the HIGHER the cholesterol, the LOWER the risk of stroke.This held true for 2 different types of strokes:

1) Ischaemic STROKES caused by blockages in the arteries and by clotting -- 71% REDUCED strokes for the people with the HIGHEST cholesterol levesl, compared to those who had the LOWEST.

2) Haemorrhagic or bleeding strokes were an amazing 96% LESS for people with the HIGHEST cholesterol levels as compared to those with the LOWEST levels.

Source: "Low serum cholesterol level and increased ischemic stroke mortality" published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 2011 Jun 27.

Stroke Risk LOWER with HIGH Cholesterol?

Still worried about having high cholesterol? You may have to rub your eyes and review your medications!

Dr. Hisako Tsuki had split cholesterol levels into 4 groups:

• with the LOWEST being less than 4.1 mmol/L and the HIGHEST being greater than 6.2 mmol/L.

• Taking all forms of stroke together, risk of death in the HIGHWAYs cholesterol levels was 77% LOWER than in the LOWEST cholesterol levels.

But we know that cardiovascular disease includes heart disease too.

So perhaps increased cholesterol levels were associated with enhanced risk of heart disease deaths, and these "balanced out" deaths from a stroke?

• Actually, risk of death from HEART DISEASE in the HIGHEST group of cholesterol group was NOT ANY HIGHER, statistically speaking.

It was actually LOWER, but it was NOT statistically significant.

• The results showed that the HIGHER someone's cholesterol was, the LOWER their risk of death due to cardiovascular disease.

• Overall, in those with the highest cholesterol, risk of death was 58% lower than those in the lowest cholesterol group.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2015 10:14AM by colindo.

Hello Colindo, if this is true then it may explain why i am not dead yet in spite of having waaaaay too high cholesterol every time it is measured, and all the time refusing to take any statins no matter who recommends them. Every time i get near a doctor we have to have this conversation where she/he explains, as to the child he/she thinks i must have become in my old age, that high cholesterol is dangerous and i should go fill this prescription they are writing and take the nice medicine regularly for the rest of my days. They do not respond well to hearing the word NO at all. In fact i use their response to this conversation to decide whether to see this particular doctor any more at all. I think i am going to transcribe this reference onto a slip of paper and keep it with me so as to be able to quote it in doctor's offices from now on.

PeggyM

Thanks Colin for posting this which confirms what has been posted here for many years... that Cholesterol is not the enemy. We need cholesterol for many reasons - hormone production for one; brain health for another and much more..

Neurologist, David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM writes:

Your Brain Needs Cholesterol

Cholesterol is vitally important for brain function. While your brain represents about 2-3% of your total body weight, 25% of the cholesterol in your body is found in your brain, where it plays important roles in such things as membrane function, acts as an antioxidant, and serves as the raw material from which we are able to make things like progesterone, estrogen, cortisol, testosterone and even vitamin D.

In fact, in a recent study available on the NIH Public Access site, researchers showed that in the elderly, the best memory function was observed in those with the highest levels of cholesterol. Low cholesterol is associated with an increased risk for depression and even death.

This understanding of the important role of cholesterol in brain function raises concern as we now see changes in recommendations for prescribing statin medication. Some estimates indicate that moving forward, the number of individuals taking statins to lower cholesterol in America may actually double! This presents a worrisome proposition for brain health. [www.drperlmutter.com]
See also: [www.perlhealth.com]


The latest book by Naturopathic Physician, Michael T. Murray, should be of interest.

Cholesterol and Heart Health: What the Drug Companies Won't Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn't Know.

You can read it here online in pdf form... 186 pages [doctormurray.com]

Dr. Murray is one of the world’s leading authorities on natural medicine. He has published over 30 books featuring natural approaches to health. His research into the health benefits of proper nutrition is the foundation for a best-selling line of dietary supplements from Natural Factors, where he is Director of Product Development. He is a graduate, former faculty member, and serves on the Board of Regents of Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington.

Prior to Natural Factors, Dr. Murray was involved with product development for Enzymatic Therapies.
He's been a reliable resource for nutritional health information for many years.

Jackie

I also have been exploring the relationship with very low Cholesterol levels and low hormone levels such as Cortisol, DHEA or Testosterone. Like Jackie said, The Choleresterol is what the other hormones are made from. When I went to discuss my low Pregnenalone levels with my Endocrinologist and discussed taking Pregnenalone as a supplement, he kind of laughed, and said I could just eat foods that had more Cholesterol in them, and then that would raise my Pregnenalone levels. The cascade on the Adrenal Pathway goes from Cholesterol into Pregnenalone and then branches off into either the Stress hormones of Cortisol/Aldosterone, or the sex hormones like Estrogen/Testosterone. Low Cortisol levels can also effect AFIB.

[denversdietdoctor.com]

My take on the cholesterol-heart disease link is that it's correlation as opposed to causation. A high cholesterol reading often means that you're not exercising, eating poorly and may have other risk factors as well. So when you take non-medication steps to fix high cholesterol, you get healthier and have a lower chance of heart disease. But it's not because your cholesterol number got lower, it's because you're exercising and eating better (and by "eating better" I don't mean you switched to margarine and 1% milk).

This may state the opposite for CAD; heard it on the radio the other day.

[www.reuters.com]

McHale