The Cholesterol Myth

After decades of research failed to demonstrate a correlation between dietary cholesterol and heart disease, the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans finally admitted that “cholesterol is not considered a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.” This refers to foods such as eggs and prawns.

A scientific review published in the Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology in 2018 dismissed many long-held myths about cholesterol and the benefit of lowering it.

The paper presents substantial evidence that total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels are not an indication of heart disease risk, and that statin treatment is of “doubtful benefit” as a form of primary prevention for this reason.

A low carb diet such as my 21 Day or Three Month Plan can often reduce cholesterol. And a DNA test can show your cardiovascular risk and enable us to make the right dietary and supplement changes. There can be many reasons for elevated cholesterol levels (such as diet, lack of bile flow and inability to break down fats efficiently). My job as a functional medicine practitioner is to establish the root cause.