LDL cholesterol may not be the villain

You probably know that cholesterol is divided into two distinct categories: Good high density lipoproteins (HDL) and the bad low density lipoproteins (LDL). Now a study that brings an entirely new angle to the way you look at cholesterol. Read on to find out why LDL cholesterol may not be the bad guy it's made out to be.

After years of struggling to bring down levels of LDL and many people turning to risky patent medications to do so, a study published in the Journal of Gerontology suggests LDL isn’t necessarily the villain it’s been made out to be.

Here’s what the study found about LDL cholesterol

52 adults aged between 60 and 69 took part in the study. All of them were in pretty good health but weren’t very active. As part of the study, the participants engaged in vigorous workouts.

What the researchers discovered after the workouts was surprising.

“The people who gained the most muscle mass also had the highest levels of LDL cholesterol,” writes Christine O’Brien in Nutrition & Healing.

Researchers concluded you need some LDL to gain muscle and there really isn’t any such thing as ‘bad’ cholesterol.

The lead researcher explained that LDL, given a bad rap for building up in the arteries and slowing down blood flow, plays an important role in the body. It gives you warning signals that something is wrong in your body. And the answer to finding out what’s wrong lies in your bad habits like smoking and lack of exercise.

But, instead, people see high LDL and turn to harmful drugs in their efforts to lower it

According to the research, your body tissues need cholesterol which is delivered by LDL. So the more LDL your blood has, the better your body’s ability to build muscle will be.

Tags: cholesterol, high cholesterol, low cholesterol, low density lipoproteins, ldl, high density lipoproteins, hdl