Low Cholesterol Level - A Danger Sign?

Keep your cholesterol level low. That's the cliched advice you often hear in doctor's offices, from your friends, health publications, or from almost any other source.

But Science has been lately overturning the bad image tag of saturated fats, which has been traditionally and widely believed as the source of cholesterol in our body. It's now singing a different tune, praising cholesterol as a beautiful thing.

Ok, let's hear what Science says about this.


The brain, and our nervous and endocrine systems, need cholesterol to function normally. This encompasses practically every activity that takes place within our body.

Scientific evidence pegs the healthy cholesterol level at between 200 and 300 [take note: this is way above the level recommended by most doctors]. Insufficient cholesterol levels invite a cornucopia of health concerns.

Death rate is hiked with a reduced cholesterol level of 180 and below. At 160 and lower, the risk of developing heart problems is heightened. A level of 150 opens the door to the onslaught of cancer and stroke. And at 130, Alzheimer's/dementia creeps in and joins the lineup.

Cholesterol is a natural, integral part of our bodily processes. 80% of cholesterol is produced by our body, and only 20% comes from our diet. That's why saturated fats have very little impact on our cholesterol level. [read: High Blood Cholesterol Is Not The Cause Of Heart Disease]

Our endocrine system makes all the hormones needed by the body from cholesterol. If our cholesterol level is low, we have a deficit in hormones which affect our general health. Vitamin D is one of the hormones made by the body. It comes from the cholesterol which is converted to free Vitamin D when we are exposed to sunshine. This hormone alone has a truckload of health benefits for our body. [read: Vitamin D Benefits]

What Science is saying implies that saturated fat is not the villain it has been portrayed to be for years, and that lowering the cholesterol levels below the healthy range is in fact more dangerous than what we were made to believe. There is also a connotation here of the unnecessary and widespread use of dubious statins, medications traditionally prescribed by mainstream physicians for lowering cholesterol levels.

When your cholesterol levels are dipping, that's the time to really start worrying.