For decades, high cholesterol has been seen as a leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Yet, growing expert opinions challenge this: Is elevated cholesterol truly as dangerous as we’ve been led to believe?
Clarity remains elusive. Traditional experts maintain: the lower your cholesterol, the better.
Read also: '8 tips to lower your cholesterol'
Nutrition expert Daan de Wit, backed by many scientists, views cholesterol as a helper in addressing underlying issues—target those problems directly. This nuanced perspective is shared by health authority Carlo Kool.
Kool agrees high LDL cholesterol raises cardiovascular risk but stresses multiple contributing factors.
"Suppose you always obey the speed limit, stay alert, follow traffic rules, and never text while driving. Your accident risk is low, right? Now, if you're constantly speeding, that risk rises. But it's rarely speeding alone—it's dangerous when combined with heavy traffic or distractions like texting. Cholesterol works the same way."
"High cholesterol alone doesn't always require medication. A healthy lifestyle can effectively lower it. But if you smoke and carry excess weight, your cardiovascular risk skyrockets."
The November issue of Santé features an in-depth cholesterol dossier with cutting-edge insights.
This Santé article was featured on Koffietijd.
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