Cholesterol is in every cell of your body. Why would the human body be designed with the use of cholesterol in every cell if it were bad for us?? Why would studies show that higher cholesterol i.e. above 250 is associated with a lower overall death rate than those with lower cholesterol i.e. under 200??
Cholesterol is a necessary substance for your body. It is used by the body to build your steroid hormones among other things. These hormones include estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and cortisol. Cholesterol is also needed in order to make Vitamin D. Cholesterol is so important to your body that you only get 1/4 of it through diet and the rest is actually made by your liver!
What the researchers are finding out is that it is not the cholesterol that causes your arteries to clog, rather it is inflammation in your body that changes the cholesterol from good to evil. If you can decrease the inflammation in your body, you decrease your risk of heart disease!! Just lowering your total cholesterol number is not the answer. To lower inflammation requires a customized diet that generally includes low carbohydrates (max 60 g/day), avoiding gluten, etc. (notice that statin drugs are not mentioned as a treatment!)
We know that optimizing your hormone levels helps you to reduce heart disease. When you adjust your lifestyle and balance your hormones with bio-identical hormones you feel and look better plus reduce your risk of heart disease, among other things.