11/07/2025
Cholesterol, Statins & Your Heart: What you must know
• Your doctor prescribes you a statin tablet to reduce cholesterol.
• Another doctor says on social media that cholesterol is essential for our body.
Who is right?
Let us understand this step by step.
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1️⃣ “If the body makes cholesterol, how can it be bad?”
That is a common belief.
It sounds logical too.
But biology does not work that way.
Your body produces many substances that are essential in small amounts, but cause harm when they exceed limits or appear in the wrong place.
Examples:
- Cortisol is made in our body for stress response, but excess cortisol causes disease and results in abnormal weight gain, high BP and many other problems.
- Acid in the stomach is required for digestion, but causes ulcers if it is excessive or if it moves up the oesophagus (food pipe).
- Blood sugar is essential for energy, but too much leads to diabetes and organ damage.
- Inflammation started by our body helps in fighting infections. But prolonged or excessive inflammation results in heart disease and even cancer.
- Cholesterol is needed for making hormones and maintaining cells, but too much LDL blocks arteries and causes disease...
So yes, our liver makes cholesterol because we need it... but when levels cross healthy limits, it becomes harmful.
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2️⃣ Good vs Bad: What are HDL and LDL?
LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein): “Bad cholesterol”.
When too much, this sticks to the walls of our blood vessels and increases the risk of heart-attack.
HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein): “Good cholesterol”.
It clears the LDL and protects your heart.
Triglycerides: Another type of fat in the blood. Very high levels are bad.
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3️⃣ When is cholesterol problematic?
Doctors look at 3 main things:
• LDL cholesterol: Less than 100 mg/dl is optimal
• HDL cholesterol: More than 40 in men and 50 in women is optimal
• Triglycerides: Less than 150 is optimal
But numbers alone are not enough!
Doctors also consider your age, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, family history, ECG, and your heart condition before deciding on treatment.
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4️⃣ So… should everyone take statins?
No. Statins are not for everyone.
Statins re
