12/18/2025
Cholesterol has become one of the most misunderstood lab markers in modern medicine. Too often, doctors look only at a number on a piece of paper instead of looking at the whole human being sitting in front of them.
Most appointments focus on total cholesterol and maybe triglycerides, but that is not the full picture - not even close.
What actually matters:
HDL (the protective cholesterol)
LDL (which is not all the same)
LDL particle size - are they large and fluffy or small and dense?
LDL particle number
Triglycerides - a key marker of metabolic health
Triglycerides are not just “bad fats.”
They are the body’s primary way of storing and transporting energy. Triglycerides:
Provide fuel between meals
Reflect how well the body handles carbohydrates and sugars
Are closely tied to insulin resistance and inflammation
Work in balance with HDL (low HDL + high triglycerides is a major red flag)
Elevated triglycerides often point to deeper issues like poor blood sugar control, chronic inflammation, liver stress, or a highly processed diet - not a simple fat problem.
Small, dense LDL particles behave very differently in the body than large, fluffy LDL particles, yet most people are never tested for this. Two people can have the same total cholesterol number and have completely different cardiovascular risk.
Inflammation, insulin resistance, lifestyle, stress, diet, and overall metabolic health.
Cholesterol is not the enemy.
It is essential for:
Heart function
Brain health
Hormone production
Cell membranes
Vitamin D synthesis
When cholesterol is artificially driven too low, the body suffers.
Years ago, anything under 300 total cholesterol was considered normal. Over time, that “normal” range has continued to drop lower and lower - often without considering long-term consequences. Lower is not always better, and for many people, it may actually be dangerous.
Statins work by depleting cholesterol, but cholesterol is not a toxin - it’s a vital building block. Numerous studies and clinical observations have shown that many people who experience cardiovascular events are already on statins. That should raise important questions, yet those questions are rarely asked.
Instead of asking: “How fast can we lower this number?”
We should be asking:
Why is the body producing cholesterol?
Is there inflammation?
Is blood sugar unstable?
Is the liver stressed?
Is this person deficient in nutrients?
What is their lifestyle actually like?
Numbers don’t tell the whole story.
People do.
It’s time we stop treating lab ranges like gospel and start practicing individualized, common-sense medicine that looks at the entire picture, not just a cholesterol score.
Your body is smarter than a lab slip.
