The Paradox of High LDL Cholesterol and Increased Longevity

 

“When you understand how the body functions, you will begin to understand that everything in the body is interrelated, and that the blood reveals almost everything when you know what you should be looking for.”

 

It seems like the right time to discuss high LDL cholesterol. Not its risk factors that the medical system is pushing but the benefits for longevity. As you will see, the cholesterol hypothesis is more than a bad suggestion as it tries to keep us from a healthy state and move us toward disease.

During November 2025 I went in to have my annual physical which consists of having a through blood test. I like to screen for blood glucose (sugar in the blood) and for prediabetes—it seems more and more people are developing type two diabetes. Then there is a lipid test which shows the so called good and bad cholesterol. The state of one’s kidneys is also of concern; it is no wonder since they must filter all the liquids and all the waste.

The liver is also coming under attack today; enzyme levels are in short supply and with a diet of unhealthy seed oils and questionable proteins it really put the liver under strain. In addition, approximately 30% of Canadian’s have metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), known as the silent killer because the early stages have no noticeable symptoms.  And approximately 20% to 28% are expected to progress to the more severe NASH/MASH stage—inflammation, or better known as cirrhosis. That is why we are planning to bring out a liver detox in the coming months, the situation is really getting out of control.

Of course, I also request checking my glands: thyroid, the master gland, adrenals, which are interrelated to cortisol and offset radiation while they also regulate metabolism, blood sugar, inflammation, blood pressure, and energy. Then the pituitary, which is growth hormone, and thymus with its T-cells and immunity. Some added tests have a cost associated with them. Also, B12 and vitamin D levels—mine are usually quite high as I take them in several of our supplements for with age they must be taken in addition to the diet. Then those plus sixty get prostate, PSA, cancer screening, and bone density scan. When you understand how the body functions, you will begin to understand that everything in the body is interrelated, and that the blood reveals almost everything when you know what you should be looking for.

When the doctors read the blood test results, they keep their prescription pad close at hand because anything out of their agreed upon range needs to be treated with medication, and one of their favorites is cholesterol. I have been fighting my doctors for decades on my cholesterol levels. They have become so brainwashed it is almost like a religion to them. They look at you as if you need saving and it does not matter how many studies I present, they still push their statins. I do not try to change their mind any longer, I love my high cholesterol because I know what it represents: an active lifestyle and a healthy diet.

I had a family member call me before Christmas asking me what to do with his slightly high cholesterol levels, he said that his doctor wants to place him on statin drugs. I asked him if his doctor asked about his exercise levels or his diet or how much alcohol he drank. He said no, she did not, she just recommended statin drugs. Doctors need to understand that they cannot write a prescription for someone to become healthy but they can shine a light on bringing the body into a state of balance so the body will heal itself. Unfortunately, there is no money in patients that are healthy.

Before we continue demonizing cholesterol, it is important to mention how crucial it is for our health. On one hand, it helps with brain function. After all, approximately 25% of the entire body’s cholesterol is found within the brain, the myelin sheath, the brain’s extension, is about 70% to 80% of all brain cholesterol. It requires the fatty insulation that surround the nerve fibers (axons). Myelin itself is composed of roughly 40% cholesterol, the remaining 20% to 30% is located in the plasma membranes of neurons and glial cells (such as astrocytes), where it supports synaptic transmission and cell signaling. And the doctors are adamant to have cholesterol reduced at any cost. It is no wonder we have such nerve damage today; low cholesterol can lead to depression, aggression and memory impairment.

Cholesterol is also important for hormone synthesis; being the “parent hormone” cholesterol is responsible for natural steroid hormone (e.g., cortisol, testosterone, estrogen) synthesis. It is also indispensable for vitamin D production—cholesterol is a precursor to vitamin D, which modulates immune function and bone health—and cell membrane structure for its fluidity and signaling capabilities. So why is cholesterol still doomed to be the bad guy?

According to a 2020 Swedish review study “the main reason for the persistence of the cholesterol hypothesis may be industry influence. Even those who write the guidelines are supported by the drug industry.”[1] This is why they suggest that “all medical journals, advocacy groups and medical associations should move away from financial relationships with companies selling healthcare products and reforms to bind professional accreditation to education free of industry support.”[2] Why? Because their conclusion is evidently showing that the idea that high LDL-C is the main cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), “the most common cause of death in most countries, is unlikely because follow-up studies of more than half a million of patients and healthy people have shown that those with the highest LDL-C live just as long or longer than those with low LDL-C.”[3]

It is not just about the fact that high LDL levels are beneficial but also the opposite: low cholesterol levels are rather concerning. According to a Chinese prospective and longitudinal cohort study, which investigated the association between low cholesterol levels with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in different populations, it “provides strong evidence that low and/or decreasing TC [total cholesterol], LDL-C, and non-HDL-C levels are associated with elevated risks of all-cause and cancer mortality in untreated Chinese and UK adults.”[4] Based on their findings they believe that low cholesterol levels in other populations should also be studied as it is a largely overlooked area that may indicate premature death.

Besides cancer, other health threatening risks can arise when having low cholesterol levels. In a large prospective cohort study[5], researchers found that lower LDL-C levels were associated with a higher risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH): people with LDL-C below about 70 mg/dL had a significantly increased risk of ICH compared with those whose LDL-C was in the moderate range (70–99 mg/dL), and the risk was especially high for LDL-C below 50 mg/dL. Above ~70 mg/dL, the association with ICH risk was not significant.

This is certainly not what the doctors try to convince us about, because according to them, we should lower healthy cholesterol levels by taking statins to get sicker. And this is not just a theory, “the use of statin is associated with the progression coronary artery calcification (CAC), a well-known predictor of CVD, in individuals with preserved renal function or in patients on dialysis.”[6] A Korean study followed their participants for 4 years because they were interested in “the association in patients with predialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of [their] study was to characterize the relationship between statin use and progression of CAC in a CKD cohort of Korean adults. (…) There were 447 (38.0%) statin users and 730 (62.0%) statin nonusers. After 4 years, 374 patients (52.0%) demonstrated CAC progression, which was significantly more frequent in statin users than in statin nonusers (218 [58.3%] vs. 156 [41.7%], P < 0.001).”[7] This means that “[s]tatin use, significantly and independently, is associated with CAC progression in Korean patients with predialysis CKD.”[8]

We should be able to live to 120 if we did not need to fight against all the permitted toxins being dumped upon humanity. This is now just wishful thinking, research shows it too. In the Swedish AMORIS cohort study[9], researchers followed people aged 64–99 for up to 35 years to compare blood-based biomarker profiles of those who eventually became centenarians (1,224 individuals) with their shorter-lived peers. They examined markers related to metabolism, inflammation, liver and kidney function, anemia, and nutrition. Centenarians had more favorable biomarker levels from around age 65 onward, including lower glucose, creatinine, uric acid, and several liver enzyme levels, and more consistent profiles overall, suggesting better metabolic health and organ function compared with non-centenarians.

Higher total cholesterol and iron levels (within typical ranges) were also associated with a greater likelihood of reaching age 100, while extreme deviations in these markers were less common among those with exceptional longevity. The differences in biomarkers more than a decade before death imply that a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors reflected in routine blood tests may contribute to the chance of living to 100. So most of it is really up to us and how we live.

 

References:

 

[1] Ravnskov, U et al. 2020.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Jiang, Qin et al. 2025.

[5] Ma, Chaoran et al. 2019.

[6] Yang, Jihyun et al. 2024.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Murata, Shunsuke et al. 2023.