You have undoubtedly heard that high cholesterol can be deadly. However, Ive told my readers for years that it is not how high your cholesterol level is. Its how well your body handles that cholesterol. So I am not nearly as concerned about your cholesterol levels as most doctors.
In fact, theres another risk factor that is far more critical for your health and longevity. That is vitamin D. Two important studies came out recently that showed why a vitamin D deficiency is far more deadly than high cholesterol.
The first study followed 13,331 adults over 20 years of age. The researchers followed them for an average of 8.7 years. They found a 26% increase in all-cause mortality among those with the lowest vitamin D blood level (<17.8 ng/ml).
A second study on 3,299 Austrian subjects showed a dramatically increased risk of heart disease in those in the lowest quartile. They suffered a nearly three-fold increased risk for death due to heart failure. And they had a five-fold increased risk for sudden cardiac death.
Wondering if you are deficient? You probably are. The researchers in the first study found that older folks have a greater risk of deficiency. As do females and non-whites, diabetics, smokers, and those who are overweight. In other words, most people are deficient.
If you are deficient in vitamin D, it puts you at a much higher risk of death from all causes. Its a substantially higher risk than the supposed cholesterol level risks. You do not want to be a part of the vitamin D deficiency epidemic!
The good news is a vitamin D deficiency is much easier to correct than high cholesterol. All you have to do is take a supplement (5,000-10,000 units daily).