For many people, a high cholesterol number on a lab report instantly triggers panic – and often a lifelong prescription to bring it down. Cholesterol has been vilified for years as a silent killer, but is it really the enemy we think it is? After all, if most of it is produced inside the body, could it truly be all bad?

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Dr Alok Chopra, founder-director and consultant cardiologist at Delhi’s Aashlok Hospital with over 40 years of experience, is challenging the long-held myth that cholesterol is the enemy of good health. In an Instagram video posted on September 21, 2024, the cardiologist, in conversation with his daughter Eisha Chopra, explains the many benefits of cholesterol and why your lab numbers aren’t absolute – because cholesterol levels naturally fluctuate.

Is cholesterol friend or foe?

Dr Chopra addresses the controversy regarding cholesterol, stating, “First of all, cholesterol has become a swear word. Everybody thinks it’s evil and the moment the cholesterol goes around 200, everybody gets a pill.”

However, the cardiologist debunks the myth, clarifying that cholesterol is not the villain it’s often portrayed as – it is essential for several vital bodily functions, and most of the cholesterol in your system is actually synthesised by your own body. He stresses, “You must understand that cholesterol is essential for life. Where does cholesterol come from? I put this question to most of my patients and they’ll say obviously from food. Yes? Not at all! 85 percent of the cholesterol is made by our body. If something is made in our body. How can it be bad?”

Benefits of cholesterol

Dr Chopra links cholesterol to optimal immune function and effective disease prevention, highlighting its crucial role in keeping the body’s defence system strong. He states, “Cholesterol is deeply linked with our immunity? It does a damn good job for that.” He outlines the following ways cholesterol keeps the immune system strong:

• Deactivates bacteria
• Control infections
• Protect damage
• Reduces changes of AIDS and Alzheimer’s
• Helps with illness recovery

Cholesterol is variable

The cardiologist emphasises that cholesterol levels are not fixed and can fluctuate at different times of the day, across seasons, and throughout the year. He explains, “With winter it increases, with summer it decreases. It increases after infections, increases after surgery, dental treatment, even stress increases it. And when we are relaxed, then the cholesterol comes down.”

He highlights that your cholesterol lab numbers aren’t set in stone, as cholesterol levels naturally fluctuate with time, season and bodily changes. He even shares his own cholesterol number to put things into perspective, urging people not to panic over a single reading or obsess unnecessarily about the figures. He states, “I always tell people, do you know what my cholesterol is? Take a deep breath. It’s 325. Really? Yes, it is. And I’m still alive.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.