Have you ever felt confused by the barrage of information fed to you about cholesterol? Let’s go through some of the myths and facts about it.

Myth: All cholesterols are bad!

Truth: Not all cholesterols are bad to human. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in our body. It is needed to make hormones, vitamin D and other substances that maintain various body functions.

Myth: Cholesterol circulates in our blood.

Truth: Cholesterol is not soluble in water. Since the major composition of our blood is water, cholesterol does not circulate freely in our blood. Instead, cholesterol is transported to and from tissue cells bound to lipid protein complexes, namely lipoproteins.

Myth: High density lipoproteins are bad cholesterol.

Truth: The lower the percentage of fat in the lipoprotein, the higher the density of the lipoprotein. Thus, high density lipoproteins (HDL) are the ‘good’ cholesterol, serving as transporters that take away bad cholesterol from blood vessels. Meanwhile, low density lipoproteins (LDL) promote cholesterol buildup in them.

Myth: Bad diet contributes to high cholesterol

Truth: Diet could be a contributing factor, but not the sole factor that causes this. Lifestyle behaviour, alcohol consumption and genetics play a role too.

Myth: Children will not get high cholesterol

Truth: This is not true. Childhood obesity is on the rise in many Asian countries and it’s causing them cholesterol problems. This is mainly due to poor diet and genetics.

Now that the truth is known, it's time to make better decisions for your health!