Are the official recommended cholesterol levels set by the National Cholesterol Education Program in the United States too high to help prevent cardiovascular problems?

Studies seem to indicate that the “normal” cholesterol levels—both low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and the total cholesterol level—need to be lowered to reduce your risk of a heart attack.

In recent findings reported in the American Heart Journal, researchers used the “Get with the Guidelines” database to target patients who were hospitalized for a heart attack between 2000 and 2006. Of the 136,905 heart patients whose lipid levels were checked at admission—or 59 percent of the total admissions—close to 75 percent had cholesterol levels that were within the “normal” guidelines. These patients would have raised NO warning flags about heart attack risk.

Plus, more than half of the patients had high-density lipoprotein (HDL)—also known as “good cholesterol”—levels below 40 mg/dL—rated poor by national guidelines.

In another related study, Chinese subjects ate only 10 percent of the United States average amount of animal protein. And their fat intake was less than half of that found in the United States and their fiber intake from green vegetables was three times higher than in the United States.

How did the average cholesterol level of the Chinese compare to the Americans? China’s average was only 127 mg/dL while the U.S. average was a whopping 203 mg/dL!

The researchers went on to reveal that the Chinese had a death rate 16.7 times LOWER than their U.S. male counterparts and 5.6 times LOWER than their U.S. female counterparts! What does this tell you about the optimal cholesterol level for your health?

By both lowering the guideline targets for LDL cholesterol and finding natural ways to boost the levels of HDL, the number of people hospitalized for heart attacks may go down—and more lives could be saved. One of them could be yours…