LDL not the bad guy

Low density lipoprotein, LDL, the so-called “bad cholesterol” is getting the short end of the stick. It’s not as bad as most people think and in fact serves a vital function we need to live and develop muscle.

Steve Riechman, a researcher in the Department of Health and Kinesiology says we need to rethink our opinions about LDL. In a study published in the Journal of Gerontology they should that a group of older adults aged 60-69 who began a training program, made better progress if they had high levels of LDL.

It was “a very unexpected result and one that surprised us. It shows that you do need a certain amount of LDL to gain more muscle mass. There’s no doubt you need both - the LDL and the HDL - the truth is, it is all good. You simply can’t remove all the bad cholesterol from your body without serious problems occurring,” concluded Riechman.

“LDL serves a very useful purpose. It acts as a warning sign that something is wrong and it signals the body to these warning signs. It does its job the way it is supposed to.”

“HDL, the good cholesterol, cleans up after the repair work is done. And the more LDL you have in your blood, the better you are ale to build muscle during resistance training,” continued Riechman.

He also pointed out that these results could help with the treatment of sarcopenia, a condition leading to muscle loss in seniors. Perhaps more LDL is needed as we age. Future studies will make that determination, but in the mean time, be nice to LDLs. Your body needs them.

Source: Texas A&M University, ScienceDaily