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Why You Should Stay Optimized? People often think that cholesterol is harmful to human body and hence it is best to keep the cholesterol level low. But do people really know what cholesterol is? Being one of the many substances created and used by our bodies to keep us healthy, cholesterol is needed by the body to perform several biological functions. Human body creates 75 percent of cholesterol naturally while the remaining 25 percent comes from the foods consumed. Contrary to one of the many myths, cholesterol can only be found in animal products. 2 kinds of cholesterol are available namely ‘good’ and ‘bad’. The good one refers to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and the bad one is called low-density lipoprotein (LDL. Too much LDL and insufficient HDL can put one at risk of developing coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke. Studies have shown that smoking can reduce one’s HDL while regular physical activity, reducing trans fats and eating a balanced, nutritious diet can help body produce more HDL. Optimized people often think positively and such attitude has long been thought to be good for the health. Would such attitude improve HDL level?
As reported by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, viewing the world optimistically might be tied to better health, including higher level of HDL and lower levels of triglycerides. Their findings were published on May 15, 2013 in the in ‘The American Journal of Cardiology’. In fact, their previous study had highlighted a link between optimism and lower risk for heart disease. They decided to investigate in the new study whether there was an independent link between optimistic or pessimistic outlooks and cholesterol that is a risk factor for heart attack. Data from the Midlife in the United States study that included phone interviews and laboratory tests for 990 people aged between 40 and 70 were analyzed. Participants’ levels of optimism were rated on a scale from 6 o 30. The aim was to investigate association between optimism and lipids (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglyceride). Though no connection was found between optimism and total cholesterol levels, or LDL, HDL was found to increase by 1 mg/dL (milligram per deciliter) for every increase of 5 points on the optimism scale. A 1-mg/dL rise in HDL would translate to a 3 percent reduction in the risk of heart disease, compared to 6 percent drop in heart disease risk by regular exercise. However, the link between optimism and cholesterol levels became weaker after taking into account of other influences and factors including diet and alcohol consumption, and body weight. The researchers then concluded that the optimists' tendency to have healthier lifestyles and weight might only partially explain the differences in their blood lipids. Meanwhile, researchers stressed that more research is required as the current study only found a link to blood lipids but not to heart disease or cardiovascular events. The new findings did not surprise most health professionals, but some would think that the time when attitude adjustments could be used in pursuit of physical health is still a long way off. They argued that it is still impossible to say if optimism causes a change in cholesterol, or cholesterol influences outlook, or both are subject to some third variable. Optimism would no doubt have broad and far reaching consequences in areas of one’s life, and risk of heart attack and stroke would go up in depressed individuals. But this does not mean that all of a sudden, the risk would be lower if one change from pessimist to an optimist. People with high cholesterol usually have no symptoms, meaning they might be at risk of a variety of health problems without even knowing it. Hence, it is important for people to have regular monitoring of their cholesterol levels to see if it is high so that they can deal with it before too late.
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