Is High Cholesterol Bad?

I am by no means an expert in cholesterol and so for this article I thought I would compile a list articles and resources from people that are experts.
Hopefully this will give you enough information to do further research and provide you with questions that you can ask your doctor.
Lets quickly go over some of the myths and facts about cholesterol.
This is taken from an article by Jonny Bowden, co-author of The Great Cholesterol Myth.
Myth: High cholesterol is the cause of heart disease.
Fact: Cholesterol is a fairly insignificant player in heart disease.
Myth: High cholesterol is a good predictor of heart attacks.
Fact: High cholesterol is a lousy predictor of heart attacks. Half the people admitted to hospitals with heart disease have normal cholesterol, and plenty of people with elevated cholesterol have perfectly healthy hearts.
Myth: Lowering cholesterol with statin drugs will prolong your life.
Fact: There is no data showing statins have any impact on longevity.
Myth: Statin drugs are perfectly safe.
Fact: Statin drugs have significant side effects, including loss of memory and libido, muscle pain and fatigue, and approximately 65 per cent of doctors don't report those side effects, according to a 2007 study.
Myth: Statin drugs are appropriate for men, women, children and the elderly.
Fact: The only group in which statins have been shown to have even a modest effect is in middle-aged men who've already had a heart attack. If you're not in that group, you've got no business on a statin drug.
Myth: Saturated fat is dangerous.
Fact: Saturated fat is mostly neutral and may even have some health benefits. A recent peer-reviewed study has shown no association between saturated fat and heart disease.
Myth: The higher your cholesterol, the shorter your lifespan.
Fact: In the Framingham Study, the people who actually lived the longest had the highest cholesterol.
Myth: A high-carbohydrate diet protects you from heart disease.
Fact: Diets that substitute carbohydrates for saturated fat may actually increase the risk for heart disease.

The video below is a summary of a study done by the World Health Organisation.

 

And finally this video as why to the current thinking around cholesterol is bull shit!