Dr. Conrad Maulfair Reveals the Real Story About Cholesterol

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Title: Dr. Conrad Maulfair Reveals the Real Story About Cholesterol

Word Count: 551

Author: beth Lawrence

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Dr. Conrad Maulfair Reveals the Real Story About Cholesterol

Copyright 2006 In Touch Media Group, Inc.

“Contrary to popular belief, cholesterol is not fat,” says

Dr. Conrad Maulfair, director of the Maulfair Medical

Clinic in Topton, Pa. “Cholesterol is a waxy substance that

is produced by the liver and also ingested through foods we

eat. It often has fatty acids contained in it and therefore

it is considered to be fat, but it is not fat in and of

itself.”

According to Dr. Maulfair, up to 80 percent of cholesterol

is used to make cholic acid, which is essential in bile

salts that are in turn necessary for digestion and

absorption of fat from the diet. Additionally, cholesterol

is used to make the hormones progesterone, estrogen, and

testosterone.

There is also a significant amount of cholesterol in the

skin that helps the skin to resist water absorption and

water evaporation. The presence of cholesterol in the skin

also helps to decrease the penetration of toxic agents such

as solvents.

According to Dr. Maulfair, “Perhaps one of the most

important roles of cholesterol is in the formation and

maintenance of cellular function through the integrity of

cell membranes, as well as many of the membranes of the

other structures within the cell - including the organelles

that produce energy.” He indicates that membrane integrity

is essential for life, health, and the prevention of

disease. “Here is a substance that is, in fact, a

health-enhancing life necessity but that is purported to be

life threatening,” says Dr. Maulfair. “Cholesterol has

gotten a bad rap. We are told that we eat too much

cholesterol in our diet and that elevated levels in the

blood cause hardening of the arteries that, in turn, cause

heart attacks and strokes. Low fat diets are prescribed and

if that isn’t effective, cholesterol lowering drug therapy

is prescribed.”

Dr. Maulfair says that this philosophy has been touted for

so long as scientific fact that it is accepted without

question by the majority of physicians and patients,

despite the fact that there are thousands and thousands of

people who have low cholesterol levels in their blood and

have blocked arteries all over their bodies, and those who

have elevated cholesterol levels without any problems.

Dr. Maulfair notes the important distinction between LDL

and HDL cholesterol. “The LDL structure (fatty acids with

protein) is the primary source of plague in hardening of

the arteries. The HDL form of lipoprotein (protein with fat

attached) is not the type of lipoprotein which contributes

to plague build up and actually helps to lower the fat in

the area by carrying it away from tissues.”

According to Dr. Maulfair, LDL cholesterol in its natural

form is not inherently bad, but that changes sometimes take

place that alter its form. “The process that alters the

natural LDL is called oxidation, and is caused by free

radicals,” says Dr. Maulfair. “This damage can be prevented

by utilizing anti- oxidants.”

He concludes, “To summarize, LDL cholesterol/ fatty acid is

normal in the body and has a function. When it becomes

altered by free radical damage it is transformed into a

detrimental form. The native or normal LDL can pass freely

through tissues, such as the lining of arteries. The

damaged LDL cannot and gets stuck in the artery wall. The

scientific evidence of this has been known for years and

continues to proliferate.”

About the Author:

beth Lawrence is the Senior Editor for Press Direct

International http://www.pressdirectinternational.org . She

is a veteran writer and TV producer/director. Received

three EMMY awards while at CBS. Wrote for the Wall Street

Journal, and as a TV & video consultant, handled material

for Fortune 500 clients including Exxon, Pepsico, The

Ladies Home Journal, RJR Nabisco, J.C. Penney, Hill &

Knowlton and United Artists.