The Cholesterol Question

Cholesterol. For almost 50 years, the word has evoked fear. When people started dropping dead in alarming numbers after WWII, this essential bodily substance was targeted as a primary suspect, and with the help of blockbuster drugs like statins and trendy low-fat diets, we tried to put it behind bars. But surprising facts remain: Roughly 50 percent of those admitted to hospital for heart attacks have "normal" cholesterol levels. Many people with high cholesterol have healthy hearts. How much do we really know about cholesterol? Have our attempts to lock up this culprit really worked? And what cutting-edge clues are scientists now discovering to defeat heart attacks? The Cholesterol Question is a hard-hitting investigation into the heart of cholesterol's controversial journey, from essential biological substance to Public Enemy Number One to possible rehab. From high-tech labs at Harvard University, the Cleveland Clinic, and McMaster's Population Health Research Institute to a secluded