The Cholesterol Question (2014)

• 74%
• 2014

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 lakeside village in northern Italy, we join scientists searching for the "dark matter" that could unlock the remaining mysteries of heart disease. Is it in our genes, stomachs, or our artery walls? Is saturated fat the villain it's long been made out to be - and are statins actually not the magic bullet to heart health? Told as a film-noir detective story with colourful, graphic novel-inspired animation, The Cholesterol Question deconstructs cholesterol's fascinating story for the average viewer - taking them through a scientific caper that debunks conventional wisdom and travels to the frontiers of heart health for new answers.