 | ||
| Ellen Davis - Healthy Eating Politics |
From Ellen Davis of the website Healthy Eating Politics:
Fact: Half of all heart related deaths occur in people who have normal cholesterol levels.
In the United States, we have been brainwashed into believing that consuming saturated fat and having elevated cholesterol are synonymous with death from heart disease. This is called the Diet-Heart Hypothesis.
Problem is it's not true. Considering the fact stated above, and all the studies which suggest that higher cholesterol levels are associated with lower rates of mortality from any cause, we should consider the idea that cholesterol may be a substance we want to encourage, not reduce.
In fact, cholesterol is essential to life, and it provides substantial benefit to body health:
- Every cell in your body requires cholesterol to maintain cell wall integrity. Your body cannot make new cells without cholesterol, and cholesterol is used by the body to repair cellular damage.
- Cholesterol is the building material from which your body makes bile for the digestion of fatty acids. Without bile, you could not digest the fats you eat. Since your brain is 60% fat by weight, this would have a tremendous effect on your well being.
- Cholesterol is the parent substance from which aldosterone and cortisol are made. Without these two hormones, you would die in a matter of days, as these hormones keep the amount of salt and sugar in your blood at the right levels.
- Cholesterol is also the parent for another hormone called calcitrol. Calcitrol is the active form of vitamin D within the body, and it is involved in more than 300 cellular processes. One of the most important is the regulation of calcium levels in our bones. Without calcitrol, calcium would pass right through the body, and our bones and teeth would dissolve. In addition, nerve transmissions would fail, as they depend on calcium. The result would be total paralysis as muscle groups would be unable to respond to nerve impulses. Your heart, which is a muscle, would be unable to contract.
- Cholesterol helps the body fight infections and indeed this may be its most important benefit. Current research has suggested that heart disease and atherosclerosis may be caused by infectious organisms and the resulting inflammation they cause. Higher levels of cholesterol protect the body from these inflammatory microorganisms.
- Cholesterol acts as a protective substance against stroke and cancer.
- Low cholesterol contributes to mood disorders, such as aggression, violence and depression. A team at the Yale University School of Medicine has theorized that cholesterol somehow regulates and influences brain neurochemistry.
- Your brain, which is the seat of your memories, your personality, your "you-ness" relies heavily on cholesterol. The brain uses about 20% of your total body cholesterol. If the brain doesn't have enough cholesterol, cognitive problems happen. Indeed, some people have reported experiencing loss of memory and even amnesia after taking drugs to lower cholesterol.
- A study in 2003 by Pfreiger revealed that the brain uses cholesterol to build the synaptic connections between its neurons. In fact, the brain has special cells called glial cells which are specifically adapted to make cholesterol for neuronal connections. Without cholesterol, there would be no brain function.
- A lack of cholesterol can cause dementia. Current research is revealing that lower cholesterol levels are related to the development of Alzheimer's disease. Henry Lorin has written an interesting book on this subject called Alzheimer's Solved: Condensed Edition
.
- People with higher levels of cholesterol live the longest. There are multiple studies which support this fact. This is especially true for the elderly.
- Some people suffer from a genetic defect which is called Smith Lemli Opitz Syndrome in which the body doesn't make cholesterol. These people suffer from debilitating health problems including growth retardation, digestive issues, and other serious body damage since cholesterol is essential to these body processes.
- Cholesterol is so important to your body that it will make it if you don’t eat enough. This self regulation makes it very difficult to use a low fat diet alone to lower your cholesterol. The less cholesterol you eat, the more cholesterol your body makes. If you want to lower your cholesterol, reduce your carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrates turn into sugar or glucose in the body, and cholesterol is made from glucose. Any basic biochemistry text will confirm this fact.
Elevated Cholesterol is Good
There are multiple studies which provide evidence that even high cholesterol levels above 300 mg/dl are not the dire health problem the government, drug companies and other nutritional experts would have you believe.The real culprit in heart disease is the inflammation caused by elevated insulin and blood sugars brought on by eating highly refined carbs, and too many carbs in general.
The fact is that chronically high blood sugar and insulin are at the root of heart disease, as well as most autoimmune diseases. Dr. Ron Rosedale writes about this here. Cholesterol levels have never been linked definitively to heart disease in any study, and in fact many recent studies have declared no relationship exists.
Notes on High Cholesterol and Drugs
If your cholesterol levels are elevated, and your doctor has mentioned drugs, please, please at least read the following resources, so you can make an informed decision. Doing so could save your health or even your life.- Whole Health Source: List of Studies Which Do NOT support the Diet Heart Hypothesis
- Health Policy on Blood Cholesterol -Time to Change Directions paper published in Circulation 1992 86:3:1026-1029
- A Doctor Discusses the Dangers of Low Cholesterol
- The Statin Effects Study website
- THINCS: The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics
- Spacedoc.net, a website by Duane Graveline, M.D.
- High Cholesterol helps build muscle mass.
- Medical Consumers website.
- Cholesterol and Health
- What's Cholesterol Got To Do With It? - article by Gary Taubes
- Dr. Drug Rep: article in New York Times magazine
- Spacedoc.net Forums: Read anecdotal evidence about the damage statins cause to individual health.
- The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It
by Dr. Malcolm McKendrick
- The Great Cholesterol Con
by Anthony Colpo
- Alzheimer's Solved: Condensed Edition
- Fat and Cholesterol are Good for You
by Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD
- The Cholesterol Myths: Exposing the Fallacy That Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease by Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD. This book is out of print, but you may be able to find copies on the web.
- Lack of Association Between Cholesterol and Coronary Heart Disease Mortality and Morbidity and All-Cause Mortality in Persons Older Than 70 Years A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
In addition, there are many documented cases of statin drugs causing serious injury and death to otherwise healthy people. Educate yourself!
What to Say to Your Physician
Get your physician involved in a discussion about cholesterol levels and the study results which contradict the mainstream lipid hypothesis:- Ask him or her to look at the studies which prove there is no relationship between high cholesterol blood levels and arteriosclerosis.
- Ask why many long term study reassessments like Framingham and MRFIT have shown that people with "elevated" cholesterol levels have the lowest rates of "all cause mortality", and that in fact, lower cholesterol levels are dangerous.
- Ask about natural treatments such as a low carb diet, Pantethine, and CoQ10 and L-Carnitine for increased heart health.
- Point out that current research models are suggesting that low cholesterol levels are associated with Alzheimer's Disease.
(To read the full article, click here.)
No comments:
Post a Comment