Cholesterol

"'The public is so brainwashed, that many people believe that the lower your cholesterol, the healthier you will be or the longer you will live. Nothing could be further from the truth... The cholesterol cartel of drug companies, manufacturers of low-fat foods, blood-testing devices and others with huge vested financial interests have waged a highly successful promotional campaign. Their power is so great that they have infiltrated medical and government regulatory agencies that would normally protect us from such unsubstantiated dogma.'" -Professor Rosch, former President of the New York State Society of International Medicine, quoted in Barbee

Maintaining healthy cholesterol: Exercise "very fit athletes are known to ahve high HDL readings. Even moderate exercise like walking creates healthy changes in the body which, in turn, appear to create a demand for frewer of the dense LDL cholesterol particles."

Tips (Barbee, p31):
There is clinical evidence that stress reduction helps lower cholesterol levels.

Avoid all foods containing partially hydrogenated oils. Limit sugar. Excessive amounts can raise cholesterol.

Start adding healthy omega 3s to the diet from fish, flax, walnuts, and olive oil. For cooking at high heat, use organic coconut, sesame, or rice bran oils.

Drink water. Its the easiest way to protect the heart.

The idea that cholesterol is bad for us comes from a study in 1924 done on bunnies. They were fed cholesterol and their arteries were clogged and they died. The problems with the studies were 1. The cholesterol they were eating was already damaged (oxidized and not fresh) and 2. bunnies are vegetarians and have no way of dealing with dietary cholesterol.

"We need cholesterol to keep our cells healthy, to help create the sex hormones, and to make sure the brain and nervous system function properly. Cholesterol is an important component of every cell. The liver acts like a cholesterol thermostat, controlling how much is in the bloodstream at a given time. What has largely been hidden is the fact that, if for some reason there is not enough cholesterol supplied to the brain, people are more likely to suffer depression, exhibit aggressive behavior, and have higher suicide rates." (This in Barbee's book, with references)

"Very low cholesterol levels are indeed dangerous. Low cholesterol levels are equated with a greater risk of dying from cancer. In terms of heart disease, there is no greater risk at cholesterol levels of 300 than at 180. But some research indicates that the "all-cause" death rate is higher in individuals with cholesterol levels lower than 180."

Cholesterol plays the role of healer. If the task is too big for the role cholesterol attempts to play, and if a person succumbs to heart disease, we wrongly blame the cholesterol instead of focusing on the other factors related to developing this disease. Saturated fat and cholesterol should not be feared.

Cholesterol is needed to synthesize sunlight into vitamin D. If the body gets inadequate sunlight, cholesterol levels rise. Plenty of sunlight normalizes cholesterol levels.

"Abundant amounts of fruits and vegetables will help to prevent oxidative damage to the arteries and also help to keep the cholesterol and fats carried by the LDL from becoming oxidized." LDL is highly subject to oxidization, but vitamin E can prevent this from occuring.

"Avoid cholesterol that has already been oxidized outisde the body: dried or powdered milk and eggs. Also on the 'to avoid' list are the processed meats. Fresh sources of cholesterol-rich foods are fine. Remember, it's the processed, oxidized, chemical-laden, cholesterol-rich foods that are a problem.

"High levels of homocystein can contribute not only to heart disease but to osteoporosis as well. There even appears to be a link between elevated levels of homocystein and Alzheimer's disease. In most cases, this substance can be kept in check with a diet supplying plenty of vitamins B6 (potatoes, bananas, liver, turkey, lentils, wheat bran, cabbage, milk, eggs, cantaloupe) and B12 (eggs, dairy, beef, fish, poultry), folic acid (leafy greens, beans, citrus, beets, meat, carrots, whole wheat) and choline (some fo the best sources for cholinea re egg yolks, lecithin, and fish).

"Low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets-particularly those which include large amounts of refined carbohydrates- are also implicated in causing heart disease. The high-carb diets pushed on the public for so many years by numerous health authorities tend to create insulin resistance, whereas a high-fat diet does not. The body's increased production of insulin not only puta a strian on the panceras, but the exess inslulin appeasr to generate greater levels of heart-damaging homocysteine.

"Fatal heart attacks were cut in half in a group drinking more water.

High levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream are not the cause of heart disease. About half of all those having heart attacks have cholesterol readings that are normal or below normal.