Cholesterol – it's not the bad guy
Cholesterol
If you've been living in a cave, you may not have heard about cholesterol. If you've been listening to government-affiliated professionals you're probably scared of it. Don't be that guy.
Cholesterol is your friend. It's the body's natural comforter and protector. If you have inflammation, cholesterol rushes to the scene to patch things up and give you an internal cuddle. Blaming cholesterol for clogging arteries is like blaming firemen that come to put out a fire.
All the cells of our body are surrounded by a plasma membrane. This is composed of phospholipids interweaved with cholesterol and proteins. We can't survive without cholesterol. That's why our bodies manufacture it.
Cross section of a cell membrane, Source:William Crochot
Are you taking cholesterol-lowering medication or eating cholesterol-lowering spreads?
If your doctor has prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, it is likely because your blood tests returned a higher than average risk of cardiovascular disease. How do they know? Well, they guessed, based on statistics.
What evidence do they have for this?
Quick answer: not much!
For many years they've been using the Framingham Risk Score which estimates your chances of cardivascular problems over the next 10-30 years. It looks at risk factors based on age, sex, LDL and HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking. It is not the most reliable way to predict cardiovascular issues.
This video featuring Ivor Cummins is very easy to follow and he has a lovely Irish accent. He discusses cholesterol mechanisms, the Framingham Risk Score's accuracy at predicting cardiovascular events and compares this to the CAC Score (CT scan which measures calcified plaque levels in coronary arteries). Spoiler alert: the CAC Score wins.
So who's the bad guy?
Quick answer: sugar!
The powerful sugar industry – following the tobacco industry's lead – has deflected blame for decades. They witheld research they'd funded into the negative effects of sucrose (cancer and cardiovascular disease) for 50 years. They pumped money into research then buried data that made them look bad, favouring profit over health. Instead of admitting sugar's role in chronic disease, they influenced government officials and paid researchers to blame dietary fat instead. Poor, innocent, dietary fat.
The sugar industry works behind the scenes, pressuring and infuencing policy makers, infiltrating healthcare and nutritional guidelines committees, using their fat wallets to make sure sugar's still on your table. They've had to give way a little, advise us to reduce our intake a bit, but that's ok for them...
Why is Big Sugar now ok with the advice to reduce our intake of sugar?
Quick answer: because sugar is addictive!
Source
It's addictive and they know it. They know we can't just take sugar in small amounts. They know it spikes our insulin, which then crashes shortly afterwards, making us crave another hit. We can't help it; it's how our brains are wired. We're at the mercy of these hormones.
Besides, Big Sugar has wormed itself into virtually all processed food. If you eat the Standard American Diet you're constantly consuming sugar that's hiding in your food. Constantly!
What does sugar do to the body?
Quick answer: it fucks it up!
Sugar raises triglycerides (that's not a good thing) and is heavily involved in inflammation, cardiovascular disease, cancer, liver disease, obesity, diabetes, alzheimers, cavities, mental illness, suicide risk... and probably more.
How can I find out more about how evil sugar really is?
Quick answer: read carefully!
Remember, Big Sugar has its tentacles everywhere. They pay a lot of people a lot of money to write up glowing articles. They pay for scientific research. They pay to get themselves on councils and committees that make decisions about our health and government policy. They also pay people to write hatchet jobs on anyone opposing them.
Tread carefully, dear one.
Is there any good news?
Quick answer: yes!
If you want to live to a ripe old age, it's better to have high rather than low cholesterol. A study following 100,000+ people over 15 years showed that those with lower cholesterol were admitted to hospital with infections more frequently than those with higher cholesterol. There are many studies out there. Go see.
Recommended Reading
- Cholesterol and triglyceride levels in first-episode psychosis: systematic review and meta-analysis
This link is from The British Journal of Psychiatry, published in December 2017. It's a bit heavier to read but is a good meta-analysis proving the link between low cholesterol, high triglycerides and schizophrenia.
More articles about health:
Thanks for popping by.
The anti-fat/cholesterol movement was likely engendered by the processed food industry to sell more of their junk products. Any secondary school physiology texts will indicate that the satiety signal for humans is triggered by body's detection of fats and cholesterol entering the stomach and duodenum. Thus, almost immediately after chomping down a piece of marbled steak, the body releases grellin to signal "stop eating" message. By reducing and removing fats and cholesterol from much of the processed foods as "healthy" option, the junk food industry effectively produces food that bypasses the satiety signaling mechanism. It is quite sad how the supposedly well-learned MDs prattle the industry adverts regarding "evils" of fat, leading the unsuspecting down a path of overeating and ultimately unhealthy lifestyle.
The lunacy of labeling LDL "deadly" and HDL "good" by the medical industry is quite telling of their being bereft of critical thinking and understanding of their own supposed science. LDL and HDL molecules are but cholesterol and fat carriers; they are one entity arbitrarily divided by the content of fat. It is akin to labeling empty taxies as "LDL" and passenger carrying taxies as "HDL," then labeling passenger carrying taxies as "good" and vilifying empty taxies as "evil." Current anti-cholesterol scheme makes just about the same sense as a government outlawing empty taxies because only passenger carrying taxies ought to be on the streets. Pure pazzak.
Great taxi analogy. I've never heard it put like that before.
Couldn't agree more. They sell more food if people don't get the hunger signals. And, yes, they get them sick and profit from the drugs people eventually need by eating their processed garbage.
I agree . Sugar is the bad guy. It is not natural when it has been refined. Eggs are basically a super food and they are high in cholesterol so what is the problem. In my book if it is natural it is all good. Anything addictive has to go because it enslaves you.
Deffo. I'm with you on the eggs thing. We eat loads of them. There's nothing wrong with my health. All my bloods are fine. I'm not sick (anymore -- when I was vegan/veggie I was very sick).
Addictions. I'm with you in spirit but my coffee says no and sometimes the spiced rum is stronger than I am :D
We all have a vice and I like a coffee.
lol. Never trust a person with no vices
They are two different types of Cholesterol, and there's no benefit in having them high or low, just on the normal interval - which is different from person to person mind you :)
Good post. Cheers
I agree @spiritualmax. They've never actually pinpointed the right number. It's all about ratios and triglycerides play a big role too. thanks for popping by :D
Interesting read, anjkara.
Whilst I agree with most of what you say, there are two types of cholesterol recognised, are there not? High-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein (LDL). The latter being often considered to be 'bad' because it does build up in people's arteries causing heart disease.
Interestingly, the human body can manufacture its own cholesterol (which you state) so you don't actually need any in your diet. Extra HDL cholesterol will no doubt get metabolized into other hormones as required (or used as you state, helping out after inflammation). But that extra LDL stuff... What becomes of that?
A diet low in cholesterol (particularly LDL cholesterol) and very low in refined sugar has to be the way to go? A very broad diet with lots of fun exercise is what I would recommend (I've eaten tonnes of food in my life and only pull my face at natto - fermented soya beans - and shiokara - concentrated fermented squid entrails. The latter being used in Japanese drinking games and being really bad when you burp).
Not really. You're reading from the propaganda they push on the NHS. That's what they want you to believe, you know.
A diet high in good-quality animal proteins and fats and low in carbohydrate (not just refined sugar) is the healthiest way. It's what our ancestors thrived on for a couple of million years.
Thanks for resteeming @valorforfreedom -- You're a big inspiration for me :)