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Myth:
People with high cholesterol are more prone to heart attacks.
Truth:
Young and middle-aged men with cholesterol levels over 350 are slightly more at risk for heart attacks. Those who have cholesterol levels just below 350 are at no greater risk than those whose cholesterol is very low. For elderly men and for women of all ages, high cholesterol is associated with a longer lifespan.
Myth:
Cholesterol & saturated fat clog arteries.
Truth:
There is very little cholesterol or saturated fat in the arterial plaque or clogs. Most of the material is a calcium deposit akin to lime and most of the fatty acids are unsaturated.
Myth:
Eating saturated fat and cholesterol-rich foods will cause cholesterol levels to rise and make people more susceptible to heart disease.
Truth:
Many studies show no relationship between diet and cholesterol levels; there is no evidence that saturated fat and cholesterol-rich food contribute to heart disease. As Americans have cut back on saturated fat and cholesterol rich foods, rates of heart disease have gone up.
Myth:
Cholesterol-lowering drugs have saved many lives.
Truth:
In the two most recent trials, involving over 10,000 subjects, cholesterol-lowering did not result in any improvement in outcome.
Myth:
Countries that have a high consumption of animal fat and cholesterol have higher rates of heart disease.
Truth:
There are many exceptions to this observation, such as France and Spain. Furthermore, an association (called a "risk factor") is not the same as a cause. In wealthy countries where people eat a lot of animal foods, many other factors exist that can contribute to heart disease.
If it isn't cholesterol, what causes heart disease?
Many scientists have put forth valid theories for the epidemic of heart disease in western societies. They include:
Deficiency of Vitamins A and D: Back in the 1930s, Weston A. Price, DDS, observed that rates of heart attack rose during periods of the year when levels of fat-soluble vitamins in local butter went down.
Deficiencies of Vitamins B6, B12, and Folic Acid: Kilmer McCully, MD, PhD, demonstrated that these deficiencies lead to elevated levels of homocysteine, a marker for heart disease.
Trans Fatty Acids: Fred Kummerow, PhD, and many others have linked heart disease to the replacement of saturated fats with trans fatty acids; saturated fats actually protect against heart disease in many ways.
Mineral Deficiencies: Deficiencies of magnesium, copper and vanadium have been linked to heart disease.
Milk Pasteurization: J.C. Annand, a British researcher, observed an increase in heart disease in districts that implemented pasteurization compared to those where milk was still sold unpasteurized.
Stress: Heart attacks often occur after a period of stress, which depletes the body of many nutrients.
Unfortunately, there is little research money available to study these theories; most research on heart disease is funded through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which is firmly committed to the flawed hypothesis that cholesterol and saturated fat cause heart disease.
Source: Weston Price Foundation |
