Cholesterol

[OnMyWay]

@Mike J  Someone posted this in the Carnivore FB group I follow.  2009 article quoting studies from the 90's. It really seems that we have been hoodwinked by big pharma, CDC, FDA, etc., for quite a while now.

https://atlasfamilyhealthcenter.com/cholesterol-december-2009/

Cholesterol (December 2009)

A little golden bee tells us nearly every time we turn on the TV that lowering your cholesterol will give you a healthy heart. Over the years high cholesterol has been the scapegoat for a plethora of heart/age related problems and foods containing higher amounts of cholesterol (like nutritious eggs – see our newsletter from May 2007) have gotten a bad rap. But cholesterol is not necessarily the demon made out by the media. In fact it is an essential part of our cellular makeup, is necessary for fat digestion, the utilization of vitamin D and hormone production. While optimal cholesterol levels are best, high cholesterol can work as a protector for your heart if underlying conditions arise. Low levels however, are dangerous.

High Cholesterol

1. Is Associated With Longevity Among The Elderly
2. Protects The Body Against Infections
3. Reduces The Risk Of Death From Heart Failure/Heart Attacks
4. Protects The Heart From Stress/Injury

Low Cholesterol

1. Puts you at greater risk for infection/diseases
2. Is Linked To Malabsorption/Malnutrition
3. Decreases Vitamin D Production
4. Reduces the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K.

A large study at the UCLA Department of Medicine and Cardiomyopathy Center in Los Angeles followed more than one-thousand patients with severe heart failure for 5 years. At the end of the study 62% of patients with cholesterol levels below 129mg/l died while the mortality rate for patients with levels above 223 mg/l was only about 30%.

In 1994 the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Yale University reported that elderly people with low cholesterol were twice more likely to die from a heart attack than those with high cholesterol. Nearly every study to date has also found that high cholesterol doesn’t increase the risk of heart attack for women at all. In fact, mortality has been proven inversely associated to both total and LDL cholesterol. This goes against the traditional theory that LDL is your “bad cholesterol” causing plaque build-up followed by cardiovascular disease or heart attacks.

While it’s true that LDL can build on artery walls when too many bad fats are consumed, it has also been shown to bind and inactivate dangerous bacterial toxins and be a vigilant crusader against infections. For example, the bacterium Staphylococci produces a very toxic substance called Staphylococcus aureus a-toxin which can quickly destroy a wide variety of human cells. If you add even minute amounts of this toxin to a test tube of red blood cells, the cells hemolyze (meaning the red blood cells burst). However, if you add LDL to the mix, their destruction practically ceases.

These protective attributes were shown again in a study at the University of Pittsburg which found that all forms of white blood cells were significantly lower in otherwise healthy young and middle aged men whose LDL cholesterol values were below 160mg/l than men with LDL levels greater than 160mg/l. This led them to conclude that there are differences in immune system function between men with low and high cholesterol.

In a similar finding, researchers at the Division of Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota found that low cholesterol levels were associated with an increased risk of dying from gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases. To further study this finding, they followed 100,000 “healthy” people for 15 years and found that those who had low cholesterol levels at the beginning of the study were far more likely to be admitted to the hospital for an infectious disease than those who started with high cholesterol. Their conclusion – low cholesterol makes you vulnerable to infectious diseases.

Doctors are quick to vouch for the benefits of high HDL which delivers cholesterol to the adrenals, ovaries, and testes, is important for the synthesis of steroid hormones and transports cholesterol away from the arteries and into the liver for excretion or re-utilization. It also has valuable protective properties against the onset of cardiovascular diseases as well as dementia. But they fail to understand the potential life-saving benefits of other forms of cholesterol recommending a cholesterol lowering drug instead of finding the cause behind heightened values.

Along with LDL, VLDL is also considered bad for your health and has been dubbed your “very bad cholesterol” due to its buildup on artery walls. But VLDL lipoproteins can also play a part in protection because they are carriers of the largest amounts of Triglycerides through the body. Triglycerides have been proven to rise as a normal immune system response to infection and are especially important at reducing endotoxins produced by gut bacteria.

These bacteria and other microorganisms are now being linked to chronic heart failure which may help redeem cholesterol. A study from the Martin Luther University in Germany found that the strongest predictor of death for patients with chronic heart failure was the concentration of cytokines in the blood. Cytokines are secreted by white blood cells as they battle invading organisms. As seen in all of the above cases, high cholesterol is not necessarily a bad thing and can be a great mode of protection.

If you already have healthy cholesterol levels this does not mean you should strive to obtain high cholesterol, but with so much research proving the benefits of high cholesterol, why are young/middle aged men warned so adamantly about the risk factors for future coronary heart disease associated with high cholesterol? This is where cholesterol is likely made a scapegoat. Think of it this way, high cholesterol is a marker of the problem not a cause. For example cytokines = increased immune system response = higher cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol is a building block for hormones that regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, stress, balance minerals and the many functions of progesterone and estrogen. So if you eat a poor diet high in carbs, bad fats and sugars, if you are under stress which causes your blood pressure to rise or if your immune system is weak from battling an infection your cholesterol levels in turn will also seek new heights. If you simply take a beta-blocker to bring down your high cholesterol, has the true issue been addressed? Worse – what will happen without the boost of cholesterol to balance out your other problems? Before submitting to quick-fix medications for high cholesterol get a comprehensive blood test and get to the source of the problem.

[RBM]

Agree whole heatedly here, I woke up some years ago thanks to web site Spacedoc.com, not sure its still around but was administered by an ex nassa doc. 

The one thing I remember was the Swiss have among the highest cholesterol in the world (developed countries) yet look at their longevity.  Doc Berri you tube also has some videos on the subject.  

[OnMyWay]

48 minutes ago, RBM said:

Agree whole heatedly here, I woke up some years ago thanks to web site Spacedoc.com, not sure its still around but was administered by an ex nassa doc. 

The one thing I remember was the Swiss have among the highest cholesterol in the world (developed countries) yet look at their longevity.  Doc Berri you tube also has some videos on the subject.  

In Baguio, my wife's family has a dear Swiss friend who has been the family benefactor for at least 30 years.  He is around 80 now.  A retired civil engineer.

He does not live at my BIL's house and apartment building that he financed, but comes over often to tend a garden he made on part of the property, and always comes over when we visit, for BBQ and drinking his favorite cheap red wine in a box!

Last time we met, I found out that his diet is similar to mine.  No breakfast, so he basically does intermittent fasting.  Eats mostly meat and fish.

He had a hip replacement a few years ago and is back to full strength.  His garden is on steep Baguio hillside and I have not seen the bottom of it because of my hip pain and the steep walk.  He loves to walk.  Gets around Baguio by walking and jeepneys.  When he goes back to Switzerland for a visit, he goes on really long hikes and walks.

[JJReyes]

All kinds of studies and research available on the Internet.  You can believe whatever you want.  My personal policy is moderation.  I would get pissed seeing classmates and friends eating and drinking, not exercising or caring about having a healthy lifestyle.  Most of them are now dead.  Maybe I was wrong being careful about my health practices.  Maybe not.  I do eat pork and pork fat because that's part of my Philippine culture.  American friends are astonished because of the cholesterol.  I don't know why, but my A1C is normal for my age.

[jimeve]

80% of fat I consume, 15% protien and the rest I don't care for is carbs. I have bloodfast test and my lab test shows normal range.

It's called a keto diet, not for the week willed. Before I took on this diet I was over 100 kg this morning my weight.... 78.7 kgs.

I nerver get hungry but has it's side effects, like I somtimes get angry, Drinking alcohol get drunk sooner than I wish to and constipation but I can take flax seeds and coconut oil. This is not for everyone.

Edited August 10, 2022 by jimeve

[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, jimeve said:

80% of fat I consume, 15% protien and the rest I don't care for is carbs. I have bloodfast test and my lab test shows normal range.

It's called a keto diet, not for the week willed. Before I took on this diet I was over 100 kg this morning my weight.... 78.7 kgs.

I nerver get hungry but has it's side effects, like I somtimes get angry, Drinking alcohol get drunk sooner than I wish to and constipation but I can take flax seeds and coconut oil. This is not for everyone.

Very similar to mine.  I think we call it Ketovore or some might calling dirty Carnivore.  Carnivore eliminates all the carbs whereas Ketovore includes a small amount of some good veggie carbs.  I eat broccoli once or twice a week and that is about it for carbs.  No sugar at all.  No breads pf any kind.  No rice.

A few times a week I will have a bulletproof coffee.  Hot coffee, butter and MCT oil, blended.  Only during my eating window of approximately 12-6 pm.  I still drink a lot of black coffee too. I'm now back to my marriage weight in 2015.  59 pounds less than my peak in June 2020.

FYI, S&R has KerryGold Irish grass-fed butter.

[jimeve]

1 hour ago, OnMyWay said:

FYI, S&R has KerryGold Irish grass-fed butter.

Can't seem to get grass fed butter in Dumaguete. I use New Zealand butter. I eat low carb veg, coli-flower sometimes cabbage. My weight has stalled but at 78/79 kgs I'm happy and if it keeps me healthy, all's good. 

[OzeMike]

I eat healthy like you Jim and also find my weight has stalled at 82kgs which I know should be lower but at age 75 I will settle for! I'm 5'10" (bald headed and not on my toes)

Walk a magnetic tread mill 35mins 6 days a week with golf on one day seems to help keep my weight from rising...not a big beer drinker but have at least a San Mig Pilsen or glass of red wine a day, I don't eat the fast food mush. I eat fruit with rolled oats and Yakult for breakfast every morning.

My BP figures have dropped back which is handy...which enables me to eat a slice of cake with my dinner..a sweet tooth is my weakness

Edited August 10, 2022 by OzeMike
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[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, OzeMike said:

I eat healthy like you Jim and also find my weight has stalled at 82kgs which I know should be lower but at age 75 I will settle for! I'm 5'10" (bald headed and not on my toes)

82 seems great to me!  I'm 65, and seemed to have shrunk from 6' 2" to 6'1" over the years.  When I was a skinny 18 year old runner I weighed around 84 kg.  I think I am large and heavy boned.  I stopped running in my late 30s.  I was a heavy cyclist from around age 40 to 50, but still had a belly and stayed around 105 during that time, plus or minus a few.  Now I am 113 and hope I can get down to 100.

Part of the struggle is that I have hip pain, but I hope it will be reduced as my body heals from all the crap I put into it, and I lose weight.  A lot of people who do Keto report remarkable reductions in aches and pains they have had for years.

[Jollygoodfellow]

14 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

A lot of people who do Keto report remarkable reductions in aches and pains they have had for years.

I bet anyone who loses weight by any means report less aches and pains. Its not how you lose weight its the fact your body has less stress on it. Now for a beer while I consider a diet.