CHOLESTEROL AND YOUR HEART.Medical authorities
continue to recommend drugs and low-fat diets to reduce an elevated serum cholesterol level. I think this is worthless,
or worse, toxic and dangerous to use the statin drugs in most cases. An elevated cholesterol level is a stress indicator,
and little else. It is easy to lower with natural methods, and drugs are never needed, in my experience. Let us
examine cholesterol in more detail. Moore
Cholesterol is not a disease. High blood cholesterol is the effect and not the cause of cardiovascular
and /or heart disease. When an individual indulges in dietary [fried foods, coke, hamburger, sodas and vegetable oils] patterns
that cause arterial/vascular degeneration, impending strokes, heart attacks and arterial malfunction are prevented by the
presence of blood cholesterol. The brain tells the body through biofeedback mechanism to tell the liver to stimulate a group
of proteins called “low density lipoproteins” to carry fat from the liver to fix leaks and arterial malfunctions
like fixing a flat tire. Recurrent deposition of fats in response to arterial malfunction is cause d by detrimental nutritional
patterns and not the cholesterol in itself. This arterial deposition of fat in the blood in response to adversities of these
impending calamities is what laboratory tests record as high blood cholesterol. When we correct these poor dietary patterns,
the brain stimulates the liver to produce a second group of proteins called “high density lipoproteins” to carry
excess fats from the arteries to the liver where they are used for fat metabolism. Consequently cholesterol is not the cause
but the “scape goat “that had become a casualty of heart disease for material gains by orthodox medicine. The
use of cholesterol lowering drugs and balloon angioplasty [heart surgery] to correct high blood cholesterol is a medical disgrace.Please read moore
If you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure (a systolic pressure — the top number — of 140 or above or
a diastolic pressure — the bottom number — of 90 or above), you might be worried about taking medication to bring
your numbers down. Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If you successfully control your
blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you may avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication. Please read moore
In 1937 Dr Szent-Gyorgy was awarded the Nobel Prize for
discovering that essential fatty acid when combined with sulphur-rich proteins enhances cellular oxygenation. Essential fatty
acids are major components of cell membranes.Their deficiencies compromise cellular integrity makes the
cell membranes porous and jeopardizes the ability of cells to eliminate toxins .Omega-3 fatty acids have been
shown to inhibit aggressive forms ofcancers. The omega-3 fatty acids are one of the essential fatty acids
and nutrients that the body cannot manufacture and are ingested directly from food or supplements. They are required for optimal
cellular functions, cellular communications, and reversal of degenerative diseases, structural cellular integrity, cellular
respiration and overall health .The human body needs essential fats to facilitate oxygen transport to the cells through the
cell membranes. EFAs work byas oxygen magnets by attractingand transferring oxygen
that is in the blood stream to the cells, tissues and organs- cellular oxygen transfer .In the absence of EFA in diet, oxygenbreathed in will not be utilized by the cells and tissues because EFA control transfer of oxygen between cells. Our
hormones rely totally on inter and intracellular communications throughout the body. EFA clean the receptor sites of cells
to facilitate these communications.
Mechanism of EFA’s Action
EFA’s ability to attract oxygen can be demonstrated
in real life situation. When exposed to air and/or sunlight, they go bad and rancid very quickly. This process referred to
as oxidation is due to the ability of EFA to attract oxygen and elicit oxidation. The implication of this is that EFA work
in the body by attracting oxygen through oxidation over a very short period of time. This attraction and affinity for oxygen
is what makes EFA an oxygenating, alkalizing and anti-cancer supplement.Because they are short acting,
continuous daily supplementation with EFA is necessary in the management of cancer and asa protective
against organ degeneration for life.
Processing vegetable oils
Vegetable oils quality was greatly altered during World War II. Producers used new methods of oil
extraction with heat (320°F - 392°F), the only goal of which was to produce half the quantity of oil again. The extraction
with hexane, a hydrocarbon solvent with carcinogenic properties, allowed the production of almost twice the amount of oil.
The major problem with these methods, compared to the cold pressed method that produces what is commonly called virgin oil,
is that the quality is poor: many of the cis molecules are transformed into the infamous trans molecules. Dr. Kousmine became
a strong opponent of processed food, white sugar, refined flour and refined oil, margarine and butter, believing each of them
being harmful to the body cells and providing only "empty calories", as she called them. Dr. Kousmine believed
that by consuming RAW virgin vegetable oil, such as cold pressed flaxseed and sunflower oil rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty
acids and in vitamin E, it is possible to reduce the permeability of the intestinal membrane and to prevent toxins from invading
the blood and overloading the kidneys and the liver, thus preventing the formation of a tumor and reducing the severity of
any degenerative disease, like multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis.
Trans-fatty acids have been the object of several studies worldwide. These studies showed that, even
at small doses, the trans molecules are a health hazard. These studies lead some countries (Canada, USA, France for example)
to make health recommendations. In 2003, Denmark reduced the proportion of trans-fatty acids to 2 grams per 100 grams of cooking
oil. Trans-fatty acids were forbidden in New York in 2006. In the Netherlands, following an advertising campaign in the eighties,
the amount of trans-fatty acids in margarine went from 50% down to 2% today.
"Today nothing that the Heart Specialist does cures Heart Disease. Heart Disease, like Diabetes
and many, many similar systemic failures, is due largely, if not entirely, to the consequences of bad engineering in our fats
and oils industry. The transfats and other toxic isomers in our engineered fats and oils are well understood to damage our
cellular membranes, to interfere with cellular respiration, to inhibit glucose transport, to set in motion consequences that
corrode our arteries, damage our eyesight, devastate our kidneys, destroy our venous system, and directly cause the large
array of similar systemic problems. There is even evidence to link these engineered fats and oils to our incredible Cancer
epidemic through their interference with cellular respiration. These toxic fats and oils have even been linked to epidemic
ADHD in our schools. It is important to know enough about fats and oils to be able to make kitchen use of them and to make
intelligent food selections of these all important substances. It's really not complicated, when information is presented
with the intent to inform instead of to deceive." Thomas Smith, author of Insulin: Our Silent Kille
Mary Enig, PhD - "... Because polyunsaturates are highly subject
to rancidity, they increase the body's need for vitamin E and other antioxidants. Excess consumption of vegetable oils is
especially damaging to the reproductive organs and the lungs—both of which are sites for huge increases in cancer in
the US. In test animals, diets high in polyunsaturates from vegetable oils inhibit the ability to learn, especially under
conditions of stress; they are toxic to the liver; they compromise the integrity of the immune system; they depress the mental
and physical growth of infants; they increase levels of uric acid in the blood; they cause abnormal fatty acid profiles in
the adipose tissues; they have been linked to mental decline and chromosomal damage; they accelerate aging. Excess consumption
of polyunsaturates is associated with increasing rates of cancer, heart disease and weight gain; excess use of commercial
vegetable oils interferes with the production of prostaglandins leading to an array of complaints ranging from autoimmune
disease to PMS. Disruption of prostaglandin production leads to an increased tendency to form blood clots, and hence myocardial
infarction, which has reached epidemic levels in America.
Vegetable
oils are more toxic when heated. One study reported that polyunsaturates turn to varnish in the intestines. A study by a plastic
surgeon found that women who consumed mostly vegetable oils had far more wrinkles than those who used traditional animal fats.
A 1994 study appearing in the Lancet showed that almost three quarters of the fat in artery clogs is unsaturated. The "artery
clogging" fats are not animal fats but vegetable oils. Those who have most actively promoted the use of polyunsaturated
vegetable oils as part of a Prudent Diet are well aware of their dangers. In 1971, William B. Kannel, former director of the
Framingham study, warned against including too many polyunsaturates in the diet. A year earlier, Dr. William Connor of the
American Heart Association issued a similar warning, and Frederick Stare reviewed an article which reported that the use of
polyunsaturated oils caused an increase in breast tumors. And Kritchevsky, way back in 1969, discovered that the use of corn
oil caused an increase in atherosclerosis...." The Oiling of America
The media and health professionals are loudly proclaiming the health risks of trans fat, because
even the smallest amounts in your diet can raise your risk of heart disease and other health conditions. But trans fats—especially
from partially hydrogenated oils—are found everywhere! From the grocery store shelves to restaurant menus, trans fat
works its way into the foods we eat and jeopardizes our health. Get the Trans Fat Out shows you how you can identify and avoid
these damaging fats—without sacrificing taste or convenience. Inside you’ll find all the information you need
to protect you and your family from trans fat, including:
•
Key health and nutrition information on the risks of trans fat • Tips on grocery shopping for healthy products
• Delicious recipes with zero trans fat • Information on how to stay healthy when eating at restaurants
• A complete, easy-to-understand guide to the trans fat content of many common products and menu items from fast
food chains
"Coconut oil has a unique role in the diet as an important physiologically functional food. The health and nutritional
benefits that can be derived from consuming coconut oil have been recognized in many parts of the world for centuries. A review
of the diet/heart disease literature relevant to coconut oil clearly indicates that coconut oil is at worst neutral with respect
to atherogenicity of fats and oils and, in fact, is likely to be a beneficial oil for prevention and treatment of some heart
disease. Additionally, coconut oil provides a source of antimicrobial lipid for individuals with compromised immune systems
and is a nonpromoting fat with respect to chemical carcinogenesis." Mary G. Enig, Ph.D
The Oiling of America! by Thomas Smith Here in America, conventional wisdom
is trumpeted into our perception through the most controlled media the world has ever seen. Both Hitler and Goebels would
turn over in their graves in a frenzy of jealousy if they could see the way modern Americans respond to modern propaganda
technology. Many Americans easily believe the most unbelievable things when they feel that they are expected to do so. Partly
because technology is widely seen to be something that laymen cannot understand, we are led to accept astonishingly bad science
as if it were gospel.
We either don’t care or don’t realize that widespread popular opinion is always
designed and manufactured; somebody pays to have opinion established. It costs a great deal of money to install a cultural
belief, even in a gullible population.
Nowhere is bad science more deceptively contrived and universally successful
than in the medical consequences of uninformed food choices in our grocery store. One of the worst of the deceptions found
there is in the fats and oils section of the store. An epidemic of chronic degenerative disease is the price we’re paying
for not independently informing ourselves of important health facts.
Although fats and oils are an important, even
essential part of a healthy diet, we are told that "fat cause's heart disease" and that we must reduce our fat consumption.
The fact is that, historically Americans have averaged between 30% and 43% of their caloric consumption from fats and oils
for well over 100 years. Since our Federally led "war on fat" in the 1970’s, fat consumption has actually
decreased below these historic levels. Yet degenerative disease has reached epidemic proportions in the last fifty years,
with each year being worse than the one before it. Obesity has become epidemic only in the last twenty-five years.
Clearly,
there is something very wrong with the engineered food propaganda that we’re being fed. Something is also very wrong
with the engineered fats and oils that we’re being fed.
Not coincidentally, it was about sixty years ago
that America’s switchover to engineered fats and oils was greatly accelerated. Previously the nation had consumed a
balance of natural animal and vegetable fats and oils. This switchover from a mix of animal and vegetable fats and oils to
engineered vegetable fats and oils is now well correlated with the epidemic of degenerative disease that we now experience.
This isn’t to say that animal fat is a health food; animal fat is not a health food. However, a healthy body
can metabolize a surprising amount of animal fat before succumbing to disease if it has a good daily supply of essential fatty
acids, EFA’s. Some ethnic cultures, particularly above the artic circle, thrived for generations on a diet of 60% animal
fat. Before the widespread use of refrigerators saturated fat was an important adjunct to diet because it is a good "keeper".
The only fats and oils from any animal that are genuinely nutritious are the unsaturated fish oils. Fish oil, in addition
to containing high levels of Omega three oils also contain EPA and DHA. These are oils which a healthy human body can make
from precursors; but, which an unhealthy human body has difficulty making. Here in America, virtually everyone who buys their
food from a grocery store is seriously deficient in EFA’s.
We suffer a double whammy by consuming large amounts
of animal fat and engineered transfatty acids while at the same time undermining the body's natural ability to metabolize
them by a chronic lack of EFA’s. This dual assault lies at the very heart of our degenerative disease epidemic.
About thirty years ago another important change in consumer fats and oils took place; this is positively correlated
to the explosive epidemic of Obesity. All of the remaining sources of Coconut oil were removed from American processed food.
The last item to have its coconut oil replaced by artificial ingredients was the non-dairy creamer that once was available
for our coffee. Coconut oil is semisolid at room temperatures, which is why it was originally used as a component of margarine.
It also happens to be an easily metabolized fat that revs up our cellular metabolism by about 25%. It great for provoking
weight loss. When we lost it, coincidentally everybody started to have weight problems.
Ever vigilant, it was
then that our Federal officials immediately declared war on fat.
Another really disastrous change in the food
chain was the removal of flax oil from the grocery store. Archer Daniels Midland was the last to distribute this vital oil
and they stopped doing so in 1950 when they switched over to milling flour.
Stein et al, in their research at
the Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Diabetes Research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas
Texas have conclusively demonstrated the vital importance of oils that contain the essential Omega three fatty acids. These
Omega three’s as well as an important Omega six are the EFA’s LNA and LA. When we lack them in our diet, we suffer
degenerative disease.
These changes and more, are made with the specific intent of improving shelf life of the
engineered fats and oils. The food industry is a commercial industry; it is all about money. It is not about human health.
It is much cheaper to procure and to hydrogenate inferior oils like Cottonseed oil than to distribute fresh healthy oils.
This is why toxic fats and oils have replaced the healthy oils that our parents enjoyed.
The degenerative disease
epidemic that wracks the nation came coincidentally with the introduction of engineered fats and oils. It is the type of fats
and oils that we consume that is directly correlated to the rise of epidemic degenerative disease; it is not the amount of
fats and oils that we eat that causes the problem. It is by chronically consuming the fats and oils that cause degenerative
disease that we impair our ability to consume healthy fats and oils. We also impair our ability to consume carbohydrates and
thus become Diabetic and Obese.
With the twin impairments of our ability to metabolize both carbohydrates and
lipids the human metabolism goes into a major emergency compensatory mode every time we eat. In this mode, it virtually self
destructs. The resulting damage is expressed in literally hundreds of symptoms.
An important facet of this emergency
compensatory mode that the body assumes is a severe disruption in the endocrine system. This disruption has been variously
called "Diabetes", "Type II Diabetes", "Insulin Resistant Diabetes", "Hyperinsulinemia",
"Insulin Resistant Hyperinsulinemia", "Syndrome X" and many other names as well. (Holistic solutions for
diabetic conditions)
There are hundreds of symptoms of the disease. Some are: Atherosclerosis, Heart Failure, Stroke
(both Hemorrhagic and Ischemic), Kidney Failure, Liver Failure, Elevated Blood Pressure, Elevated Cholesterol, Elevated Adrenal
Hormones, Obesity, Elevated Lepton levels, Neuropathy, Retinopathy, Cataracts, Male Impotence, Gangrene, Poor wound Healing......and
too many more to enumerate.
In 1949 the medical community, in a stated effort to focus resources on our exploding
epidemic of disease, completely reorganized themselves. They divided all of the symptoms that appeared in the population into
various medical specialty groups. Instead of the general practitioner we now had the Heart Specialist, the Endocrinologist,
the Hepatic and Biliary Specialist as well as numerous additional new specialists.. Each specialist focused on his proprietary
set of symptoms and nobody cured the disease anymore.
Nobody, except a few obscure scientists, were even willing
to admit that we had only one disease epidemic with many symptoms. Instead we defined enough different diseases to keep all
of our specialist in cake and caviar. The adamant refusal to even discuss the "cure" word by todays physicians dates
back to this period. The only time we hear the "cure" word mentioned anymore is when a tax free foundation is soliciting
money. This is when they tell you the "cure" for their proprietary disease is just around the corner.
Today
nothing that the Heart Specialist does cures Heart Disease. Heart Disease, like Diabetes and many, many similar systemic failures,
is due largely, if not entirely, to the consequences of bad engineering in our fats and oils industry.
The transfats and other toxic isomers in our engineered fats and oils are well understood to damage our cellular membranes,
to interfere with cellular respiration, to inhibit glucose transport, to set in motion consequences that corrode our arteries,
damage our eyesight, devastate our kidneys, destroy our venous system, and directly cause the large array of similar systemic
problems. There is even evidence to link these engineered fats and oils to our incredible Cancer epidemic through their interference
with cellular respiration. These toxic fats and oils have even been linked to epidemic ADHD in our schools.
It
is important to know enough about fats and oils to be able to make kitchen use of them and to make intelligent food selections
of these all important substances. It's really not complicated, when information is presented with the intent to inform instead
of to deceive.
The difference between fats and oils is seen most clearly in their melting point. If it is solid
at room temperatures it's a fat; if liquid at room temperature, it's an oil. The term lipid is used to describe both.
A lipid molecule consists of a glycerol backbone to which is attached a number of fatty acids and sometimes other types
of molecules. Many of our edible, and not so edible, lipids consist of three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone.
These are called triglycerides.
Each of the three fatty acids in a triglyceride may be saturated or unsaturated.
If it is saturated there are no double bonds. If it is unsaturated, there are one or more double bonds.
All fatty
acids, saturated or unsaturated, consist of strings of carbon atoms to which are attached the hydrogen atoms to the carbon
atoms along the chain. The end is typically terminated in an acid molecule. The saturated fat, having all of its binding slots
filled, has no double bonds and looks like a symmetrical straight chain. These chains of carbon atoms typically have between
two and twenty-eight carbon atoms in the chain. The longer chains are solid fats and the shorter chains are liquid oils. Their
melting points are proportional to their chain length..
The saturated fats are used by the body for Membrane
stiffening, Cholesterol manufacture, certain other purposes and as fuel for the cell. Most of the needed saturated fats may
be made by the body from other unsaturated oils that we consume when we consume insufficient saturated fat.
Most
of the important action in the human body is with the unsaturated oils. These oils come in different geometries. Because of
the double bonds at the locations characteristic of the unsaturated oils, these molecules are not necessarily straight line
molecules as are the saturated lipids. At the particular point where a double bond exists, the molecule becomes "bent"
in a natural "Cis" configuration.
These "bends", both the number of bends and the location
of the bends, become very important to the metabolic processes of the body. These bends interact with the geometry of the
enzyme systems of our body so that these fatty acids can be properly metabolized by these enzymes. If the right number of
bends are in the right place, our enzymes recognize the fatty acid and the body knows what to do with it.
When
the unsaturated fatty acid, in its triglyceride configuration, remains in the seed or nut from which it originated it remains
in the Cis configuration. When it is refined from the seeds and nuts by modern expeller pressing and deodorizing technology,
it is severely damaged.
In particular some of it is totally fragmented so that our enzyme systems cannot recognize
it as a food. Some of it is transformed into toxic isomers that actually poison our metabolism. Some is transformed into the
"Trans" configuration. With few exceptions, these are the "Refined" and "Polyunsaturated" and
"Monounsaturated" oils that appear in pristine clear plastic bottles on room temperature grocery shelves.
From my own research of the scientific literature when I was forced to find a cure for my own Type II Diabetes, I know
that this Trans configuration is a major cause of Type II Diabetes. I also know that the complete removal of these toxic fats
and oils and the consumption of therapeutic quantities of the EFA’s rapidly leads to reversal of Type II Diabetes..
The Trans configuration of the unsaturated oil, unlike the Cis, has a straight line geometry that does not operate
with our enzyme systems. It is similar to but not identical to saturated fatty acids. As a result, transfats are used for
membrane repair and stored as body fat.
When used for membrane repair they cause every membrane in the seventy
trillion cells of our body to become stiff and sticky. This is a mechanism that severely limits glucose transport and directly
causes Type II Diabetes.
After these unsaturated fatty acids come out of the refining or hydrogenation process,
virtually all of the Cis geometry is destroyed. It is this Cis geometry that enables our body to properly metabolize the fatty
acid. It is this Cis geometry that causes it to become rancid very quickly at room temperatures. It is the destruction of
this Cis geometry that enables the retailer to keep it on a room temperature grocery shelf for extended periods without the
oil going rancid.
When an unsaturated oil goes rancid, oxygen molecules attach to the double bonds along the
carbon chain. This is an endothermic reaction; that is, it requires some energy from the environment. It can get this energy
by being heated or by light photons impinging upon the molecule. This is why it is important to refrigerate these oils and
to package them in opaque containers. When the oil goes rancid it has an unmistakable, disagreeable taste.
Unlike
unsaturated fats and oils, saturated fats and oils, having no double bonds, do not get rancid easily. They are good "keepers"
without refrigeration.. Because of this they, historically, have been a preferred food before refrigeration became available.
Trans fats, being much like saturated fats do not go rancid as easily as their Cis counterparts.
Always look
for cold pressed unrefined oils; when in doubt call the manufacturer and try to talk to a knowledgeable person. All pressing
technology raises the temperature of the oil that is pressed from nuts and seeds. How fast they operate the press to achieve
large daily volumes has a great deal to do with the quality of the oil. Whether or not the press is set up to exclude oxygen
during the pressing cycle is important also.
All fats and oils are mixtures. One never finds a pure saturated
or unsaturated lipid. Most oils contain a mixture of several different unsaturated and saturated oils. When buying or using
fats and oils it is useful to have some understanding of the type of lipids that they contain.
Olive oil contains
about 8-10% Omega six unsaturated oil, about 1% or less Omega three unsaturated oil and the rest Omega nines and saturated
oils. The Omega six and trace amounts of Omega three are essential. The small amount of Omega three necessitates having another
source of Omega three. Olive oil also contains a great deal of other, non-lipid, nutrition. Because of its unsaturated content
it is easily damaged and destroyed; it is not a good cooking oil. If you must cook with it, mix it 50-50 with water. The water
will prevent the temperature from getting high enough to ruin the oil. If the oil starts to smoke it is ruined and has become
inedible. Because the oil is obtained from the soft pulp of the olive, it is not usually damaged in pressing. Because virgin
olive oil is from the first pressing it is produced with the lowest pressing temperatures. Later pressings from the same olive
pulp are therefore less desirable.
Corn oil is often solvent extracted; that is, it is extracted from the corn
seed with chemistry which then must be removed from the mix. It is then refined to remove the toxic chemistry used to extract
it. It is most often rancid in the grocery store. If one can find cold pressed unrefined corn oil that is not rancid it is
a good source of Omega six’s. It contains no essential Omega three’s. In addition to the Omega six’s it
contains mostly Omega nine’s and saturated fatty acids. At its best it is a mediocre oil; at its worst it is toxic.
Canola oil derives its name from Canadian oil. It is a rape seed oil. Originally great controversy raged because rape
seed oil contains a lot of Eurcic acid and this was felt to be toxic. Canada went through a major development program to develop
low Eurcic acid rape seed. It is this low Eurcic acid rape seed oil that is marketed today as Canola oil. After this it was
discovered that Eurcic acid is not toxic; indeed, it may even be beneficial. This is a monounsaturated oil that also contains
both essential fatty acids (about 7% Omega three and 30% Omega six). The Omega six’s that it contains can be found in
many oils. This oil is always sold in its refined state. Even though it contains some of both essential fatty acids it is
questionable because of its refined state. A good example of a heavily engineered oil that one should question closely.
Flax oil is very high in the essential Omega three fatty acids. It is usually sold unrefined and can be found in the
refrigerator in the health food store. I have never seen it in a grocery store. It is an excellent therapeutic oil for Omega
three deficiency; a deficiency that is widespread in America. Since Omega three and Omega six oils should be taken in proportion,
long term use, after the therapeutic interval has passed, necessitates using it in conjunction with an oil that is high in
Omega six’s. Perilla oil is another oil that is high in Omega three’s and, in capsule form, is an excellent oil
for Omega three maintenance after the therapeutic interval is over.
Coconut oil contains small amounts of Omega
six’s and nines but is about 90% saturated vegetable fat. It is the best all around cooking oil by far. It also has
the interesting biochemical property of reving up the metabolism and causing weight loss.
Safflower oil, Sunflower
oil, sesame oil, rice bran oil, and a few others are high in Omega six’s, Omega nine’s and saturated fat.They
naturally contain antioxidants that tend to protect them on the shelf. When found in the unrefined state in opaque containers
they are generally good oils. They complement high Omega three oils such as flax oil, Perilla oil and hemp oil.
Cottonseed
oil has been well known as toxic for almost 100 years. It is cheap. It appears as an additive to much of out frozen, canned
and processed food. It is quite important to actively and consciously avoid buying any food that contains this toxic material.
Read food labels at least as carefully as the lawyer that wrote them.
Soy oil, when it is unrefined, is an excellent
source of EFA’s, Lecithin, Phytosterols and many other good and nutritious natural food factors. Unfortunately, it is
has come into question because in also contains Phytoestrogens. These are reputed to have negative effects on the hormonal
systems of both men and women. This is an oil that is found in many processed food items and is currently gaining prominence
in fats and oils advertising. Proceed with care when evaluating this oil and deciding to consume any food product that contains
it.
Suitable cooking lipids are saturated fats. Being saturated they do not have a Cis geometry that can be destroyed
easily by heat. Butter and coconut oil are good nutritious cooking lipids.
Unsaturated oils are not cooking oils.
Saturated fats are for cooking
One of the most blatant of the frauds found in the fats and oils industry is their marketing
use of the terms "Monounsaturated" and "Polyunsaturated". Unsaturated oils in general can, and often do,
have more than one double bond location. For example both of the EFA’s, LNA and LA, have three unsaturated locations.
They differ in where these locations are along the chain. The salesmen that trumpet "Monounsaturated" and "Polyunsaturated"
do not tell you that these oils are refined and the that most of the "Monounsaturates" and "Polyunsaturates"
are of the Trans geometry. The reason they do not tell you is because the law does not require them to tell you. When you
buy a refined Polyunsaturated or Monounsaturated oil from a room temperature grocery shelf you are buying transfatty acids
for your table.
The undamaged Cis geometries require constant refrigeration, turn rancid quite easily at room temperature
and come in opaque containers.
One more important point should be mentioned. There is in addition to modern refining
technology another excellent way to engineer an oil to be really cheap to manufacture and to be really toxic to the human
metabolism; that is by "hydrogenating" it. When an unsaturated oil is hydrogenated Hydrogen molecules are supplied
in a high temperature process to bind to the unfilled double bonds of the carbon chain. This causes the oil to become less
liquid and more solid like a saturated fat. This technique is used to adjust the texture of table fats like Margarine. It
produces a margarine product that often contains 40% transfatty acids; the transfatty acid content sometimes goes as high
as 60%.
When buying table fats and oils for your family, or even for your pet, proceed with caution. Always look
first in the refrigerator for cold pressed, unrefined oils in opaque containers. Chronic use of toxic fats and oils will quite
reliably produce a whole litany of degenerative disease as you approach your middle years. Don’t believe the sales pitches
from companies with millions in revenue at stake from these products; read labels, become informed.
Ravnskov, a medical doctor with a PhD in Chemistry, has had over 40 papers and letters published in peer-reviewed journals
criticizing what Dr. George Mann, formerly of Vanderbuilt University, once called "the greatest scam in the history of
medicine": the Lipid Hypothesis of heart disease, the belief that dietary saturated fats and cholesterol clog arteries
and cause atherosclerosis and heart disease.
If one thing comes through as you read the book, it is this: Ravnskov has
done his homework. In painstaking detail, he critically analyzes and demolishes the nine main myths of the Lipid Hypothesis:
(1) High-fat foods cause heart disease, (2) High cholesterol causes heart disease, (3) High fat foods raise blood cholesterol,
(4) Cholesterol blocks arteries, (5) Animal studies prove the diet-heart idea, (6) Lowering your cholesterol will lengthen
your life, (7) Polyunsaturated oils are good for you, (8) The cholesterol campaign is based on good science, and (9) All scientists
support the diet-heart idea.
Equipped with a razor-sharp mind, an impressive command of the literature, and a deadly,
needling sarcasm, Ravnskov methodically slaughters the most famous Sacred Cow of modern medicine and the most profitable Cash
Cow for assorted pharmaceutical companies. Sparing no one, Ravnskov again and again presents the tenets of the Lipid Hypothesis
and the studies which supposedly prove them, and shows how the studies are flawed or based on manipulated statistics that
actually prove nothing. Ravnskov then answers the objections or rationalizations offered by diet-heart supporters, desperate
to explain away inconsistencies and contradictions in their own data.
For example, Ravnskov opens with an analysis of
the study that kicked off the Lipid Hypothesis in the 1950s: Ancel Keys' Six Countries Study (and later, the more famous Seven
Countries Study). As most health professionals know, Keys' study showed that countries with the highest animal fat intake
have the highest rates of heart disease. Keys' conclusion was that there was a cause and effect relationship because the country
with the lowest animal fat intake (at that time, Japan) had the lowest rates of heart disease. Sounds convincing, right? Not
so, says Dr. Ravnskov. And in a few pages the reader is informed how Keys hand-picked the countries he included in his studies,
namely, the ones that supported his hypothesis, and conveniently ignored all of the other countries that didn't.
And
this is just the beginning!
Ravnskov approaches true brilliance in his review of the studies that supposedly showed
benefit from the current wonder-drugs pushed by the pharmaceutical industry: the statins. Hailed as miracle substances that
"significantly reduce cholesterol and incidence of heart attacks," Ravnskov shows that these substances are probable
carcinogens (women on the drugs had a much higher incidence of breast cancer) and that the overall statistical reduction of
heart disease in the drug trials is negligible. Nevertheless, despite the dismal results of the very first trial (the EXCEL
Trial which Ravnskov soberingly describes to the reader), the industry and its well-funded doctors urge their use, even in
people who do not have heart disease.
Ravnskov warns: "Because the latent period between exposure to carcinogen
and the incidence of clinical cancer in humans may be 20 years or more, the absence of any controlled trials of this duration
means that we do not know whether statin treatment will lead to . . . cancer in coming decades. Thus, millions of people are
being treated with medications the ultimate effects of which are not yet known." Read
McGee's book cites multiple studies showing there is little correlation between cholesterol and heart disease. Before reading
the book, I had only read the studies justifying the use of statin drugs. It seemed strange to me that so much pathology was
tied in to a molecule which is needed by your body to make hormones and components of brain tissue.
McGee points out
lack of inter and intra-rater relliability in reading angiograms, which is used as the main study to determine what type of
treatment will follow, the most invasive being open heart surgery. Well, it turns out that angioplasty and/or cardiac bypass
don't prolong life.
Many cardiologists have become wealthy using the following algorhythm: use statins to lower
cholesterol. This doesn't work to decrease heart disease, so they probably won't lose them as patients. After a heart attack
or the onset of angina, do an angiogram. Well, angiograms aren't reliable, so they can read into it whatever pathology they
want. Eventually, they'll do an angioplasty based on an unreliable angiogram, this won't stop angina, so they'll throw in
some stents. Eventually, the cardiologist will have billed all the procedures he can. Time to send them off to the heart surgeon.
They'll get a 2-5 vessel bypass costing 50-100k. By this time the patient is probably broke. Despite all the worry, pain of
getting procedures, and cost, the patient will have the same lifespan as he would have had had he stayed away from cardiologists
(except perhaps in the acute phase of the heart attack). Read
What I tell my family members is stop smoking, eat a pound of fresh vegetables a day, lean meats with lots of oily
fish, exercise at least 30 minutes most days of the week, take Vitamin B-6 to lower homocysteine, and when your doctor wants
to measure your cholesterol, tell them "no thanks". Short of an acute infarct, stay away from cardiologists, especially
the ones who describe themselves as "interventionalists", since invariably this will lead to a series of gradually
more invasive procedures.
Do you know ...what REALLY causes heart disease? ...that heart patients haven't eaten more saturated fat than
other people and stroke patients have eaten less? ...that diabetics may be cured if they replace carbohydrates with
saturated fat? ...that people with low cholesterol become just as atherosclerotic as people with high? ...that
high cholesterol is not a risk factor for women or diabetics? ...that high cholesterol is not a risk factor for old
people although by far most heart attacks occur after age 65? ...that old people with high cholesterol live longer than
old people with low? ...that the lipoproteins protect us against infectious diseases and probably also against cancer?
The author is a scientist himself and has published more than 80 papers and letters in the scientific press critical
to the cholesterol campaign, for which he has won two international awards. In his new book, which includes updated and simplified
sections from his previous one (The Cholesterol Myths), Ravnskov also presents his own idea about the cause of heart disease,
an idea that explains all the findings that do not fit with the present view.
From the Back Cover Did you
know? ...that cholesterol is not a deadly poison, but a substance vital to the cells of all mammals?
...that
your body produces three to four times more cho¬leste¬rol than you eat?
...that the internal production increases
when you eat only small amounts of cholesterol and decreases when you eat large amounts?
...that heart patients haven't
eaten more saturated fat than other people?
...that stroke patients have eaten less?
...that people with low
cholesterol become just as athero¬sclerotic as people with high?
...that high cholesterol is not a risk factor
for women?
...that high cholesterol is not a risk factor for old people although by far most heart attacks occur after
age 65?
...that many of the cholesterol-lowering drugs are dan¬gerous to your health and may shorten your life?
...that the cholesterol campaign creates immense pros¬perity for resear¬chers, doctors, medical journals, drug
producers and the food industry?
This is a tough subject. Some people consider statins as the ultimate wonder drug...others consider statins to be the ultimate
evil drug. Lots and lots of BS in the newsgroups.
Cohen does an excellent job in explaining how to use statins
while minimizing the possibility of adverse side-effects. His approach makes a lot of sense.
Unfortunately, there
is no natural alternative "magic bullet". So don't expect to find any natural alternative even close to statins
in effectiveness. He does weed out a couple of ineffective natural alternatives. Read
Statins are the so-called "wonder drugs" widely prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels that claim to offer
unparalleled protection against heart disease. Many experts claim that they are completely safe and that they are also capable
of preventing a whole series of other conditions. This groundbreaking study exposes the truth behind the hype surrounding
statins and reveals a number of crucial facts, including that high cholesterol levels do not cause heart disease; that high-fat
diets—saturated or otherwise—do not affect blood cholesterol levels; and that for most men and all women the benefits
offered by statins are negligible at best. Other data is also provided that shows that statins have many more side affects
than is often acknowledged. This hard-hitting survey also points a finger at the powerful pharmaceutical industry and an unquestioning
medical profession as perpetrators of the largely facetious concepts of “good” and “bad” cholesterol
that are designed to convince millions of people to spend billions on statins. With clarity and wit, this appeal to common
sense and scientific fact debunks common assumptions on what constitutes a healthy lifestyle and diet, as well as the idea
that there is a miracle cure for heart disease.Read
In Good Fat Bad Fat, Drs. Castelli and Griffin show how those who are at statistical risk of heart disease can change
their habits to stay healthy, and not have to reverse heart disease.
The book is filled with valuable advice about
what all of those ratios mean that your doctor will describe to you (cholesterol levels, HDL/LDL ratio, triglycerides, etc.),
how you can tell if you are at risk of having heart disease, and simple steps you can take to avoid developing heart disease.
This
one gives you a simple formula for changing your diet (10 or 20 grams of bad fat intake a day, depending on your risk of heart
disease). Bad fat is saturated fat and trans-fatty acids. You get to pick your poison. There's lots of information on what
the amounts of these fats are in various foods, and suggested menus and items with low levels. I'm not very handy in the kitchen,
so I cannot tell you how easy or hard these recipes are to prepare. You'll have to size them up yourself.
You can greatly
reduce your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack by keeping track of how much bad fatsaturated fatyou
eat everyday. Bad fat causes your body to manufacture cholesterol, which plugs your coronary arteries with fatty deposits
and causes heart attacks.
Most of us eat too much bad fat. And so do our children and grandchildren. But if you can
count to 10, you can follow a simple plan to reduce the risk of heart attacks in your family.
Drs. Castelli and Griffin
have filled this book with helpful tips and encouraging advice that will help you make the change to healthier eating. For
those whose cholesterol levels aren't moved by changes in diet alone, the doctors discuss the pros and cons of cholesterol-lowering
medications. Read
A must read for anyone who is even remotely interested in how our sickness care, billed as health care, system works. Dr.
Graveline, like many, obviously a very conscientious doctor, was suddenly faced with a number of dilemmas when he experienced
transient global amnesia (memory loss) induced by Lipitor (one of the statin cholesterol lowering drugs). Interestingly the
manufacturer even proclaims that there is no connection with its use to prevent heart disease or heart attacks yet the use
use of this useless drug continuers through slick marketing
This short eminently readable work discusses, among other issues,
what Transient Global Amnesia (TGA) is, how the statin drugs work, the myth of the Cholesterol/Modified Low Fat Diet etc.
of special interest is the role of cholesterol particularly in the brain. It is shown how statins can transverse the blood
brain barrier and interfere with the normal functioning of the brain. This is most important in those who have a dramatic
reduction when using statins ..."abrupt, major decreases of serum cholesterol from statin drug therapy should be taken
more as a warning than as an indication of success, for cognitive side effects seemed more likely to occur in these cases."...
Mention is made of a ..."recent PROSPER trial published in Lancet, that statin therapy increased the incidence
of cancer deaths , completely offsetting the SLIGHT decrease in deaths from cardiovascular disease and further complicating
interpretation of reported benefits from statin therapy." Not to mention other significant side effects of liver/kidney
damage, muscle pain/injury, Coenzyme 10 (CQ10) depletion essential for heart health and continued deficiency of heart essential
Vitamin Bs and other nutrients.
Their is a cogent discussion between correlation of good diet and disease. This alone
is worth the price of the book. No one, but no one, has ever had a drug deficiency yet our medical system continues to discourage
the use of nutrients in lieu of generally toxic drugs! They never even look at the underlying causes which these drugs sadly
mask - much to the detriment of the patient.
Given the benefits of cholesterol lowering borders more on speculation
then in fact (mostly from manipulated statics) it is surprising that there is a need to reduce cholesterol at all. Yet both
Drs. Graveline and Cohen (in the forward) still seem to feel the need to do so indicates how ingrained the cholesterol lowering
mantra has taken hold in the medical community.
Natural coconut oil-not the hydrogenated version often found in processed foods-is a saturated fat, but not the kind your
doctor has warned you about. Studies have shown that this uniquely curative oil actually has innumerable health benefits ranging
from disease prevention to anti-aging. Now, in his revised edition of the first book to describe the therapeutic properties
of coconut oil, Bruce Fife offers a nutrition plan with dozens of tasty recipes that will allow anyone to experience the healing
miracles of what he deems the "perfect food."
When taken as a supplement, used in cooking, or applied
to directly to the skin, coconut oil has been found to:
- Promote weight loss - Help protect against heart
disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and many other degenerative diseases - Strengthen the immune system - Improve
digestion - Prevent premature aging of the skin . Read
People losing weight when nothing else worked, new energy and increased body temperatures from those suffering from hypothyroidism,
skin rashes and other problems clearing up: these are a few examples of the testimonies from people using Virgin Coconut Oil
that you will read about in this book. The book contains over 100 testimonies to the healing properties of Virgin Coconut
Oil, and also contains over 75 recipes showing you how to incorporate Virgin Coconut Oil into your diet. Virgin Coconut Oil:
How it has changed people's lives, and how it can change yours! is the most practical book written on the health benefits
of coconut oil. Based on years of research and the experience of Brian and Marianita Shilhavy, this book documents how tropical
cultures eating a diet high in the saturated fat of coconut oil enjoy long healthy lives. It also shows how a premium Virgin
Coconut Oil has changed thousands of lives outside the tropics, in helping with obesity, hypothyroidism, diabetes, Candida,
infections, digestive disorders, skin problems, and more.
This book has been my dietary bible since reading it a year ago. It is a sourcebook for people wanting to eat a traditional
diet, which is a diet solidly grounded in current dietary research, not unproven theories of the past. Look past the gimmicky
cover here, as this is not a book about fads. It is a book about coconut oil as the foundation for an overall diet that is
health-enhancing.
"Eat Fat, Lose Fat" is part of the growing body of literature supporting the eating
of "real food", which is food that is healthy, tasty, not disease-promoting, slow, of exceptional quality, nutrient
dense, organic, vital, traditional, local, seasonal, and clean. "Real foods" are the opposite of "fake foods",
which are foods that are processed, dead, fast, nutrient poor, chemicalized, devitalized, rotten, spoiled, dead, old, or contaminated
with antibiotics and growth hormones. It is based on scientific studies published in journals such as the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition, Lancet, and even JAMA. It is also based upon looking at the dietary practices of people of different
cultures, a fascinating anthropological study that illuminates how indigenous people throughout history instinctively knew
things that we are just now "discovering" with modern scientific methods.
The authors are Mary Enig,
a world-renowned biochemist and nutritionist who spearheaded, with her research over 25 years ago, the recent move against
trans fats at last, and Sally Fallon, The book is written in an interesting style, and is full of facts, explanations, how-to's,
tips for
Chapter 1 sorts out the facts versus the fears about fats, debunking fat myths one by one, citing recent
studies. The authors explain contradictory findings and flaws with past studies. One surprising fact is that most studies
done in the past with coconut oil were done with fully hydrogenated coconut oil, a far cry from today's organic, extra virgin
coconut oil or traditional society's raw coconut oil.
Chapter 2 explains the lipid hypothesis (and makes it interesting
for non-chemistry majors like me) and explains the relationship between fat and heart disease and cholesterol. She explains
how quality fats actually protect you from heart disease. This will be of particular interest to those eating a low-saturated-fat
diet in hope of preventing or recovering from heart disease. All of this is written in a logical, yet not dry style.
Chapter 3 details the effects fats have on your various body systems, and the important nutrients that these systems need
that can only be obtained from fats.
I know that up until this point this review makes the book sound boring,
but it is very exciting, filled with facts and ideas that work.
Chapter 4 explains why diets with healthy fats
help you to lose weight and be healthier at the same time, including important effects of healthy fats upon metabolism. This
chapter also explains problems with ineffective weight loss theories of the past. It discusses the pros and cons of the Atkins
diet, Ornish (low-fat vegetarian), Zone, South Beach, Weight Watchers, juice fasts, and the glycemic index.
Chapter
5 discusses the principles of healthy traditional diets, which surprisingly are similar the world over. It discusses individual
foods at length as well as MSG, superfoods, fermentation, supplementation, raw vs. cooked, and more.
Chapter 6
is all about weight loss, based on four core principles: 1. Eat three meals per day, and always eat breakfast. 2.
Eat traditional fats, including coconut oil. 3. Eat nutrient dense foods, particularly those supplying calcium and vitamins
A and D. 4. Restrict calories moderately. It also discusses special weight loss tips, such as taking coconut oil
before each meal (and gives you 25 ways to use coconut oil in your meals). Of particular interest to me was why you should
restrict your calories moderately but not too much. The chapter takes you step-by-step and day-by-day into starting your weight
loss program, effectively holding your hand with shopping lists and daily menu plans.
Chapter 7 is about dietary
emphases for recovery from various illnesses and health issues.
Chapter 8 is an everyday gourmet diet for those
who are interested in maintaining their weight. It also covers dining out.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the blood
stream and the cell membranes of the body’s cells. Ordinarily, it is essential for a variety of functions in the body,
and when its level gets too high, it becomes a risk factor in heart disease.
Cholesterol is derived from two main sources: • From the body; the liver
manufactures most of the body’s cholesterol. • From animals like meat, poultry, fish, sea foods, and
dairy products (about 15 percent) Plant foods do not contain cholesterol. What differentiates fats from cholesterol is
that dietary fats consist of fatty acids, made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, that may be saturated, monounsaturated, or
polyunsaturated. They are added to food to elicit taste and texture.
Saturated fats are derived from tropical oils like
coconut oil and palm oil, and animal sources like butter, meat, lard, and whole-meat products. They are solid at room temperatures.
Saturated fats from animal sources raise blood cholesterol and increase the risk for heart disease, while those from unprocessed
tropical oils do not raise blood cholesterol.
Polyunsaturated fats come from botanical sources like safflower oils,
corn, and soy. They are liquid at room temperature and are good sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. When they are
unrefined, the help lower blood cholesterol. They are found mainly in fish, especially salmon, green leafy vegetables, and
flax seeds and oil. They do not raise blood cholesterol.
Monounsaturated fats are derived from botanical sources like
olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, avocado, walnut oils, and pumpkin. They are liquid at room temperature, and
reduce bad cholesterol without affecting good cholesterol levels.
Hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated fats, also
referred to as trans-fats, are processed polyunsaturated fats. They are chemically altered to ensure chemical stability and
longer shelf life in stores. They are used in restaurants, fast-food restaurants, and sold as vegetable oils. They raise the
level of bad cholesterol. They are commonly used to prepare baked foods, packaged food, margarine, shortenings, cookies, crackers,
peanut butter, and deep-fried foods to add texture and taste. They are a manufacturer’s delight, but they are detrimental
to human health.
Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver and transported through the blood stream by a group of proteins
manufactured by the liver called lipoproteins. The blood, being mainly water, has to latch on to these lipoproteins to travel
successfully around the body.
The low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are major transporters
of cholesterol from the liver to the organs of the body. LDL is termed “bad cholesterol” because it carries excess
oxidized cholesterol in the circulatory system to be deposited in arteries where it can cause reduced blood flow to the heart
and vital organs like the brain, causing heart attacks and strokes.
High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are proteins that are also manufactured in the liver. They are called “good cholesterol”
because it carries excess unneeded cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver where it is broken down into bile acids
and excreted out of the body.
The LDL and HDL function as a two-way traffic system that transports cholesterol to and from the liver. Individuals
whose livers manufacture low LDL and high HDL have a lower risk of developing coronary artery diseases. Conversely, individuals
with low HDL and high LDL have a higher risk of developing coronary artery diseases.
MISINFORMATION
ABOUT CHOLESTEROL: BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE
Cholesterol seals blood vessels and prevents leakage of blood. Blaming cholesterol for heart attacks and heart disease
is like blaming the tire shop for your flat tire. When the doctor says you have high blood cholesterol, she is only measuring
your arterial blood cholesterol. If cholesterol in the arterial blood causes heart disease, why doesn’t cholesterol
build up in the veins when the same blood flows through both vessels? The difference is because of the presence of muscle
tissues that help sustain blood pressures in the arteries that are absent in veins.
When humans consume excessive amounts of saturated fats from animal sources, fried foods, simple carbohydrates, hydrogenated
oils, and processed foods, those fats build up as toxic deposits in the arterial blood vessels and in fatty tissues of the
body, increasing inflammations and damage to the blood vessels. Sedentary lifestyles, cigarette smoking, and lack of exercise
also contribute to high blood cholesterol. As you will see, the inflammatory reactions generated from these habits and lifestyles
destroy the integrity of the blood vessels and make them prone to leakage and breakage as the body becomes more acidic. Once
body fluids becomes acidic, lactic acid degeneration translates into inflammations on the arterial muscular surfaces. Muscle
tissues in arteries are more susceptible to disintegration by lactic acid, since the acidic body fluids dissolving the muscles,
making then thin and weak. It is these inflammations of the muscular tissues of blood vessels that cause heart attacks, not
cholesterol. These views are congruent with the those expressed in the April 1997 issue of the New England Journal
of Medicine that suggest that cholesterol is not the primary cause of heart disease but inflammations of the blood vessels.
With disintegrated muscular tissues, arterial walls are thinned, weakened, and becomes susceptible to breaks and leaks that
translates as impending heart attacks (Barefoot, 2002).
To prevent heart attacks, the body develops compensatory mechanisms
by attracting a variety of substances like the LDL cholesterols as reinforcements for the venerable arterial sites. The presences
of cholesterol at these break-prone sites are protective and preventive mechanisms developed by nature to prevent impending
breaks that would have resulted in death. This is like sealing leaks in your plumbing system or fixing a flat tire. These
reinforcements make arterial walls thick, hard, and narrow. Rather than addressing the underlying causes from a nutritional
viewpoint, conventional medicine blames family genes, all the while translating these occurrences as heart disease and as
an indicator for the use of statin drugs, a multibillion dollar bonanza. Once again the care of the disease has taken precedence
over the care of the individual.
When the cholesterol lowering drugs fail to lower blood cholesterol conventional medicine resorts to different surgical
procedures like balloon angiography, surgical removal of plaques, and bypass surgeries that treats the disease and bypass
the problem—malnutrition, acidosis and western diets.
How does the body produce cholesterol? Cholesterol
is actually a by-product produced while the body is synthesizing a little known substance called mevalonate. Mevalonate help
control vascular tone and systemic blood pressure. Mevalonate synthesis is orchestrated by the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. Cholesterol
lowering drugs work by inhibiting this enzyme, hence they are called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. When doctors use statin
drugs to inhibit the mevalonate pathway, they inhibits its function like maintaining blood pressure and vascular tone. Ironically
cholesterol is not the only product of the Mevalonate chain that is inhibited by cholesterol lowering drugs. Other end products
disrupted include co-enzyme Q10 and dilochol.
Co-enzyme Q10 is found in all cell membranes where it maintains
cellular integrity and nerve functions. It is vital to the formation of elastin and collagen. The disruption of co-enzyme
Q10 by statin drugs leads to weak heart muscles and the attendant increase in heart-failure rate associated with cholesterol
lowering drugs. This explains why people on statin drugs have muscle pain, joint pain and failure of the heart muscle.
The
decision of drug companies to block the synthesis of mevalonate is because reduced amounts of mevalonate make smooth muscles
less active and platelets less able to produce clots that can cause a heart attack. This explains why drug companies market
statin drugs as preventing heart attacks. The risks of heart attacks and death are reduced but not eliminated because
cholesterol is just one of the multitude of risk factors associated with heart attacks. While the incidence of heart attacks
is reduced in the short term, there is a dramatic increase in the number of heart-failure cases caused by co-enzyme Q10 inhibition
with these drugs.
High blood cholesterol exhibited no external signs or symptoms until doctors studied how to evaluate blood levels of
cholesterol and used unrealistic indices to determine what is normal and what is abnormal. The bar kept being lowered to include
perfectly healthy people whose only offence was having high cholesterol. About 26 years ago, the parameter was any middle-aged
man whose cholesterol is over 240 with associated risk factors like smoking and being overweight. After the 1984 cholesterol
consensus conference, the dragnet was expanded to include anyone, male or female, with cholesterol over 200 as candidates
for statin drugs. Recently, the bar was lowered further to include anyone with cholesterol over 180. Currently, the qualifiers
are extended to include individuals who suffered a heart attack even if their blood cholesterol is already very low. Current
standards stipulate cholesterol evaluations and treatment for young adults and children. The beneficiaries of these are the
drug companies and the casualties are the people needlessly suffering from heart failure, bypass surgery, and untold numbers
undergoing balloon angioplasty and adverse reactions to statin drugs.
Functions of Cholesterol • All cell membranes in the human body contain cholesterol. It makes the cells waterproof. The cells will be porous
and leak without cholesterol. • Cholesterol is the body’s repair substance, as scar
tissues contain high levels of cholesterol, including the arterial scar tissues. • Cholesterol is a
precursor to vitamin D. Bile salts needed for digestion of fats are made from cholesterol, and people with low cholesterol
have difficulty digesting fats. • Cholesterol plays an important role in the formation of brain matter. It
is the main organic molecule of the brain and half of the dry weight of the cerebral cortex. It is responsible for the uptake
of serotonin. When cholesterol levels are low, serotonin receptors do not work.
• Cholesterol is the precursor to all hormones produced in the adrenal cortex. This includes the glucocorticoids,
which regulate the blood-sugar levels and mineral corticoids which regulate mineral balance. It promotes healing and balances
tendencies towards inflammation. Cholesterol lowering drugs can disrupt the activity of the adrenal hormones.
Before
the Statin Drugs Statins replaced drugs that reduced blood cholesterol by disrupting its absorption in the intestines.
The side effects of these drugs were unbearable and included constipation, nausea, and indigestion. They did not have any
significant effect on blood cholesterol.
In 1958, Dr. Lester M. Morrison, the director of a research unit at Los Angeles
County General Hospital published some findings in the January 1959 number of Geriatrics on the efficacy of lecithin in lowering
blood cholesterol levels. He indicated that lecithin caused a 41 percent reduction in blood cholesterol in 80 percent of his
patients suffering from high serum cholesterol levels. He indicated that lecithin facilitated their metabolism in the digestive
tract and facilitated their transport through the vasculo-circulatory system. By emulsifying fats and cholesterol in the diet
into tiny particles and holding them in suspension, lecithin prevented them from clumping together and sticking to blood platelets
or the walls of the blood vessels. It is when dietary fats are not well emulsified that they stick together, form blood clots,
and block arteries.
The word lecithin is derived from the Greek word for “egg yolk” where it
was first isolated in 1850 by Maurice Bobley. Egg yolk is an excellent source of lecithin. Lecithin derived from animal sources
are less active than those derived from plant sources. Obtained from soybeans, lecithin helps in the re-absorption of cholesterol
back into the blood stream that has adhered to the walls of blood vessels. Lecithin derived from animal sources have higher
levels of saturated fatty acids, while those derived from vegetable sources have higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids.
Lecithin is essential in transporting triglycerides out of the liver, which prevents fatty liver. Most liver metabolism occurs
in the membranes and this is where lecithin comes into play. Lecithin is mainly composed of choline and inositol, both of
which are required for the breakdown of cholesterol. The choline is subsequently converted to acetylcholine. Many people take
lecithin for it’s choline component. Lecithin emulsifies fats into absorbable droplets like solvents cutting down grease.
As an excellent emulsifier, it increases the bioavailability of nutrients with which it is co-administered.
Normally
oil and water do not mix, but lecithin holds them together and keeps them from separating out. Thus, it helps to remove
fatty deposits from the liver so they are unable to settle and form dangerous deposits. It helps prevent accumulation of deposits
in arteries and melts those already present.
Phosphotidylcholine (PC) is a lecithin
derivative obtained from soy lecithin. Lecithin granules are rich sources of phosphatidylcholine. Phosphatidylcholine is a
major component of liver cellular membranes. PC is the universal building block for cell membranes, and the majority of metabolic
activities that occur in the liver and most organs in the human body occur in the cell membranes. Since the damage caused
by hepatitis is done while the body is trying to detoxify itself of the virus, protecting the liver cell membranes where most
of the metabolic activities takes place is crucial. PC inhibits the tendency of stellate cells to progress to cirrhosis.
It exhibits anti-fibrotic effects related to the breakdown of collagen. It has been shown to prevent lipid peroxidation associated
with liver damage in alcoholic cirrhosis.
Studies show that PC protects the liver against damage from alcoholism, environmental
toxins, viruses, and prescription and recreational drugs. Lecithin is found in organ meat, in moderately high amounts in red
meats, whole nuts and seeds, soybeans, brewers yeast, fish, wheat germ, legumes, and grains. Dietary supplementation with
minimum of about 800 mg daily with meals significantly speeds recovery of the liver. PC is a safe means of supplementing dietary
choline.
Choline is a member of the B vitamins group, and prevents the deposition of fats in the liver and facilitates
the transport of fats into the cells. Its deficiency leads to degenerative liver diseases like cirrhosis, bleeding, and kidney
damage. Cabot (1996) indicated that increases in choline levels in the liver facilitate the synthesis of the enzyme callaginase.
Collaginase helps dissolve collagenous scar tissues in cirrhotic patients. In the body, inositol combines with choline to
form lecithin. Lecithin increases the levels of choline in the liver, which in turn facilitates the activities of the enzyme
collagenase that helps dissolve cirrhotic scar tissues. Dietary sources of choline, which facilitate fat metabolism, are soybeans,
nutritional yeast, fish, peanuts, cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage, lentils, chick peas, and brown rice.
What should I do if my doctor wants to put me on statin drugs? Get your lipid panel and liver enzymes evaluated
every three months. During the first three months, follow the following protocol:
• Replace processed foods with organic whole foods. • Do liver and gall bladder flushes to
relieve liver congestions. • Consume foods rich in fibers, vitamins, and essential fatty acids from apples,
bananas, carrots, beans, garlic, brown rice, essential fatty acids, and lots of fibers from fruits, vegetables, soy products,
lecithin, raw nuts, oat meals, cereals, and whole grains. • Reduce free radicals in the liver with antioxidants
from green drinks or super food formulas.
• Inculcate herbal and homeopathic remedies that facilitate the movement of bile. • For cooking,
replace vegetable oils with extra virgin olive, coconut oil, or palm oil. • Broil and bake instead of frying.
• Do a series of detoxifications through enemas to relieve the work load of the liver. • Replace
margarine, butter, lard, and drippings with low-fat spreads. • Replace cream and whole milk with organic half-fat
versions, organic goat milk, rice milk, soy milk, or skimmed milk. • Replace creamed cheese with reduced-fat
spreads and cottage cheese. • Replace fatty meats, such as beef, pork, and duck with deep-sea fish, free-range
poultry, and organic eggs. • Replace chips, crisps, and nuts with oven-baked chips. • Replace
biscuits, cakes, and pastries with low-fat alternatives like tea cakes. • Eat small amounts of low-fat versions
of high-fat foods like pizza and lasagna. • Cook with less fat. • Skim fat off the surface of
soups and casseroles. • After three months, go and surprise your doctor!
According
to Shé D'Montford, Shambhallah, from Australia ‘The human body "WILL HEAL"... If we get out of our
own way and allow it, it heals itself. It is our basic nature. Anybody who tells you other than that is trying to sell you
something. No matter what you have been told. Don't give up on yourself and don't buy into the lines like ... ‘oh well
you've had a good life'... 'at your age'... and the worst of all ...'there's nothing further I can do, I suggest you finalize
your affairs'... How dare anyone tell you to give up! So much in society combines to convince us of the propaganda that some
things never get better. It's up to you ... do you want to get better? Make things better? It is human nature to make things
better, evolve and grow.”
This site is intended to provide general information only and is not a substitute
for medical evaluation or treatment. All matters regarding health or a particular health situation should be supervised by
a licensed health care professional.The author and the publisher shall not be held responsible or liable for any harm or loss
allegedly arising, directly or indirectly from any information in this site
