The Truth About Cholesterol

In April 1996 the Second International Symposium on Dietary Fats and Oil Consumption in health and disease was hosted by the Southwestern University Medical School in Dallas, Texas. Nutritional researchers from around the world presented their findings on the effects of fat in the human diet. After the presentations showing the subjects following the low-fat diet hadn't got rid of their obesity, had not lowered their cholesterol levels, had lowered their HDL levels (the good cholesterol), and had increased their blood levels of triglycerides (a major risk factor for heart disease), the moderators of the symposium pronounced the low-fat diet a failure.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a supplement to their March 1998 issue, all the papers presented at this symposium along with some of the formal discussions that took place. The following quote from the supplement would give you an idea of the thinking of the symposium participants: "at this stage there is no conclusive evidence from studies that dietary fat intake promotes the development of Obesity more so than any macro-nutrients".

It is important to note then even though these statements are true concerning the population in general, they are not true concerning certain sub-groups. The problem with studies like these are that they generalize the findings. There are sub-groups of the population that appear to respond well to low fat, high complex carbohydrate diets. But alot of people DON'T.

In 1910 we consumed 83% of our fat as animal fat and only 17% as vegetable fat, and practically all of that came from eating the actual vegetables. Now, we get three times the amount of vegetable fat we did then, and a little more than half the animal fat. And we have added a new kind of fat, an unnatural, processed fat called Trans fat, to the mix. Trans fat, widely used for baking, turned up in all kinds of processed foods; unfortunately, according to the Second National Health in Nutrition Examination Survey done nearly 20 years ago, the largest contributions of calories in the U.S. diet are white bread, rolls, crackers, doughnuts, cookies, and cakes, so we consume-at least those of us who follow the typical American diet-a hefty dose of these unnatural fats. In order to avoid Trans fats, it's important to look for the words partially hydrogenated and avoid any products that contain them.

Cholesterol is a alcohol. As such, it can't travel independently in the the blood. It is basically not a fat but a waxy substance, because the blood is a water-based liquid, quite simply, oil and water don't mix. To keep the waxy cholesterol suspended in the watery blood, the body developed water soluble carrier proteins on which the cholesterol molecules (and for that matter the actual fats in the blood, the triglycerides) can safely ride from place to place. Your most likely already familiar with these carrier proteins, called lipoproteins, by their names: high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), and the newer and less famous one, intermediate-density lipo-proteins (IDL).

Now the big question- Does cholesterol itself cause heart disease? You might be surprised to learn that this issue is far from settled. But if you were to ask 100 people at random on the street whether reducing cholesterol to the lowest level as possible is healthy, the overwhelming majority would answer yes, and they would answer incorrectly. Research sug-gests that the mortality risk increased when you pushed your cholesterol to low levels using an ultra low-fat diet or drugs.

Let's look at the studies. In 1969 we have the Veterans Administration Trial. In 1989 we have the Minnesota Coronary Study. The MRFIT study was performed in 1982. The WHO multifactor study was performed in 1983. The Gotltenberg study was performed in 1986. There is the Helsinki Heart Trial, the Finnish Multifactor Trial, and each and every one of these studies failed. There have been no successful cholesterol intervention trials. The members of one of the trials who took drugs achieved 10 percent reduction in cholesterol, and the pro-ponents equated that with a 34 percent reduction in their risk of heart attack. Notably, during the five-year period of the study, 79 people in the control group (this group did nothing for their cholesterol) suffered non- fatal heart attacks, whereas only 51 of those receiving the drug did.

Twenty-eight fewer heart attacks sounds great, right? But let's look a little deeper. How many people died in each group? You would think that far more of the control group (who did nothing) would have, since 28 more of them had heart attacks, in which case you'd be wrong. Only 42 of those not on the study drug died during the five years, while 45 in the group that took the drug died. It makes no sense to take a drug to reduce your risk of having a non- fatal heart attack if by doing so you increased your odds of dying of something else Dead's dead, what-ever the cause. Furthermore, look at some of the other side effects these drugs have: severe liver damage, skeletal muscle destruction, acute renal failure.

Let's look at the bright side. You can safely balance your cholesterol while you improve your overall health. The first key is determining which is the correct diet for you. There are four different body types with two basic patterns of eating with some variations. Two body types require a high complex carbohydrate with a low-fat diet. Two body types require high protein and a low carbohydrate diet. It is very important to determine which diet is correct for you. Don't follow the fads. Just because someone has a best-selling book out and all your friends are following it doesn't mean you should, Remember your mothers words "If everybody was jumping off the cliff, would you?".

Along with diet, targeted nutrition is very important. You must understand that 80% of your cholesterol level is manufactured by your liver. Balancing liver function through nutritional supplementation is extremely important in balancing cholesterol. Controlling your insulin level by watching your sweets can be just as important. Also it's important to remember cholesterol rises in response to stress. Exercise can help regulate stress. B-complex, magnesium, antioxidants, good quality fats as well as the correct ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats are natures' way of balancing your cholesterol.