There has been much in the last few years written about raised cholesterol and particularly good and bad cholesterol.
I came across a site that has written an article from information gathered a few years back which I had never heard about before. Apparently, high cholesterol only occurs in a specific group of mammals, which includes man. These mammals are ones that do not produce their own Vitamin C.
"When there is insufficient Vitamin C in the body, new collagen cannot be formed to repair the damaged artery cells. this causes a problem for the body, which does not plan for future problems, but is only interested is surviving the "here and now". It therefore has to find something else to repair the damage and uses what could be referred to as the body's "band-aid", namely cholesterol. Molecules of cholesterol actually bind to the damaged sites, preventing blood loss and its disastrous consequences.
ischemic Heart Disease
As time goes on, this process repeats itself (in the absence of Vitamin C) and gradually the arteries become clogged with cholesterol "bandages", restricting the blood flow until something blocks the remaining space , causing ischemia (lack of blood flow) and infarction (cell-death due to oxygen "starvation").
Hence cholesterol is a sign of a problem, not the cause of the problem - and the problem is vitamin C, or, more specifically, lack of it! this led the only man who has ever won two Nobel prizes, scientist Dr Linus Pauling to suggest that heart disease was in fact chronic scurvy and could be treated with vitamin C. Pauling was ridiculed by the medical establishment, which clung to it's shoddy science and did nothing to test his hypothesis. Incidentally, the symptoms of acute scurvy (that is a total lack of vitamin C) are.....leaky blood vessels, leading to massive hemorrhage!
Others were not so ignorant.
Treatment of IHD
Pauling and his colleague, Dr Matthias Rath, spent many years examining this situation. They found that the problem of IHD (and high cholesterol) was one that was specific to a very small group of mammals, man included, and the one thing that these animals had in common, which differed from ALL other animals was that they could not make their own vitamin C. EVERY single other animal in the whole planet makes its own vitamin C in the liver. Man and the other few animals which suffer from IHD do not!
The result is known as chelation therapy - the only known method of reversing IHD, and one that is almost totally ignored by modern medicine in favour of drugs which do nothing but control the symptoms of the problem. ..."
For the full article and relevant information please see the following link:
Please note: The above is for information purposes only and is not a replacement for visiting a doctor's surgery and consultation regarding cholesterol and possible treatment that may be recommended for it.
I think it's likely to be more complicated than this... as always.
Total cholesterol is a measure of all types of lipoprotein (cholesterol carrying molecules). Cholesterol has many functions in the body and is a precursor of many hormones. It's not even clear to me that high total cholesterol is of itself a problem. Mortality is higher in people with low cholesterol; in some ways a high cholesterol appears to be protective.
There are many different types of cholesterol... triglycerides (VLDL) are the smallest particles, they appear to be influenced by how much carbohydrate you eat - they correspond to fat created in the liver when blood glucose (caused by eating too many carbs) goes high. Unlike total cholesterol, I think they may have some ability to predict heart disease.
Have you read the Great Cholesterol Con? by Malcolm Kendrick. He makes a good case for stress, and it's effect in raising blood glucose, being the main cause of heart disease. Being diabetic hugely increases the risk of heart disease.
As for the vitamin C connection, I am a bit sceptical. True man does not make his own vitamin C and taking extra appears to be beneficial. However, I have also heard that vitamin C becomes pro-oxidant at high doses, and that high doses of vitamin C can encourage oxalates to form (= kidney stones some day). In evolutionary terms there is probably a good reason that we don't make our own vitamin C, even if it turns out that heart disease is the tradeoff.
(And I'm not a doctor either).
Hi folks, this is very interesting about vitamin C as there was a craze in the US with the rich and famous taking huge quantities of vitamins especially vitamin C and 3000mg daily was recommended this is 3g!
Here's an article about it written by Dr Patricia Bragg and Clint Eastwood and Madona are amongst her clients:
I also believe that these mega doses of vitamins is why the WHO through Codex restricted the amount of vitamins allowed in vitamin supplements. (You'll have to check out Lynxcats blog on Codex)
As for cholesterol I had a full blood screen last year which included cholesterol and my Dr said he couldn't remember when he had last seen anyone with as low cholesterol levels as mine and more importantly the ratio between good and bad cholesterol was excellent. My LDL was 1.5 and HDL 3,0. He also told me that the normal cholesterol level was in the high 5's in the UK.
I personally do not take supplements as we have access to all the nutrition that we need in the food that we eat.
That's true jerry, but as cd damages the guts absorption then you do not get all the vitamins and minerals that you need. I have low calcium levels and d3, I've been gf for nearly twelve month and I eat lots of calcium rich foods, fruit and veg....and my d3 is still very low...as the damage to my gut has not repaired itself yet.....and brittle bones cos of low calcium is not something I look forward to.....my cholestrerol has risen from 4.2 to just under 5 to which my doctor has told me is due to my higher milk, low fat cheese intake to help with the low levels of vitamins in my body.....ain't no easy answer.....to this problem
I was reading a article in the paper saying the government wants to make it a policy that everybody over the age of 55 would be given statins to lower their cholestrerol....to save the national Health money as it would prevent lots of strokes and heartattacks.....thus saving money and man power hours...
Janie
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Hi Janie and I am sorry that you have these other issues and consider myself lucky.
I was diagnosed with CD in Oct 1995 because I was very anaemic but I bounced back and had a 2nd endoscopy and all was fine as were my vitamin and mineral levels. In 2001 I was diagnosed with osteopenia and microscopic colitis (bleeding of the colon) Last year I had another dexa scan and my osteopenia was at the same level as 11 years earlier ie not severe and no supplements were recommended. The microscopic colitis is totally in remission and again I do not take medication I just avoid all astringents alcohol and aspirin etc. Last August I had the full blood screen and my iron levels, vitamins and mineral levels were normal. And I am also a blood donor and give blood 4 times per year. And I'm booked in to give blood this Wednesday.
I don't eat cheese and drink low fat lacto free milk and I avoid most processed foods and I eat myself healthy that's my ethos.
Did you know that sesame seeds are very high in calcium and you can buy Tahini here's a link about it and it's really nice on toast:
Cholesterol is vital for the body to function properly and as poing has said, there is evidence that too many carbohydrates can damage the body, requiring cholesterol to repair it. Not all doctors think that cholesterol is the problem en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_I...
I eat full fat yogurt and cheese, not low fat, to make sure that my body can absorb vit D (because it is fat soluble) and calcium. I often cook with lard. My GP tells me my cholesterol level is lower than average.
I certainly wouldn't take statins and I'm appalled that they are being recommended for everyone over the age of 55.
I am also a full fat fan myself Penel and if full fat food items are not available I'd rather go without than have low fat ones. I think skimmed milk tastes like milk that has been watered down so I have never understood the point of it. I enjoy plain live full fat yoghurt and cheese.Butter is full of natural vitamins and minerals ..
But ... Is cholesterol really a problem? I don't think so.
What are the prospects for someone who has a family history of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and stroke? My grandmother suffered from mini-strokes/dementia due to a lifetime of high cholesterol (everyone in her family died of stroke), and my mother, who eats virtually no cholesterol and is very slim and fit, is now experiencing high blood pressure and has been prescribed - of course - statins.
I don't think that diet necessarily plays a role, but if one has high cholesterol despite doing all the 'right' stuff, what's the next step? I'd hate to end up like my grandma.
Hollyann, as I understand it, high cholesterol is *not* a risk factor for stroke. However, high blood pressure and heart disease are risk factors for stroke. (You'd think that if high cholesterol was a risk factor for heart disease, then would also apply to stroke but it doesn't, apparently).
I believe that long term stress causes both high blood pressure and heart disease.
I absolutely think that diet plays a role. The trouble is that the medical establishment seems to be dishing out duff dietary advice. They tell you to eat foods lower in cholesterol and saturated fat, even though most cholesterol is made in the liver, not absorbed direct from the foods you eat. They also tell you to base your diet around starchy carbs, which do contribute to a worse cholesterol profile. I think that a diet high in real foods, and low in processed rubbish, but especially wheat and sugar, would probably have a hugely beneficial effect.
If it was me and if diet didn't work, then I'd look at reducing stress and blood pressure and still stay away from the statins. The side effect of statins would not be something I'd be prepared to risk, especially as I have read that there is no evidence that statins prevent deaths in women at all.
I guess my views are strongly influenced by Malcolm Kendrick's book, but he is far from being the only person to talk about the saturated fat/cholesterol "myth" and the dangers of statins.
A few things are floating around in my head after reading this. I'm just beginning to learn about some of this stuff, so it would be great to hear your take on it.
1) I thought it was the narrowing of the arteries through accumulated cholesterol that can result in the high bp which can lead to heart attack/stoke. My mum had high cholesterol and low/normal bp for years, and only recently her bp has been high, which I thought resulted from the long-term cholesterol problem - ?
2) My mum and I are respective examples of the two diets you mention. My mum eats the low-fat, high-carb diet you've described. I eat unprocessed foods, incl free-range meats and natural fats and have been gf for almost a year. We both lead relatively stress-free lives, though we have both suffered from anxiety in the past and are both hypothyroid (both treated). My mum has had high cholesterol for years, while mine has been low in the past and its only my last test which has been high. Both of us have very good HDL, which is some consolation, though apparently now the protective effects of HDL are now in question.
3) My main concern for the future is dementia, and apparently there is conflicting information about whether statins can help.
The fact that the effects of stress, diet, etc are long-term and possibly delayed means that it's very hard to know if you're doing the right stuff! A number of years ago I decided to relax about fats and eat fatty beef, olive oil, butter, coconut oil, etc because like you I'm sceptical about the link between dietary fats and cholesterol levels (because of my mum and her diet), but now I have high cholesterol too. I'm still a sceptic, but it's getting harder to hold my nerve!
I think the picture that they give of cholesterol accumulating in arteries like cold fat in a drain is fundamentally flawed. I think it's more to do with arterial damage, blood glucose and blood clotting. But I'm not on strong enough ground to explain all the where's and why's as this is reasonably new stuff to me too.
I read two books that have made a big impact on how I think about these things: Gary Taubes "Good calories, bad calories" and Malcolm Kendricks "The Cholesterol Con".
You're so right that it's hard to know what the right thing to do is. You have to choose who to believe, and see how well they back up their argument with studies. The average person in the street shouldn't have to worry about clinical trials carried out 50 years ago, but that's what it's come down to.
From what I recall, I think that statins CAUSE dementia, rather than prevent it. The brain has lots of cholesterol that is integral to its function, and without it people soon develop cognitive problems. Some people are now saying that a low fat diet and statins actually cause Alzheimers.
Dietary advice is a mine field of conflicting ideas ... But even the very conservative American Heart Association are recommending low carb to control high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and maintaining a healthy weight.
Just found this on Zoë Harombe's website so thought I'd add it in the comments.
According to Zoë Harombe's website this is the stance that NICE have taken on cholesterol:
"Did you know that the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has not issued cholesterol targets for the UK? NICE is the evidence based body for the UK and this summary states: “A target for total cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is not recommended for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.” The basis for recommendation is summarised as follows: “The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) does not recommend the use of target levels of cholesterol for people taking statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. This is because it found no clinical trials in primary prevention that have evaluated the relative and absolute benefits of achieving different cholesterol targets in relation to clinical events.”
hiya ive got cealic disease cant eat oats or rice either i have trouble swalling food.i was put on folic acid for my last set of blood tests and like alot of medication i had a bad alegic reaction cant have asprin or imflatorys either :(. ive just been put on simvastin and i have a complete gluten free diet have done for 2 years (unless it wasnt my fault) i also have fits asthma n fibromayia,resless leg lyndrome n being tested for some other things.i dont have high blood presure it has allways been 60/90 and i dont have diabetes but my blood isnt good i hemrage badley,i bleed contsnt for a year and had lots of blood transfuions so no i have to take pills so i dont bleed at all.my lips go blue and around my lips n my face goes a funny colour.ive dvt in my legs have had since i was 5 years old.because they arnt serface viens they couldnt be removed when i reached 18.and now give me alot of bother n pain.Does anyone kno if this drug is going to make that worse! an does it work more to the point,as the vitimins i take i dont absorb. Sorry to go on ive no idea what it is im ment to do.Thank you for your time.
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