RE: Fw: [BlindForum_Maine] Fw: Cholesterol

September 13, 2004

My, this confuses the issue. I am going to send this to my endo and cardio

guys and see what they havve to say. theuy are both pretty good about

answering my questions.

Fw: [blindForum_Maine] Fw:

Cholesterol

>

> Members may enjoy reading the following:

>

> -----------

> Cholesterol Myths:

>

> <http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm>

>

> *Cholesterol is not a deadly poison, but a substance vital to the

> cells of all mammals. There are no such things as good or bad

> cholesterol, but mental stress, physical activity and change of body

> weight may influence the level of blood cholesterol. A high

> cholesterol is not dangerous by itself, but may reflect an unhealthy

> condition, or it may be totally innocent.

>

> *A high blood cholesterol is said to promote atherosclerosis and thus

> also coronary heart disease. But many studies have shown that people

> whose blood cholesterol is low become just as atherosclerotic as

> people whose cholesterol is high.

>

> *Your body produces three to four times more cholesterol than you

> eat. The production of cholesterol increases when you eat little

> cholesterol and decreases when you eat much. This explains why

> the " prudent " diet cannot lower cholesterol more than on average a

> few per cent.

>

> *There is no evidence that too much animal fat and cholesterol in the

> diet promotes atherosclerosis or heart attacks. For instance, more

> than twenty studies have shown that people who have had a heart

> attack haven't eaten more fat of any kind than other people, and

> degree of atherosclerosis at autopsy is unrelated with the diet.

>

> *The only effective way to lower cholesterol is with drugs, but

> neither heart mortality or total mortality have been improved with

> drugs the effect of which is cholesterol-lowering only. On the

> contrary, these drugs are dangerous to your health and may shorten

> your life.

>

> *The new cholesterol-lowering drugs, the statins, do prevent cardio-

> vascular disease, but this is due to other mechanisms than

> cholesterol-lowering. Unfortunately, they also stimulate cancer in

> rodents.

>

> Many of these facts have been presented in scientific journals and

> books for decades but are rarely told to the public by the proponents

> of the diet-heart idea.

>

> The reason why laymen, doctors and most scientists have been misled

> is because opposing and disagreeing results are systematically

> ignored or misquoted in the scientific press.

>

> -------------

>

> The Benefits of High Cholesterol- Dr. Uffe Ravnskov describes what

> the research really tells us about cholesterol

>

> http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/benefits_cholest.html

>

> By Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD

>

> People with high cholesterol live the longest. This statement seems

> so incredible that it takes a long time to clear one´s brainwashed

> mind to fully understand its importance. Yet the fact that people

> with high cholesterol live the longest emerges clearly from many

> scientific papers. Consider the finding of Dr. Harlan Krumholz of the

> Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Yale University, who

> reported in 1994 that old people with low cholesterol died twice as

> often from a heart attack as did old people with a high cholesterol.1

> Supporters of the cholesterol campaign consistently ignore his

> observation, or consider it as a rare exception, produced by chance

> among a huge number of studies finding the opposite.

>

> But it is not an exception; there are now a large number of findings

> that contradict the lipid hypothesis. To be more specific, most

> studies of old people have shown that high cholesterol is not a risk

> factor for coronary heart disease. This was the result of my search

> in the Medline database for studies addressing that question.2Eleven

> studies of old people came up with that result, and a further seven

> studies found that high cholesterol did not predict all-cause

> mortality either.

>

> Now consider that more than 90 % of all cardiovascular disease is

> seen in people above age 60 also and that almost all studies have

> found that high cholesterol is not a risk factor for women.2 This

> means that high cholesterol is only a risk factor for less than 5 %

> of those who die from a heart attack.

>

> But there is more comfort for those who have high cholesterol; six of

> the studies found that total mortality was inversely associated with

> either total or LDL-cholesterol, or both. This means that it is

> actually much better to have high than to have low cholesterol if you

> want to live to be very old.

>

> -----------------------

>

> Cholesterol and the Pharmaceutical Industry's Biggest Secret

>

> http://www.oqey.com/article202.html

>

> A commonly held myth is that high cholesterol, especially LDL

> cholesterol, is a major risk factor for heart disease (known as

> atherosclerosis). Thus, in a panicked attempt to prevent this

> pandemic killer millions of people are using cholesterol-lowering

> drugs. However, when we consider the scientific evidence it appears

> that the aforementioned myth is the antithesis.

>

> 1. With respect to women, researchers at the University San Diego

> School of Medicine show that no study has shown that cholesterol-

> lowering drugs lower overall mortality in women.

>

> 2. Researchers at the University San Diego School of Medicine UCSD

> also point out that high cholesterol in those over 75 years of age is

> protective, rather than harmful and that low cholesterol is a risk

> factor for heart arrhythmias (leading cause of death if heart attack

> occurs).

>

> 3. The European Heart Journal has published the results of a 3- year

> study involving 11,500 patients. Researcher Behar and associates

> found that in the low cholesterol group (total cholesterol below

> 160mg/dl) the relative risk of death was 2.27 times higher relative

> to those with high cholesterol. The most common cause of death in the

> low cholesterol group was cancer while the risk of cardiac death was

> the same in both groups.

>

> In support of their findings these researchers point out that

> previous studies found a higher increase in lung cancer when total

> cholesterol levels were maintained below 170 mg/dl.

> This has not stopped Pfizer from implicating that total cholesterol

> levels should be at 150 mg/dl (see http://www.lipitor.com/)

>

> 4. The most widely respected medical journal, The Journal of the

> American Medical Association, published a study entitled: Cholesterol

> and Mortality. 30 Years of Follow-up from the Framingham study.

> Shocking to most, this in-depth study showed that after the age of 50

> there is no increased overall death associated with high cholesterol!

> There was however a direct association between low levels (or

> dropping levels) of cholesterol and increased death. Specifically,

> medical researchers reported that CVD death rates increased by 14%

> for every 1mg/dl drop in total cholesterol levels per year.

>

> 5. The Journal of Cardiac Failure published the findings of Tamara

> and colleagues in a paper entitled Low Serum Total Cholesterol is

> Associated with Marked Increase in Mortality in Advanced Heart

> Failure. In their analysis of 1,134 patients with heart disease they

> found that low cholesterol was associated with worse outcomes in

> heart failure patients and impaired survival while high cholesterol

> improved survival rates. Additionally, their findings showed that

> elevated cholesterol among patients was not associated with

> hypertension, diabetes, or coronary heart disease.

>

> 6. And finally, despite the successful attempts to lower cholesterol

> with pharmaceutical drugs, the death rate from heart disease has not

> changed over the last 75 years and mortality from heart failure is

> more than double what it was in 1996. Hence, those who think they are

> safe from heart disease due to lowering total cholesterol levels may

> want to seriously rethink their preventative efforts.

> Sadly though, some of the most well-respected health practitioners,

> medical doctors, and herbalists in the world have fallen victim to

> pharmaceutical propaganda. This can be seen by their often

> regurgitated, ill-thought out hypothesis that lowering cholesterol

> prevents heart disease.

>

> Meanwhile, people continue to die (2700 people die every day from

> heart disease) while pharmaceutical companies enrich themselves with

> the sales of cholesterol-lowering drugs. The CEO of Pfizer, makers of

> the popular cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor, was compensated 33.9

> million dollars last year (does not include the ten's of millions in

> stock options). This equates to 2.8 million per month, which is about

> $94,000 per day.

>

> So, how does one successfully convince the entire U.S that each and

> every person should have the same cholesterol levels? Easy,

> pharmaceutical companies work tirelessly to promulgate the

> cholesterol-lowering myth by conveniently citing supportive studies

> while burying the unsupportive. As reported in the British Medical

> Journal, Uffe Ravnskov MD, PhD shows his results of a meta-analysis

> of 22 published controlled cholesterol-lowering trials. He found that

> studies which showed to be supportive of low cholesterol were cited

> six times more often than those that were unsupportive and that

> unsupportive trials had not been reported since 1970! Further, his

> research showed that those studies that were supportive of low

> cholesterol were due to bias on part of the researchers.

> With 12 billion dollars worth of cholesterol-lowering drugs sold

> annually, the average American has become a cholesterol-lowering drug

> addict without giving any thought to the potential negative side

> effects. For instance, evidence from the cholesterol-lowering trial

> known as PROSPER showed that while Pravachol may have prevented 22

> deaths from cardiovascular disease the benefit was negated by 24

> deaths caused by cancer among those taking Pravachol. Numerous

> medical journals have shown that cholesterol-lowering drugs

> significantly increase ones risk of suffering from not only cancer

> but also CoQ10 deficiency (paradoxically leads to heart disease),

> rhabdomyolysis, erectile dysfunction and loss of memory and mental

> focus.

>

> Combined, these facts render America's best selling drug useless and

> in some cases deadly (make you wonder about the other less popular

> drugs). As such, they are among the pharmaceutical industries biggest

> secrets. You won't hear about them from your doctor, the media, or a

> pharmaceutical sales rep.

>

> To circumvent blind addiction to cholesterol-lowering drugs, their

> deadly side-effects, wasted money, and finally, heart disease itself,

> Americans must understand the importance of cholesterol in the human

> body. Moreover, they must learn about natural medicine which rivals

> synthetic drugs and lifestyle habits that have been proven to prevent

> and treat heart disease.

>

> -----------------------

>

> What is the difference between " good " cholesterol and " bad "

> cholesterol?

> Why do we have cholesterol, anyway?

>

> <http://www.sciam.com/askexpert/medicine/medicine28.html>

>

> Andersson, a visiting professor of chemistry at Vassar College

> in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., answered as follows:

>

> What people refer to as good cholesterol and bad cholesterol are not

> really cholesterol at all. They are actually carrier proteins that

> act like " baskets " to transport cholesterol between the blood and the

> liver. The " bad " form is low-density lipoprotein, which carries

> cholesterol from the liver, where it is made, to the blood. It is

> considered bad because too much cholesterol in the blood slowly clogs

> arteries, eventually causing heart disease. On the other hand, what

> is termed " good " cholesterol is a high-density lipoprotein that

> transports cholesterol from the blood to the liver.

>

> Your body makes cholesterol because it is a building block for a

> number of essential substances. These include:

>

> * Pre-vitamin D, which is converted by sunlight to vitamin D

> * Testosterone, the " male " sex hormone

> * Estrogen, the " female " sex hormone

> * Progesterone, a sex hormone found in both males and females

> * Bile salts, that nasty yellow stuff that comes up with severe

> nausea

>

> Other critical steroid hormones that help to regulate such important

> things as potassium and sodium levels

>

> Excess cholesterol is " stored " in the blood. The actual cholesterol

> levels are determined by a number of factors, including heredity,

> diet and exercise. Diet appears to be the most important of these.

>

> ----------------------

>

> THE TRUTH ABOUT CHOLESTEROL

>

> Dr. Deborah Baker-Racine

>

> http://www.y2khealthanddetox.com/truthchol.html

> PART ONE - HOMOCYSTEINE

>

> Researchers conclude that homocysteine is up to 40 times more

> predictive than cholesterol in assessing cardiovascular disease risk.

>

> Cardiovascular disease causes 44% of all deaths in the United States.

> Alzheimer's dementia affects 4 million Americans now, and is expected

> to increase sharply as the population ages. Both cardiovascular and

> Alzheimer's disease have now been linked to the accumulation of a

> toxic amino acid called homocysteine. (See my article on Alzheimer's

> Disease for more details.) Vitamin supplement users have assumed

> they are being protected against homocysteine elevations.

> Unfortunately, this is just not true. There is a very specific

> groups of nutrients needed to work together.which you will see as I

> proceed with this article. .

>

> Homocysteine is formed by the body as a naturally synthesized

> byproduct of methionine ( a very important amino acid in your body)

> metabolism. Like cholesterol, homocysteine performs a necessary

> function in the body, after which, if the right cofactors are

> present, it will eventually convert to cysteine (and this is one of

> the amino acids needed to produce glutathione, which is very critical

> in your detoxifications pathways.) and other beneficial compounds

> such as ATP, (the energy molecule of the body) and S-

> adenosylmethionine (SAM). When left intact, it enters the bloodstream

> and begins attacking blood vessel walls, laying the foundation for

> heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.

> The clear message from new scientific findings is that there is no

> safe " normal range " for homocysteine. While commercial laboratories

> state that normal homocysteine can range from 5 to 15 micromoles per

> liter of blood, epidemiological data reveal that homocysteine levels

> above 6.3 cause a steep, progressive risk of heart attack (the

> American Heart Association's journal Circulation, Nov. 15, 1995, 2825-

> 30). One study found each 3-unit increase in homocysteine equals a

> 35% increase in myocardial-infarction (heart-attack) risk (American

> Journal of Epidemiology, 1996, 143[9]:845-59).

>

> ---------------------------

>

> <http://hcowc.wellsource.com/dh/Content.asp?ID=389>

>

> Can Your Blood Cholesterol Be Too Low?

>

> By Larry W. Axmaker EdD, PhD

>

> Everybody knows that high blood cholesterol puts you at risk for

> coronary heart disease. The conventional wisdom about cholesterol has

> been, " the lower the better. " That may not always be true. The

> research that has been done on low cholesterol has indicated there

> may be some health problems when your cholesterol gets too low. Both

> men and women with low cholesterol (total cholesterol below 160) have

> been shown to be at increased risk for anxiety and depression. People

> with low cholesterol also have an overall death rate higher than

> those with normal cholesterol levels (between 180 and 200).

>

> It's Not As Simple As It Sounds

>

> Those with low cholesterol are not at increased risk for

> cardiovascular diseases, but their overall risk for depression,

> cancer, hemorrhagic stroke, respiratory diseases, and suicide

> increases. Why? There is no definitive medical answer at this time.

> There is some evidence that having low cholesterol alters the way

> brain cells function, affecting mood stabilizing brain chemicals.

> That may explain the increase in anxiety and depression.

> Much more study is needed to better understand the role of

> cholesterol in the overall functioning of the body....

>

> ----------------

>

> <http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/fff8a.htm>

>

> Low Cholesterol Levels May Be Linked To Depression, Anxiety

>

> DURHAM, NC -- May 25, 1999

>

> Doctors have long warned about the health hazards of high cholesterol

> but a growing body of evidence indicates that very low cholesterol

> can be dangerous too, according to a researcher at Duke University

> Medical Center.

>

> In a study of 121 healthy young women, Duke psychologist

> Suarez found that those with low cholesterol levels -- below 160

> mg/dl -- were more likely to score high on measures of depression and

> anxiety than women with normal or high cholesterol levels. Normal

> cholesterol levels are considered to fall within the range of 180

> mg/dl to 200 mg/dl. While the women in his study were not being

> treated for depression or anxiety, their scores on standard

> personality profiles clearly put them at risk for developing

> depression and anxiety, Suarez said.

>

> Results of the study, funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood

> Institute, are published in this month's issue of the journal

> Psychosomatic Medicine. " There is now a compelling body of evidence

> in both men and women that low cholesterol is a potential predictor

> for depression and anxiety in certain individuals, " said Suarez,

> referring to his own and other studies showing the same effect in

> men. " While we certainly don't advocate that women indulge in

> high-fat foods, our data do suggest that women with naturally low

> cholesterol could benefit from raising their cholesterol through

> healthy dietary measures, like consuming more fish or fish oil. "

>

> Depression is the most common mental illness in America, affecting

> more than 17 million people at a cost of $30 billion US to $44

> billion US per year to the nation's health care economy, Suarez said,

> adding that defining who is at risk and why could speed diagnosis and

> improve treatment for what is currently an under-treated

> disease. " Someday, screening for depression may encompass a

> cholesterol test, especially at significant points in a woman's

> lifetime when her cholesterol levels are known to drop, " Suarez said.

> After childbirth, for example, a woman's cholesterol level drops

> precipitously, giving rise to the novel theory that some cases of

> postpartum depression result from low cholesterol, he said.........

>

> Further references:

>

> Altekruse, E. B. and Wilmore, J. H. (1973). Changes in blood

> chemistries following a controlled exercise program. Journal of

> Occupational Medicine, 15: 110-113.

>

> American College of Sports Medicine. (2002). http://www.acsm.org/,

> visited at 1st March, 2002.

>

> Blair, S.N., , K.H., Gibbons, L.W., Gettman, L.R., , S.,

> Goodyear, N. (1983). Changes in coronary heart disease risk factors

> associated with increased treadmill time in 753 men. American Journal

> of Epidemiology; 118:352-9.

>

> Blair, S.N., Kohl, H.W. III., Paffenbarger, R.S. Jr. (1989). Physical

> fitness and all-cause mortality: a prospective study of healthy men

> and women. Journal of American Medical Association, 262(17), 2395-

> 2401.

>

> Castelli, W.P., Garrison, R.J., , P.W.F., Abbott, R.D.,

> Kalousdian, S. and Kannel, W.B. (1986). Incidence of coronary heart

> disease and lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Journal of American

> Medical Association, 256:2835-2838.

>

> Chait, A. and Brunzell, J.D. (1990). Acquired hyperlipidemia

> (secondary dyslipoproteinemias). Endocrinology Metabolism Clinical

> North American,19:259-78.

>

> Crouse, S., O'Brien, B., Grandjean, P., Lowe, R., Rohack, J. and

> Green, J. (1997b). Effects of exercise training and a single session

> of exercise on lipids and apolipoproteins in hypercholesterolemic

> men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 83: 2019-2028.

>

> Crouse, S., O'Brien, B., Grandjean, P.W., Lowe, R.C., Rohack, J.,

> Green, J.S. and Homer Tolson. (1997a). Training intensity, blood

> lipids, and apolipoproteins in men with high cholesterol. Journal of

> Applied Physiology, 82(1), 270-277.

>

> Dawber, T.R., Meedors, G.F., , F.E. Jr. (1951). Epidemiological

> approaches to heart disease, the Framingham Study (1948). American

> Journal of Public Health, 41:279-288.

>

> Denke, M.A., Sempos, C.T., Grundy, S.M. (1993). Excess body weight.

> An underrecognized contributor to high blood cholesterol levels in

> white American men. Archives of International Medicine, 153:1093-103.

>

> Dufax, B., Assmann, G. and Hollmann, W. (1982). Plasma lipoproteins

> and physical activity: A review. International Journal of Sports

> Medicine, 3:123-135.

>

> Durstine, J.L. and W.L. Haskell. (1994). Effects of exercise

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> Sciences Reviews. J.O. Hollozy, ed. Baltimore: { & } Wilkins,

> 477-521.

>

> Durstine, J.L., Grandjean, W., , P.G., Ferguson, A., Aldersen,

> N.L. and DuBose, K.D. (2001). Blood Lipid and Lipoprotein

> Adaptations to Exercise. Sports Medicine, 31(15), 1033-1062.

>

> Enig, M. (2002). Cited at:

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>

> Goldstein, J.L., Schrott, H.G., Hazzard, W.R., Bierman, E.L.,

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>

> Grandjean, P., Crouse, S. and Rohack, J. (2000). Influence of

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>

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>

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>

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>

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>

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>

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>

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>

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>

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>

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>

> ----------

> Carruthers

> Wakefield, UK

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September 13, 2004