Look what they say about cholesterol....and US!!

[Guest guest]

I went to the site that Deb recommended--wow. Look what they say

about cholesterol.........and when you read it all, note the last

paragraph:

What about cholesterol?

And what about cholesterol? Here, too, the public has been

misinformed. Our blood vessels can become damaged in a number of

ways—through irritations caused by free radicals or viruses, or

because they are structurally weak—and when this happens, the body's

natural healing substance steps in to repair the damage. That

substance is cholesterol. Cholesterol is a high-molecular-weight

alcohol that is manufactured in the liver and in most human cells.

Like saturated fats, the cholesterol we make and consume plays many

vital roles:

Along with saturated fats, cholesterol in the cell membrane gives

our cells necessary stiffness and stability. When the diet contains

an excess of polyunsaturated fatty acids, these replace saturated

fatty acids in the cell membrane, so that the cell walls actually

become flabby. When this happens, cholesterol from the blood

is " driven " into the tissues to give them structural integrity. This

is why serum cholesterol levels may go down temporarily when we

replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated oils in the diet.46

Cholesterol acts as a precursor to vital corticosteroids, hormones

that help us deal with stress and protect the body against heart

disease and cancer; and to the sex hormones like androgen,

testosterone, estrogen and progesterone.

Cholesterol is a precursor to vitamin D, a very important fat-

soluble vitamin needed for healthy bones and nervous system, proper

growth, mineral metabolism, muscle tone, insulin production,

reproduction and immune system function.

The bile salts are made from cholesterol. Bile is vital for

digestion and assimilation of fats in the diet.

Recent research shows that cholesterol acts as an antioxidant.47

This is the likely explanation for the fact that cholesterol levels

go up with age. As an antioxidant, cholesterol protects us against

free radical damage that leads to heart disease and cancer.

Cholesterol is needed for proper function of serotonin receptors in

the brain.48 Serotonin is the body's natural " feel-good " chemical.

Low cholesterol levels have been linked to aggressive and violent

behavior, depression and suicidal tendencies.

Mother's milk is especially rich in cholesterol and contains a

special enzyme that helps the baby utilize this nutrient. Babies and

children need cholesterol-rich foods throughout their growing years

to ensure proper development of the brain and nervous system.

Dietary cholesterol plays an important role in maintaining the

health of the intestinal wall.49 This is why low-cholesterol

vegetarian diets can lead to leaky gut syndrome and other intestinal

disorders.

Cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease but rather a potent

antioxidant weapon against free radicals in the blood, and a repair

substance that helps heal arterial damage (although the arterial

plaques themselves contain very little cholesterol.) However, like

fats, cholesterol may be damaged by exposure to heat and oxygen.

This damaged or oxidized cholesterol seems to promote both injury to

the arterial cells as well as a pathological buildup of plaque in

the arteries.50 Damaged cholesterol is found in powdered eggs, in

powdered milk (added to reduced-fat milks to give them body) and in

meats and fats that have been heated to high temperatures in frying

and other high-temperature processes.

High serum cholesterol levels often indicate that the body needs

cholesterol to protect itself from high levels of altered, free-

radical-containing fats. Just as a large police force is needed in a

locality where crime occurs frequently, so cholesterol is needed in

a poorly nourished body to protect the individual from a tendency to

heart disease and cancer. Blaming coronary heart disease on

cholesterol is like blaming the police for murder and theft in a

high crime area.

Poor thyroid function (hypothyroidism) will often result in high

cholesterol levels. When thyroid function is poor, usually due to a

diet high in sugar and low in usable iodine, fat-soluble vitamins

and other nutrients, the body floods the blood with cholesterol as

an adaptive and protective mechanism, providing a superabundance of

materials needed to heal tissues and produce protective steroids.

Hypothyroid individuals are particularly susceptible to infections,

heart disease and cancer.

This particular article is here:

http://www.westonaprice.org/know_your_fats/skinny.html

More INTERESTING articles are here:

http://www.westonaprice.org/know_your_fats/skinny.html

[Guest guest]

This is a good article and finally someone telling the truth about

it. There is actually no real proof that lowering cholesterol

protects you from cardiovascular disease. There is evidence that

lowering it increases cancer rates. An excellent bood on this

is: " The Cholesterol Myths " http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm.

The author did a in depth look at all the studies done from the

early 1950s on and you will be shocked at what a lie we have all

been sold.

Tish

[Guest guest]

Oh yes...I heard/read that myself too. Cholesterol & even hi BP applies too.

Some people get heart attacks & strokes even with low BP & cholesterol. A friend

of mine did in fact.

Re: Look what they say about

cholesterol....and US!!

This is a good article and finally someone telling the truth about

it. There is actually no real proof that lowering cholesterol

protects you from cardiovascular disease. There is evidence that

lowering it increases cancer rates. An excellent bood on this

is: " The Cholesterol Myths " http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm.

The author did a in depth look at all the studies done from the

early 1950s on and you will be shocked at what a lie we have all

been sold.

Tish

[Guest guest]

Yes, yes, yes, and yes!!! This is why all this crap from the medical world

over the last 30 yrs is ridiculous. First they tried to tell us to lower

ALL our cholesterol to the nth degree, so we'd have NONE left, as in don't

eat eggs ever, etc., etc., then they finally caught on that it was the LDLs

that were bad, and the HDLs need to be higher, so that they can carry the

LDLs out of the body " piggyback " , but they haven't figured out that it's ok

to have a 200 cholesterol, IF the LDLs are proportionately LOWER than the

HDLs. And they haven't figured out that in scientific research, it is

equally as dangerous to have a TOO LOW cholesterol figure. Did you know

that many people with Lupus have a tendency to run extremely low

cholesterols of both the good and bad kind, and I think also some people

with MS? Cholesterol is a giver of life.

Look what they say about

cholesterol....and US!!

>

>

> I went to the site that Deb recommended--wow. Look what they say

> about cholesterol.........and when you read it all, note the last

> paragraph:

>

> What about cholesterol?

>

> And what about cholesterol? Here, too, the public has been

> misinformed. Our blood vessels can become damaged in a number of

> ways-through irritations caused by free radicals or viruses, or

> because they are structurally weak-and when this happens, the body's

> natural healing substance steps in to repair the damage. That

> substance is cholesterol. Cholesterol is a high-molecular-weight

> alcohol that is manufactured in the liver and in most human cells.

> Like saturated fats, the cholesterol we make and consume plays many

> vital roles: