Health Matters

Heart disease and cholesterol seem to be inexorably linked,
almost as if the latter is the inevitable cause of the former.
Nothing could be further from the truth, though, as there is
good evidence to suggest that one of the major causes of
coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis is in fact caused by
ruptured scar tissue within the lining of arteries, rather than
a buildup of plaque on the artery walls. Some scientists have
assumed that the cholesterol circulating in our bloodstream
sticks to the artery walls, and that is to blame for a heart
attack in these conditions, when there is strong evidence to
suggest otherwise. As much negative publicity has been
given to the amount of cholesterol in our bloodstream,
linked to the saturated fat content, it is said that these
twin evils simply cling to the lining of the arteries and
cause a dangerous blockage.

As cholesterol is an important factor in the makeup and
control of our bodily cells, it has an important role as a
controller of nutrient transfer, the regulation of neuro
transmitters and hormones as well as a precursor to the
transportation of essential vitamin D. Therefore, if we
don’t have enough cholesterol, we can develop problems
with our hormones and this can promote disease and
other major issues in its own right. Nerve fibers can be
coated with cholesterol, thereby protecting them and
it is no surprise that scientists have linked some of the
worst diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s to
low levels of cholesterol.

Cholesterol can be measured three different ways as
we hear all the time — total, HDL and LDL. We are told
that we may have high cholesterol or low cholesterol
and that HDL is “good” and LDL is “bad.” Both LDL and
HDL are called lipoproteins, as they transport
cholesterol. The HDL, being high-density, moves the
cholesterol to the liver for redistribution, while the
low-density LDL carries it to the liver in the first
place. Remember that fat is transported through the
bloodstream, along with cholesterol, in the form of
triglycerides. It’s inconceivable that our bodies
would continue to transport and recycle cholesterol
in this fashion if it was inherently bad for us, but
that’s what some scientists would have you believe.
In reality, the inflammation and cellular damage
that appears in our artery walls, which leads to
atherosclerosis, is far more likely to be a result of
bad nutrition, elevated levels of blood sugar, high
blood pressure or other consequences of modern
life. While research dating back to the 1950s tells
us that heart disease is supposedly linked to the
amount of fat in our diets, there’s been plenty of
contradictory evidence, although this has not
achieved such strong exposure. Just look at the
Eskimos as an example. Their diet is almost
exclusively based on meat intake and yet their
life spans are higher than average.

The Surgeon General advises us how to
construct our diets. We’re told not to eat
saturated fats, but to focus on polyunsaturated
fats or monounsaturated fats, but most
vegetable oils have high concentrations of
Omega-6 fatty acids, which few of us balance
with essential or Omega-3 fatty acids, most
commonly found in fish. We’re told to focus
on a diet low in trans fat and even to focus on
high carbohydrate diets, but this can cause
elevated blood sugar, which we have already
discussed as being a potentially major cause
of atherosclerosis.

More often than not, if we have a supposed
cholesterol imbalance we are prescribed
medication, but this can have side effects by
itself. The popular form of medication, statin,
is believed by many to create more problems
than it attempts to solve. Rather, we should
change the way that we conduct our
lifestyles if we want to see real change.

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