Cholesterol

This hormone-like substance plays both a vital and detrimental role in our health.  There is no nutritional substance which is as controversial as cholesterol and, unfortunately, can strike terror in the minds of people who have been misinformed.  There is one thing which we must keep in mind, the more excess calories we consume –especially from simple sugars, sat fats and other non-essential fats – AND the more stress we are under, the more cholesterol our body makes.  The correlation with stress is borne out of the fact that cholesterol is the precursor of stress hormones.

 The vital functions of cholesterol are: 
a)       to maintain cell membrane fluidity
b)       to make steroid hormones (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone)
c)       to help bodies make adrenal corticosteroid hormones for regulation of water balance, and cortisone which helps prepare our body for fight or flight response to stress
d)       to make vitamin D from sunshine
e)       to produce bile acids which help us digest and absorb fats, oils and fat-soluble vitamins

 

According to Dr. Erik Paterson, a researcher in the field of cholesterol, the maximum amount that we can lower cholesterol by reducing it in our diets is 9%, which is trivial.

He also quotes the results of a large scale study done in Finland on the actual result of lowering the amount of cholesterol in the diet.  First, the rate of death due to heart attacks and strokes was lowered by 20 days.  But, the total death rate went up due to suicide, accidents and violent deaths.  Secondly, between 5 and 10 years, the benefits as far as heart attacks and strokes disappears.  But the excess of other deaths remains. Third, beyond 10 years the death rate of heart attacks and strokes is higher.  And so, Dr. Paterson feels that to try to lower the death rate from heart attacks and strokes by lowering the amount of cholesterol in the diet is quite futile.

          The following, according to Dr. Paterson, are more important risk factors for heart attacks:

            1.    Smoking which is by far, the greater lifestyle risk for heart attacks and stroke.

2.     Uncontrolled hypertension

3.     Diabetes (controlled or uncontrolled) due to changes in the blood vessels

4.     The combination of all of the above

 

 

Do Drugs Help?

 

For more information on this question, I would advise that one undertakes their own research into this and offer the following references as a first step:

 

Article by Ravskov in volume 7 of the British Medical Journal, 1992

The Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study Group Study, volume 344: 1383-89.

Sepherd, J. et al: Prevention of coronary heart disease with PravastatinÒ …New England J. of Medicine, 1995, 333: 1301-07.

McCormack JP & Rangno RE:  An evaluation and critique of the use of lipid lowering drugs … Can J of Clinical Pharm. 1994: 1: 27-32.

 

Sources

Erasmus, Udo.  Fats that Heal and Fats that Kill

Erasmus, Udo.  Not all Fats are Bad Fats.  Alive Magazine, May 2001 pg. 34-5.

Paterson, Erik T.  Cholesterol: A Personal Viewpoint.  J. of Orthomolecular Medicine. VII, 4: 1996.

McClare, Glen. “…the dietary fat craze!”.  Nutregram, Nov/Dec 2000 (IONC), p. 1

Murray, Michael T.