Think
Again about Cholesterol
A 1989 article in the
New England Journal of Medicine (April 6, pp.904-909) presented the following
all-cause death rates for the corresponding cholesterol levels:
Cholesterol
Levels |
All-cause Deaths
per 10,000 Individuals |
| 180-189 |
172 |
|
160-179
|
174
|
|
140-159
|
196
|
|
<140
|
308
|
Russell
L. Smith PhD, Letter to the Editor, Townsend Letter for Doctors, Jan.1993
*
Comment:
Specific lipids, in conjunction with the immune system, play a critical
role in the body's defense mechanism. Cholesterol is one of these
lipids. Hence, the lower the cholesterol the greater the compromise
in the defense and the higher the death rate from all causes. Ever
since high cholesterol has been associated with heart disease there is
the erroneous assumption that "the lower the cholesterol the better."
This study provides statistical evidence to the contrary.
Famous
Cholesterol Study Shows Surprising Results
"'The Framingham Heart
Study ' is often cited as proof of the cholesterol/animal fat theory.
This study began in 1948 and involved about 6,000 people from the town
of Framingham, Mass. Two groups were compared at five year intervals--
those who consumed little cholesterol and saturated fat and those who consumed
large amounts. After 40 years, the director of this study admitted,
'In Framingham, Mass., the more saturated fat one ate, the more calories
one ate, the lower the person's serum cholesterol. Further, we found
that the people who ate the most calories, weighed the least and were the
most physically active.' The study did show that those who weighed
more and had higher blood cholesterol levels were more at risk for future
coronary heart disease; but weight gain and cholesterol levels had an inverse
correlation with fat and cholesterol intake in the diet."
Sally
Fallon, Nourishing Traditions, Promotion Publishing, 1995, p.5
*
Comment:
In this study dietary intake of fat did not correspond to individual's
total cholesterol or weight. In fact, the individuals eating the
most calories and the greatest amount of fat and cholesterol had the lowest
weights and the lowest total cholesterol level. Those findings make
sense if we consider the function of insulin. If an individual
is eating a low fat diet, he is usually eating a high carbohydrate diet.
Carbohydrates cause the greatest increase in insulin. Insulin stimulates
weight gain and cholesterol production. Therefore the individuals
eating a higher fat, lower carbohydrate diet would have lower insulin,
less weight gain and lower total cholesterol. Furthermore, activity
decreases insulin.
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