Do you know how to solve the cholesterol-heart-disease puzzle?

"Big Pharma continues to make billions of dollars annually supporting the myth that cholesterol causes heart disease, and unfortunately it’s at the expense of your health.

Learn how everything modern medicine tells you is dead wrong!"

Dr. Al Sears Heart Cure

Do you know how to solve the cholesterol heart disease puzzle?

For 30 years we have been bombarded with cholesterol heart disease solutions that don't work. "Lower your cholesterol," say the drug companies ads and everything will be just fine.

It’s not quite so simple. Cholesterol is essential for a healthy body and our liver manufactures far more of it than we eat.

Robert Superko, MD, director of research at the Berkeley HeartLab Inc. explains,

“Cholesterol is not the problem we thought it was. Relying on cholesterol levels as a risk factor for coronary artery disease may not be wise since 80% of coronary patients have the same cholesterol as individuals who do not develop the disease.”

Certain members of the pharmaceutical industry do not look upon this finding as good news. Cholesterol lowering drugs now have total annual sales of more than $14 billion.

How Arteries Clog

Illustration of cholesterol in the arteries.
What the above illustration fails to describe is what causes the "bad" LDL cholesterol to stick to the artery walls. Dr. Nicholas Perricone, author of “The Perricone Connection” explains,

“To visualize how LDL cholesterol operates, think about rust. Rust occurs when metal oxidizes. Rust corrodes and eats away the metal, ultimately destroying it.

Similarly, when LDLs are oxidized in our bodies by free radicals or sugar, the LDL molecules create an inflammatory cascade resulting in cell and artery damage, irritation of the artery walls, and fatty streaks. More oxidized LDLs start to build up at this spot, producing an artery-blocking plaque.

Left untreated, this plaque eventually closes the artery entirely, leading to a possible heart attack or stroke.”

There are a few more pieces to the puzzle.

Berkeley Heart Lab researchers have discovered that LDL cholesterol has two important sub classes. The LDL Pattern A subtype is made up of large buoyant particles that travel freely through the arteries without sticking. These are the good guys.

LDL Pattern B cholesterol however consists of small dense particles, which easily permeate the artery walls. Too many of these mixed with inflammation caused by sugar and free radicals which cause oxidation and its “heart attack city.”

We need saturated fat!
The role that cholesterol and saturated fat play in keeping the body healthy is rarely mentioned. Mary Enig, PhD, the author of Know Your Fats tells us:

“We need saturated fat in our diets. The important phospholipids that form the membranes in all of our cells are made mostly of saturated fatty acids. This is especially true for our brains.”

Recent research also shows that getting enough saturated fat prevents stroke and helps protect kidneys from disease.

Saturated fat and LDL cholesterol types.
A 1998 study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition evaluated the relationship between dietary saturated fat intake and changes in amounts of Pattern A and Pattern B cholesterol.

One group consumed a low fat diet consisting of 24% fat; 6% saturated and 59% carbohydrate. The second group ate 59% fat; 18% saturated and 39% carbohydrate.

The group eating the diet which was higher in saturated fat and lower in carbs showed increases in the protective Pattern A cholesterol and decreases in the Pattern B cholesterol which can cause so much trouble. Chalk up one in the “I told you so.” column for the late Dr. Atkins.

Yes, steak and eggs are actually good for you! The saturated fat police should look for a new endeavor to keep them busy.

If you would like to improve your cholesterol and reduce other risks of a heart attack and stroke take a look at this all natural supplement called Cholest-Check. It's my personal best choice.

Gene