The cholesterol hoax
Cholesterol, that scary word. It makes up a significant portion of our cell walls and our brains. In other words, if we emptied our bodies of all cholesterol molecules, we would be puddles of water on the floor.
Cholesterol is also required in the synthesis of “vitamin” D (actually a steroid-hormone) and pregnenolone. Pregnenolone is a precursor of DHEA, which is a precursor of testosterone and estrogen. Low testosterone is no joke; it is dangerous for our health, for both men and women.
Thanks to the questionable Seven Countries study of Ancel Keys, America was trained to fear cholesterol through the following chain of implications, known as the lipid hypothesis:
increased dietary consumption of saturated fat increases serum cholesterol levels;
increased serum cholesterol levels lead to increased cardiovascular disease and death.
Both these assertions have been refuted in the late cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra’s book The Great Cholesterol Myth.
Our cardiovascular health is determined by our doctors based on numbers: our levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and HDL (“good”) cholesterol, as well as our total cholesterol level. Once total cholesterol hits 200, we are given a warning; and when it reaches 240, we are in the danger zone. Fear not; statins are here to save the day, with all their side effects.
Korean scientists performed a prospective study on 12.8 million Koreans and published the results in Nature: Total cholesterol and all-cause mortality. They were interested in studying the simplest number, total cholesterol, and studying its relationship, if any, with death by any cause.
The result was not what you have been led to believe. The simplest summary graph is shown below. The horizontal axis depicts the subject’s total cholesterol. The vertical axis depicts the hazard ratio. This is the risk of death relative to the cohort with the minimum risk of death.
The least risk of death occurs among people whose total cholesterol ranges between 220 and 230, where conventional medicine teaches us we are at increased risk.
Broadening our gaze further, we see that all subjects with total cholesterol between 180 and 270 have very close to the minimum risk of death. This includes people considered to be well into the high-risk category by conventional medicine.
At the extremes of the chart, it becomes clear that low cholesterol is much more lethal than high cholesterol. In Dr. Sinatra’s book, he stated that he had patients with low cholesterol who were in poor health, and patients with high cholesterol who were in good health.
Dr. Sinatra and others have been writing about a new metric, one you can compute from your own lipid panel report. This metric is the triglycerides-to-HDL ratio. It ignores LDL completely. You simply divide your triglycerides number by your HDL number. The lower, the better. If the value is larger than 4, this is risky. If the value is less than 2, this is good.
This new metric is not merely a new fad. Studies have shown it has 5 times the predictive power for heart disease compared with older metrics like total cholesterol or the LDL-to-HDL ratio.
So how do you reduce triglycerides and increase HDL?
Cut sugar to the minimum level possible, including sugary carbonated beverages (not to mention carcinogenic artifically-sweetened carbonated beverages); fruit juices; and candies.
Reduce refined starches, especially fried dough.
Increase protein, emphasizing animal protein.
Increase healthful fats, including avocado oil, butter, coconut oil, and olive oil.
My wife’s parents cholesterol “improved” after adding a daily egg to their diet. This includes the very healthful yolk.
My HDL increased substantially after adding half an avocado to my breakfast every day.
Get off your rear end and move! Take the stairs rather than the elevator. Walk; no need to run; try to get about four thousand steps per day.
Here is Dr. Sinatra’s formulation for heart health; it also has indirect benefits for cognitive health. I take it daily: https://www.healthydirections.com/products/heart-health/omega-q-plus-max
I also favor vitamin D, DHEA, and red light therapy.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor. I am merely sharing information I have found online. Please speak to a healthcare professional for your wellness decisions.