What if I told you the entire foundation of ‘elevated cholesterol resulting in clogged arteries, heart attack and stroke’ was a completely made up hypothesis created by medicine and government to disrupt American health and sell pharmaceuticals. Would you believe me?
Cholesterol has been blamed as the major cause of heart disease. The claim that it clogs our arteries is known worldwide despite no scientific evidence to validate the idea. As hard as this may sound, you need to retrain the way you look at the“cholesterol theory” with a skeptical eye.
Before the 20th century, heart disease was extremely rare, and it certainly was not a leading killer. As food processing began to take off, so did the occurrence of heart disease. By the 1950s, it was considered a major health threat. Over the last 50 years, an entire arsenal of various drugs, surgeries and even branches of medicine have emerged to address this increasingly growing disorder.
Today, despite billions of dollars of research and the best scientific resources at their fingertips, the American Heart Association said in 2012 that any given American has a 48% chance of getting this deadly disease – essentially your chances are that of a coin flip.
In the 1950s, Ancel Keys developed the idea of a direct relationship between the amount of cholesterol in diet and blood with the incidence of coronary heart disease. With little evidence, Keys published articles and promoted his idea to the medical establishment.
Meanwhile, hundreds of subsequent studies testing this hypothesis found differing conclusions; some noted low cholesterol to be the cause. Others found it to be inflammatory markers. Despite the lack of evidence, the healthcare world adopted Keys’ idea and began supporting vegetable oils and low fat food processing and any medication that could lower “bad” cholesterol to “save lives.”
Functional Model of Heart Disease
The majority of documented studies investigating the lipid hypothesis do not support the claim that “artery-clogging” saturated fats and dietary cholesterol actually cause heart disease. In a 1994 study published in Lancet, researchers analyzed the fat they found in plaques arteries. The results were 26% saturated animal fat. The remaining 74% was unsaturated plant oils resembling that of “heart healthy” canola oil.
Benefits of Cholesterol & Saturated Fat
According to lipid biochemistry expert, Dr. Mary Enig, PhD, extensive research on the roles of saturated fat and cholesterol in our bodies and the intake of these compounds in our diet has revealed several processes and mechanisms for which we need cholesterol and saturated fat:
- Cell Membrane: Saturated fatty acids and cholesterol constitute at least 50% of the cell membrane. They are what gives our cells necessary stiffness and integrity as well as hormone receptor function.
- Bone Health: Cholesterol plays a significant role in the health of our bones. For calcium to be effectively incorporated into the skeletal structure, at least 50% of the dietary fats should be saturated. Cholesterol is the precursor to Vitamin D & major hormones that regulate stress, energy & sex hormone (estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, testosterone etc) function.
- Lower Lp(a): Cholesterol and saturated fats lower Lp(a), a substance in the blood that indicates susceptibility to heart disease. They also protect the liver from alcohol and medication toxicity, such as Tylenol which is known to damage the liver.
- Enhance Immunity: They enhance the immune system and act as an antidepressant by enhancing serotonin receptor function. Low cholesterol is highly associated with neurological disease, violent & aggressive behavior, depression & suicidal tendencies.
- Proper Use of Essential Fats: They are needed for the proper utilization of essential fatty acids. Long chain Omega-3 fatty acids (anti-inflammatory oils) are better retained in the tissues when the diet is rich in saturated fats.
- Fuel For the Heart: 18-carbon stearic acid and 16-carbon palmitic acid are the preferred foods for the heart, which is why the fats that often form around the heart muscle are found to be saturated fats. The heart draws on this reserve of fat in times of metabolic stress.
- Anti-Microbial Properties: Short chain fatty acids (SCTs) and medium chain fatty acids (MCTs) have natural antimicrobial properties. They protect us against harmful bacteria in the digestive tract. Cholesterol plays a vital role in the repair and maintenance of the intestinal wall, preventing leaky gut, ulcerative colitis, and a host of other intestinal disorders.
- Antioxidant Protection: Cholesterol is now understood to be an antioxidant that protects you from free radical damage and helps to heal any arterial damage that may have occurred. Higher levels of free radical damage from oxidative stress = higher levels of circulating cholesterol.
- Bile Production: Cholesterol produces bile salts that help us metabolize fats in our diet. The majority of gallstones are parasites, wrapped in cholesterol and bile in an attempt to purge the pathogenic invader.
- Brain and Nervous System Development: Cholesterol is extraordinarily important to develop our brain and nervous system. Over 60% of the brain is composed of saturated fats and cholesterol. This is reason for neurological deficit when taking statins or other cholesterol lowering drugs.
In summary, cholesterol is one of the most powerful healing foods and molecules your body can ingest and produce. The real cause of heart disease is the inflammation and oxidation of cholesterol due to high levels of free radicals and high-firing inflammatory pathways. The key to preventing and reversing heart disease is to put out the inflammatory fires.
If you or someone you know has elevated blood cholesterol, triglycerides or takes a cholesterol lowering pill, blood pressure pill or daily aspirin to “protect their heart,” be sure to share this article with them and invite them!
