Debunking the cholesterol myth and cultivating true heart health

Friday, September 07, 2012 by: Carolanne Wright
Tags: cholesterol myth, heart health, diet

(NaturalNews) Cholesterol has received plenty of negative media over the last decade as the reason behind heart attack and arterial disease. Several pivotal studies have shown that cholesterol is not the cause behind problems of the heart as once thought. With a strange twisting of information, the pharmaceutical companies who manufacture cholesterol-lowering drugs have protected their $34 billion a year industry.

One of the most damaging myths in medical history

Cholesterol has been blamed for heart disease, but inflammation is actually the true culprit. When the body experiences an inflammatory response due to an injury, the system responds by constricting blood vessels, thickening the blood, and triggering cells to multiply in order to repair the damage. Cholesterol is produced because cells need it to form. Vascular plaque is created when a damaged artery needs to be repaired. When an individual is in a chronic state of inflammation, the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack greatly increases.

The Great Cholesterol Myth authors Jonny Bowden, Ph.D. and cardiologist Stephen Sinatra state:

"We believe that a weird combination of misinformation, questionable studies, corporate greed, and deceptive marketing has conspired to create one of the most damaging myths in medical history: that cholesterol causes heart disease."

Through reviewing the data of numerous studies, Bowden and Sinatra found that cholesterol levels are not a good predictor of heart attacks; half of the people who have heart attacks have normal cholesterol; half of the people with high cholesterol have healthy hearts; keeping cholesterol levels low has few benefits. The Framingham Heart Study, which began in 1948 and continues to this day, distinctly shows that those who lived the longest were inclined to be in the highest cholesterol category.

The Lyon diet-heart study

Another study presents startling evidence regarding the role diet plays in heart health. Researchers in France during the 1990s decided to observe the effect different diets have on heart disease. Two groups of high-risk men participated. All had survived heart attacks. Everyone had high cholesterol and stressful lifestyles. They also smoked and did not exercise.

One group was asked to eat the American Heart Association diet which is low in fat and cholesterol. The second group ate a Mediterranean diet, rich in fish, omega-3 fatty acids, vegetables, and olive oil.

The study ended early because the results of the Mediterranean diet were so striking. Those in this group had a 70 percent reduction in fatal heart attacks, yet their high cholesterol levels remained the same throughout the study. They simply stopped dying.

As observed by Bowen in Better Nutrition magazine:

"The tragedy is that by putting all our attention on cholesterol, we've ignored the real causes of heart disease: inflammation, oxidation, stress, and sugar. Things we can actually control with foods, supplements and lifestyle changes - none of which have the costs or side effects of pharmaceutical drugs."

Sources for this article include:

"The cholesterol myth? Why lowering cholesterol isn't nearly as important as you think" by Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, Better Nutrition, July 2012

"The Cholesterol Myth That Could Be Harming Your Health" Dr. Joseph Mercola, Huffpost Healthy Living, August 12, 2012. Retrieved on July 18, 2012 from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

"Ending the Cholesterol-Heart Disease Myth" Andreas Moritz, Natural News, April 8, 2010. Retrieved on July 18, 2012 from: https://www.naturalnews.com/022960_medical_myths_cholesterol.html

About the author:
Carolanne believes if we want to see change in the world, we need to be the change. As a nutritionist, wellness coach and natural foods chef, she has encouraged others to embrace a healthy lifestyle of green living for over 13 years. Through her website www.Thrive-Living.net she looks forward to connecting with other like-minded people who share a similar vision.

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