Cholesterol Myth Post #9

We are winding down our synopsis of the book, "The Great Cholesterol Myth," only a few posts remain.

Let's take a look at the class of drugs used to lower our blood cholesterol levels, called Statin Drugs.

What you should know:

• The benefit of Statin Drugs have been widely exaggerated. 
• Statin Drugs deplete the co-enzyme Q10, an important nutrient for the heart.  
• Depletion of Co-Q10 can cause muscle pain, weakness and fatigue.  
• The brain depends on cholesterol to function optimally and help stimulate thinking and memory.  
• Statin Drugs lead to a reduction in sex hormones and can cause sexual dysfunction.  
• Statin Drugs may be associated with a higher risk for cancer and diabetes.
• A comprehensive study by the University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, showed that a majority of doctors dismiss complaints of side effects from Statins and do not report them to "MEDWATCH" the FDA's system for reporting any undesirable experiences associated with the use of medical products or drugs.  In other works, side effects are grossly under reported.  

The Cholesterol Myth Post #8

The case against Canola Oil:
The success of canola oil and its reputation as the healthiest of oils is a triumph of marketing over science.  Canola Oil is typically extracted and refined using very high heat and petroleum solvents (such as Hexane). Then it undergoes a process of refining, degumming, bleaching and because it stinks, deodorization using even more chemicals.  The only kind of canola oil that could be ok is organic, cold pressed, unrefined, which hardly anyone uses.
Dr. Fred Pescatore, M.D., a best selling author and former director of the Atkins Health Center, and somewhat of a cooking expert, had this to say about Canola Oil, "I would never use that stuff."  If you would like to read more about the dark side of canola oil, check out the report by lipid biochemist Mary Enig and Sally Fallon.  Widely available on-line, its called, "The Great Con-ola."

Cholesterol Post #7

Chapter 5: The Truth About Fat: It's not what you think

You can't talk about cholesterol without also talking about fat.  Lets clear up some misconceptions about fat- What is it? What it does? What it doesn't Do? and Why it matters in the first place?

What exactly is fat anyway?
Fat is the collective shorthand name given to any big collection of smaller units called fatty acids.  You can think of "Fat" and "Fatty Acids" as analogous to paper money and a bunch of coins.  The dollar bill is the "Fat" and the coins are the "Fatty Acids".  Just as the dollar bill can comprise different combinations of coins - one hundred pennies, four quarters, ten dimes, twenty nickles and so forth - a "Fat" comprises different combinations of fatty acids.  There are more fatty acids in a big fat blob of butter than in just a spoonful, just as there are more coins in $5 than there are in $1.  All fat on Earth is composed of fatty acids, whether a spoonful of butter, a tub of lard, or a tablespoon of fish oil.  The only difference is they are a different mix of fatty acids (i.e. nickels, dimes quarters, etc.)

There are three families of fatty acids: Saturated, Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated.  Then there is the "Trans Fats", a kind of "Franken Fat."  Suffice to say, the overall mix of fats and the breakdown of the various fatty acid combinations is very complex.  Lets skip to the less boring information.  Saturated Fats are primarily found in animal foods, such as eggs, butter, cheese and meats.  A few saturated fats are from plant oils such at coconut and palm oil.  These fats are not the big contributors of heart disease.  Ok, there is no shortage of studies pointing to an association between increased saturated fat intake and cardiovascular risk, but there are a few things you should know about these studies.  It is true that saturated fat intake can raise cholesterol levels, but it raises the good cholesterol, not the bad.  Next week we will look at Vegetable Oils and Canola Oils.