Does Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease?

By Erin Chamerlik—

The American Heart Association says that the “bad” fats are saturated fats and trans fats, yet their recipes contain ingredients with trans fats. 

Their “Modern Tuna Casserole” has pasta, low-sodium crackers, and low-fat cream of chicken soup. Interesting that Campbell’s (one of AHA’s partners) happens to make this soup and it has monosodium glutamate and trans fats in the form of hydrogenated oils. Eating a serving of Modern Tuna Casserole will be highly inflammatory as well as dumping 11 tsp of sugar into your bloodstream.

The recommendation to choose margarine over butter and Egg Beaters over real eggs is absurd. 

Heart disease was relatively unknown 100 years ago – people enjoyed butter and real eggs from pasture raised animals.

The problem is the factory food, the sugar and a diet based on 10+ servings of bread, pasta, cereal and grains recommended by the government. These foods cause inflammation and high insulin levels. These are the triggers for cholesterol and oxidizing LDL.

Heart surgeon, Dr. Dwight Lundell says, “Cholesterol does not cause heart disease – inflammation in the arteries does. 

What is inflammation and where is it coming from?

The answer to that question is both tragic and sad. The very dietary recommendations born of the cholesterol theory of no-fat and low fat foods cause inflammation. Polyunsaturated Omega-6 oils; packaged and processed foods created for shelf life and not long life; sugars and simple carbohydrates create inflammation. This is the cause of an epidemic of heart disease, obesity and other chronic illnesses.”

Additionally, in 2008, and earlier, researchers found no association between eating eggs and cardiovascular disease.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol. 87, No. 4, 964-969, April 2008

What’s it all about, Alfie?

Cholesterol is essential for life. 

The body uses cholesterol to make

• hormones (like your sex hormones)
• vitamin D
• bile acids for proper digestion

Your cell membranes are made of cholesterol.

Can cholesterol levels be too low? 

Sure.

We’ve known this for quite some time.

A CNN reporter spoke with Vivian Mitropoulou, Ph.D., who studies cholesterol levels and personality disorders at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. It appears that taking cholesterol-lowering medication is connected with an increased rate of death from unusual causes, unrelated to heart disease.

As Mitropoulou says, “A lot of them seemed to be smashing their cars into bridges and doing all sorts of impulsive and violent things.”

Having low cholesterol changes the way brain cells function, leading to depression according to several studies.

Here’s the cutting edge thinking. 

It doesn’t matter how high your total cholesterol level is, what matters more are components.

Managing health by looking at the total cholesterol is “dinosaur medicine” according to Stephen Sinatra, MD and cardiologist. There are different types of cholesterol, some are good, some are not good. This goes way beyond simply measuring HDL and LDL.

There is new testing available which many doctors are not using. The VAP test reports 22 different components of cholesterol. This test can identify hidden heart disease risks.

One of these 22 components is ApoB. It is said to be a better risk predictor for coronary heart disease than measuring LDL and total cholesterol.

Another component is called Lp (a) and it is a marker associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis.

There is a general lack of awareness about cholesterol and the components.

You can be your own advocate by learning and sharing information with your doctor.

On September 27, 2011 I will interview the Chief Medical Officer of Atherotech, where the VAP was developed. Dr. Michael E. Cobble, will join me on my podcast to help us learn more about the VAP test and how we can help bring this technology to our doctors.

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Erin Chamerlik, MT (ASCP), is a regular Health & Fitness contributor for LivingBetterat50+. Erin offers e-courses for uncovering food sensitivities and improving candidiasis. Nutrition and wellness consultations are available through local and long distance coaching. Please visit Erin’s website at www.GetBetterWellness.com for more information or to receive her free newsletter.