The cholesterol myth

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tiltbillings
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by tiltbillings »

From your earlier source above: Causes of High Cholesterol: Diet and DNA are the main sources of cholesterol. Lucky DNA, except for the Alzheimer's.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

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danieLion
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by danieLion »

Dietary cholesterol content does not significantly influence plasma cholesterol values, which are regulated by different genetic and nutritional factors that influence cholesterol absorption or synthesis.
Source
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tiltbillings
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by tiltbillings »

danieLion wrote:
Dietary cholesterol content does not significantly influence plasma cholesterol values, which are regulated by different genetic and nutritional factors that influence cholesterol absorption or synthesis.
Source
The whole abstract, rather than just a bit:
  • Dietary cholesterol comes exclusively from animal sources, thus it is naturally present in our diet and tissues. It is an important component of cell membranes and a precursor of bile acids, steroid hormones and vitamin D. Contrary to phytosterols (originated from plants), cholesterol is synthesised in the human body in order to maintain a stable pool when dietary intake is low. Given the necessity for cholesterol, very effective intestinal uptake mechanisms and enterohepatic bile acid and cholesterol reabsorption cycles exist; conversely, phytosterols are poorly absorbed and, indeed, rapidly excreted. Dietary cholesterol content does not significantly influence plasma cholesterol values, which are regulated by different genetic and nutritional factors that influence cholesterol absorption or synthesis. Some subjects are hyper-absorbers and others are hyper-responders, which implies new therapeutic issues. Epidemiological data do not support a link between dietary cholesterol and CVD. Recent biological data concerning the effect of dietary cholesterol on LDL receptor-related protein may explain the complexity of the effect of cholesterol on CVD risk.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
danieLion
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by danieLion »

There are many factors that can increase your chance of having heart problems or stroke if you have high cholesterol, including the following:
An unhealthy diet: some foods already contain cholesterol (known as dietary cholesterol) but it is the amount of saturated fat in your diet which is more important.
Source
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tiltbillings
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by tiltbillings »

danieLion wrote:
There are many factors that can increase your chance of having heart problems or stroke if you have high cholesterol, including the following:
An unhealthy diet: some foods already contain cholesterol (known as dietary cholesterol) but it is the amount of saturated fat in your diet which is more important.
Source
Which is, of course, all true, as are the other sources you quoted. It is not black and white.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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marc108
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by marc108 »

Dan you are mostly right. Very little dietary cholesterol is absorbed... how much depends on genetics and your bodies needs at the time, as well as what other foods are consumed at the same time... soluble fiber, etc. The largest dietary contributor to high blood cholesterol is saturated fat. Too much saturated fat decreased LDL receptor density in the liver, decreasing the livers ability to remove LDL cholesterol from the blood and keeping blood levels artificially elevated.

Saying blood cholesterol has no role in atherosclerosis is outright wrong... we can put atherosclerotic plaque under a microscope and see that it is composed of cholesterol and other things. LDL:HDL ratios are still the best predictor we have for CVD mortality as far as I know... its not 100% accurate, because there are SO many other factors involved... oxidation of lipoproteins, vascular inflammation, etc. What really matters is the class of lipoprotein that is elevated... LDL and HDL are a class of lipoprotein, not a single entity, with certain types being prone towards plaque formation and certain types not (thevaptest.com)


http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/may ... vap_01.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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"It's easy for us to connect with what's wrong with us... and not so easy to feel into, or to allow us, to connect with what's right and what's good in us."
danieLion
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by danieLion »

marc108 wrote:Dan you are mostly right.
Thanks. Mostly's good enough for me.
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Alex123
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by Alex123 »

Hello DanielLion, all.

You are right. Another interesting thing:
Despite the fact that most people are worried about having cholesterol levels that are too high, yet another study has found that low cholesterol is actually associated with adverse behavioral effects such as aggression and depression.

While the medical establishment continues to push the suppression of cholesterol levels to abnormally low levels, it is not widely known that there is a significant amount of evidence linking low cholesterol to aggressive behavior and depression.

According to researchers from Yale University School of Medicine, "The well-documented negative association between serum cholesterol and aggressive behavior has led Kaplan (Psychosom Med 1994 Nov-Dec;56:479-84) to propose a cholesterol-serotonin hypothesis of aggression.

According to this hypothesis, low dietary cholesterol intake leads to depressed central serotonergic activity, which itself has been reported in numerous studies of violent individuals."

•Researchers studied 25 violent psychiatric patients

•For 7 days, the patients wore signaling devices that emitted an average of seven signals a day.

•Following each signal, patients filled out a mood questionnaire.
The authors found that "Total serum cholesterol (TSC) concentration was positively associated with measures of affect, cognitive efficiency, activation, and sociability, suggesting a link between low TSC and dysphoria."

"These findings are consistent with the cholesterol-serotonin hypothesis and with the substantive literature linking both aggression and depression to depressed central serotonergic activity," they conclude.

Journal of Behavioral Medicine, December 1, 2000; 23: 519-529
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... ssion.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Also
Low cholesterol linked to violence

Low cholesterol may affect mood

Low cholesterol linked to depression
alan
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by alan »

I'm in the rare position of agreeing with Alex123.
danieLion
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by danieLion »

Alex123 wrote:Hello DanielLion, all.

You are right. Another interesting thing:
Despite the fact that most people are worried about having cholesterol levels that are too high, yet another study has found that low cholesterol is actually associated with adverse behavioral effects such as aggression and depression.

While the medical establishment continues to push the suppression of cholesterol levels to abnormally low levels, it is not widely known that there is a significant amount of evidence linking low cholesterol to aggressive behavior and depression.

According to researchers from Yale University School of Medicine, "The well-documented negative association between serum cholesterol and aggressive behavior has led Kaplan (Psychosom Med 1994 Nov-Dec;56:479-84) to propose a cholesterol-serotonin hypothesis of aggression.

According to this hypothesis, low dietary cholesterol intake leads to depressed central serotonergic activity, which itself has been reported in numerous studies of violent individuals."

•Researchers studied 25 violent psychiatric patients

•For 7 days, the patients wore signaling devices that emitted an average of seven signals a day.

•Following each signal, patients filled out a mood questionnaire.
The authors found that "Total serum cholesterol (TSC) concentration was positively associated with measures of affect, cognitive efficiency, activation, and sociability, suggesting a link between low TSC and dysphoria."

"These findings are consistent with the cholesterol-serotonin hypothesis and with the substantive literature linking both aggression and depression to depressed central serotonergic activity," they conclude.

Journal of Behavioral Medicine, December 1, 2000; 23: 519-529
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... ssion.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Also
Low cholesterol linked to violence

Low cholesterol may affect mood

Low cholesterol linked to depression
It's my firm belief, although I've no proof, that the manufacturers of designer drugs for depression, other "mood disorders" and "high" cholesterol actively attempt to supress information like this. :evil:
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marc108
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by marc108 »

while i tend to agree with you dan in general, about the suppression of information by drug companies. how these studies are presented is a good example of how information is incorrectly extrapolated from studies. low cholesterol in psych patients correlating to higher propensity for violence doesn't mean that higher cholesterol is safe or desirable or even that low cholesterol in healthy people will do the same thing... it doesnt even mean that low cholesterol has any causal relationship with violence in the psych patients! same goes for the increased mylenation thing...
"It's easy for us to connect with what's wrong with us... and not so easy to feel into, or to allow us, to connect with what's right and what's good in us."
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DNS
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by DNS »

marc108 wrote:low cholesterol in psych patients correlating to higher propensity for violence doesn't mean that higher cholesterol is safe or desirable or even that low cholesterol in healthy people will do the same thing... it doesnt even mean that low cholesterol has any causal relationship with violence in the psych patients! same goes for the increased mylenation thing...
Well said. It is all too common for some to look for singular causes when that is rarely the case. In all likelihood any statistical relationship found in those studies was spurious and more likely to other causes such as malnutrition and environment. I highly doubt that patients at psych wards are all raw food vegans which is about the only way that one can have low cholesterol with the modern diet other than a nutrient deficient malnourished diet. I worked at a prison for several years which had plenty of violent offenders and there were a few lacto-ovo vegetarians but I don't recall a single vegan there.
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Alex123
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by Alex123 »

David N. Snyder wrote:Well said. It is all too common for some to look for singular causes when that is rarely the case. In all likelihood any statistical relationship found in those studies was spurious and more likely to other causes such as malnutrition and environment.
The evidence seems to be strong.

  • The brain only makes up only 2% of the body's weight, yet it contains 25% of its cholesterol.
To me this speaks loudly. If you compromise building material for the brain and cells, then there is much greater chance of mental issues coming up.
  • Cholesterol plays an important role in the production of hormones, according to the American Heart Association. Various glands in your body, like your adrenal glands, synthesize cholesterol into hormones like testosterone and cortisol. Such hormones are critical for proper nervous system functioning, mood balance and coping with stress link
  • Repairing cells: Cholesterol is essential in the formation of new cells and in the repair of worn out cells or injured cells as it is an important component of the cell membrane. Thus cholesterol can rightly be called the building block for bodily tissues.*

    Brain function: Cholesterol has a very critical role to play in the nervous system. Treating the neurons with a 10 mcg/mL solution of cholesterol increased synapse formation by 12 times and thus improved learning and memory
    .**link
  • Cholesterol is an important precursor molecule for the synthesis of vitamin D and the steroid hormones, including the adrenal gland hormones cortisol and aldosterone, as well as the sex hormones progesterone, estrogens, and testosterone, and their derivatives. link

Human breast milk contains significant amount of cholesterol. link So from nature's POV it is required substance for a developing human.
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marc108
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Re: The cholesterol myth

Post by marc108 »

Alex123 wrote: The evidence seems to be strong.
To me this speaks loudly. If you compromise building material for the brain and cells, then there is much greater chance of mental issues coming up.
brain cholesterol is produced locally (in the brain), the blood brain barrier prevents cholesterol in the blood from entering the brain. so theoretically, blood cholesterol should have no effect on the brain inherently. another example of poorly interpreted studies on blog posts.

i'm not saying that driving cholesterol down to abnormally low numbers is good... but even with people on statins you dont see numbers down THAT low. even with drugs just to get someone with hyperlipidemia down below 200 is a challenge sometimes.
"It's easy for us to connect with what's wrong with us... and not so easy to feel into, or to allow us, to connect with what's right and what's good in us."
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