for eMaxHealthMedical doctors, Ph.Ds in nutrition, and other "Diet Dictocrats" who advise us to give up the eggs, steak and butter to lower our cholesterol, speed down the wrong track. How so? The contention that fat in our diet causes high cholesterol in our blood has been shot down in 30 different medical studies.
Famous heart surgeon Michael DeBakey conducted a study of 1,700 patients who had atherosclerosis severe enough for hospitalization. Only one out of five patients had high cholesterol. That means 80% of the patients did NOT have high cholesterol, but had heart disease anyway.
Something else, not dietary fat and not heredity, selects those who will die of heart disease. "Experts," who foist upon us all sorts of products to get our cholesterol down, merrily medicate a symptom away and in the process deplete our bodily stores of iron, a mineral required by our metabolic enzyme systems.
Cholesterol levels are part of your body's defense system. You need this raw material for the production of anti-stress hormones. "Experts" don't tell us that stress, produced by mineral deficiency, drives the so-called bad cholesterol up and the so-called good cholesterol down.
Copper in your diet helps determine your cholesterol levels. Copper deficiency raises the 'bad' LDL cholesterol and reduces the 'good' HDL cholesterol. (Klevay 1987).
What happens when magnesium-deficient people get dosed with magnesium? Their "good" HDL cholesterol goes up and their "bad" LDL cholesterol goes down. (Bersohn 1956)
A Danish study involving more than 3,000 men showed those at greatest risk of developing severe coronary problems also had the lowest levels of selenium in their bodies (Suadicani 1992).
The immediate benefit of selenium was illustrated in a study where volunteers were fed a high-fat diet but only half received selenium supplements. Fat deposits increased by 76% for the control group, but the group given selenium had significantly balanced total cholesterol levels, LDL levels, and HDL levels. (Wojcicki 1991).
High cholesterol is not a magic bullet promoting disease; it is a warning sign. Suppose you went out and bought a new Mercedes Benz and after a while a red warning light came on. Would you have your mechanic remove the red light? Of course not! You would have him find out why the red light went on.
"Experts" frequently advise that for good health, our serum cholesterol should be less than 180. Unfortunately, individuals with cholesterol levels lower than 180 have a higher all-cause death rate. (Circulation 1992 86:3)
Think about what awaits all those poor folks who have been fooled by the cholesterol myth.
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Copyright 2004 William R. Quesnell
Bill Quesnell, health educator and author of 'Minerals: The Essential Link to Health,' helps people recover energy and vitality.
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