Home

Understanding Cholesterol (Cholesterol #1)

Cholesterol isn't inherently "bad," but too much of it can cause a plethora of problems! Keep watching for the cholesterol basics ...

Dr. McCleary | Cholesterol and Heart Disease

by flinchtech

, Argues that cholesterol is not the central factor in producing heart attacks.  During his thirty plus year career as a cardiologist, he saw hundreds of patients with coronary heart disease and heart attack and was struck by the fact that even his patients with the most advanced heart disease had cholesterol levels that varied widely. He saw no direct correlation between his patients’ cholesterol levels and their risk of heart disease.

Heart disease is primarily caused by atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries. This is a process that results from plaque build-up. “Everybody has atherosclerosis to one degree or another,” states Dr. Curtis. “It is simply a biological fact of aging.” The idea that cholesterol causes heart disease comes from a set of closely related theories known as the Lipid Hypothesis, the Cholesterol Theory and the Diet-Heart Theory. These theories contend that too much cholesterol in the blood is the major causative factor in atherosclerosis. The Diet-Heart Theory maintains that too much saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet raises the cholesterol level, causing atherosclerosis and leading to the two most dreaded complications of atherosclerosis — heart attack and stroke. Although plaque has been scientifically proven to contain cholesterol, studies show that increased cholesterol levels in the blood do not increase plaque build-up. Yet, the American population has been convinced that heart attacks are a direct result of high cholesterol levels. The belief in the “Cholesterol Theory” causes many patients who are diagnosed with high cholesterol to be exposed to cholesterol-lowering drug therapy.

Read more...