Cholesterol & The French Paradox

By Frank Cooper

Summarized with permission of Monahan Publishing.
All rights reserved.

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Let's Talk Cholesterol

Cholesterol is an essential component of cells, particularly nerve tissue, brain cells and hormones. It is actually produced by the liver, about three grams every day, and then sent into the blood stream. Here it combines with proteins to form lipoproteins which make it water soluble and usable by the cells. Cholesterol then forms a waterproof barrier around cells to protect them from viruses and other harmful organisms.

The published report immediately activated food conglomerates and pharmaceutical companies to change their products and market them in support of this theory. Their advertising led the public to believe this information and buy accordingly.

Why does cholesterol get blamed for clogging arteries? Think of a plaster wall that has a crack in it. When an artery has some damage to it, the body sends plaque to repair it. This plaque is made of calcium, proteins, fats and about 5 percent cholesterol. So, rather than seeing cholesterol as part of a repair process, it was blamed as a cause of the damage.

What is causing the damage then? The typical causes of this damage are:

• Normal wear and tear from the artery functions
• Oxidized LDL getting into the artery walls
• Elevated homocysteine levels
• Viruses or other organisms
• Chemicals such as nicotine

These can cause an inflammatory response in the artery. If the area is not easily and quickly healed, the body calls in plaque to repair it.

One well-known researcher on cholesterol is Dr. Uffe Ravnskov of Sweden. He analyzed past research studies and noted their missing data, the inconsistencies in the conclusions and their poor research setup. When he recalculated the data from some of these studies, he found that people develop heart disease at the same rate regardless of their cholesterol levels. Other doctors and researchers agree with Dr. Ravnskov; some of their papers can be found on the Web site of “The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics” (www.thincs.org).

Why do these doctors say that the truthful information has been ignored? They all point to the pharmaceutical industry and their $30 billion business in cholesterol-lowering drugs. The drug companies make sure that opposing information is not seen or heard, through their TV advertising and their support of national disease associations which need their funding.

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