This is from Dr. Laura Ruby’s Blog: Treating dyslipidema naturally: Part 1 – Clearing up the myths surrounding dietary fats & cholesterol
Research has shown that dietary cholesterol has little or no effect on cardiovascular risk. A review of 22 studies including nearly 4,000 subjects showed that a diet low in fats & cholesterol has only a 2% reduction in cardiovascular mortality. Only 15 – 25% of the population is sensitive to dietary cholesterol which is exacerbated by obesity and diabetes.
On the other hand, trans-fatty acids significantly increase the risk of CV disease, increases LDL cholesterol, increases insulin resistance and blood sugar and risk of type 2 diabetes. Trans fats, also known as hydrogenated fats, are formed when a liquid fat is artificially turned into a solid fat (such as margarine) through a process called hydrogenation. Once again we are messing with Mother Nature and it is turning around and kicking us in the butt.
More importantly, the substitution of dietary fats with refined carbohydrates has been one of the major factors fueling the diabesity epidemic and increasing CV risk. For decades we have been told to eat “low fat”. This recommendation prompted a huge proliferation of low fat, high carb/sugar “diet” foods resulting in Americans getting even fatter. So once again, its all about balance between good fats and bad fats. Clearly diets very high in saturated (bad) fats are harmful but ironically diets low in saturated fats shown to increase health risks such as hemorrhagic stroke.
So what is the underlying cause of dyslipidemia
Dyslipidemia or abnormal blood cholesterol is not driven by dietary cholesterol. The most common underlying causes for dyslipidemia are;
- chronic inflammation
- oxidative stress of the vascular system
- immune dysfunction
- common triggers for inflammation are chronic infections & chronic intake of inflammatory foods
Nearly half of the people that have heart attacks have normal cholesterol levels
Vascular inflammation is a post prandial phenomenon
A meal high in refined carbs and saturated (bad) fats triggers a release of endotoxins (substances toxic to the blood vessels & cells) which in turn increases glucose, insulin & triglycerides and decreases NO or nitric oxide. To read the rest of this article go to: http://drlauraruby.com/inflammation-and-chronic-disease/treating-dyslipidema-naturally-part-1-clearing-up-the-myths-surrounding-dietary-fats-cholesterol/
