Cholesterol Myths

For many decades a great fraud has been perpetrated on the people of this country. It’s not a political, industrial or military one. It involves no secrets and is not related to national security. Rather it is a fraud that is being done by the continuance of a medical myth. What is worse is that it is being done by the government with the active support of a large section of the medical profession.

And no, it’s not about cancer or HIV/AIDS. Its all about something you take for granted – the dangers of dietary fats and cholesterol. Consuming dietary fat leads to high cholesterol levels which lead to heart attacks and strokes. That is what we have all been brought up to believe. But is this really the case? Recent research indicates that it is not.

It really came into prominence in the 1970’s when the McGovern Senate Committee publicized the dangers of cholesterol and set anti cholesterol and anti fat goals for people to follow if they didn’t want to die young. Studies published over the last few years show that what is being spread about the dangers of cholesterol is nothing but a “cholesterol myth.”  How is it being done?

Blood cholesterol levels of between 200 and 240 mg/dl have always been accepted as normal. And in elderly women, higher levels of serum cholesterol have been linked to increased life span. However, since the mid 1980’s these numbers have been not just questioned but actively projected as showing blood cholesterol level that are a danger to the health. And this wrong information has gained widespread and unthinking acceptance in not just the US but across the world.

Why? The good old fashioned motive – profit.  It was in 1984 that the then leadership of the national Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHBLI) started preaching this gospel of low cholesterol levels as being essential for continued good health. Because of this, hundreds of thousands of people who were in otherwise good health began to be treated for high cholesterol as if it were a life threatening condition.  How was this treatment done? By forcing them to buy expensive medications to control their cholesterol levels. The financial implications of persuading this huge number of people to start taking medication for a non existent medical condition are too obvious to need restating.

What makes this fraud especially dangerous is not that it makes people spend money on medicines they do not need. If that was all, it would be  a sad, but not critical scam. The danger lies in the fact that long term consumption of these unneeded medications can lead to life threatening side effects and complications like liver and other forms of cancer. And beyond that, it affects the quality of life of those who are fooled into taking this medication by making them feel that they suffer from a serious medical condition.

The medical fact is that the body uses cholesterol to protect itself and repair damage to the metabolism. When the body is in need of repair and protection, cholesterol levels go up and once lifestyle changes result in less need for cholesterol, the levels in the body drop since it is no longer needed. No external medication is required.

Ongoing research shows that health problems are in fact caused by trans fatty acids found in vegetable oils and partially hydrogenated vegetable fats are the real cause of health issues, along with a lack of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Today, the benefits of low fat diets are being increasingly questioned.

The bottom line, proven by current research, is that saturated fats are the basis of a healthy diet which leads to good health. Any fears about high cholesterol levels are nothing more than an urban legend – not something to be taken seriously.