If you’ve been told by your doctor that your cholesterol levels are too high, and you need to give up fats and go on a statin, STAT, then you may want to know about a new expert medical literature review that challenges the idea that high cholesterol causes heart disease. According to Diabetes Daily, the international team of 17 experts identified “considerable flaws” in the evidence that health officials use to evaluate cholesterol’s link to heart disease.
Not only did the review find that statin drugs’ benefits have been exaggerated, but it also found that total cholesterol levels are generally not even predictive of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, or even generally associated with atherosclerosis severity.
This isn’t exactly a big, fat surprise, as other studies have been coming out regularly showing that saturated fats and cholesterol are important for your overall health. This is because, finally, scientists who truly study the literature and the real cause-and-effect of heart disease are finding that it’s refined carbs, sugar and trans fats — think processed foods — that are the primary dietary culprits behind CVD.
But before you go running off to grab a bottle of those vegetable oils that, just last summer, the AHA sent out a presidential advisory to cardiologists around the world on, you should know that historical data clearly shows that strategy is not working. And that advice is to replace butter and coconut oil with margarine and vegetable oils, combined with a low-fat diet — all of which have been proven to do exactly the opposite of what they’re purported to do.
It’s true dietary fat s indeed associated with heart disease, but it's the processed vegetable oils, which are loaded with trans fats and oxidized omega-6 fats, that are the problem, not saturated fats. The introduction of industrialized, highly processed and frequently heated omega-6 vegetable oils distorted the vitally important omega 6-to-3 ratio, causing metabolic catastrophes.
The problem was further exacerbated by replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrates, which were incorrectly viewed as a healthier option, thanks to misinformation created and spread by the sugar industry. The real truth is your body NEEDS cholesterol, because in reality, cholesterol has many health benefits. It plays a key role in regulating protein pathways involved in cell signaling and may also regulate other cellular processes.
Furthermore, eating nutritious cholesterol-rich foods is not something you should feel guilty about; they're good for you and will not drive up your cholesterol levels as you may have been told. It's estimated that only 20 percent of your blood cholesterol levels come from your diet. As I explain in my “Fat for Fuel” book and in my upcoming sequel to it, “Superfuel,” the right types of fats not only are good for you, but can reverse metabolic disorders, including diabetes. The key is to eat a diet that allows your body to burn fat as its primary fuel rather than sugars, and to become an efficient fat burner, you actually have to eat fat — something that anti-cholesterol, anti-fat “scientists” apparently are still learning.