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Why You Should No Longer Worry About Cholesterol in Food ... Genetics appear to play a stronger role in heart disease
https://health.clevelandclinic.org ^ | January 15, 2021 | Staff

Posted on 03/25/2021 9:47:53 AM PDT by Red Badger

High levels of “bad” cholesterol in the blood, which have been linked to heart disease, are still a health concern.

But evidence shows people no longer have to be concerned about eating foods that are high in cholesterol. What’s changed is that many researchers and physicians believe that eating cholesterol-rich foods such as eggs may not affect the cholesterol that is in your blood.

“However, people with certain health problems, such as diabetes, should continue to avoid cholesterol-rich foods,” says cardiologist Steven Nissen, MD.

It’s complicated Is cholesterol good for you? Is cholesterol bad for you? It’s complicated.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that ultimately ends up in the walls of arteries. It causes the plaque that lead to heart attacks and strokes. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines call for a daily cholesterol limit of 300 milligrams.

The relationship between cholesterol and the body is extremely complicated. Some of the ways its complicated are:

The body regulates how much cholesterol is in your blood.

There’s different kinds of cholesterol. Low-density lipoprotein or LDL (bad) cholesterol contributes to plaque buildup along with triglycerides, another lipid.

High-density lipoprotein or HDL (good) cholesterol discourages plaque buildup.

LDL is the bad cholesterol that you should avoid because it can increase your risk of heart disease. The way people process cholesterol differs. Some people appear to be more vulnerable to cholesterol-rich diets.

“Your genetic makeup – not diet – is the driving force behind cholesterol levels, says Dr. Nissen. “The body creates cholesterol in amounts much larger than what you can eat, so avoiding foods that are high in cholesterol won’t affect your blood cholesterol levels very much.”

About 85% of the cholesterol in the circulation is manufactured by the body in the liver. It isn’t coming directly from the cholesterol that you eat, according to Dr. Nissen.

It’s also likely that people with family history of heart disease share common environments that may increase their risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What you should worry about Should you actually worry about cholesterol in food? The greater danger for everyone is in foods that are high in trans fats.

“Those often appear on food labels as hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil,” he says. “Those types of fats do tend to raise cholesterol and do tend to increase the risk of heart disease.”

All in all, look for trans fat and saturated fat on labels at the grocery store. The American Heart Association recommends limiting dietary saturated fat intake and focusing more on eating fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean animal protein or plant protein sources.​


TOPICS: Agriculture; Business/Economy; Food; Health/Medicine
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To: Seruzawa

How many people have gotten dementia from statins?


21 posted on 03/25/2021 10:50:58 AM PDT by markman46 (engage brain before using keyboard!!!)
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To: Red Badger

Pop a statin once a day and live free to eat what you like.


22 posted on 03/25/2021 10:53:46 AM PDT by NWFree (Socialism is legalized plunder)
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To: Red Badger

“But evidence shows people no longer have to be concerned about eating foods that are high in cholesterol. What’s changed is that many researchers and physicians believe that eating cholesterol-rich foods such as eggs may not affect the cholesterol that is in your blood. “

Only took our ‘esteemed’ medical community 60 years to figure that out.

I wonder if they’ll next figure out that widespread use of Statins is worthless for extending lives and has its own set of SERIOUS side effects, including diabetes...I’ll check back in another 60 years to see if they’re as quick to figure that out.


23 posted on 03/25/2021 10:53:53 AM PDT by BobL (TheDonald.win is now Patriots.win)
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To: NWFree

I tried that.
Wound up with a heart attack and a quad bypass.............


24 posted on 03/25/2021 10:54:29 AM PDT by Red Badger ("We've always been at war with Climate Change, Winston."..............................)
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To: Red Badger

...and notice how ANGRY the people in country got when they were stopped from eating Lard.


25 posted on 03/25/2021 10:55:35 AM PDT by BobL (TheDonald.win is now Patriots.win)
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To: Red Badger

... Low-density lipoprotein or LDL (bad) cholesterol contributes to plaque buildup ...


Primarily if the arterial linings are inflamed.

Arterial inflammation comes from, in part, “vegetable” oils (corn, canola, soybean, cottonseed) and from insulin.

Get off the vegetable oils and quit stuffing your face with carbs (to minimize the insulin in your blood) and the inflammation, along with the corresponding plaque buildup, will be minimized.


26 posted on 03/25/2021 10:56:19 AM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: Red Badger

It seems to me that since cholesterol is a building block for pretty much all hormones, that you probably can eat as much of it as you want, as long as you’re in an age group where your body needs to produce a lot of hormones. So in puberty and young adulthood, you should be fine, but as you hit middle-age or older, you probably want to slow down.


27 posted on 03/25/2021 10:58:53 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: monkeyshine

“To my suprise all my numbers improved. Lower BP. Lower total cholesterol. Better ratio of HDL/LDL. And though I was never close to diabetic range, my blood sugar levels also dropped 20 points.”

That’s the normal effect for going Keto.

“And though I was never close to diabetic range, my blood sugar levels also dropped 20 points. My cardiologist was intrigued. “

And yet people put their full trust in what these doctors tell them to eat.


28 posted on 03/25/2021 10:59:32 AM PDT by BobL (TheDonald.win is now Patriots.win)
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To: Red Badger

This stuff always goes in waves.
Eggs, Bacon, Salt, Meat - all bad...

Whatever.

I eat that stuff four times a week and my cholesterol is below 180.


29 posted on 03/25/2021 10:59:59 AM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal (Jesus + Something = Nothing ; Jesus + Nothing = Everything )
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To: markman46

“How many people have gotten dementia from statins?”

Millions, what’s the issue?


30 posted on 03/25/2021 11:00:25 AM PDT by BobL (TheDonald.win is now Patriots.win)
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To: Red Badger

Sorry to hear did it not even drop your count on blood tests? Works great for me and my 84 year old father too. He’s been taking it a lot longer than me.


31 posted on 03/25/2021 11:00:33 AM PDT by NWFree (Socialism is legalized plunder)
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To: Red Badger

The cholesterol you eat has nothing to do with the cholesterol in your blood. They have differing chemical structures. Your body manufactures the cholesterol in your blood. It doesn’t leak in from the food you eat.


32 posted on 03/25/2021 11:01:09 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Anti-racism looks suspiciously like racism.)
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To: Red Badger

I was prescribed Atorvastatin (which I call Anna Torv Statin), I stopped taking it because it made my liver hurt.


33 posted on 03/25/2021 11:01:58 AM PDT by real saxophonist (Weijia Jiang can see racism anywhere. Except in the mirror.)
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To: NWFree

I took statins for years and for what? Nothing.

Don’t take any now, just mild BP meds, and some supplements.....................


34 posted on 03/25/2021 11:02:21 AM PDT by Red Badger ("We've always been at war with Climate Change, Winston."..............................)
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To: Red Badger

The cholesterol theory isn’t supported by science.Homocysteine is a better predictor of heart health.


35 posted on 03/25/2021 11:02:30 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: real saxophonist

Statins will screw up your liver.................


36 posted on 03/25/2021 11:02:51 AM PDT by Red Badger ("We've always been at war with Climate Change, Winston."..............................)
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To: Red Badger

Among all its other uses, cholesterol is used as a bandaid in arteries. If you have a bunch of cholesterol in your arteries you should concern yourself with what is damaging you arteries rather than a futile attempt to limit the supply of bandaids.

The current jihad on cholesterol is the 21st century version of bloodletting.


37 posted on 03/25/2021 11:03:06 AM PDT by hopespringseternal
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To: monkeyshine

Good news.

Our big PPO apparently stopped testing those of us with an age of 80+ and over for high cholesterol.

No fanfare, just no lab results re cholesterol level tests for my past 2 years of annual lab tests.


38 posted on 03/25/2021 11:10:26 AM PDT by Grampa Dave ("The Covid 19 Circus has run out of acts. It’s time to reopen. It is past time! It’s long overdue! ")
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To: Red Badger

No cholesterol in doughnuts...so eat all you want.


39 posted on 03/25/2021 11:12:29 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: ClearCase_guy

I believe that the more natural foods you eat, no preservatives, etc the better off you are. Good genetics is essential no matter what.


40 posted on 03/25/2021 11:20:51 AM PDT by allwrong57
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