The U.S. government is poised to withdraw longstanding warnings about cholesterol in your diet

Washington Post ^ | 2/10/2015 | Peter Whoriskey

[jdege]

The U.S. government is poised to withdraw longstanding warnings about cholesterol in your diet

The nation's top nutrition advisory panel has decided to drop its caution about eating cholesterol-laden food, a move that could undo almost 40 years of government warnings about its consumption.

[...]

The current U.S. guidelines call for restricting cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams daily. American adult men on average ingest about 340 milligrams of cholesterol a day, according to federal figures. That recommended figure of 300 milligrams, Eckel said, is "just one of those things that gets carried forward and carried forward even though the evidence is minimal."

[...]

[bert]

I was never told that high cholesterol caused heart and artery disease.

I was told that heart and artery disease has a high correlation high cholesterol

For the record..... since I resumed eating eggs, butter and bacon my cholesterol has not risen but I’m still on the Statin and niacin

[Towed_Jumper]

The folks at the Weston A. Price Foundation have known this for years...specifically, that FedGov’s war on cholesterol was bogus.

http://www.westonaprice.org/?s=cholesterol

[duffee]

BACON, the perfect food but I cannot survive on BACON alone, I need RIB-EYE.

[sparklite2]

I switched from drinking Dr Pepper and/or tap water to drinking exclusively diet green tea several years ago. I am better hydrated, which helps my blood pressure and is good for me besides. My high blood sugar dropped immediately to normal. Win win.

[TBall]

I tried changing my diet, but found it had no affect on lowering my cholesterol. Ten mgs of lipitor did the trick for me and I think that is the lowest dose that is prescribed. I pretty much eat like a pig, but do try to stay away from carbs except for the ones I get from beer.

[jdege]

That’s not to say I buy the claims of the alternative medicine/diet people, either. They tend to believe a lot of stuff without any really good reason.

To me, the critical fact is that there was zero heart disease and almost no diabetes, prior to 1900. With that in mind, I eat foods that weren't available in 1900 only very rarely.

[MHGinTN]

Thanks for the link. Amazon has my favorite candies, too ... Junior Caramels.

[Married with Children]

I love the diet citrus green tea but it runs through me almost as fast as Red Bull. Are there concerns regarding the Aspertame in the diet citrus green tea?

[Inyo-Mono]

I knew it!

[southernnorthcarolina]

Uh-oh. Looks like Big Butter got to the Federal Government.

So, Eggs Benedict for everyone! Extra Hollandaise! Hash browns on the side!

To state the obvious, anyone can cite studies defending his food of choice. Thus has it always been. To me, even if the evidence is circumstantial as opposed to definitive, it seems to me logical that 1) if we consume more calories than we burn, we add weight; 2) foods high in fat have more calories; 3) simple carbs like white flour, and more so, concentrated simple carbs like sugar, while not as caloric as fats, don't satisfy the appetite as fat does. So, I am left with the belief that a diet heavy in vegetables, fruit, fish, and whole grains is the way to go.

Not that I follow this plan with 100% faith, but I try.

[sparklite2]

I have no problems with using artificial sweeteners. Some folks do.

[Grampa Dave]

When I started my Grampa’s semi paleo low carb diet after the 4 th of July last year. A good friend and someone on FR told me/us about this tea.

My cholesterol is down 20% and good hdls are up the same.

I didn’t have a problem with glucose levels, and those are down.

In a few months I lost 35 pounds and have lost another 10 eating real meats, sea food and game plus the colorful vegies/fruits and minimal carbs. I’m at my age 40 to 50 age weight at age 76. I have one small piece of super dark chocolate each night after dinner with my second small glass of red wine. I eat a lot of good food re no carbs or processed food, and I’m not hungry. We have this incredible coffee hour with home baked goodies at our church after the main service. After about 3-4 weeks on my new diet, I’m not even tempted by the great looking sweets.

The toughest part was not drinking my one to two micro beers a night. I now have one to two small glasses for red wine at after dinner each night.

I’m back to walking 1 to two miles per day, about half the distance on flat land and the rest up and down some good grades.

We eat eggs about 3-4 times a week, and both of our ldls keep going down. I have the accomodating lenses which replaced my cataract lenses and my vision was 20/20. I took a DMV test last fall and had 20/10.

My FP had picked up a new heart murmur over a year ago, and I had an echo cardiogram on his orders, a year ago August. This past August after two months on my new diet, weighing less about 20 #’s versus the previous year. My new echo barely showed anything. I went from seeing the Cardiologist every year to seeing him every two years, and then he would determine if I needed another echo.

I believe that this tea has had an positive impact on my health with my new semi paleo diet and walking.

[TomGuy]

If you take any of the statins, you should read up on CoQ10.

Some doctors recommend from 200 to 400 mg to help support the heart muscles. CoQ10 is an OTC and is available at most health food sections and stores.

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-failure/tc/coenzyme-q10-topic-overview

[jdege]

So, I am left with the belief that a diet heavy in vegetables, fruit, fish, and whole grains is the way to go.

What I am convinced of, after a couple of years of study and self-experimentation, is that there isn't any one diet that is best for everyone. Some people actually do better on a high-carb/low-fat diet, others do better on a low-carb/high-fat diet.

I know what seems to work for me, but I make no claims of what would work best for anyone else. People are different.

(Except that the Standard American Diet (SAD) isn't good for anyone.)

[PA Engineer]

Millions are dying of obesity-related diseases today because of “low fat” fraud.

Don't forget McGovern's role in all this. They threatened many dissenting cardiologists at the time. Remember, Ancel Keys was the big Harvard intellectual that laid waste to any dissent.

My bucket list includes a pilgrimage to his grave to take a big dump.

[CodeToad]

Kill people off, better for ObamaCare finances.

[CyberAnt]

When I was taking the statins, I did take the COQ10; but my doctor dropped it after I went off statins.

I will question it again though, after I have my new blood test in 2 months.

[CyberAnt]

That’s encouraging .. I’ve been drinking Green Tea for a couple of years. I just love the taste of it. I drink Salada brand .. which has lemon, lime and orange hint in it .. very refreshing.

I purchase it at www.buythecase.com

[ChildOfThe60s]

I lowered my basic cholesterol by 44 points very simply in 90 days, with no changes in diet:

each morning:
2 tablespoons cold pressed flax oil (about $6 a bottle of 16 servings) at Wal Mart
2 garlic oil capsules
1 capsule of red yeast rice

There is one caveat here. Red yeast rice is a naturally occurring statin. So if you have a problem with statins or have concerns with using statins, you should be aware of this. It is still a statin, just because it is natural doesn’t change that. I personally don’t think taking statins continuously is a good idea, so I eliminated that. I got back some of those points, but I think it was a good idea.

Interestingly, lowering your carb intake and adding a little exercise to the daily regimen will lower your cholesterol just about as much, as the wife and I discovered.

[Kackikat]

My chiropractor warned never to take statin drugs as they corrupt your bones.