If you have been following my journey over the years with my blog and podcast (The WHOLE Athlete) you may now NOT be a believer in the infamous ‘diet-heart hypothesis” started by Ancel Keys in 1953. If eating saturated fats increased our cholesterol levels by clogging our arteries and leading us to death via heart disease then why didn’t our ancestors die from heart disease? Once upon a time, we didn’t have processed foods filled with sugar and damaged vegetable oils. We have found through alternative thinker’s research – eating high cholesterol and high fat foods do not cause heart disease. What is the leading cause of heart disease? Sugar, hydrogenated oils and processed foods leading to inflammation in the body.
Heart disease is related to what we put in our mouth… and it is not because of the natural occurring saturated fats in our diet. The author of “Put Your Heart in Your Mouth”, Natasha Campbell-McBride challenged the diet-heart hypothesis that started with Ancel Keys biased research study back in the 1950’s and still is a belief by many followers of Ancel Keys – or people that don’t challenge the theories, research studies or hypothesis. Natasha is another researcher who looked behind the politically correct medical and nutritional guideline on the hypothesis about cholesterol-free and non-fat diet leads to heart disease. Cholesterol is a good thing as well as healthy natural occurring essential fatty acids… it is about balance. Too little is deficient and too much is toxic… a saying I write about in my book “LIFE IS NOT A RACE” and my “The WHOLESTIC Method Manual & Workbook” on Amazon (see link below).
.
Cholesterol makes up our sex hormones and an essential part of our cell membranes. Every cell membrane is made of cholesterol- fats giving the cell structure and rigidity. All the steroid hormones and sex hormones are made by cholesterol. Look at the infertility in our society- perhaps related to our lack of fats and cholesterol in our diet and body systems. Our brain health, our immune system, bile salts, all depend on our cholesterol. The point is- cholesterol is important for the human body. Vitamin D is made in our skin from cholesterol with help of the sunshine. Cholesterol isn’t bad and doesn’t cause plaque and clogged arteries. Preventing heart disease is more a result of our excessive intake of processed manufactured foods filled with sugar and toxic chemically damaged vegetable oils.
We have been taught to get our cholesterol levels taken to find out our risk for heart disease with the focus on the “good” high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels versus the “bad” low density lipoproteins (LDL).
Now we label cholesterol levels as “bad” or “good”… but why? Because we thought too high of cholesterol and too high of the ratio of LDL increase our risk for heart disease. Do you know what HDL and LDL actually is? They are lipoproteins that are transporting cholesterol in our bloodstream.
HDL is a complex lipoprotein: binds to excess cholesterol and transfers it to LDL. The HDL also eliminates excess cholesterol in the arteries and takes it to the liver to be removed from the body via the intestines. HDL protects us against atherosclerosis which is the build up of fatty plaque in our arteries.
LDL’s role is to transport cholesterol in our bloodstream. Our body uses cholesterol to build patches on our arterial walls for protection around cells and steroid hormones. Once the cholesterol has been delivered to the tissues then the remaining LDL is removed by our liver or else is taken up by macrophages (scavenger cells). Higher amounts of LDL are traditionally associated with an increased rate of atherosclerosis and increased risk for cardiovascular disease- but its is more the particle size of the LDL (light and fluffy vs. dense).
Triglyercides are more of a concern over cholesterol with a relationship to increased risk in heart disease. A type of blood lipid, high levels of triglycerides, are an indication of excess consumption of sugar in the diet. Learn more about the sources of inflammation in our body as well as the causes of atherosclerosis in our body in Natasha McBride’s book and video (see below) as well as articles on Dr. Mercola’s website.
This book by Natasha McBride is another resource to break the myth of cholesterol and fats are evil. We need to look at the sugar intake instead- our insulin resistance leading to inflammation. Her book talks about what is the cause of heart disease and recipes to help the reader learn what are good options- while breaking the fear of eating fat. We can re-learn how to prepare foods and meals that are nutrient dense rather than depending on consuming food from a box or packaged that has an extra long ingredient list with unknown “foods” listed.
What happened to eating fresh whole foods that are nutritious? We became scared to eat healthy sources of fats and instead changed to eating a high-carb, non-fat or low-fat diet that is “cholesterol-free” and filled with excess sugars. The blood sugar roller coaster is the result of eating high-carb, non-fat diet… which will lead to exactly the opposite belief in our health = increasing our risk in heart disease.
Dr Natasha says: “For millennia, possibly for millions of years human kind has prized fatty foods. People travelled long distances to obtain animal fat and considered it “a sacred food”. Fatty cuts of meat, fish and shellfish, eggs, cream and butter were reserved for the most important members of the tribe or the family: for their leaders, for the warriors going into battle, for couples who were trying to conceive, for growing children, for wise elders, and for those recovering from an illness. This ancient wisdom was passed through generations until the last few decades, when the infamous diet-heart hypothesis was born. At the time it was a tentative idea that maybe heart disease had something to do with dietary fats. As there was no other idea around, the authorities picked it up as a working hypothesis. A hypothesis is not ‘the truth’ until the science has proven it. More than fifty years have passed since then, and THE SCIENCE HAS SPOKEN: THE DIET-HEART HYPOTHESIS IS FALSE! NATURAL ANIMAL FATS AND CHOLESTEROL-RICH FOODS DO NOT CAUSE HEART DISEASE, THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT; IN FACT THEY PREVENT IT!
–http://www.doctor-natasha.com/heart-in-your-mouth-book.php
