1. The three numbers ruining our thoughts are actually lipoproteins - which are physical/ chemical combinations of proteins and lipids. The lipids here - are they triglycerides (TG) or cholesterol fatty acid esters or both ? In any case, why are these three numbers clubbed together and reported additionally as Total cholesterol or serum cholesterol (SC). Most people may not even know that TC is just a derived parameter, a sum of three measured lipoproteins values. And they are all apt to conclude that TC is actually free cholesterol floating in the blood serum. If free cholesterol is not harmful and it is these lipoproteins that one must keep a tab on, better to make it more explicit in the test reports. Just remove TC (SC) from reporting.
2. One does hope that every day doctors are aware that these blood lipoproteins are not a consequence of dietary fats, but of the TGs synthesised by the liver from excess sugar and pushed into the blood stream as LDL + VLDL. In turn, they must educate their patients also and not scare the patients about dietary fat choices. Patients must also be informed on the correct implications of dietary fat choices. Statins are supposed to reduce serum TGs from ballooning, so what is their role about free cholesterol in blood stream ?
3. Between Insulin Resistance (IR) and TG build up in liver and free sugar in blood stream, which causes which or which comes first and triggers the other event ? If it begins with TG build up first, why wouldn’t statins control that build up, in turn dial down IR and which in turn should control blood sugar also. In that event, why should not statins become a primary supplement in the management of blood sugar with Metformin combinations or other diabetic drugs ? Its undesirable activities on other fronts should not exclude its possible need in the main event, blood sugar control.
Any thoughts.
4. It is said that cancers keep occuring everyday through out one’s life time as part of skewed mutation from normal cell divisions. But the alert immune mechanisms keep eliminating them all the time. Looking backwards, if immune mechanisms falter, the cancerous cells stay alive and begin proliferating. That is why cancer as an illness does not occur in the vast majority, but in a small percentage of the population. In the same vein why not IR be an every day small occurrence in every one and instantly corrected by the body ? The correction mechanisms can weaken in some, especially as they age, and thus diabetic conditions emerge in them, again only in a small percentage of the population. When we talk of pre diabetic stage in some, we should be looking at the onset of the failure of this correction mechanism . If this premise is correct, the focus about diabetes should be on this inherent correct mechanism, what is it exactly, why it begins to fail when it does, how could this failure be recognised early and medicinally corrected, if possible permanently. When you start treating for blood sugar control primarily, you have let this failure of the correction mechanism prevail. This is like catching a tiger not by facing upto it well armed, but trying to hold on to its tail.
Looking forward to your detailed views. I am 80, from India, a PhD in organic chemistry, long retired from an industry research career, not worked in medicines, but taken to medicinal chemistry reading as a pastime in retirement. Particularly the subject of repurposed medicines.
I have seen the link. As an organic chemist attracted by chemical structures, the paper was lovable. However, I feel that the statin story is evenly balanced by shared egos and by shared evidences of either side. It is unlikely to be resolved unequivocally anytime soon. So follow your nose, your belief and your doctor if you feel he is reassuring. Either way, you will not come to grief. I am 80, have been taking 10 mg Atorvostatin daily for 20 years now, without any kind of episodes or indications.
As for that paper, I will not discount the statin-cholesterol-vit D link, but that is not the reason why USA suffered so much with Covid, especially its elderly population. USA failed to recognise that Covid in the first few days was a typical respiratory viral infection, could be easily eliminated by early treatments with classical respiratory medicines, but if not done, can morph into the deadly, autoimmune second phase. While much of the rest of the world got this correct clinical judgement right by mid 2021 in the midst of the devastating delta wave, began implementing those protocols and swiftly contained and buried the virus, USA shunned this highly successful approach. Avoiding early classical treatments and pushing the elders unnecessarily into the death spiral of the second phase, the country collapsed under the weight of its ignorance and neglect. The total reliance on the new vaccines and anti virals was clinically a poor approach., Most countries have now enjoyed three years of Covid relief. The baggage still weighs down the USA.,
Only read half way and came to the conclusion - do exactly the opposite from what most doctors tell you, use everything in moderation, do not take pills of any kind but eat a healthy, low processed diet. (When I came to the States 20 years ago the first thing I noticed was sugar in everything, and sweets really sickening sweet! )
This is the best article ever. Thank you for doing the extensive research and for organizing and summarizing all the arguments so effectively. Excellent job and hopefully the article (and its learnings) will spread and extend/save lives.
I didn’t actually learn anything new, however this is a very comprehensive compilation of virtually everything about heart disease, mixed with the things we should do to prevent it naturally, rather than relying on the people who’ve led us astray. Excellent work. I’m saving this for reference.
FYI: One of the most impressive articles I ever read was one about Cholesterol and heart disease and butter in the German magazine "Der Spiegel". It must have been in the Seventies or Eighties. Back then the "Spiegel" hadn´t been corrupted by money from Bill Gates and Big Pharma.
The story is very shortly thus: as Germany had been unter blockade in WWI a whole line up of so called "Ersatz" foodstuffs was developed. Among them margarine to replace butter. In WWII the margarine plants were fired up again and one of the most famous slogans of the Nazi war effort was: "cannons instead of butter".
So butter became indelibly linked to peace and the good life. After WWII nobody wanted to eat margarine anymore. So what did the owners of the margarine factories - among them some big conglomerates - do? They paid eminent German physicians to claim that butter was unhealthy as it furthered cholesterol. To prevent heart disease it was better to eat Margarine. And really, when I grew up that claim was conceived wisdom and many people were eating margarine again. Unfortunately I can´t locate the article in the archive of "Der Spiegel".
Can any one recall what was the vegetable oil/oils used in making margarine during WWII or even much later in Germany ? Like butter, margarine is also an emulsion of oils/fats in water, made with food grade emulsifiers, could be soy lecithin. In that respect, they are as safe. Both share the same type of fatty acids ( as triglycerides), though the split composition could be somewhat different. While working and living in England for three years in the mid 70s ( I am 80 now, from India), I liberally used margarine ( Kraft, Blue Band) for my daily sandwiches and I liked them. Margarine is not common in India and I don’t know about the current products in Europe/UK. If they use Peanut oil, Palm oil or Rice Bran oil, instead of Sunflower or Soybean oil, it is so much better.
Incidentally, I would be very happy if any of you could post the ingredients list of popular margarines now in Europe or UK with their brand names. I am keen to know how things have moved on in these 50 years.
I’m sure you know that the half-life of linoleic acid - in seed / veg oils - is 600+ days. Right? And, while maybe I want that feature in my car oil, I don’t prefer it for my body. Just sayin’
Fine. If you want to run your car with peanut oil or soybean oil or rice bran oil, because they all contain linoleic acid, which you don’t want for your body, then thrown in lard, beef tallow, chicken fat etc also into your car. They all contain linoleic acid and it is not good for your body. Don’t eat chicken or pork or beef or any other meat.
Beef tallow is 38% LA. Who asked you to go for soybean oil and safflower oil ? If your concern is limiting LA (w-6) consumption, which is my concern too, go for Canola oil, Peanut oil, high Oleic sunflower oil - all some 20% LA, but 60-80% Oleic acid of olive oil fame. Palm oil, about 40-45% each of saturates and Oleic acid, same range as Lard. So there are options in seed oils too.
Fantastic article. I’ve sent it to multiple people and saved it for future reference! I’m particularly pissed off that my naturopath never mentioned the importance of B Vitamins to lower homocysteine. My last blood draw my homocysteine was slightly elevated. I have MTHFR which she knows, and she referred me for a sleep study (I do not snore and am not super fat) and never questioned how much b complex I was taking or what kind. I’ve ordered a liposomal P5P and I will retest. If it’s not lowered, then maybe a sleep study makes sense.
Have you heard of Enlyte for people with MTHFR? My functional med doctor is putting our whole family on it…lots of B vitamins in the right amounts…she had me on another product for homocysteine support but has found this product to really help her patients.
Besides ashwaganda (which I’ve tried several times and feel nothing beneficial from it) I already take everything in Enlyte. 🤷♀️ It’s also prescription only and very expensive 🫤
As many have said, cholesterol is the body's repair substance, and blaming cholesterol for heart disease is like blaming the firefighter for the fire.
As Sally Fallon of the Weston A. Price Foundations says, the heart is surrounded by saturated fat and nature is not making a mistake here — the heart needs saturated fat.
Consuming quality saturated fat is critical for heart health, as is reducing or eliminating inflammatory vegetable/seed oils, anything hydrogenated, chemical additives, GMOs, ultra-processed foods, and EMF exposure, and at the same time embracing sunshine, time in nature, walking barefoot on untreated land or beaches, and the traditional food-ways of our ancestors who had virtually no heart disease and who had natural resistance to disease and the absence of physical degeneration so rampant today.
Find your local WAPF chapter leader and connect with farmers, ranchers and producers who do things the right way. Build community and connection with like-minded folks. Ditch the margarine and vegetable oil bottle and get some grass-fed butter, ghee, tallow and lard, along with coconut oil, fatty cuts of properly raised meat, and eggs from chickens running around in grassy areas eating bugs. Your heart and body will thank you.
I keep sending this information to people I know who are invested in the cholesterol mind control
trap ,even my nurse practitioner who seems to understand more than most MDs I know but I can't seem to change anyone's mind. I recently saw a cardiologist and after having a routine cardiogram the only thing he wanted ti discuss was statins and how great they were . Would not listen to anything I said about my last doctor (on Statins) having a massive heart attack in his late 40s and died as too my best friend who was also his patient. Did not want to discuss me or anything else but statins . I never felt the urge to strangle someone more than him at that time.I have not been on any meds or so called vaccines in 20 years and voice my opinion whenever I get the chance but the masses are under such severe brainwashing it seems futile. I very much appreciate putting out information as this and all the other postings from this source!
It appears that vitamin intake is necessary in addition to proper foods. If manufactured supplements have proven useful in the past, what is driving the many recent revelations concerning their ingredients and manufacture?
I read the whole article which took about 3 hours and well worth the read! I am currently sitting in the cardiac unit awaiting an angiogram. I’ve been keto/Carnivore for a short time now and this article was just further proof that I am doing the right thing!!! This has given me new courage to say NO to everything the doctor wants to do and prescribe! Wish me luck!
Butter is fine. Fatty red meat even better.
And eggs too!
Beef, butter, bacon and eggs baby!
Ham n cheese!
Seeking a few clarifications.
1. The three numbers ruining our thoughts are actually lipoproteins - which are physical/ chemical combinations of proteins and lipids. The lipids here - are they triglycerides (TG) or cholesterol fatty acid esters or both ? In any case, why are these three numbers clubbed together and reported additionally as Total cholesterol or serum cholesterol (SC). Most people may not even know that TC is just a derived parameter, a sum of three measured lipoproteins values. And they are all apt to conclude that TC is actually free cholesterol floating in the blood serum. If free cholesterol is not harmful and it is these lipoproteins that one must keep a tab on, better to make it more explicit in the test reports. Just remove TC (SC) from reporting.
2. One does hope that every day doctors are aware that these blood lipoproteins are not a consequence of dietary fats, but of the TGs synthesised by the liver from excess sugar and pushed into the blood stream as LDL + VLDL. In turn, they must educate their patients also and not scare the patients about dietary fat choices. Patients must also be informed on the correct implications of dietary fat choices. Statins are supposed to reduce serum TGs from ballooning, so what is their role about free cholesterol in blood stream ?
3. Between Insulin Resistance (IR) and TG build up in liver and free sugar in blood stream, which causes which or which comes first and triggers the other event ? If it begins with TG build up first, why wouldn’t statins control that build up, in turn dial down IR and which in turn should control blood sugar also. In that event, why should not statins become a primary supplement in the management of blood sugar with Metformin combinations or other diabetic drugs ? Its undesirable activities on other fronts should not exclude its possible need in the main event, blood sugar control.
Any thoughts.
4. It is said that cancers keep occuring everyday through out one’s life time as part of skewed mutation from normal cell divisions. But the alert immune mechanisms keep eliminating them all the time. Looking backwards, if immune mechanisms falter, the cancerous cells stay alive and begin proliferating. That is why cancer as an illness does not occur in the vast majority, but in a small percentage of the population. In the same vein why not IR be an every day small occurrence in every one and instantly corrected by the body ? The correction mechanisms can weaken in some, especially as they age, and thus diabetic conditions emerge in them, again only in a small percentage of the population. When we talk of pre diabetic stage in some, we should be looking at the onset of the failure of this correction mechanism . If this premise is correct, the focus about diabetes should be on this inherent correct mechanism, what is it exactly, why it begins to fail when it does, how could this failure be recognised early and medicinally corrected, if possible permanently. When you start treating for blood sugar control primarily, you have let this failure of the correction mechanism prevail. This is like catching a tiger not by facing upto it well armed, but trying to hold on to its tail.
Looking forward to your detailed views. I am 80, from India, a PhD in organic chemistry, long retired from an industry research career, not worked in medicines, but taken to medicinal chemistry reading as a pastime in retirement. Particularly the subject of repurposed medicines.
regarding #2 - statins. See here: https://colleenhuber.substack.com/p/statin-drugs-laid-the-groundwork
I have seen the link. As an organic chemist attracted by chemical structures, the paper was lovable. However, I feel that the statin story is evenly balanced by shared egos and by shared evidences of either side. It is unlikely to be resolved unequivocally anytime soon. So follow your nose, your belief and your doctor if you feel he is reassuring. Either way, you will not come to grief. I am 80, have been taking 10 mg Atorvostatin daily for 20 years now, without any kind of episodes or indications.
As for that paper, I will not discount the statin-cholesterol-vit D link, but that is not the reason why USA suffered so much with Covid, especially its elderly population. USA failed to recognise that Covid in the first few days was a typical respiratory viral infection, could be easily eliminated by early treatments with classical respiratory medicines, but if not done, can morph into the deadly, autoimmune second phase. While much of the rest of the world got this correct clinical judgement right by mid 2021 in the midst of the devastating delta wave, began implementing those protocols and swiftly contained and buried the virus, USA shunned this highly successful approach. Avoiding early classical treatments and pushing the elders unnecessarily into the death spiral of the second phase, the country collapsed under the weight of its ignorance and neglect. The total reliance on the new vaccines and anti virals was clinically a poor approach., Most countries have now enjoyed three years of Covid relief. The baggage still weighs down the USA.,
Only read half way and came to the conclusion - do exactly the opposite from what most doctors tell you, use everything in moderation, do not take pills of any kind but eat a healthy, low processed diet. (When I came to the States 20 years ago the first thing I noticed was sugar in everything, and sweets really sickening sweet! )
Thank you for this concise and informative explanation!
This is the best article ever. Thank you for doing the extensive research and for organizing and summarizing all the arguments so effectively. Excellent job and hopefully the article (and its learnings) will spread and extend/save lives.
Amen!
I didn’t actually learn anything new, however this is a very comprehensive compilation of virtually everything about heart disease, mixed with the things we should do to prevent it naturally, rather than relying on the people who’ve led us astray. Excellent work. I’m saving this for reference.
Do the exact opposite of what mainstream Pharmakeia recommends.
Precisely.
FYI: One of the most impressive articles I ever read was one about Cholesterol and heart disease and butter in the German magazine "Der Spiegel". It must have been in the Seventies or Eighties. Back then the "Spiegel" hadn´t been corrupted by money from Bill Gates and Big Pharma.
The story is very shortly thus: as Germany had been unter blockade in WWI a whole line up of so called "Ersatz" foodstuffs was developed. Among them margarine to replace butter. In WWII the margarine plants were fired up again and one of the most famous slogans of the Nazi war effort was: "cannons instead of butter".
So butter became indelibly linked to peace and the good life. After WWII nobody wanted to eat margarine anymore. So what did the owners of the margarine factories - among them some big conglomerates - do? They paid eminent German physicians to claim that butter was unhealthy as it furthered cholesterol. To prevent heart disease it was better to eat Margarine. And really, when I grew up that claim was conceived wisdom and many people were eating margarine again. Unfortunately I can´t locate the article in the archive of "Der Spiegel".
Can any one recall what was the vegetable oil/oils used in making margarine during WWII or even much later in Germany ? Like butter, margarine is also an emulsion of oils/fats in water, made with food grade emulsifiers, could be soy lecithin. In that respect, they are as safe. Both share the same type of fatty acids ( as triglycerides), though the split composition could be somewhat different. While working and living in England for three years in the mid 70s ( I am 80 now, from India), I liberally used margarine ( Kraft, Blue Band) for my daily sandwiches and I liked them. Margarine is not common in India and I don’t know about the current products in Europe/UK. If they use Peanut oil, Palm oil or Rice Bran oil, instead of Sunflower or Soybean oil, it is so much better.
Incidentally, I would be very happy if any of you could post the ingredients list of popular margarines now in Europe or UK with their brand names. I am keen to know how things have moved on in these 50 years.
I’m sure you know that the half-life of linoleic acid - in seed / veg oils - is 600+ days. Right? And, while maybe I want that feature in my car oil, I don’t prefer it for my body. Just sayin’
Fine. If you want to run your car with peanut oil or soybean oil or rice bran oil, because they all contain linoleic acid, which you don’t want for your body, then thrown in lard, beef tallow, chicken fat etc also into your car. They all contain linoleic acid and it is not good for your body. Don’t eat chicken or pork or beef or any other meat.
Soybean oil is 51% LA, safflower oil 70% - lard 10%, tallow, ghee, coconut are 2%-3%.
Beef tallow is 38% LA. Who asked you to go for soybean oil and safflower oil ? If your concern is limiting LA (w-6) consumption, which is my concern too, go for Canola oil, Peanut oil, high Oleic sunflower oil - all some 20% LA, but 60-80% Oleic acid of olive oil fame. Palm oil, about 40-45% each of saturates and Oleic acid, same range as Lard. So there are options in seed oils too.
Fantastic article. I’ve sent it to multiple people and saved it for future reference! I’m particularly pissed off that my naturopath never mentioned the importance of B Vitamins to lower homocysteine. My last blood draw my homocysteine was slightly elevated. I have MTHFR which she knows, and she referred me for a sleep study (I do not snore and am not super fat) and never questioned how much b complex I was taking or what kind. I’ve ordered a liposomal P5P and I will retest. If it’s not lowered, then maybe a sleep study makes sense.
The Heart Revolution, by Kilmer McCully. About homocysteine and B vitamins. Best to you!!
Thanks Jody, I just ordered it.
Have you heard of Enlyte for people with MTHFR? My functional med doctor is putting our whole family on it…lots of B vitamins in the right amounts…she had me on another product for homocysteine support but has found this product to really help her patients.
Besides ashwaganda (which I’ve tried several times and feel nothing beneficial from it) I already take everything in Enlyte. 🤷♀️ It’s also prescription only and very expensive 🫤
I’ll check it out. TY
The mistakes people generally make are: a) going to see a GP or b) getting tests of any kind done.
Have seen most of this piecemeal in a variety of places over 4-5 years, but never before consolidated in such a powerful exposition. Thanks.
Thank you for this succinct and wonderful essay.
As many have said, cholesterol is the body's repair substance, and blaming cholesterol for heart disease is like blaming the firefighter for the fire.
As Sally Fallon of the Weston A. Price Foundations says, the heart is surrounded by saturated fat and nature is not making a mistake here — the heart needs saturated fat.
Consuming quality saturated fat is critical for heart health, as is reducing or eliminating inflammatory vegetable/seed oils, anything hydrogenated, chemical additives, GMOs, ultra-processed foods, and EMF exposure, and at the same time embracing sunshine, time in nature, walking barefoot on untreated land or beaches, and the traditional food-ways of our ancestors who had virtually no heart disease and who had natural resistance to disease and the absence of physical degeneration so rampant today.
Find your local WAPF chapter leader and connect with farmers, ranchers and producers who do things the right way. Build community and connection with like-minded folks. Ditch the margarine and vegetable oil bottle and get some grass-fed butter, ghee, tallow and lard, along with coconut oil, fatty cuts of properly raised meat, and eggs from chickens running around in grassy areas eating bugs. Your heart and body will thank you.
https://secure.westonaprice.org/cvweb_weston/cgi-bin/utilities.dll/openpage?wrp=chapter_dir.htm
Fantastic article and a remarkable summary of Kendrick and Cowan's views.
But how do we reconcile the purported benefits of vitamin B and C vs. the view they're fake?
I keep sending this information to people I know who are invested in the cholesterol mind control
trap ,even my nurse practitioner who seems to understand more than most MDs I know but I can't seem to change anyone's mind. I recently saw a cardiologist and after having a routine cardiogram the only thing he wanted ti discuss was statins and how great they were . Would not listen to anything I said about my last doctor (on Statins) having a massive heart attack in his late 40s and died as too my best friend who was also his patient. Did not want to discuss me or anything else but statins . I never felt the urge to strangle someone more than him at that time.I have not been on any meds or so called vaccines in 20 years and voice my opinion whenever I get the chance but the masses are under such severe brainwashing it seems futile. I very much appreciate putting out information as this and all the other postings from this source!
It appears that vitamin intake is necessary in addition to proper foods. If manufactured supplements have proven useful in the past, what is driving the many recent revelations concerning their ingredients and manufacture?
Mega Corporations have bought up a lot of smaller Vitamin manufacturers in the last 15 years or so. Corporations want profit not only.
Good question. Conflicting information on this for sure!
Outstanding article. Thank you.
Wow. And thank you!! Very much.
I read the whole article which took about 3 hours and well worth the read! I am currently sitting in the cardiac unit awaiting an angiogram. I’ve been keto/Carnivore for a short time now and this article was just further proof that I am doing the right thing!!! This has given me new courage to say NO to everything the doctor wants to do and prescribe! Wish me luck!