New debate in the medical field--cholesterol DOES NOT cause heart disease

[bonebreaker]

There is currently a new debate in the medical community concerning whether or not cholesterol causes blocked arteries which in turns leads to heart attacks and heart disease. Actually, it's gone on for many years, but has more or less been supressed by the major drug companies. In many studies it was shown that MANY more people die from heart attacks whose cholesterol levels are NORMAL. This is a proven fact. When the drug industry came out with the Statin drugs in the 80's, which reduced total serum cholesterol, increased HDL and reduced LDL, it seemed to be the answer to some heart disease, however, the rate of deaths due to heart disease has not changed that much if any, according to which reports you read. Of course the drug companies are keeping this quiet because of the huge amounts of money they're making. Pfizer, who makes Lipitor, the #1 statin drug, makes $6 billion yearly on this drug alone, so their not about to say this drug does not help. Researchers for the last 20 years or so have tried to pinpoint the exact cause of plaque buildup in arteries. Most agree now that it is due to inflamation in the artery wall, and the main culprit seems to be Homocystein, more so than cholesterol. In a small town in Italy, 40 or so citizens were found to have unusally low levels of HDL, however none of them had any indication of coronary problems. It is believed that they have a "super HDL" which is a genetic mutation and could reduce plaque buildup. Although it is still unclear what causes this buildup, but probably not high cholesterol levels. Esperion, a drug company was able to synthesize this "super HDL", and was quickly bought up by AstraZenica, who has their own statin product, so they have the bases covered either way. The synthesized HDL did indeed reduce plaque buildup about 5% in a small research group in an amazing 5 weeks, with injections given once weekly. Again, although cholesterol probably does not cause this plaque buildup, this "super hdl" may help get rid of it. Other drug companies are now giving chase to their own "super hdl" or other means of removing plaque. But rest assured, the statin drugs days are numbered. I would say in 3-5 years, they will be replaced totally by these new types of drugs. If you want to read more, do a Google search on APOA1 MILANO. Very interesting. BB

[gdbear65]

That's very interesting, but the best way for people to reduce their cholesterol levels, as we should all know by now, is through diet and exercise. Pharmaceuticals are not the answer and in all likelihood, cause more problems than they cure! As for the plaque build-up, it has been suggested that the homogenization of milk could be the cause. According to research, when autopsies were performed on 18 and 19 year olds, killed during the Korean conflict, they found evidence of arterial scarring and plaque build-up, which has since been linked to homogenized cow's milk. When milk is homogenized the fat particles are broken down into smaller particles which enables the fat to stay suspended in the milk. However, the smaller particles are then able to enter the bloodstream directly, rather than having to pass through the lower instestine. If you value your health, stay away from cow's milk and dairy products altogether.

Aside from what I've just mentioned, cow's milk can cause type 1 diabetes and retards brain development when given to children, who are less than 3 months of age. It also causes constipation and may be a factor in the development of MS. Cow's milk is designed to grow a calf to a couple hundred pounds in a few months. It is not meant for humans and milk is for babies! If you must drink milk though, it seems goat's milk is a much healthier alternative. Its' composition is much closer to that of breast milk.

[bonebreaker]

Never heard that, but it makes sense. BB

[Puma]

That's not good news.. I must drink about 1/2 a gal of milk every day in my protein shakes...

Anyone have more information on this.. Is all this milk really going to kill me off?

Puma

[gdbear65]

The source of my info is the Consumer Wellness Research Center. They are not for profit and do not promote or sell anything on their website. check it out.