Killing Me Softly...

Lack of Cholesterol = Brain Fog

As usual this time of year we have articles like this at the WSJ.  To quote "One of the biggest tasks for the body after eating is to deal with fats in the blood. Cholesterol, particularly LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, infiltrates the walls of the arteries and forms plaques, which can block blood flow or eventually rupture, leading to heart attack and stroke. The condition is known as atherosclerosis."

Complete and utter BS.

What is interesting is that the cycle of cholesterol in the blood stream goes in two directions;  though you'd never know it reading this type of article.  You'd also never know that cholesterol is a necessity for life and that your brain is documented to do very poorly with the lower levels doctors try to force on you.

Those selling "cholesterol lowing drugs" you would make you believe that any cholesterol in your blood is bad.

This thinking leaves out key facts:

First, your liver and brain make cholesterol and your body requires cholesterol to function correctly.   It is required for steroid hormone manufacturing by ovaries and testes.  Without these steroid hormones you would have problems with weight, sex, digestion, bone health and mental status (see this).

Cholesterol is required for bile manufacturing by the liver.

Cholesterol is required for building strong healthy bodies (see this - an excellent overally article) - especially for women.

Second, so called "bad" LDL cholesterol is actually cholesterol being transported by the blood from the liver to your cells.  HDL is cholesterol being transported from your cells to your liver.  Both are lipoproteins - basically assemblies of protiens and lipids (fats) that allow the transport of cholesterol in the blood.  Both are part of a complex system that supports your bodies health.

When you eat fatty acids are transported to your cells either directly from the intestines or indirectly through via liver.

The level of cholesterol in your blood is a complex matter involving multiple body systems, your current digestive state, and so on.  So one number is unlikely to provide an accurate picture for your health.

Third, and most importantly, most foods we eat today (chips, snacks, etc.) contain fatty acids that are not "natural" - various vegetable oils like soy, various hydrogenated oils and so on.  When we eat these "fake" fats our bodies do not process them as if they are natural fats.   For example our brain tells us we can continue to eat rather than becoming full because the fake fats do not trigger the natural biological processes that create the sensations of being "full".  In addition these fats don't work the same way in our bodies as natural fats - confusing the operation of our cells and the lipid transport system.  (See my previous post "Lower Cholesterol = Memory Loss" regarding this issue).

What does this mean?

For one thing the transport of cholesterol in your body is part of a very intricate and complex system that involves your brain, your liver, and virtually every cell in your body.  Artificially suppressing one part of it (as with taking cholesterol-lowering drugs) just takes the rest of it out of balance.  Kind of like driving with that small, crappy spare tire you get these days.  Certainly not good for the long haul.

Lack of cholesterol can literally make you stupid and ruin your mind.

For women, cholesterol suppression inhibits the generation of many necessary hormones - the lack of which can cause disease like cancer.

If you eat a lot of processed foods containing trans fats, hydrogenated fats, and so on they are literally killing you - in part by screwing up your cholesterol levels and fooling your bodies system for processing natural fats.  Cells have built in mechanisms to take in and export cholesterol.  There is some thinking that unnatural fats disrupt these mechanisms; a primary symptom of this is the new obesity we see every day.

If you take drugs to suppress cholesterol levels you are doing yourself even more harm.

Today's medical propaganda machine has made cholesterol a bad word - and their effort is killing us.

People (including doctors) are not interested in understanding the truth about cholesterol and how it works and instead simply ignorantly climb on the "cholesterol" bandwagon created by the drug industries.

Your real enemy is inflammation.  Inflammation in your blood vessels triggers heart attacks.  Inflammation in your body creates problems and bad food creates inflammation.

I believe that you should be eating

- Cold-processed fruits and oils of olives, avocados, canola, peanuts, almonds and apricots.

- Fish such as salmon, sardines, anchovies, and herring.  Plant sources such as flaxseed, walnuts, and pecans.  (Again at low temperatures because high temperatures can destroy the value of these foods.)


- Red meat, poultry, cheese, eggs, cream and butter, and tropical fruits, like palm and coconut oils.

You should not be eating

- Any boxed or canned food purchased from a store.

- Anything in a box from the freezer section.

- Anything with high fructose corn syrup.

- Anything with trans fats, hydrogenated oil, or other unnatural oil (soy, canola, vegetable).

- Meats containing antibiotics, steroids or other chemicals.

As for that turkey in the WSJ article?

Go right ahead so long as its natural and you're not using bad oils.

Eating bad food is bad.