Cholesterol vs. Inflammation

What you think you know about cholesterol could hurt you.

Twenty years ago, doctors told us to stay away from high-fat foods like eggs, bacon, and butter because they raised cholesterol and could lead to heart disease.

America responded and stopped eating fat. In its place, however, we ate more sugar and other carbohydrates.

How did that work out? Not great.

As a whole, Americans grew fatter and sicker than before. Scientists back then may have reached the wrong conclusion.

As more research uncovers the role diet plays in cardiovascular disease, it’s becoming obvious that fats aren’t the only villains in the picture. Increasingly, scientists are recognizing that you should also watch out for some carbohydrates—specifically, sugars and refined grains. “I believe that a diet containing moderate amounts of saturated fat is OK, and possibly better, than a low-saturated-fat diet that is rich in sugars and refined carbohydrates,” says Ronald Krauss, M.D., director of atherosclerosis research at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute.

Now a growing number of medical experts say weight gain, heart disease, and other illnesses are not caused by high cholesterol, but by something different: inflammation.

Dr. Beverly Teter, a lipid biochemist at the University of Maryland, said scientists wrongly blamed cholesterol for heart disease when they saw high levels of it at a damaged blood vessel. Teter believes the body put the cholesterol there to fix the problem, which was actually caused by inflammation.
"It's the inflammation in the vessels that start the lesion," she explained. "The body then sends the cholesterol like a scab to cover over it to protect the blood system and the vessel wall from further damage."

Good things cholesterol does in your body:

- can protect against respiratory and gastrointestinal problems.
- helps create vitamin D.
- the brain contains more cholesterol than any other organ and needs it in order to send messages from one brain cell to another.

Foods that fight inflammation:

- that are high in Omega 3 fats
- olive oil
- avocados
- cold water fish
- coconut oil (fights colds and the flu and has even reversed the symptoms of Alzheimers, ALS and Parkinson's Disease in some people.)
- walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans.
- pumpkin and sesame seeds
- natural saturated fats (maybe; science is still sorting this one out).

Foods which, in excess, cause inflammation:

- Omega 6 fats
- vegetable oils
- mayonnaise
- margarine
- anything containing high fructose corn syrup or other sugars
- white bread, white pasta, white rice

Foods which, in any amount, cause inflammation:

- trans fats (Which is a man-made fat, and for which the Harvard School of Public Health says there is no safe level to consume.)
- any packaged food containing the word "hydrogenated" on the label.


Condensed from an article by Lorie Johnson at CBN and an article by Rachel Johnson, Ph.D, M.P.H., R.D., at Eating Well.

I am not a health professional and this post is not intended to be professional medical advice.

photo credit: Nicola since 1972 via photopin cc