Cholesterol Myths Debunked..

[MMX]

Pretty good article. Knew a few of these already.

gizmodo.com/the-truth-about-cholesterol-1618109844

The biggest contributor to inflammation (and heart disease) may be high-glycemic carbohydrates.

Carbs that are the easiest to digest, like those found in most processed foods as well as sugars and commercially available breads and sweets, are termed "high-glycemic," meaning they turn into blood sugar (glucose) quicker than lower glycemic foods.

Recent scholarship is beginning to identify a strong link between consumption of high-glycemic foods and heart disease, and the culprit, many feel, is that the additional spike in glucose stimulates inflammation, fat production and insulin resistance.

[Ros]

First thing I noticed about that article is that it made reference to Dr Oz, so I have to say I'm tempted to take the whole thing with a pinch of salt!

Also, the article states

In a 2012 study published by The Lancet, it was revealed that when a person has high HDL simply due to genetic predisposition, he has no lower risk of a heart attack

when actually the study says that SOME genetic mechanisms that raise HDL don't seem to lower the risk of MI.

She also states that inflammation (CRP level) may be a better predictor of heart disease; although CRP concentration does have an association with the risk of coronary heart disease, it also has associations with ischaemic stroke, vascular mortality, and several cancers. The last study about it I read said that its relevance was unclear and the association depended considerably on conventional risk factors.

She also says the biggest contributor to 'inflammation' may be high-glycemic carbohydrates. Weellll, yes and no. A large study of American women showed that high glycemic indexes were linked to risk of coronary heart disease development and the association was strongest in those who were overweight, which is a risk factor for CHD anyway. Also low-GI diets are associated with high-HDL cholesterol (that's the 'good' cholesterol) levels, so we're back to cholesterol again.

I think one of the problems with articles like this is that it might encourage people to say 'well, hey, it's sugar that's the risk, so I'm gonna keep on stuffing my face with lard!' As always, lots more research needs to be done, but the main advice is still to encourage people to eat fewer calories, whether that's from lowering sugar or fat intake, and reducing consumption of things like fast food would be a great reducer of both!