I am not afraid of cholesterol.
If you’ve been following this blog for even just a little while, this probably doesn’t surprise you a whole lot. I’m not exactly too keen on following the advice of the USDA or other government agencies, nor most doctors who are absolutely clueless when it comes to nutrition.
I believe that food heals, not drugs — and when it’s real, natural food in its unadulterated form, it won’t harm you. Like that delicious platter pictured above. So, the only doctors I really listen to are those who believe and know this to be true themselves.
Recently, I discovered that one of the most trustworthy of such doctors had a few choice words to say about the cholesterol myth, that once I read, I wanted to shout from the rooftops, I so fully agreed with her. Consider this my “shout.”
You may already be familiar with Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, who developed the GAPS nutritional protocol and wrote Gut and Psychology Syndrome
Now, obviously since Dr. Natasha advocates a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol, she doesn’t believe the politically-correct nutritional myth that dietary cholesterol causes heart disease.
But what about blood cholesterol levels? Shouldn’t we still be concerned with that? Are they indicative of poor heart health, or other concerns we should have?
What should my cholesterol levels be?
Dr. Natasha has an answer. She wrote an article on her website to set the record straight about monitoring blood cholesterol levels.
From the article:
“Many people ask me a question:
WHEN I TEST MY BLOOD CHOLESTEROL, WHAT SHOULD IT BE?
My answer is:
DON’T TEST YOUR BLOOD CHOLESTEROL!
IT IS A POINTLESS EXERCISE AND A POTENTIALLY HARMFUL ONE!”
*GASP!* Don’t check your cholesterol?! Now that’s enough to give a Diet Dictocrat a heart attack!
Why Tested Blood Cholesterol Levels Don’t Mean Anything
First and foremost, a blood cholesterol test is highly inconclusive. Blood cholesterol levels go up and down throughout the day — what they might be at your 10 AM appointment can be drastically different from your levels by dinner time, or through the night, or any other part of the day. They also fluctuate with the time of year, and with the level of stress your body is under.
A doctor’s reaction to these tests can be very problematic for your health. If your number that the lab pulls up just so happens to be at a level considered “too high,” then you might end up getting a prescription for statin drugs, which dangerously deplete the body of critical cholesterol, and your doctor will have you stressing over your diet and the possibility of developing heart disease — for absolutely no reason!
Consuming natural dietary cholesterol has no effect on blood cholesterol levels
Blood cholesterol levels are regulated by the liver. If you don’t consume enough cholesterol in your diet, your body makes it for you! When we consume sufficient amounts of cholesterol, the body produces less. Eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet will not lower your blood cholesterol levels, for this reason.
Actually, if you’re eating low-fat dairy products, there’s oxidized cholesterol in the powdered milk that’s added to them (which isn’t on the label), that can harden the arteries and cause inflammation which the body responds to by creating more cholesterol to come over and do damage control. Cholesterol is an antioxidant.
High blood cholesterol levels do not contribute to the development of heart disease
This is one of the most absurd myths of the medical establishment — that high blood cholesterol levels cause heart disease. They don’t.
People with high cholesterol levels (above 270) live longer and have lower rates of heart disease than those with low cholesterol levels! Or, let me put it this way, there are more heart attacks in those with low cholesterol levels than in those with high cholesterol levels.
I’m happy to have high cholesterol!
Someone who is misinformed might take one look at me and say, “Well duh — like you’ve got anything to worry about. Someone your size would never even have questionable cholesterol levels.” I’m not exactly the picture of someone who’s looking at heart disease or atherosclerosis. I am very slim and very petite. And I’ve always been that way.
But guess what? I have high cholesterol! Even as a child, when I weighed 35 pounds in the second grade — my doctors were very concerned with my blood cholesterol levels and were sure that I would need to be put on statin drugs when I was old enough to take them. Drug companies today are actually working quite hard to make sure children who test high for cholesterol like I did, are prescribed statins. This really ought to make you want to vomit. Statin drugs are one of the most dangerous scams of the medical and pharmaceutical industries to ever plague our society. Cholesterol is necessary and should never be artificially reduced!
I will probably always have “high” cholesterol according to the mainstream medical establishment. And I’m very glad that my body is getting more than sufficient amounts of this critical substance from my diet, so it doesn’t have to work harder than it has to in producing cholesterol itself.
The brain and body are hungry for cholesterol!
Our bodies are literally made of cholesterol. It’s what supports the structure of every cell membrane, and is responsible for intercellular communication — brain and nerve function. But that’s not all. Cholesterol is absolutely essential for many bodily functions and systems, including:
- Immune system: Immunity from disease is directly related to cholesterol levels. People with high cholesterol are four times less likely to contract AIDS, rarely get common colds and flus, and they recover from infections more quickly than people with “normal” or low blood cholesterol.
- Endocrine system: Every steroid hormone in the body is made of cholesterol. The adrenal glands need cholesterol to produce hormones necessary for good health.
- Reproductive system: The sex hormones especially are reliant on cholesterol. Without it, infertility problems crop up. Additionally, a pregnant or nursing mother needs adequate cholesterol for her baby’s developing nervous system.
- Vitamin D production: This is also a steroid hormone, and a very important one. Vitamin D deficiency leads to the development of many diseases, including cancer and heart disease. Vitamin D is made of cholesterol.
- Tissue repair/healing: Any wound or damaged tissue, large or small, can’t be healed without cholesterol, because the new cell tissues are made of cholesterol and saturated fat, mostly. This is why people with low levels of cholesterol are at higher risk of developing cancer, because their bodies can’t heal damaged tissue. Same thing goes for heart disease.
But what about LDL and HDL?
Even conventional medicine admits that not all cholesterol is bad for you. It’s true that LDL cholesterol is the “bad” kind. Sorta. High amounts of oxidized LDL cholesterol are associated with certain types of stroke. But you don’t have to worry about your body producing LDL that becomes oxidized unless you are consuming high amounts of polyunsaturated fats — like the rancid, toxic vegetable oils found in modern processed foods which make LDL in the blood vulnerable to oxidation– or cholesterol which has been oxidized through high-heat processing, such as that found in processed, low-fat dairy as mentioned earlier.
I don’t eat these kinds of things. So, I really do not have to worry about my cholesterol levels indicating a risk for heart disease or stroke. And as we know, the blood tests are so inconclusive that even if you were to discover a high level of LDL cholesterol at risk for dangerous oxidation from a poor diet, it wouldn’t be a reliable measure of your risk.
What should you be checking then, if you’re at risk for heart disease?
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride offers the following advice for testing and determining heart disease risk:
If you really want to know about your risk of heart disease, then these are the tests to do:
- C-reactive protein, which is a marker for inflammation in the body. Heart disease is an inflammatory condition.
- Insulin levels in your blood. The insulin profile will show if you suffer from a metabolic syndrome, which is the underlying condition for heart disease.
Will you continue to get your blood cholesterol levels checked at the advice of your doctor? Why or why not?
[disclosure: cmp.ly/4; cmp.ly/5]
You are spending a LOT of time on research girl! 🙂 Great posts.
What can I say? I’m just a big, buttery nerd. 😀 Thanks, Stacy!
Thanks for this post! A few weeks ago I had my yearly examine and everything looked good except my cholesterol was slightly high. I have been trying to eat a more traditional diet, lots of eggs, butter, coconut oil etc. (I am not perfect though) At first I was a little nervous about it, but after doing some research I learned it is actually a good thing despite what the nurse who was telling me the results was saying! Here is to high cholesterol!
Yeah! Good for you. Most medical professionals sadly just don’t know any better. We can change that!
I have been saying the same thing for years, but you put it so well and make it so easy to share with others. Thank you and keep up the GREAT posts!
Thank you so much, Marsh! What a nice compliment.
You write great articles. I always learn something new even though I’m a nutritionist and a WAPFer like you!
Wow, that pretty much made my day!! Thanks so much, Suzanne!
Fabulous post BB! My cholesterol levels are above 270 when last checked and I don’t check them anymore. I went into my last physical armed with a copy of Sally Fallon’s ‘Nourishing Traditions’. My doctor said, “I should medicate you with cholesterol levels this high.” To which I replied, “I wouldn’t take it and this is why…” Then I proceeded to show her page after page of documentation that these infamous cholesterol numbers that we have come to believe are benchmarks of health are total bunk. Its just another way for Big Pharma to push more drugs on us and continue to line their pockets.
I love saturated fats and I feel good when I eat them. “Please pass the butter!”
YES!!! Ahh that makes me so happy! NT is the perfect ammo for situations like that — what a great idea to take it with you! Way to stick up for our beloved butter! 😀
Dana I would love to hear what the doctor’s reply was to this. So often when I bring up something contrary to popular beliefs all I get is a well meaning tirade about why the “natural way” isn’t all it is cracked up to be and why they are right and I am wrong. 🙂 It is hard to know what to believe.
Emily this is a fantastic article – a bit scary since the medical profession basically says do it my way or risk death. My dad is on cholesterol medication I definitely need to do more research (and hopefully get him to believe it) 🙂
I am glad you shared your story here. I just found the butterbeliever site via a post on Facebook by CrunchyMama. My hubby was diagnosed with high cholesterol about 2 years ago(around 289 I recall)and of course when he mentioned to the Dr. that both his parents were on statins because of high levels as well he was prescribed one too. He has taken it for about a year and a half now and just ran out of his RX. As of yesterday we were ready to scrape and beg for the funds to get him back in for an exam and blood work(financial issues from economy)but after researching food for years myself and today finding this, I truly believe the Lord lead me here to reassure me hubby will be fine without those meds but instead proper foods in their natural state.
God bless you all for sharing and for you Ms. BB for your dedication to yourself that is infact a blessing to us all when you share your finds and research.
Great article! I agree with you completely 🙂
Oh, where was this post the other day when I was trying to explain to a friend why I am not afraid of pastured lard? 🙂 Ha ha
Thanks for this!
BB, I couldn’t agree with you more! I have genetically inherited high cholesterol. Even 30 yrs ago, I was eating a vegetarian diet and worked out 3X a week, my cholesterol was still over 200. Fast forward 30 yrs. I went to my doctor 2 yrs ago here in NM. The MDs and hospitals here are pill pushers! she said, “Your cholesterol is the highest I’ve ever seen.” I said, “No it isn’t. My sister is built like a string bean and her’s is 400”. So that doctor gives me a scrip for a statin drug. Meanwhile, I went over to Costco afterwards and I was talking to a lady who was a retired nurse and she told me how the statins drug are WORSE than the high cholesterol! She said you would have a higher chance of having a heart attack taking those statin drugs than if you didn’t. Next time I was at the doctor she asked me if I was taking the statins and I said no and I never will! Throughout all this I have learned to NOT be afraid of butter, coconut oil, eggs, all things that were anathema 30 years ago. A postscript: I have a friend in AZ who had congestive heart failure 3 yrs ago. Recently he has been feeling so bad: swollen legs that his feet looked like elephant legs for all the water retention , water retention affecting his heart, fluids filling in his lungs, on oxygen, nitroglycerin patches. In short, basically going from bad to worse. And he’s only 65. One and a half months ago, he decided, “Enough already! I’m going to get better or die.” He went COMPLETELY off ALL of his medications, even though he has very high blood pressure, but the bp meds were making it worse, not better. Started walking, little by little, working it up and now he is up to a mile a day. No more oxygen, lost weight (he says he knows so because he has wrinkles on his face where he didn’t before. In other words, he is feeling better this past 1 1/2 months than in all the years since having the heart failure. I am now thoroughly convinced that the doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and pharmaceutical firms are all in collusion, Not to heal but to keep you sick so they have a steady flow of business. After all, if you cure someone, you don’t have their business anymore, right? Keep them sick and they’ll keep coming back, again and again. I will no longer go to a MD, only a naturopath, won’t go to the hospital, (don’t want to catch MRSA or a hospital borne infection. In other words, I won’t go unless I am dead and they have to bring me there.
Thank you for writing this wonderful article!
Wow Susan thanks for your stories! I will definitely be sharing that with my dad, he’s on tons of meds like statins and eats poorly as well. I’m glad you and your friend both decided to stay off the statins.
Thank you, Danielle! I just couldn’t believe the turnaround my friend has made when he finally dumped the meds! I have hope now that he’ll live a few more years and healthy ones at that.
What an excellent, excellent article. Thank you for taking the time to say it so well!
lol. I had my cholesterol checked at my docs request. I don’t really care to much about it, obviously…and when he got the results he said, well, it’s slightly elevated but the HDL/LDL ratio is favorable. I smirked and said proudly, “well that’s good. Do you know what I eat for breakfast? Lot’s of bacon, eggs and butter.” He kinda just looked at me and really didn’t know what to say!
Gotto love being a “medical mystery”! Lol.
Ok, now you’re getting me somewhat concerned/worried.
My family drinks full fat dairy products, has butter, rendered chicken fat, coconut oil, olive oil, and absolutely never ever ever margarine or other hydrogenated oils… The only liquid oils we use are sunflower oil and sesame oil- we stay far far far away from canola, corn, and soy oil…
I try to stick to a more traditional foods diet. Ok, I pretty much do (aside for soaking my grains/nuts which I’m terrible about doing), but my husband and kids aren’t 100% because my husband buys things that are processed for the kids, like their breakfast cereal (though I did ask him to please buy one without any artificial flavorings or colorings, so the cereal “just” has white flour and sugar in it, but nothing else too scary), but most other foods in our house are unprocessed.
I’m off dairy other than butter, but my husband and kids, for frugal reasons, use powdered skim milk as their milk, usually just for breakfast with their aforementioned cereal.
Now you’re getting me worried about that, because they DO use that powdered milk that you mentioned its a problem. But would there be oxidized cholesterol if its fat free milk, or only low fat, because isn’t cholesterol found in the fat, and fat free milk wouldn’t contain cholesterol in it to get oxidized?
I’m especially concerned because my husband has heart disease in his genes- his grandpa had a few heart attacks, his father (grandpa’s son) had a heart attack 2 years ago in his low sixties (61 maybe?) and my father is a “lipid specialist cholesterol lowering” cardiologist, so by the book, and he’s on our case to get my husband on cholestrol lowering drugs already (my husband has never been tested!) because of the hereditary component of heart disease… but I don’t bother because I think our diet is healthy enough to make heart disease not an issue… but is he screwing himself over with the regular use of powdered milk and the occasional pastries he buys from the bakery (Which I know have hydrogenated oils in them)?
Wow, I just wrote a novel, but I would definitely appreciate your take on it.
Hi
Just figured that I would toss in my two cents about the milk problem.
I totally agree about not drinking cows milk. It is toxic to a human system and that is why it makes us phlegmy. We have all probably heard not to drink milk if you have a chest cold because of the excess mucus produced by our immune system in reaction to the cows milk.
On the flip side of the milk coin is goat’s milk. It is composed of a smaller molecules and is the closest milk to human breast milk. My brother and I were raised on goat milk because of problems that we had with getting pneumonia as a babies. Goat milk was recommended to my mom and it worked we were both raised on raw goat milk and we didn’t have any more problems.
I would say that goat milk would be the best bet for drinking but you can look up the benefits of raw goat milk yourself. And since you can’t buy raw milk a couple of pigmy goats in a backyard lot should be enough to keep a family in cereal milk.
Best wishes
Powdered milk is dangerous, even when fat-free. The oxidized cholesterol is added but not indicated on the label. Organic, grass-fed raw milk is the ideal choice with vat-pasteurized, non-homogenized organic milk being second. If I couldn’t get either of these, we wouldn’t consume milk.
This is such a well written article!
Cholesterol is an interesting topic for me because my father-in-law died of a heart attack at 60 (he was on cholesterol-lowering drugs), and his dad died of a heart attack too. Naturally I’m pretty worried about my own husband.
I make sure he eats lots of butter and full-cream raw milk. And now I’ll make sure he never goes near a cholesterol-lowering drug to boot.
thanks for this, I have been trying to tell people about this after reading it in NT, but its good to have a summary that I can email to people, some people can take some persuading! Its funny how we all trust doctors so absolutely, but seems all they know these days is which drugs to prescribe….
While I’m not interested in what my total cholesterol is since many have known for years what a sham the total cholesterol test is (as well as low-fat diets and cholesterol-blocking pills), I’m definitely interested in finding out what my triglycerides and lipoprotein levels are due to father and his father’s heart disease.
I am interested in the GAPS diet to heal my gut though, which I’m guessing is leaky after having CA (2 colonscopies) and other major intestine-diseases ruled out. Once I figured out carrageenan triggered my most severe IBS episodes, I found out it’s used in lab experiments when testing for inflammation and/or pain! So if scientists are injecting carrageenan in lab animals to induce pain/swelling, which are my symptoms after eating carrageenan-foods, that’s how I guessed I’m leaky, allowing the carrageenan easy passage into my intestine’s tissues.
From just glancing over the GAPS diet, it’s somewhat close to low-carb/paleo/primal that Drs William Davis and Jack Ruse are recommending, so that’s reassuring to me. However I’ll need to study GAPS more to understand why mucilaginous and FOS foods are restricted, since I thought those are what the good bacteria like to eat.
You may want to try kefir. It’s not just only the dairy if you want to avoid dairy products but there is water kefir that you can make with herb teas, fresh squeezed juices from lemons, lime, oranges, dried fruits or any kind of fruit (mango). I have occasional bouts of diverticulitis and something as small as a speck the size of corm meal can cause terrible sharp pain. Ever since I added kefir to my diet, my GI tract has normalized: I am regular now and my elimination is not to the extremes either way like it used to be.
Our family has been on GAPS for seven months. While an individual could eat low-carb on GAPS, it is not a low-carb diet. It is very different from paleo and primal although most paleo and primal recipes can easily be converted to be GAPS legal. GAPS is a healing diet with specific guidelines for the inclusion of healing foods and detoxification protocols. The book by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride is amazing, I hope you are able to get a copy and read it. It had done wonderful things for our family.
I forgot to answer your question. FOS and mucilaginous foods are eliminated because the BAD bacteria like to eat them, too. If you have IBS, leaky gut, autism, depression, mental illness, allergies, and/or autoimmune disease then you have gut dysbiosis meaning that you have the WRONG kinds of bacteria and yeasts living in your gut. By following the GAPS program and taking therapeutic doses of probiotics (without FOS) plus fermented foods and oodles of broth, the good bacteria and yeasts get established and the bad ones die off. Once you are healed, other nourishing foods can be slowly added back.
the idea that it stresses you out is the worrisome part. do the research and then take meds or not.
doctors tell you stuff all the time. mine told me not to eat a lot of fruit to help loose weight. i said, “uh huh” and then disregarded EVERYTHING she said cause obviously years of existance fruit is good for you.
Sonia, I once had a “doctor” (actually a nurse/practitioner) from a well known hospital here in NM tell me, when I asked what is good for occasional diverticulitis bouts and she said pepto-bismol or imodium! I was shocked! Of course I ignored her advice. She had no idea what she was talking about!
I agree about the triglycerides. From what I understand, eating real food and lowering carbs will help with that.
This is AWESOME! Totally sharing!
Your an idiot! This is stupid and your a danger to people that would believe this crap!
John, you might want to do some research. There are no studies that prove the lipid hypothesis. There are some studies, however, that show people with high cholesterol live longer. Interesting, huh? Doctors don’t have time to read all the studies, but they get visited regularly by pharmaceutical reps that give them “information” to prove why their drugs should be pushed to their patients. “Follow the money” Pharma is in business to sell their pills.
You look like the idiot when the only way you can respond is with insults.
BTW, “you’re” is grammatically correct here, not “your.”
My cholesterol numbers have been in the 290s for years. Every time I go in for a physical my doctor tells me I am the healthiest patient he has seen. Then proceeds to lecture me on my cholesterol. This last time I bought a copy of Good Calories, Bad Calories, took it with me and gave it to him. I told him to please read all of the research the shows how it ISN’T the cholesterol and it IS the markers for metabolic syndrome that show heart disease risk. I hope he reads it. I have since learned that health insurance companies PAY doctors to prescribe statins for a total percentage of their patients whether they have heart disease risks or not. Cholesterol isn’t the problem, it’s the medical/pharmaceutical industry that is sick!
Cholesterol isn’t the problem, it’s the medical/pharmaceutical industry that is sick! So that doctor gives me a scrip for a statin drug.
I think it is interesting that the c-reactive protein blood test that is suggested is NOT covered by Blue Cross/BLue Shield Health Insurance, while the cholesterol panel tests are covered. Anything to write a script for
statins !
Thank you for your post!
A few weeks ago, I had some blood work done and the test results indicated that I have high overall cholesterol (248). My doctor freaked out and said, “I’m putting you on a prescription.”
I said, “No, I’ll lower it myself.” She mumbled something about it being a genetic and lifestyle problem AND that I am at higher risk for heart disease and said she wanted to do blood work again in 6 months.
But it looks like my cholesterol is just fine and I won’t be testing it again. And I won’t see that doctor again (except to get a referral to a specialist I need).
I’m not eating veggie oils or lowfat anything. My fat comes from animals, plenty o’ butter, coconut oil, avocados, and nuts.
Thank you again. This is what I needed to read. 🙂
Thank you for this great article, I am a bit of a fan of your site. Loved the article dedicated to the your tofu lover too!
It’s a lot to ask, but I am wondering whether you woud like to place one of your posts up on my brand new linky Seasonal Celebration Sunday. It’s open all week and if you go to my homepage you’ll find it
in the tab navigation.
Really hope to see you there!
Great read! I enjoy reading something that makes sense and is clearly not result of a $ contribution from the pharmaceutical companies or someone of that nature. More power to You-keep up a good work! I’ll keep checking with your website for more insightful info.
Thank you for this. My cholesterol has been high for as long as I have known. My current doctor is flipping out and wants me on statins. I tried them for a short time but had a very bad reaction and now I refuse to take them. I am just now finding out about good fat (butter, whole milk, animal fat, etc) and I guess it is called whole foods. I find it interesting and can’t wait to read more. I need to lose weight and now I wonder if switching more to this style would help (oh yeah, my blood sugar is high too). It has given me hope.
I really appreciate this article. I have been trying to explain to my husband these issues for years, but I’m not as articulate as you are 🙂
He read this post and it really clicked with him. I feel that this is a turning point moment in our journey and I am so excited. Being strong in your convictions is hard, and having his support will be amazing.
My cholesterol at my last physical was 390! The doctor almost passed out. I told him I was aiming for 1,000 and left. (the only reason i even go get a physical every year is because my insurance makes me or they’ll cancel my coverage. I see a naturopathic doctor several times a year though)
Thank you!
Aiming for 1,000… That. Is. CLASSIC!!!
Not sure what my cholesterol is right this second 😉 but it used to be really low. So low I was always congratulated by the doctors for having super low cholesterol. I also had a host of health problems, undiagnosed celiac, and OCD. Now that the celiac has been pinpointed and I have been on the GAPS diet, my cholesterol is no longer super low (although it was in the “safe” range). I am now very healthy and no longer on any medications for OCD- or anything else. Yay butter!
Way to pwn John girl! “your” awesome! haha
I found enough evidence of this to convince my dad to stop the statins he’d been on for a few years and wouldn’t you know, his knees stopped hurting him too! He eats good foods as my mom is totally on board with nourishing traditions and its way of eating, but he also eats plenty of processed junk that no one would consider healthy. Mom is working on him slowly, but we’ll see.
My biggest concern is actually my husband, his total cholesterol was below 50 (can’t remember exactly), he eats just like my dad, everything good that I feed him but then he supplements with crap. I haven’t been able to find anything food about correcting low cholesterol, anyone else have any resources for me to check out?
Ok, I’m in agreement with the problematic cholesterol topic. Big pharma is selling and the doctors either see $ or just go with the selling scheme. So, how do we deal with the real issue, that being vascular health? Cholesterol builds up as a result of vessel fissures that allow small particulate cholesterol to build up.
Great, great question, Brian. I’m writing up a post to be published soon about how and why we get heart disease. Short version = it all starts with the metabolism.
I haven’t had my cholesterol checked in years, but I am curious to know whether it has risen sufficiently since I adopted the dietary principles exposed by the Weston A. Price Foundation. To think that in my early 30s I thought it was great that my total cholesterol was 140-something at one point; I think the lowest I ever measured was 137. Scary! I did go through serious health issues for a few years there. Now, I seldom get colds, despite not getting enough sleep. I eat lots of pastured eggs, especially the yolks, from my chickens, lots of butter, and lard from pastured pigs. I feel much better and am no longer plagued by depression.
Good for you, Jeanmarie!! I am so glad I learned the truth about this stuff, too. We need cholesterol so much, especially as we age, to make all the hormones we need to stay healthy. If you were to find out your blood cholesterol levels were quite high these days, that’s probably just a result of your metabolism not churning it into those hormones efficiently enough. You can help give that a boost by getting enough sleep. 😉 Easier said than done, though, I know!
mmmm…just stumbled upon this blog… I’m a 51 y/o female in good health, height-weight proportionate; 5’6″ 145 lbs with a 26.5″ waist. I was on a low carb, high fat diet off and on for 10 years to control my weight. 4 months ago I had a heart attack, I have 4 blockages and my total cholesterol at that time was 382 with the “bad” being 272. I’ve subsequently had further testing done; metabolic profile etc, which is all normal. If the high cholesterol didn’t cause my early heart attack, what did?
Hi, Sue! Thanks for your comment. The reason why your cholesterol was found to be high (even though, as I mentioned, cholesterol tests are often inaccurate, as are the laughable metabolic tests done by doctors which don’t account for really any of the markers of a low metabolic rate) is more than likely because your body’s metabolism has been compromised as a result of your low carb dieting. The metabolism and the endocrine (hormone) system are very much intertwined, and cholesterol is used by your body to make hormones. So if your metabolism is slow, your endocrine system won’t be using up the cholesterol in your body to create the hormones you need to keep you healthy. Instead, cholesterol just floats around in your blood. This also throws your balance of estrogen out of whack, because the opposing hormones of testosterone and progesterone are not produced adequately, which has been shown to lead to heart disease. Also, when thyroid production is low (as a result of lowered metabolic rate), the body gains an excess of homocysteine from eating even healthy sources of protein like red meat, because vitamin B absorption is extremely low when thyroid function is also low. B vitamins break down excess homocysteine, but when that doesn’t happen, the acid causes extreme inflammation to the artery walls which then causes a buildup of plaque. And from there, we get heart attacks.
This is such a huge topic, but I think I’m going to try to tackle it with a blog post soon. Anyway, if you’re interested in learning more about your metabolism and how to fix it, I couldn’t recommend this book called Diet Recovery enough. Thanks again for stopping by!
I am glad you shared your story here. I just found the butterbeliever site via a post on Facebook by CrunchyMama. My hubby was diagnosed with high cholesterol about 2 years ago(around 289 I recall)and of course when he mentioned to the Dr. that both his parents were on statins because of high levels as well he was prescribed one too. He has taken it for about a year and a half now and just ran out of his RX. As of yesterday we were ready to scrape and beg for the funds to get him back in for an exam and blood work(financial issues from economy)but after researching food for years myself and today finding this, I truly believe the Lord lead me here to reassure me hubby will be fine without those meds but instead proper foods in their natural state.
God bless you all for sharing and for you Ms. BB for your dedication to yourself that is infact a blessing to us all when you share your finds and research.
you have got another hardcore fan now!!! thanks for coming up with such fantastic article.
I recently had some blood work done that showed that i had elevated cholesterol. The numbers were the same as the were 25 years ago even though I’ve lost 50 lbs and exercise regularly and eat all the right foods and oils. The doctor recommended statins then and now and I declined both times because of the side effects. (Their one size fits all mantra is a joke.) My blood pressure is normal and I rarely ever get sick. Even if I get a cold, it doesn’t last long.(Can you say Neti Pot?) My Grandmother lived to be 97 and she cooked with lard all her life and never went to the doctor for anything. She had sisters that lived past 100. She used herbs for healing as do I. Eating liver friendly foods should be what everyone should eat. Anything with preservatives or trans fat in it is garbage. Food is supposed to be eaten right away, not sit on a shelf for 6 months. I know its hard to not eat foods like that when you’re on the go but the only real way to do that is make food from scratch pretty much which means spending more time in the kitchen.. if I just had more time.. 🙂
Unfortunately for me, my c-reactive protein has increased from .64 (SAD) to 2.70 (GAPS diet-much saturated fats) and my cholesterol and LDL have risen sharply. From what I have read, I don’t understand this, but it seems my body was “healthier” or less inflamed on a SAD diet.
You probably have hypothyroidism. I’m not a big fan of GAPS anymore because it can easily aggravate, if not cause, this condition. I still have a lot of respect for Dr. Natasha, but I don’t think the GAPS theory is the answer to every illness.
You are a complete idiot and this post disgusts me. Your logic that high cholesterol is fine because it’s better than taking drugs is a complete fallacy. You’re missing the part where you could eliminate all sorts of problems like high cholesterol by eliminating the saturated fats and oils from your diet. I applaud your desire to strive for whole foods but you are using a logical fallacy to ignore the truth about the rest of your diet. Maybe when you develop heart disease you’ll see.
Actually, you are the idiot. increasing my saturated fat intake has improved my health immensely over the last 9 months. I have managed to come off Synthroid, improve my blood glucose levels, and significantly improved my metabolic function. My blood pressure is down, despite my elevated salt consumption, and my bad cholesterol levels are unchanged while my triglycerides are down. Prior to this, I had dieted for years, following the SAD diet, binging on sweets when I found it to difficult to refrain. too bad I didn’t listen to my body back then.. It was trying to tell me that what I was doing was crushing my metabolism, and therefore my health. why don’t you actually read something on this blog and learn how the mainstream medical community has been tricking you into staying unhealthy all these years. …jerk.
I find it laughable that the few people on this post that disagree with the blogger are the only ones that are insulting and rude. Guess we struck a nerve! Just use some common sense. We are having so many increases in Parkinson Disease among other things.
My response is to “CT”
I was actually trying to google “Why is my hubby’s cholesterol low when he eats high cholesterol foods and mine high when I don’t”.
I ended up here.
My dr. has me back on a 1/4 dose of statin. I told him there was a study done in Norway with more than 50,000 women and the high cholesterol women lived longer than the low cholesterol women. He said “Yeah, that was high HDL cholesterol.” Like an idiot, I believed him! Now I realize he just made it up.
You can find the study if you google it.
This is of vital concern to me as my dad has had 3 triple bypasses and was recommended for a 3rd one at 79. He declined because he thought it would kill him. He has NEVER had high cholesterol EVER IN HIS LIFE! And he eats pretty healthy stuff, but has stopped eating butter and eggs because his doctors told him to stop.
I have a book by a heart surgeon called “The Cure for Heart Disease” but it is very hard to understand as I never studied medicine. Dr. Campbell’s book sounds like it would be easier to understand.
Does it tell somewhere what we should be eating?
My doctor put me on statins 2 years ago and my heart blew up like a balloon. It gave me an enlarged heart within 4 days after taking it. My cholesterol was only 260. I will never take statins again.
I just found your blog! This is great stuff! I have a friend whom I trust tell me real butter is better than Country Crock, which is what I was using at the time. I’m glad I listened:)
YAY!!
I found this article very interesting.
I am on a low carb diet with a lot of protein and natural fat intake…So, my question is, why some people are dying, like from a heart attack because they ate lots of fat, like butter, beacon,…etc??
So if scientists are injecting carrageenan in lab animals to induce pain/swelling, which are my symptoms after eating carrageenan-foods, that’s how I guessed I’m leaky, allowing the carrageenan easy passage into my intestine’s tissues. This is great stuff! I make sure he eats lots of butter and full-cream raw milk. Food is supposed to be eaten right away, not sit on a shelf for 6 months.
My brother suggested I may like this blog. He was once totally right. This submit actually made my day. You cann’t consider just how so much time I had spent for this info! Thank you!
Great post!
I love Natasha Campbell and I love your blog too! Thanks for explaining the cholesterol issue so well. I just finished a book by Uffe Ravnosky ” The Cholesterol Myths” and its pretty scary how many studies have been “reinterpreted” to support the anti cholesterol campaign.
I will never take statins and I agree with most of what you are saying, but you say, “Eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet will not lower your blood cholesterol levels”…
I recently cut out dairy and processed sugar from my diet (I already don’t eat meat) and dropped my high cholesterol significantly, as did my mother. I think food heals as well, but I’m not sure why you are saying that diet changes will not make a different on cholesterol levels. Can you clarify?
THANK YOU for this article. The people around me are obsessed with their cholesterol levels. My mother is considering taking statins for her cholesterol but I’ve been telling her she shouldn’t. I’m totally sending her to this article.
I would add one more thing for those who are skeptical and can’t stop believing that their high cholesterol will give them blocked arteries and heart disease…Get a Cardiac Calcium score done. This is a simple CT of the heart that looks at buildup in the arteries. This test is offered from many hospitals and you can get a reduced rate if paying out of pocket. A cheap price for piece of mind!
i had a blood test done my tryglisrides were high 290 and my good cholestrol wass 22 she wants to put me on lipitor 10 mg to bring it down it scared me and i stressed over it im 37 yrs old im 5ft 5 weigh 155 what should i do
Hey there! I’m loving your blog. I love butter so much that I sometimes just cut off a tbsp. and eat it straight up. Over the years I gained lots of weight due to Celiac and Insulin Resistance, but I had no clue that grains and sugar were making me fat. When I turned to Paleo, some of the weight came off, but I found that I had to limit my fruit consumption in the beginning if I wanted to lose weight. Fructose and I do not get along, and I love sugar, so I use coconut palm sugar when I do eat it. I became ecstatic when I learned that if I was hungry I could just take a tbsp. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil with a small glass of water and it would fuel my long walks in the afternoon. I do eat low carb, but that’s only because I tried everything else (eating smaller portions, eating 5 times a day, veganism, paleo, high carb, low carb…you name it and I tried it. I found that for me personally, low carb (I eat about 50g a day on average from veggies and some fruit on occasion) was the way to go. I learned that there is no “one-size fits all diet” and I also learned to be kind to my body by eating real food- because real food doesn’t need a label, so it’s easy to spot! Keep up the great work.