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Their is no scientific evidence available to suggest that cholesterol is bad for you?

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  • 21-04-2010 1:27am
    #1
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,725 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    This post appeared in the facts sticky, so moving here
    Chriskavo wrote: »
    Their is no scientific evidence available to suggest that cholesterol is bad for you.

    The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics view http://www.thincs.org/

    View of most others is that cholesterol is still a risk factor for heart disease.

    Your body makes cholesterol. Handy if you get none in your diet.

    Also the ability of your body to regulate cholesterol has a genetic component. IMHO it would be worth considering testing people for this instead of testing everyone for blood cholesterol so the most vulnerable could be advised instead of scaring everyone. IMHO that is.


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    #2
    darjeeling
    Registered Users Posts: 962 ✭✭✭darjeeling


    I think this refers to cholesterol in the diet, as opposed to in the blood.

    For years, it was thought that consuming more cholesterol led directly to increased blood cholesterol, of which some forms are associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). Eggs are one of the most cholesterol-rich foods (>200mg per egg, against a American Heart Assoc. recommended daily limit still set at 300mg), so it made sense to study how egg consumption relates to blood cholesterol and CHD. A major study in this effort was the 'Harvard egg study' of 1999. This and other studies were reviewed last year in several papers in the Int. J. Clin. Practice. The overall conclusion was that eating eggs is not associated with increased CHD or other cardiovascular disease, except in patients with diabetes.

    The main dietary culprits in CHD are now seen as saturated fats (present in red meat, dairy foods and some plant oils) and the still more dangerous trans fats (mostly synthetically derived from vegetable oil). Cholesterol (present in eggs, shellfish, meat, cheese) - is increasingly said by dietary experts to be OK in itself so long as it doesn't come served up with these unhealthy fats. However, this new thinking has taken some time to filter through into public nutrition advice.

    tl;dr?

    Eggsonerated.


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    #3
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,725 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    For most people I'd agree that cholesterol levels in diet aren't an issue since their bodies regulate it.

    Am not too sure that excess cholesterol in the diet of someone who can't regulate isn't an issue for concern.


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    #4
    darjeeling
    Registered Users Posts: 962 ✭✭✭darjeeling


    Capt'n Midnight wrote: »
    For most people I'd agree that cholesterol levels in diet aren't an issue since their bodies regulate it.

    Am not too sure that excess cholesterol in the diet of someone who can't regulate isn't an issue for concern.

    The evidence reviewed in the papers linked above suggests that diabetics should limit cholesterol intake.

    Similar advice is given to people with familial hypercholesterolaemia. This is a genetic disorder affecting around one in 500 and causing very high levels of blood low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, leading to early onset cardiovascular disease.


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    #5
    AlmightyCushion
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,046 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    This reminds me of the stone cutters episode of the simpsons.

    Homer: I saved your life! That egg sandwich could have killed you by cholesterol.
    Lenny: Pfft. While it has been established that eggs contain cholesterol, it has not yet been proven conclusively that they actually raise the level of cholesterol in the human blood stream.


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