Tag: hdl Posts

I was in bed, reading the BBC’s website on my iPad using their ultra cool application, when I came across an article showing new research linking blood fats with heart disease. The link to that article is here. First, I should point out that there’s never really been a definitive link between high fat diets and heart disease. That comes as a surprise to a lot of people, mainly because it’s recited over and over so often as to be the conventional dogma. But research has never really backed that up in any capacity. There is a mild link between cholesterol and heart disease, but it’s often misconstrued in the press based on a lack of understanding about how cholesterol works. There are many people with high cholesterol that don’t have any heart disease, and many people with low cholesterol that have advanced heart disease. While research is obviously still […]

Yes, it’s true. Recent research says kids as young as eight years old can now safely go on cholesterol lowering medication! Man, I can’t believe they are seriously pushing that. Yes, overweight kids probably have high cholesterol, but let’s focus on a solution, not a patch. Most people would probably be surprised to know that the whole science of cholesterol is pretty weak. Lots of people live their whole lives with high cholesterol and never experience any problems, and some people with low cholesterol can be in danger for a heart attack. In fact, the whole science of cholesterol (LDL, HDL, triglycerides, etc.) is so over-simplified that it’s basically useless as a mainstream medical concept. For example, some forms of LDL (the BAD cholesterol), aren’t that bad for you, and only a very specific kind, known as VLDL (very low density lipoprotein), actually contributes to heart disease. This form typically […]