What if everything we've learned about diet is wrong? It seems, the more I dive into learning about the body, the more I realize that so much of the general knowledge and advice I've heard about diet is completely backwards or just plain wrong!
Last year, before I learned about how insulin affects the body, I was put on metformin by my regular GP. Mostly because my blood sugars had started to creep up over the past 12 years after my distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy. He told me if I did not have success with metformin than he suspected I would need to begin using insulin shots. I'm determined to stay off of insulin as long as I possibly can, so I chose the meds. A little while later when I needed a refill on my prescription, I made an appointment but my regular doctor wasn't available and I had to see a GP I'd never seen before. This older Dr. was new to our clinic and was only stepping in for a very brief stint. Not knowing me from Eve, not looking at my chart, or my latest bloodwork, the first thing he said to me was: "you're diabetic so you need to be on a statin drug. I will refill your metformin but you need to take this other med too". I was flabbergasted. I'd never heard such a thing and already having done some brief reading about statins told him politely that my cholesterol numbers were perfect thank-you-very-much and that there was no way I was taking a drug just because he found out I was diabetic! He lectured me sternly that "diabetes isn't a blood sugar problem, it's a cholesterol problem". Hmmm...I'd never heard of this before. Why did he say that? Well that got me curious. Obviously he had a good reason but I wonder if it was coming from new research or old archaic, regurgitated, outdated assumptions...and to be fair I did also wonder how much of what he was saying was from the kickbacks the pharmaceutical companies offer...the ones who pay for the research... In my quest to find answers to my burning questions, I ended up kind of going down a rabbit hole. Cholesterol is probably one of the most studied things out there and there's SO much information on it! The trick is to get the latest research but not dismiss older evidence and studies that support the newest research.
It was something like 150 years ago when they saw some cholesterol streaks in the blood vessel wall in some patients and decided that that was what caused these peoples heart disease. What researchers now know is that it is inflammation and oxidative stress that damages the blood vessel walls. The cholesterol is there as a SYMPTOM of inflammation, to repair the damage. So why is it taking so long for doctors to catch on to the new research? They started learning about the possible link between excess insulin and heart disease back in the 60s! So why the heck are we still stuck on this misinformation?
The amount of cholesterol that the body makes is in RESPONSE to the amount of inflammation in the body! So if you have high cholesterol and are trying to lower it superficially with statin drugs but continue to eat the same inflammatory foods and live the same lifestyle, then this in my opinion, is actually more dangerous than having high cholesterol in the first place. You need to lower the underlying inflammation in your body first! I talk about inflammation a lot because it is the underlying cause of so many diseases. Systemic inflammation is what pulls on that chain and everyone's weak link is different, ie: chronic fatigue, digestive issues, for some: mental cognition, for some: joint pain or others: chronic pain, and for many, it's the heart. And that's where this inflammation can have detrimental, acute, life threatening effects like cardiovascular disease.
Things you can do immediately to reduce inflammation if you want to lower your cholesterol include:
*eliminating all sugar, refined carbs & grains from your diet
*reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption
*increase activity to lessen insulin resistance
*make sure you're getting lots of magnesium and eating a diet high in potassium
I hope that people aren't still afraid of cholesterol and saturated fats the way they used to be, especially when recent scientific studies have shown that statin drugs can be dangerous and are over prescribed. I even read an article today that was about how these drugs can cause people to become irritable and ornery, destroying relationships, and like SSRI meds, even cause anxiety and depression.
Cholesterol is a very necessary building block that we need for tissue repair, bile salt production, hormone production and Vitamin D processing. It is a vital component in the brain, as serotonin receptors need cholesterol. Serotonin is the feel-good chemical, produced mainly in the gut, so it's no wonder that we see mental health issues in people with low cholesterol! Especially because cholesterol is also an anti-inflammatory in the body and plays an important role in gut health. Without cholesterol, our gut lining can become compromised and we can develop leaky gut. If cholesterol levels aren't optimum in women who need to make so many sex hormones, they might have problems like PCOS, infertility and other hormone imbalances.
Cholesterol comes from animal products, but even if you stop eating animal products, your body will still make cholesterol because it needs it. So, again, to reiterate, Cholesterol is GOOD for the body and NECESSARY for basic body functions. I think that by now, most people understand that fat is not bad for us and in fact our bodies actually thrive on a diet that is higher in fat than carbohydrates. Many people are now educated about omega 3 fats being good for us (think olive oils & fish oil) and that they reduce inflammation, while omega 6 fats like seed, vegetable or grain oils do the opposite and aren't good for us at all. These omega 6 fats are over abundant in our diets and we need to get that ratio down from 30:1 to 3:1 immediately.
When discussing good vs. bad cholesterol, it's generally understood that the HDL is considered the "good" cholesterol and LDL is considered "bad" even though this is also not actually how it works and not a good indicator of heart disease. Only looking at the LDL number is outdated, as the number isn't as important as the circumstances of WHY the LDL number is raised. It's a matter of the quality of the LDL not the quantity. Even when looking at the particles of the LDL, looking at the particle count of it isn't telling the whole story. There are 2 types of LDL and that is often overlooked and only one is really problematic but doctors often fail to differentiate between them and what that could mean for that patient.
If a person has very high LDL cholesterol, they should also be looking at the possibility of hypothyroidism because thyroid hormone and LDL receptor sites compete in the body!!
Triglycerides are another factor to consider when talking about cholesterol and probably more indicative of how your body is handling your diet.
Probably the best way to predict heart disease is actually by using a combination of information, including a special CT scan called a coronary artery calcium score that can actually see if there's calcium accumulating in the walls of the arteries if there's been vascular injury that has caused the calcium to be laid down there as the body's response. This is a test that is most accurate in predicting heart disease!
Something else called your triglyceride ratio should be considered also: divide your triglyceride number by your HDL number. This ratio should definitely be under 4. Anything higher and there might be a major issue with insulin resistance! The body is so complex, its hard to imagine how insulin has anything to do with the heart but it's true!
New scientific data is showing a very high correlation between insulin resistance and heart disease. Some researchers have found that 2/3 of the general population in North America has insulin resistance!! The biggest problem is our SAD diet and the fact that doctors rarely, if ever are testing insulin response. They're testing glucose response but not insulin and that is a major issue. Most people have no idea how excess insulin affects the body!! First the feedback loop for insulin down regulates the insulin receptors and that makes the pancreas produce more insulin!
This is a very complex biochemical feedback loop. I will link a video that explains what this has to do with heart disease for those like me, who like to see the scientific data and research closer up. Ivor Cummins explains it so well, see below.
You know what the definition of insanity is: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Well how is it not abundantly clear that for the past 50+ years, we've been led completely astray when it comes to diet advice? We know that heart disease and obesity and diabetes is at epidemic levels and yet everywhere on our grocers shelves are containers and boxes with food products in them with ingredient lists as long as my arm. How is this not glaringly obvious to the people who are supposed to be making decisions about what we should be putting in our bodies and most of all the fact that these companies are still making so many food products? Because consumers are actually still buying these frankenfoods and feeding them to their children and families! And when they get sick, which they will, they're taking drugs that are only treating the symptoms of disease!! Its a money making scheme and that's it.
We need to be looking the root cause of our illnesses and not taking pills to treat the symptoms!!
I know many people with NETs and autoimmune diseases follow my blog and I'm so happy you've stuck with me on this journey. Even if you have one disease, none of us are immune to the dangers of heart disease as it's the leading cause of death in North America and sadly all over the world in all the places that have started to eat the SAD diet. Those of us with these conditions have to be even more careful of how we treat our bodies, in order to prevent even further illness!
I will be focusing on other diet myths in hopes that others can see that there is a better way.
To learn more about what I've mentioned here, look up:
Ivor Cummins
Dr. Benjamin Bikman
Dr. Jeffry Gerber
Dr. Robert Lustig
댓글