cholesterol OT OT

[Sarah Fox]

Hi Thump,

> --- Sarah Fox <sarah@graphic-fusion.com> wrote:
> > Hi Duaine,
> >
> > > For real, doctors don't have a clue as to the
> > cause of high or low
> > > cholesterol (as well as other ailments, like
> > obesity)

er...  I didn't write *that* part!

> Oh, come on now! Cholesterol is produced by the liver,
> and the human body makes all that it needs. When
> animal flesh is eaten, though, the cholesterol in it
> enters the bloodsteam, sticks to to walls of arteries
> and eventually clogs them. This is why vegetarians are
> only about one-fifth as likely to have heart attacks
> or strokes. BASIC scientific knowledge, really! But
> not widely disseminated, because the doctors ( and
> rerereresearchers ) are having too much fun getting
> rich off Americans' unfortunate eating habits!

Not quite accurate.  Cholesterol doesn't actually "stick" to the artery
walls like some sort of scum.  Rather, it is sequestered by the cells lining
the arteries.  That is, is it taken into the cells and stored there.  So the
question becomes one of why these cells bloat themselves with cholesterol
and other lipids.

Actually, we have plenty of cholesterol, whether we eat it or not.  The jury
is still out, regarding the importance of dietary restrictions.  Exercise
still seems to be the best preventative, shifting the balance from
LDL-cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol that is carried
by High Density Lipoprotein to the liver for elimination from the body in
the form of bile salts).  Relative LDL/HDL levels seem to be more important
than the total (LDL+HDL) cholesterol level.  Total cholesterol just tells us
how much cholesterol is in transit in the blood stream, not actually how
much has been stored in the body.

The mechanisms of arterial plaque formation are even more mysterious.  I
believe the favored opinion is that high blood pressure causes strain in the
artery walls, and certain injured tissues tend to sequester lipids
(including cholesterol).  Lowering LDL-cholesterol (or raising
HDL-cholesterol) might slow this process down (or not), but it surely won't
stop it.  Soooo.... Even if you're a vegetarian, you should still get lots
of exercise.

Of course I'm one to talk.  I'm allergic to exercise, and I have low
HDL-cholesterol levels to show for it.  Fortunately (?) my blood pressure is
also nearly zero.  ;-)

Peace,
Sarah,
carnivore extraordinaire