There are several reasons why we should be interested in the numbers reflecting the amount of cholesterol circulating in our bloodstream. However, to be able to interpret these numbers we have to know certain things about cholesterol as a chemical substance and its role health and disease. Interestingly, although cholesterol is an essential substance for … Read more
Recently many of us were provided an opportunity to watch a highly interesting video on the internet covering a talk given by Dr. Salim Yusuf at a recent Cardiology Update meeting. Dr. Yusuf is the Marion W. Burke Chair in Cardiovascular Disease at McMaster University Medical School in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and current President of … Read more
Elevated LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) is common among people who adopt a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) lifestyle. That’s why many physicians and nutritionists remain doubtful when it comes to LCHF, despite overwhelming evidence that such a dietary approach improves several other lipid parameters, usually leads to weight loss and positively affects glucose metabolism. Several studies have shown that LDL-C constitutes a major risk factor for the … Read more
Elevated blood cholesterol is a common reason why people see their doctor. Most of us have been told that high cholesterol increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, and we are usually urged to lower it by any means available. But, the problem is that high cholesterol is often harmless, and heart disease can occur in the absence of … Read more
The death rate from coronary artery disease (CAD) has declined considerably over the last three decades, mostly because of better control of risk factors and advances in therapy. However, due to the aging of the population and better survival of those affected, the prevalence of the disease remains high. The current epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes will likely escalate the problem further. Atherosclerosis, … Read more
Atherosclerosis is the most common underlying cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD. It is caused by a complex interplay between lipoproteins, white blood cells, the immune system and the normal elements of the arterial wall. Atherosclerosis can affect all arteries in the body but seems to have a strong affinity for the coronary arteries. The resulting … Read more
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are due to be published later this year. The Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) released February 23 this year suggested that we may see important changes of direction in certain areas. Since the publication of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines important scientific data has emerged … Read more
It’s been almost forty years since Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris sang about the guy who left his gypsy girl for a journey “to the valley below”. His final cup of coffee became a classic. One more cup of coffee for the road One more cup of coffee ‘fore I go To the valley below – Bob Dylan 1976 Coffee, second … Read more
During the first few months of this year, we’ve seen at least three strong signs suggesting that health authorities have misled the public for several decades about dietary fats. This finding is of particular interest because later this year the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will be published. Ever since the beginning of the 1960s, “eat less fat, in … Read more
We’re all aware of the aggressive campaign driven by public health authorities and medical professionals to decrease blood cholesterol. It all started more than fifty years ago when the Framingham Heart Study reported that high blood cholesterol was a major risk factor for coronary heart disease (1). Central to the dogma was the belief that lowering blood cholesterol would lower … Read more