The
following is taken from a website called Healthy3.co.uk and may be of interest to those people
who have had a heart attack or have been prescribed the use of statins in order
to lower their cholestrol levels. I take statins, having had a heart attack and
as a result my cholestrol level has been maintained at a reasonable level. I’m
not sure whether I would want to risk having another heart attack, as a result
of having a blood clot, but the information below is very interesting
Fats-
The Cholestrol Myth?
‘A
cardiology specialist has written about the “myth” of saturated fat in a
leading medical journal. Dr Aseem Malhotra suggests that full fat butter and
cheese are not as bad for the heart as previously been suggested. This view
goes against that of the majority of the medical establishment.’
‘Dr
Malhotra, a cardiology specialist registrar at Croydon University Hospital in
London says that four decades of medical wisdom of cutting down on saturated
fat to reduce the risk of heart disease may be wrong. He argues that the
saturated fats have been given a bad reputation since a major study in 1970
linked high levels of heart disease with high cholesterol and high saturated
intake. Dr Malhotra even suggests that eating foods that have not been
processed such as cheese, butter, eggs and yoghurt may even be good for the
heart.’
‘Saturated
fat should not be confused with “trans fats”, which are found in margarines,
cakes, chocolates and biscuits. Trans fats are universally recognised as being
bad for our health, and unlike saturated fats from dairy food, do not contain
any vitamins or minerals. Dairy foods are rich in vitamin A and D, calcium and
phosphorus, which can help to support cardiac function.’
‘Cutting
down on saturated fat has been the mantra from the health authorities, but
these fats are being replaced with refined carbohydrates or sugars which are
thought be more dangerous for cardiac health.’
‘The
current NHS guidelines recommend that the average man should eat no more than
30g of saturated fat a day and the average woman should eat no more than 20g of
saturated fat a day. Cutting down on sugar should be more of a priority
according to Dr Malhotra.’
‘Dr
Malhotra said, “From the analysis of the independent evidence that I have done,
saturated fat from non-processed food is not harmful and probably beneficial.
Butter, cheese, yoghurt and eggs are generally healthy and not detrimental. The
food industry has profited from the low-fat mantra for decades because foods
that are marketed as low-fat are often loaded with sugar. We are now learning
that added sugar in food is driving the obesity epidemic and the rise in
diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”’
‘Dr
Malhotra also questions the mass prescribing of statin medications, as he
believes that doctors are not assessing the risk of heart disease correctly.
Decades of warnings that high cholesterol levels cause heart disease have led
to over medication of statins in health patients, he claimed.’
‘“The
fact that no other cholesterol lowering drug has shown a benefit in terms of
mortality supports the hypothesis that the benefits of statins are independent
of their effects on cholesterol,” he wrote in the British Medical Journal.’
‘He
goes on to suggest that a Mediterranean diet is more effective than taking a
statin to promote a healthy heart and cholesterol levels.’
‘Dr
Malhotra also pointed out an interesting fact that although the amount of fat
consumed in the US has gone down in the past 30 years, obesity rates have
rocketed. This is linked to the amount of carbohydrates and sugars that are in
“low fat” versions of processed foods.’
Article
written by Rahul Shah and published on October 23rd 2013
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