Watch Your Diet

I came across an article recently written by well-know cardiologist,who stated that cholesterol is not the enemy but inflammation caused by numerous substances is the real death sentence. This same doctor has performed over 5000 heart surgeries and has been named as one of the top doctors in the country for many years.

The link between cholesterol and heart disease was established by the "Framingham study" in 1961 and the war on cholesterol began. At this time, the big drug companies and lobbyists saw the writing on the wall and the money that could be made. Soon after, the low-fat theory was born and the Food Pyramid came into play promoting manufactured, low-fat foods filled with sugar, processed starches and unhealthy oils.

These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated. The established dietary recommendations from the 60's have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which are not only affecting older adults but to the kids of the future.

Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before. The numbers don't lie. Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes.

Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped. Inflammation is not complicated — it is quite simply your body's natural defence to a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process, a condition occurs called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute inflammation is beneficial.

We have simply followed the recommended mainstream diet that is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. This repeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.

What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods. Pretty much everything you find in the middle aisles of the grocery store.