In reply to Jed Rothwell's message of Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:56:50 -0500: Hi, [snip] >But things like cholesterol >are much more complicated than the mass media portrays, because >cholesterol is made by the body, and not only ingested with food.
IMO cholesterol isn't actually a problem at all. Cholesterol plaques are just a symptom, not the cause. The body uses cholesterol as a "band aid", so it is reasonable to assume that where cholesterol plaques are occurring, there is something that needs patching up. I suspect that what needs patching is tiny holes in the fat layer surrounding arteries and nerves, and I think these holes are a consequence of substituting liquid oils for solid fats in our diet. I'm guessing that the body uses solid fats both as seals for liquids, and as electrical insulators, hence as a lining for blood vessels and nerves. BTW that would also mean that the brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's are made of cholesterol - same reason - leaky insulation, which in turn is the actual cause of the mental deterioration. Therefore the plaques are not the cause of the disease, just the body's response to it. Someone should do a study to see if there is a correlation between atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's and liquid oil (vegetable oils) intake. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/Project.html
