NEW RESEARCH POINTS TO FACTORS OTHER THAN SATURATED FAT AS A PRIMARY CAUSE OF HEART DISEASE

 

Only a few months ago, a new study pointed to factors other than the consumption of fats, saturated or not, as the primary cause of heart disease and hardening of the arteries.  In fact, high levels of carnitine were partly to be considered the culprit, at least in that wide ranging study.

New evidence now seems to continue leading away from the age old theories of the role of saturated fat in heart disease. 

Cardiologist are now trying to reverse the decades old policy that drives dietary and medicinal treatment.  They think it is time to put to rest the 'myth' as they call it, of the primary role of saturated fat in coronary disease. 

The concerns of the doctors, primarily, is to do away with the myth because it causes millions of people to be overmedicated with statins, whose record or long term effects are starting to show some controversial results.  

In fact, UK researchers have noted that the real problem of heart disease stems from a complex triplet of lipid abnormalities, which goes under the name of "atherogenic dyslipidemia".

In addition, researchers are noticing that a reduced fat diet can actually worsen the patient's overall medical picture, since fats are believed to have a positive role in some cases.

What seems to be more the culprit than fats or carnitine, is the consumption of sugar.  The evidence they say, is the fact, that although Americans have adopted low fat diets, the rate of obesity has skyrocketed, showing that a carbohydrate filled diet is much more dangerous than a low fat one. 

The other problem is that some saturated fat comes from products that provide other essential vitamins, both A and D for example.  Such diets have caused a veritable vitamin D deficiency epidemic, with disastrous consequences.  In addition, important minerals, some essential to basic metabolic functions, such as calcium, are being lost to a low fat diet. 

Some dairy products most packed with saturated fat contain a high density lipoprotein, which is the good cholesterol component of the total cholesterol equation.  This good cholesterol is very beneficial and can prevent diabetes.

Meat too, although it does present other issues, if eaten lean and not processed, is shown to not have a heart disease provoking effect. 

One of the risks associated with lowering of the cholesterol through statin medication is that the therapy has failed to prove beneficial and is showing signs of some negative effects.  In the UK alone, 60 million people are using statins on a massive scale, and yet the numbers of heart disease cases and related data has proven that the medications are not bettering the picture.  The medications furthermore, were adopted eagerly, after a Framingham heart study showed that total cholesterol was the culprit in coronary heart disease. 

An important fact that was observed in people who are now arriving in the hospital with a heart attack, is that their cholesterol levels are normal, yet they have metabolic syndrome, as described above. 

What is in fact emerging, is that the statin trials brought forth evidence of therapeutical effects that are not standing up to real life cases.  Not only, but the 1% side effect percentage touted by the trials of statins, has now translated into an almost 20% incidence of adverse effects in patients, ranging from gastric upset, sleep disturbance, and other symptoms. 

The only thing that still somewhat holds in the medical observation of real cases, is that statins might help in preventing a further heart attack, because they do stabilize coronary plaques. 

A Mediterranean diet, in fact, has shown to be 300% more effective at controlling or reducing cardiovascular deaths than statin therapy.  That diet concentrates on olive oil use, cereals, fish and poultry, vegetables and dairy food. 

Source : MNT / 10.25.13