Saturated fat is a beautiful thing. And worrying about cholesterol levels is a waste of time for almost everybody.
Now, this isn’t what you’re hearing in the doctor’s office or reading in magazines or hearing pretty much anywhere else, but it’s absolute fact. Science says so.
So let’s talk about what the science says.
Raise up a cheer if your cholesterol is between 200 and 300. Your brain needs cholesterol to function, as does your nervous system and your entire endocrine system–which adds up to pretty much everything that goes on in your body.
Let me be blunt: If you don’t have enough cholesterol, your brain function hits the skids. You’re inviting dementia if you keep up the low cholesterol tango. Since our bodies make all hormones from cholesterol our endocrine system takes a whack when our cholesterol levels fall below 200.Any way you want to look at it, low cholesterol levels invite danger.
Besides creating weak muscles, stuttering brains and no energy, low cholesterol invites cancer and strokes. The death rate goes up as cholesterol is artificially reduced to 180 or below. A cholesterol level of 160 or below increases your chances of heart problems. And at 150, Katy bar the door, because that’s where you start sending out engraved invitations to cancer and stroke. Alzheimer’s joins the party at about 130.
Do you need more of a reason to just say ‘no’ to statin drugs?
Having celebrated cholesterol let me add that eating saturated fat reduces cholesterol levels. Why is that okay, but statins aren’t? Because it’s a natural process that allows the body to do what the body knows how to do, not an artificial one that interferes with what the body’s trying to do.
Statin drugs stomp in wearing steel-toed boots and start breaking the furniture. Eating saturated fat, on the other hand, enhances your health prospects.
And saturated fat helps you control your weight. A recent study showed that kids who drank whole milk weighed less than kids who drank low-fat milk. The Atkins Diet, with 150 years of science behind it, works wonders with its 60% saturated fat, medium protein, low-carb approach. Did you know that Dr. Atkins was a cardiologist?
One thing about saturated fat, though. It can’t come from grain fed animals. Grains turn saturated fat from a friend into an enemy. Read my article, “Does It Matter What Cows Eat?” for details.
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