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What is fat? Fat is one of the three macronutrients required to be eaten in comparatively big amounts each day (the other two are carbohydrates and protein). Fats and oils are officially known as lipids and they are insoluble in water. The divergence amidst fats and oils is:
Not all fats are bad. Some fats, such as necessary fatty acids, are genuinely very good for preserving proper health – the body requires a sure amount of fat each day for good health. Classification of fat Fat is a type of nutrient likewise known as lipids. Lipids include the following types:
Essential fatty acids Essential fatty acids are those fatty acids that the body cannot invent on it is own, so are required to be consumed on a each and everyday basis to assure good health. The two necessary fatty acids (EFAs) are:
One main function of EFA are to fabricate prostaglandins, which regulate bodily functions such as:
The body requires these two necessary fatty acids in a specific proportionality to regulate and maintain a lot of functions within the body. The proportionality commended is 4 (Omega 6) : 1 (Omega 3), but in the West, the ratio is more likely to be anyplace from 10:1 to 25:1, which current exploration shows is very unhealthy. |
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Honest about fat and cholesterol
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I admit to bias in this book review, having written one of the four Forwards in it. Dr. Ravnskov’s earlier book, The Cholesterol Myths, 2000, has become quite famous. When it went out-of-print around 2007 used copies had asking prices of $300. I read it in 2002 and referred to it frequently. As in the new book (FCGY), the complete lack of correlation between serum cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C and chance of atherosclerosis leading to heart attack was shown. Also, in both books, the lack of harm from eating animal fat (saturated) was shown from published trials. Some trials claimed the opposite, the still common myths that you hear frequently, but Ravnskov would look at the data in the medical papers and see whether those data matched the Abstract and Conclusions, finding often a disconnect. He is one of the few who would search the references of a paper to see whether the purpose the paper cited was actually supported by the content of the paper; often it was not. He also showed that reduction of cholesterol or LDL-C by old or new drugs such as the statins (Zocor, Lipitor) was of no benefit whatever, that the side effects of these drugs were more common and severe than claimed, and that their accidental benefits of being anti-inflammatory, like aspirin, were exaggerated by perversion of clinical trials by a level of patient selection far beyond what your physician would ever achieve.
In addition to all this, in FCGY, newer data from the nine recent years is woven into the original narrative. Some of the new data were whimsical, such as the correlation between heart attacks and animal fat, yellow fingers and the local tax rate. Hunh? Well, real studies show animal fat intake to be a benefit, opposite to the common dogma; yellow fingers is correct because it is from smoking tobacco; and the rate of heart attacks in the municipal districts of Stockholm, Sweden vs. the local tax rates has an excellent correlation; but could it be a cause?
A new sidebar revealed the storm of protest in Finland over a campaign by a dairy products producer to show the healthfulness of its products. As Finland is even more consumed by anti-fat campaigns than the USA, the manufacturer finally backed down. Another sidebar and a new chapter near the end explained why high-carb diets (even complex whole grain carbs) are disaster for diabetics. Another sidebar explained the lack of evidence for the term “bad cholesterol” for LDL-C, including a deep literature search that showed nothing in support of the claim. Another showed the uselessness of serum triglycerides (TG) to show good health, the lack of accuracy in the assay being one reason. Another showed the cheating in the huge (and expensive US taxpayers) MRFIT Study on about 360,000 subjects. Another showed the claims of Dr. Dean Ornish (and by implication, Pritikin, McDougall, Esselsteyn, etc.) of great results from a 6-factor lifestyle change were not backed by evidence. Another showed that the members of the committee of the National Cholesterol Education Program, pretending to be a government organization, all had multiple financial ties to the Big Pharma producers of the cholesterol lowering drugs.
New topics were introduced not in the older book. One was an honest attempt to explain what causes arterial lesions, atherosclerosis, then blockages leading to heart attacks, including the amazing finding that vaccination for influenza prevents heart attacks. Ravnskov showed that an arterial plaque that could break open was similar to a boil, and why veins do not become atherosclerotic. A final chapter answers another topic the earlier book did not address: how to avoid premature death from a heart attack.
There is a good index, and hundreds of citations, mostly to medical journals. The writing is easy to read, if “accented”. There are no wild claims. The only technical item I question is the term “cholesterol droplets” (p197) and the appearance of crystalline cholesterol, because the melting point of cholesterol is 149°C, far higher than body temperature of 37°C. Most cholesterol is present as esters such as the oleate and palmitate, which melt much lower and are more soluble in any fatty material.
The publisher did no favors in proof reading. Dozens of words are hyphenated as though they were on two lines, and sometimes even the location of the hyphen was odd. Loose was used at least twice when lose was meant.
Because of its exceptional honesty, depth of literature searching, logical correlations and connections, and even some humor, FCGY is strongly recommended. It should become a classic in its own right.
Fat and Cholesterol are Good for You
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This book tells it like it is!! Please read it so that you may become better informed about the hype on cholesterol. After reading this book you will be more able to make an educated decision regarding cholesterol. This truly is a laymen’s reader.
Excellent
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Excellent synopsis of the heart-diet myth exposes the fallacies behind the whole pharma-driven cholesterol scam. Minimal benefits purported by statins do not warrant the risk of serious side effects, some so subtle the patient doesn’t realize they are happening until it is too late. Pharma-sponsored studies manipulated to support non-existent benefits is well documented and allows the reader to do further investigation if desired. Allows one to draw their own conclusion with the revelation that the medical community does not yet really know the true causes of heart disease even though big-pharma educated doctors would have you believe they do.
The Truth Most Doc’s Won’t Know About
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
As a practicing internist (primary care physician) I found Ravnskov’s book extremely informative about an issue of the utmost importance to health concerns worldwide. The author has provided convincing documentation of scientific support for his views. I only wish it could become standard reading for physicians and their patients, since it presents us with a foreboding forecast of major health problems arising essentially from the greedy, and I believe immoral, behavior of the pharmaceutical industry. That same accusation applies to some of our most prominent and highly regarded professors in medical schools here and abroad, as well as some of our most respected medical journals. I can only hope this book challenges “the establishment” well enough to save some lives, and lead to a more enlightened public and medical domain.
My only criticism is that Ravnskov’s grammar and syntax are not quite perfect. However, he is certainly “easy to read”, and should be easily understood by any reader.
Shocking Title, but Solid Content
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The title is so politically incorrect, it may turn some people off from reading the book. This would be a mistake, because the message of the book is well documented with solid evidence that our treatment of high-cholesterol is creating a nation of sick people as we enrich the pockets of the drug companies. The very weak correlation between heart disease and high cholesterol needs to be exposed for the fraud that it is, and this book does it. With 13 million Americans on statin drugs, the toll our citizens are paying for bad medicine is a good example of why our country’s medical costs are astronomical.
You MUST read this book!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Beg, borrow or steal (ok maybe not steal) this book and read it. Especially if you are being told by a physician that you need to take cholesterol-lowering drugs to get your cholesterol ‘under control’. It could make the difference between years of suffering or not for you.
The book gives a level-headed, methodical and verifiable review of why medical science came to believe cholesterol is an enemy for us, and the cause of chronic heart disease (CHD). The author disputes conventional wisdom and claims that the very studies the pharmacy giants use to ‘prove’ cholesterol is bad for your health actually prove it is beneficial as well as innocent of the charge of CHD culprit.
As a layman, I benefited greatly from reading this book. I took from it that I don’t need to take dangerous statin drugs to lower my cholesterol, and that I can relax, eat normally and exercise to maintain my good health. The author gives specific references to each dispute he makes about the industry claims against cholesterol, so that you can research and verify it yourself. And his common sense approach makes more sense than the blanket statements from doctors and scientists about the harmful affects of cholesterol.
Don’t be duped into believing you need drugs to save you from a natural substance the body makes. Read this book first and then form your opinion.
In fact, give this book to your doctor and perhaps enlighten him/her!
If you want to understand cholesterol and heart disease, you cannot ignore this book. (neither should your doctor)
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
A rare talent is to be able to describe subject matter that requires a deep technical knowledge while making it accessible and easy to understand for the lay person. Dr Ravnskov is the expert’s own expert. He describes the cholesterol/heart disease hypothesis and explains it in very clear terms, so that ordinary people can understand what is involved. With the trained eye of a scientist, he assembles all of the available evidence, both positive and negative, and gently leads the reader through the experiments and the clinical research, that either supports the wholesale use of toxic medications or warns us of the consequences if we continue to ignore the irrefutable mountain of scientific data that underpins the benefits of cholesterol to the human body.
Every study, to which Dr Ravnskov refers, in this meticulously referenced book, is broken down and explained in terms with which the lay reader will be familiar. We learn of the research of Landé and Sperry (a pathologist and a biochemist) which was published in 1936. The surprise at their finding, that there was no association between the mount of cholesterol in the blood and atherosclerosis (the hardening and thickening of the artery walls), is as fresh for me today as it must have been for Landé and Sperry, perhaps because the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry don’t usually let the poor consumers have any access to these simple truths. Dr Ravnskov manages to convey the excitement of scientific discovery by documenting such important events in clear language.
Moving to the research of the 1950s, we learn of Ancel Keys and how he tailored the facts fit his own pet theories, while conveniently ignoring anything that would spoil a good story. The story of ‘bad’ and ‘good’ cholesterol is unravelled piece by piece and I found it hard to put the book down. It was like reading a good detective novel, with small clues being found throughout the plot. The conclusions do not have to be drawn for the reader, by Dr Ravnskov, for the obvious answers are stark, once the confusion is cleared away. The reader can easily see that ‘bad’ cholesterol is a convenient fairy-tale, that would not have looked out of place if it were sitting on the library shelf of Hans Christian Andersen, next to Thumbelina, The Red Shoes. The Snow Queen and The Ugly Duckling.
Dr Ravnskov goes on to explain the role of cholesterol in the body and then he details how different cholesterol values in different nations, do not produce the expected results. There is no rabid denunciation of people who are mistaken in their researches. Unlike the manner in which the establishment decry this solid and honest attempt to understand a specific piece of biochemistry, in order to prevent people from suffering needless infirmity or more serious consequences.
If you are concerned about heart disease and the relationship that cholesterol may have in its beginnings, you owe it to yourself to become better informed. it is unlikely that your medical practitioner will be as well-informed as this book. You, in turn, will be able to ask your family doctor some crucial questions because of the knowledge that you will gain from reading this book. If it prevents you from poisoning yourself with cholesterol reducing medicines and stops you worrying about heart disease, so that you are less prone to being stressed, then Dr Ravnskov will have rendered a much needed service to you, without you being one of his own fortunate patients. If nothing else, reading this book will remind you of the joy of eating foods that contain fat. I am considerably happier now that I can eat fat containing foods again. Full fat cheeses, Meats, Jersey Cream milk, Eggs and Fried Bacon. Mmmmm…. lovely!
comprehensive
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Either or both of these books are worthwhile reading for anyone interested in the subject in any depth. The authors positions seem well supported by the available evidence and extensive studies. Its really somewhat breathaking to consider the ease with which the advocates of the saturated fat,cholesterol, heart disease progression have been able to dodge and dismiss the body of findings that undermine their hypothesis.Given the heightened contemporary awareness of “womens issues” in medicine the fact that there is serious doubt that statins provide any discernible benefit for women would seem to have been sufficient to generate a more audible outcry.
Fat and Cholesterol are Good for You
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
What makes this book special is that the author (Uffe Ravnskov,MD,PHD), doesn’t just give his opinion, but explains in detail with many examples, why eating fat and having high cholesterol is not only not bad for us, but is acually good for us! Many qualified doctors and laymen have argued this point for years inspite of the the fact that so called experts(read “powers to be”)have perpetuated both the fat and the cholesterol myths to protect their reputations and to fatten not onlt their wallets but also the wallets of the drug companies that fund these drug trials! If you’re interested in the truth, read this book!
Relax about cholesterol,enjoy life,enjoy food!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have read both of Dr.Ravnskov’s books The Cholesterol Myths” and “Fat and Cholesterol are good for you”.They put hard to understand information into terms a non-medical person can understand.I have read many other books on the issue also.There are so many roadblocks with the prevailing lipid hypothesis it is astonishing to me it continues to perpetuate.I have purchased 5 of his new books one for my internist and one for cardiologist,the rest for family.I am wondering if the physicians will even accept them, but I will find out.I thank people like Dr.Ravnskov and all the others in THINCS for having the GUTS to speak their mind for what they believe to be true and go against the overwhelming majority who A.have blinders on.B.do not want to be rejected by their peers.C.are afraid of malpractice suits.D.Who benefit from profits.My mother lived to 98 years of age dying just 2 months ago, despite having high cholesterol her whole life and told me when she was growing up you hardly ever heard of anyone dying of cancer and she was amazed at all the cancer deaths today.Drs today will say oh well, people then didn’t live long enough to get cancer, but this is not true, 40 or 50 years ago people did live long enough.This era was pre-statins and now look at the cancer rates.I know many people in their 40′s to 60′s who have cancer or have died from it.Not to blame statins because there is no proof and many other factors we did not have years ago.I,m not going to take a chance with statins and instead continue a varied diet with everything in moderation.I HIGHLY recommend Dr Ravnskov’s new book Fat and Cholesterol is Good for You.
Fat and Cholesterol are Good For You
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The book was very informative. I liked, especially, the references to almost every criticism he made on the prevailing sentiment on Cholesterol by the establishment. The book was well written. I definitely feel I know more about the topic than most family doctors.
A must read for everyone
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This book is written by a highly credentialled and honest MD and scientist Dr. Uffe Ravnskov.
The book is written for the layman and does not use stratospheric jargon. it is written is a very clear simple language. However for those with the desire to go deeper into the subject he provides a precise and voluminous list of references for each chapter.
The book tells of the outrageous mess that has been made of the chlesterol/heart disease hypothesis and shows with utmost precision and great care in the analysis of all the vailable clinical trials and scientific papers that all or most of the “proof” allegedly supporting the conclusion that High blood cholesterol levels cause cardiaiac disease was derived eitherv from ignorance in interpretation of statistical results or (even worse) by intentional manipulation of the statistical data and by stubbornly ignoring all studies which do not support the hypothesis ( or by simply stating that they support the hipothesis without bothering to actually read them).
Ravnkov also exposes the reason for this twisting and manipulation of the actual data by showing that most “Authorities” or authors behind the wrong conclusions or positive reviews and reports have good connections ( by good I mean financial) with the drug companies who profit tens of billions of dollars by selling the cholesterol lowering drugs called Statins.
Moreover, in addition to providing strong evidence that heart attacks are probably not caused by high blood cholesterol (at least the scientific data does not allow attributing a statistically significant causative relationship), he goes on to show that the numerous side effects caused by taking Statins are quite dangerous and that many studies actually show that while Statins did slightly reduce the number of non-fatal heart attacks in the treated group, there was an allarming increase in the overall death rate in the treatment group as compared to control group. In other words, even if you take statins and may actually reduce your chances of having a non-fatal heart attack by a fraction of a percent you have inadvertently increased your chances of dying from cancer and some other debilitating neurological disorders or even simple infections (as compared to people of the same age group who do not take statins).
Ravnskov also shows that high blood cholestrol has many protective roles mainly in neuronal functioning and higher cognitive functions such as memory and in fighting bacterial toxins in infections so if you take statins for lowering blood cholesterol you may actually be exposing yourself to new health related risks.
Finally Dr. Ravnkov suggests an alternative hypothesis regarding the cause for placque formation and arterial atherosclerosis in which he shows that some data supports a role for bacterial and viral infections actually being the cause for atherosclerosis.
The book is highly interesting and extremely informative, it is highly recommended for anyone who has high blood cholesterol who is either on a low cholesterol diet and definitely for anyone who is taking statins or any other cholesterol reducing drugs.
I personally have stopped taking Simvastatin as a result of reading this book and returned to a normal diet with animal fat ( eggs, butter, red meat and cheese).
I think I will die a happier man ( for whatever death cause)/
My only gripe with this book is that the translation from Swedish (or Danish ?) is not really fluent and there are some quirks in the translation. In particular overuse of hyphens in many words were that shouldn’t have happened – however given the overall importance of the book and the fact that this is not a poetry book this is just nitpicking (that’s why I gave the book only four stars and not five).
In short- a highly recommended book written by a truly concerned physician with an unorthodox irreverence to “authorities” (I.e. Big money and Big Pharma – AKA the “Steamroller”). Given the fact that the NIH or other health authorities are now trying to recommend that 50% of the population to take statins for their entire lifespan (Guess who is behind the campaign), I think everyone should read the book.