The world is full of information. It’s also full of misinformation.
Sometimes it’s hard to know which is which, especially when evidence arises that contradicts conventional wisdom.
Whom do you trust?
Diet fads, scientific theories, and experts come and go–but Nature remains.
When it comes to what you eat, getting as close to her as possible always seems the safest bet.
Arterial Plaque Causes Heart Disease, Not Cholesterol.
Cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease. Consuming fats doesn’t cause heart disease. The accumulation of gunk in your artery walls is what causes heart disease. Arterial plaque–like dental plaque–is a sticky accumulation of waste that gets stuck in your arteries:
“Risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, infections and smoking cause damage to the artery walls. As the body attempts to repair these injured spots, plaque forms. It’s a misnomer that plaque is just fat; it’s a graveyard of dead red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, cholesterol from those dead cells, and numerous different organisms including bacteria and viruses. That’s what is in the plaque–not just fat and cholesterol.”
Medical Director of Northwestern Wellness Center Larry Kaskel, MD is a lipidologist who believes the conventional wisdom around saturated fat, cholesterol, and heart disease is misdirected. Its focus is on symptoms, not cause.
He believes the primary risk factor of heart disease is inflammation in the artery walls, even going so far as to suggest that it’s an infectious disease caused by inflamed plaque scabs. Makes sense, since we know that inflammation in the body causes many other chronic conditions and disease like rheumatoid arthritis, Chron’s disease, and asthma.
If there are unhealthy bacteria and viruses stuck in the goo, we can see how the accumulation of plaque could cause not only arterial restriction but manifest any number of symptoms.