The Cholesterol Con

Was the myth that high cholesterol causes heart disease invented just to benefit Big Pharma?

Cholesterol could easily be described as the smoking gun of the last two decades.

It's been responsible for demonizing entire categories of foods (like eggs and saturated fats) and blamed for just about every case of heart disease in the last 20 years.

Yet when I first opened my medical practice in the mid 80s, cholesterol, and the fear that yours was too high was rarely talked about.

Somewhere along the way however, cholesterol became a household word – something that you must keep as low as possible, or suffer the consequences.

You are probably aware that there are many myths that portray fat and cholesterol as one of the worst foods you can consume. Please understand that these myths are actually harming your health.

Not only is cholesterol most likely not going to destroy your health (as you have been led to believe), but it is also not the cause of heart disease.

And for those of you taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, the information that follows could not have been given to you fast enough. But before I delve into this life-changing information, let's get some basics down first. Read more

The Top 5 Cholesterol Myths

We are constantly bombarded with warnings about the dangers of cholesterol, but is everything we're being told the truth? Not quite.

Even if you think you know everything there is to know about cholesterol, there may be a few more surprises in store. Check out these common myths about high cholesterol; find out who’s most likely to have it, what types of food can cause it, and why—sometimes—cholesterol isn’t a bad word.

Myth 1: Americans have the highest cholesterol in the world
One of the world's enduring stereotypes is the fat American with cholesterol-clogged arteries who is a Big Mac or two away from a heart attack. As a nation, we could certainly use some slimming down, but when it comes to cholesterol levels we are solidly middle-of-the-road. Read more

Wine That Clears Your Arteries

Isn't it great when something good is also good for you? An Australian doctor is producing wines with up to 100 times the antioxidant content of standard wine, creating what he calls "vascular pipe-cleaners."

It sounds too good to be true, but an Australian doctor insists he has created the world's healthiest tipple: a wine that cleans the arteries as you drink it, reducing the risk of heart attack. Read more

Teetotalers Should Start Drinking

Though study after study has shown the health benefits of light to moderate alcohol consumption, doctors have been unwilling to recommend that people who don't drink start. However, a new study clearly shows that teetotalers who aren't at risk for alcoholism, but who are at risk for heart disease, should head to the nearest liquor store at their earliest opportunity.

People who do not drink alcohol may finally have a reason to start -- a study published on Friday shows non-drinkers who begin taking the occasional tipple live longer and are less likely to develop heart disease.

People who started drinking in middle age were 38 percent less likely to have a heart attack or other serious heart event than abstainers -- even if they were overweight, had diabetes, high blood pressure or other heart risks, Dr. Dana King of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and colleagues Read more