Read Online The Great Cholesterol Myth by Jonny Bowden - Free Book Online
Authors: Jonny Bowden
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pair-bond with and meanwhile, inflicting enormous damage upon your cells and DNA.
The free radicals that come from oxygen (known, not surprisingly, as
oxygen free radicals)
are the most deadly and damaging. (Now you know what the term “
anti
oxidants” means—it’s a class of substances, including certain vitamins, minerals, and many plant chemicals, that helps neutralize free radicals, soaking them up like little sponges, thus limiting the damage they can do to your body. The reason cut apple slices don’t turn brown so quickly when you squirt lemon juice on them is because lemon juice contains a fair amount of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant.)
Free radicals are so important that in the mid-1950s a scientist named Denham Harman, M.D., Ph.D., put forth a theory called the Free Radical Theory ofAging that remains popular to this day. 2 In it he basically proposes that aging is a kind of “rusting from within,” largely due to the damage caused by oxygen free radicals.
Okay, hold that thought. We’re going to come back to it. But before we go any further, let’s look at the arteries, or more specifically the arterial walls, because that’s where the damage starts.
Ground Zero for Damage: Introducing the Endothelium
The arterial walls are anything but hard and firm. They’re composed of smooth muscle that expands and contracts like a mini accordion; they respond to the rhythm of the heart and accommodate the pulsing of the blood. These arteries—far from being a static system of tubes and pipes—are a living, breathing,
very
dynamic organ. And the innermost layer of the artery walls—the “interface,” if you will, between the blood inside the arteries and the walls that contain it—is a central player in our little drama. This layer is called the
endothelium
—and it’s the starting point for the damage that can ultimately lead to a heart attack.
Big word, endothelium, yes, not often bandied about in cocktail party chatter about heart disease, but it’s one of the most important places in the arteries foryou to know about because
that’s
where the damage to your arteries starts. The endothelium is only one cell thick, but it’s where a tremendous amount of biochemical activity takes place. There’s even a name for the pathological state in which damage to that innermost layer exists—it’s called
endothelial dysfunction
, and it’s a key event in the development of heart disease.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Cholesterol is the parent molecule for sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone) as well as vitamin D and bile acids needed for digestion.
• The only time cholesterol is a problem is if it’s
oxidized
(damaged).
• Damaged or oxidized LDL cholesterol sticks to the lining of the arteries and begins the process of inflammation.
• The true cause of heart disease is inflammation.
• Inflammation is initiated by damage from free radicals (oxidative stress).
• The concept of “good” and “bad” cholesterol is outdated.
• There are several types of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and several types of HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
• It is far more important to know whether you have a pattern A or pattern B LDL cholesterol profile than to know your total amount of LDLs.
• A cholesterol level of 160 mg/dL or less has been linked to depression, aggression, cerebral hemorrhages, and loss of sex drive.
FOR MEN ONLY
Note to the men reading this: Endothelial dysfunction has the same acronym (ED) as another condition you may be familiar with or concerned about: erectile dysfunction. They’re not unrelated. Our friend Mark Houston, M.D., director of the Hypertension Institute and an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University, wryly commented, “I’ve never seen a case of ED (erectile dysfunction) that didn’t also have ED (endothelial dysfunction).”
Bottom line: A healthy functioning endothelium is essential for . . . more things than just the
The free radicals that come from oxygen (known, not surprisingly, as
oxygen free radicals)
are the most deadly and damaging. (Now you know what the term “
anti
oxidants” means—it’s a class of substances, including certain vitamins, minerals, and many plant chemicals, that helps neutralize free radicals, soaking them up like little sponges, thus limiting the damage they can do to your body. The reason cut apple slices don’t turn brown so quickly when you squirt lemon juice on them is because lemon juice contains a fair amount of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant.)
Free radicals are so important that in the mid-1950s a scientist named Denham Harman, M.D., Ph.D., put forth a theory called the Free Radical Theory ofAging that remains popular to this day. 2 In it he basically proposes that aging is a kind of “rusting from within,” largely due to the damage caused by oxygen free radicals.
Okay, hold that thought. We’re going to come back to it. But before we go any further, let’s look at the arteries, or more specifically the arterial walls, because that’s where the damage starts.
Ground Zero for Damage: Introducing the Endothelium
The arterial walls are anything but hard and firm. They’re composed of smooth muscle that expands and contracts like a mini accordion; they respond to the rhythm of the heart and accommodate the pulsing of the blood. These arteries—far from being a static system of tubes and pipes—are a living, breathing,
very
dynamic organ. And the innermost layer of the artery walls—the “interface,” if you will, between the blood inside the arteries and the walls that contain it—is a central player in our little drama. This layer is called the
endothelium
—and it’s the starting point for the damage that can ultimately lead to a heart attack.
Big word, endothelium, yes, not often bandied about in cocktail party chatter about heart disease, but it’s one of the most important places in the arteries foryou to know about because
that’s
where the damage to your arteries starts. The endothelium is only one cell thick, but it’s where a tremendous amount of biochemical activity takes place. There’s even a name for the pathological state in which damage to that innermost layer exists—it’s called
endothelial dysfunction
, and it’s a key event in the development of heart disease.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Cholesterol is the parent molecule for sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone) as well as vitamin D and bile acids needed for digestion.
• The only time cholesterol is a problem is if it’s
oxidized
(damaged).
• Damaged or oxidized LDL cholesterol sticks to the lining of the arteries and begins the process of inflammation.
• The true cause of heart disease is inflammation.
• Inflammation is initiated by damage from free radicals (oxidative stress).
• The concept of “good” and “bad” cholesterol is outdated.
• There are several types of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and several types of HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
• It is far more important to know whether you have a pattern A or pattern B LDL cholesterol profile than to know your total amount of LDLs.
• A cholesterol level of 160 mg/dL or less has been linked to depression, aggression, cerebral hemorrhages, and loss of sex drive.
FOR MEN ONLY
Note to the men reading this: Endothelial dysfunction has the same acronym (ED) as another condition you may be familiar with or concerned about: erectile dysfunction. They’re not unrelated. Our friend Mark Houston, M.D., director of the Hypertension Institute and an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University, wryly commented, “I’ve never seen a case of ED (erectile dysfunction) that didn’t also have ED (endothelial dysfunction).”
Bottom line: A healthy functioning endothelium is essential for . . . more things than just the
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