Ancel Keys, a started us down the path of vilifying LDL cholesterol-increasing saturated fat with his Lipid Hypothesis, similar to the Diet-Heart Hypothesis. He cherry-picked data to suit his hypthosis in his epidemiological Seven Countries Study and this hypothesis was taken as fact even though there was no solid evidence from radomized control trials to back it up. Eventually the lipid hypthosis was adopted by the medical community and pharmaceutical companies started selling highly profitable LDL cholesterol lowering Statins. Statins are now the standard of care for preventing cardiovascular disease but some statin side effects that concern me are: insulin resistance and cognitive impairment.
CBC's Marketplace – Food Fact Check Episode raised a concern about coconut oil, which is a saturated fat rich in medium chain fatty acids. I believe this was a misinformed concern because the evidence suggests that saturated fats are beneficial and the war on LDL cholesterol has been misguided. The following research papers concern LDL cholesterol:
- BMJ: Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73) – MCE participants who had greater reductions in serum cholesterol had a higher, rather than lower, risk of death
- Malcolm Gladwell: The Basement Tapes – Review of Minnesota Coronary Experiment including interview with principal researcher’s son
- T&F Online: Statins stimulate atherosclerosis and heart failure: pharmacological mechanisms
- JACC: Saturated Fats and Health: A Reassessment and Proposal for Food-based Recommendations: JACC State-of -the-Art Review
- AHAJ: Effect of Intensive Versus Standard Lipid-Lowering Treatment With Atorvastatin on the Progression of Calcified Coronary Atherosclerosis Over 12 Months/a>
- BMJ: Lack of an association or an inverse association between low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and mortality in the elderly: a systematic review
- NCBI: Association Between Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels and Risk for Sepsis Among Patients Admitted to the Hospital With Infection
- BMC: Cholesterol levels and long-term rates of community-acquired sepsis
- The Lancet: Total Cholesterol and risk of mortality in the oldest old
- The Lancet: Cholesterol and all-cause mortality in elderly people from the Honolulu Heart Program: a cohort study
- QJM: High cholesterol may protect against infections and atherosclerosis
- NCBI: Serum Lipoproteins are Critical for Pulmonary Innate Defense against Staphylococcus aureus Quorum Sensing
- Cambridge: Serum cholesterol and cognitive functions: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936
- Springer: Increased risk of diabetes with statin treatment is associated with impaired insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion: a 6 year follow-up study of the METSIM cohort
- AJGP: The Effect of HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors on Cognition in Patients With Alzheimer's Dementia: A Prospective Withdrawal and Rechallenge Pilot Study
- A coconut extra virgin oil-rich diet increases HDL cholesterol and decreases waist circumference and body mass in coronary artery disease patients