Book Review - The Cholesterol myths

I just finished reading a scientific book called "The Cholesterol Myths: Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease" by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD. Quite an eye-opener! Here are the myths as presented in the book:

Myth 1. High-fat foods cause heart disease.
Myth 2. High cholesterol causes heart disease.
Myth 3. High-fat foods raise blood cholesterol.
Myth 4. Cholesterol blocks arteries.
Myth 5. Animal studies prove the diet-heart idea (the idea that high-fat foods and high cholesterol cause heart disease).
Myth 6. Lowering your cholesterol will lengthen your life.
Myth 7. Polyunsaturated fats are good for you.
Myth 8. The cholesterol campaign is based on good science.
Myth 9. All scientists support diet-heart idea.

The author reviews the studies that supposedly proved that cholesterol and fat are bad for you - and he explains why these studies don't actually prove these allegations against fat. A statement by Professor Paul Rosch at New York Medical College sums up the cholesterol myths quite nicely: "The public is so brainwashed, that many people believe that the lower your cholesterol, the healthier you will be or the longer you will live. Nothing could be further from the truth. The cholesterol cartel of drug companies, manufacturers of low-fat foods, blood-testing devices and others with huge vested financial interests have waged a highly successful promotional campaign. Their power is so great that they have infiltrated medical and governmental regulatory agencies that would normally protect us from such unsubstantiated dogma." Professor Rosch reminds us that practicing physicians get most of their information from the drug companies, and they don't have the time to evaluate reports or research on cholesterol.

If you want to learn more about cholesterol, fat and heart disease (this is info the mainstream media and doctors generally don't know), here are a couple more books about food and fats. "Know Your Fats" by Mary Enig. "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes. "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. "Real Food: What to Eat and Why" by Nina Planck.

It's the kind of fat you eat that matters, though. Healthy fats include virgin organic coconut oil, whole milk products and eggs from PASTURE-FED animals, and extra-virgin olive oil.