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My research focuses on the human genetics of lipoproteins (casually referred to as cholesterol, though in truth they are soluble cholesterol-fatty-acid-protein-

My research focuses on the human genetics of lipoproteins (casually referred to as cholesterol, though in truth they are soluble cholesterol-fatty-acid-protein-vitamin globs). I'm happy to address questions people may have on this. Though he makes some true statements, I feel that his thrust is misleading, and I'll plan to expand on this in another post. For example, you do need cholesterol to transport fat-soluble vitamins (K,A,D,E) - but the amount of cholesterol that you need is so extremely miniscule that there is no way, short of a Mendelian lipid disorder, to get your cholesterol low enough to worry about vitamin transport.

djacobs 16y ago
As a fellow molecular bio guy, I agree with you. I like a healthy degree of skepticism, and I think cholesterol is altogether too taboo in the US (to the point where people won't eat eggs, even though it's been shown that people do not absorb almost any cholesterol from eggs) BUT this guy uses a lot of misdirection in his post and I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth. This article amounts to saying "cholesterol is not always bad" (true) and "all of your cells need cholesterol" (true), therefore "most cholesterol is good for you" (probably false), and "don't try to lower your cholesterol using modern medicine" (too absolute a statement for me to buy). My take? 1. Physicians do need to question what they learn about medicines and their actual uses/usefulness. They need to avoid the temptation to latch onto medical zeitgeists and bandwagons, instead thinking through what they know and don't know about drugs they prescribe. 2. Skepticism is good, but it needs to be responsible skepticism. Especially with regards to complex medical issues, honesty and humility (not pre-conceived notions) are most important.
SoftwareMaven 16y ago
So what about the potential affect a systemic inflammation might have on cholesterol mentioned in TFA? If a person were suffering from some sort of systemic inflammation (would something like Crohn's Disease count?) have an increase in cholesterol?
- carbocation 16y ago
  Some forms of hepatic inflammation can lead to increased cholesterol synthesis. It's not clear why, say, intestinal inflammation would lead to an increase in cholesterol, and I'm not aware of evidence suggesting that it does so. Perhaps it does, but the research isn't there yet, and from a clinical standpoint it's not used.

djacobs 16y ago

As a fellow molecular bio guy, I agree with you. I like a healthy degree of skepticism, and I think cholesterol is altogether too taboo in the US (to the point where people won't eat eggs, even though it's been shown that people do not absorb almost any cholesterol from eggs) BUT this guy uses a lot of misdirection in his post and I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth. This article amounts to saying "cholesterol is not always bad" (true) and "all of your cells need cholesterol" (true), therefore "most cholesterol is good for you" (probably false), and "don't try to lower your cholesterol using modern medicine" (too absolute a statement for me to buy). My take? 1. Physicians do need to question what they learn about medicines and their actual uses/usefulness. They need to avoid the temptation to latch onto medical zeitgeists and bandwagons, instead thinking through what they know and don't know about drugs they prescribe. 2. Skepticism is good, but it needs to be responsible skepticism. Especially with regards to complex medical issues, honesty and humility (not pre-conceived notions) are most important.

SoftwareMaven 16y ago

So what about the potential affect a systemic inflammation might have on cholesterol mentioned in TFA? If a person were suffering from some sort of systemic inflammation (would something like Crohn's Disease count?) have an increase in cholesterol?

carbocation 16y ago
Some forms of hepatic inflammation can lead to increased cholesterol synthesis. It's not clear why, say, intestinal inflammation would lead to an increase in cholesterol, and I'm not aware of evidence suggesting that it does so. Perhaps it does, but the research isn't there yet, and from a clinical standpoint it's not used.