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This doesn’t seem like very good advice to me. Did you know that cholesterol ”serves as a precursor for the biosynthesis of steroid hormones, bile acid and vit

This doesn’t seem like very good advice to me. Did you know that cholesterol ”serves as a precursor for the biosynthesis of steroid hormones, bile acid and vitamin D.” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol Cholesterol is the precursor for nearly all the hormones in our body. I didn’t learn about this until very recenty. ”Steroid hormones can be grouped into two classes: corticosteroids (typically made in the adrenal cortex, hence cortico-) and sex steroids (typically made in the gonads or placenta). Within those two classes are five types according to the receptors to which they bind: glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids (both corticosteroids) and androgens, estrogens, and progestogens (sex steroids).” Cholesterol is the precursor for ALL OF THESE. Including cortisol. ”Steroid hormones help control metabolism, inflammation, immune functions, salt and water balance, development of sexual characteristics, and the ability to withstand injury and illness.” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steroid_hormone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steroid_hormone I do not see the proposal to avoid cholesterol as a default way of living to be grounded in any kind of solid scientific basis. Having read the studies as well as I can. It was also very interesting and important to learn what *low* cortisol does. And afaik there is “competition” for cholesterol resources when there isn’t enough cholesterol. Sex hormones are usually the first to be turned off when there’s a problem in steroid hormone synthesis. And sex hormones do a lot for well-being.

zarzavat 4y ago
Sodium is necessary for neural activity, which I assume most people would say is a useful thing to have. It doesn’t mean we should load up on salt. I’m not saying that consuming more cholesterol is bad for you, or even that consuming more salt is bad for you. But we need to be careful about inferring deficiency from the fact that a given nutrient is essential. It’s absolutely possible for a nutrient to be important yet commonly over-consumed, it’s also possible for a nutrient to be important and yet to have a very wide window whereby people get similar health outcomes from moderate or high consumption (e.g. vitamin C).
- AnthonBerg 4y ago
  Agreed! I want to underline that the avoidance of a nutrient should be based in fact, and I also want to suggest that people examine what facts lay under a given piece of advice. I do not see a clear scientific structure that would serve as a foundation for avoiding cholesterol as a general and default thing to almost always do. I do not see references to any such basis of evidence in the article. And have seen evidence that supports making several rather different conclusions than the article does. There’s also the question of outdated science. Saturated fat was believed to harm pancreatic islet cells. As far as I understand more recent studies, it is the opposite. We can ask ourselves: Is the full picture being re-examined when it ought to? How do we know? How do we know if the author of this article has cared to do that? In short: Is it science?
cesnja 4y ago
So is dietary cholesterol linked to in-blood cholesterol or not? In either case you'd be better off lowering the intake.
- AnthonBerg 4y ago
  Great question! I ask myself: Why?, or rather how? What is that assumption based on?, that lowering cholesterol intake is better? That lowering blood cholesterol is better? All blood cholesterol, is it always better to lower it? Is this supported by studies which have not been superseded by more recent evidence? Because as I see it: It isn’t. And I don’t see that the article exposes how the conclusion is reached.
  - cesnja 4y ago
    Some Sunday reading below. Low intake of dietary cholesterol can prevent heart disease: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16596800/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16596800/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3052353/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3052353/ Reducing ... dietary cholesterol ... reduces LDL cholesterol: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9101427 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9101427 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12566134 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12566134 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11593354 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11593354 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24139973 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24139973 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2174214 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2174214 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12716665 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12716665 As LDL cholesterol increases (and HDL cholesterol decreases), artery plaque increases: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14623804 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14623804 The greatest impact on lowering total and LDL cholesterol comes from reducing saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, and increasing fiber-rich complex carbohydrates: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/95/12/2701.full http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/95/12/2701.full Increased total cholesterol is associated with increased risk of several cancers: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21422422 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21422422 Increased cholesterol levels may increase breast cancer development: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22867847 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22867847 Increased LDL cholesterol in breast tissue may reduce survival time of breast cancer patients: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3081176 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3081176 High dietary cholesterol intakes may have undesirable effects related to the development of coronary artery disease: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16549459 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16549459 Dietary cholesterol may accelerate atherosclerosis: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12562864 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12562864 Dietary cholesterol is harmful to the arteries: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725 High cholesterol increases breast cancer risk: http://www.pcrm.org/health/medNews/high-cholesterol-increases-risk-of-breast-cancer http://www.pcrm.org/health/medNews/high-cholesterol-increase... High cholesterol levels lower fertility: http://www.pcrm.org/high-cholesterol-levels-lower-fertility http://www.pcrm.org/high-cholesterol-levels-lower-fertility High cholesterol intake is associated with increased type 2 and gestational diabetes: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21324948 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21324948 High total and LDL cholesterol are associated with cognitive impairment in old age: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11890840 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11890840 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16156481 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16156481 http://www.sciencemag.org/content/294/5542/508.summary http://www.sciencemag.org/content/294/5542/508.summary http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361923011001870 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361923011... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11571339 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11571339 Reduction in cholesterol level benefits stroke, total, and cardiovascular mortality risk: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=417802 http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=417802

zarzavat 4y ago

Sodium is necessary for neural activity, which I assume most people would say is a useful thing to have. It doesn’t mean we should load up on salt. I’m not saying that consuming more cholesterol is bad for you, or even that consuming more salt is bad for you. But we need to be careful about inferring deficiency from the fact that a given nutrient is essential. It’s absolutely possible for a nutrient to be important yet commonly over-consumed, it’s also possible for a nutrient to be important and yet to have a very wide window whereby people get similar health outcomes from moderate or high consumption (e.g. vitamin C).

AnthonBerg 4y ago
Agreed! I want to underline that the avoidance of a nutrient should be based in fact, and I also want to suggest that people examine what facts lay under a given piece of advice. I do not see a clear scientific structure that would serve as a foundation for avoiding cholesterol as a general and default thing to almost always do. I do not see references to any such basis of evidence in the article. And have seen evidence that supports making several rather different conclusions than the article does. There’s also the question of outdated science. Saturated fat was believed to harm pancreatic islet cells. As far as I understand more recent studies, it is the opposite. We can ask ourselves: Is the full picture being re-examined when it ought to? How do we know? How do we know if the author of this article has cared to do that? In short: Is it science?

cesnja 4y ago

So is dietary cholesterol linked to in-blood cholesterol or not? In either case you'd be better off lowering the intake.

AnthonBerg 4y ago
Great question! I ask myself: Why?, or rather how? What is that assumption based on?, that lowering cholesterol intake is better? That lowering blood cholesterol is better? All blood cholesterol, is it always better to lower it? Is this supported by studies which have not been superseded by more recent evidence? Because as I see it: It isn’t. And I don’t see that the article exposes how the conclusion is reached.
- cesnja 4y ago
  Some Sunday reading below. Low intake of dietary cholesterol can prevent heart disease: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16596800/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16596800/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3052353/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3052353/ Reducing ... dietary cholesterol ... reduces LDL cholesterol: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9101427 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9101427 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12566134 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12566134 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11593354 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11593354 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24139973 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24139973 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2174214 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2174214 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12716665 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12716665 As LDL cholesterol increases (and HDL cholesterol decreases), artery plaque increases: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14623804 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14623804 The greatest impact on lowering total and LDL cholesterol comes from reducing saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, and increasing fiber-rich complex carbohydrates: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/95/12/2701.full http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/95/12/2701.full Increased total cholesterol is associated with increased risk of several cancers: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21422422 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21422422 Increased cholesterol levels may increase breast cancer development: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22867847 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22867847 Increased LDL cholesterol in breast tissue may reduce survival time of breast cancer patients: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3081176 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3081176 High dietary cholesterol intakes may have undesirable effects related to the development of coronary artery disease: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16549459 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16549459 Dietary cholesterol may accelerate atherosclerosis: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12562864 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12562864 Dietary cholesterol is harmful to the arteries: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21076725 High cholesterol increases breast cancer risk: http://www.pcrm.org/health/medNews/high-cholesterol-increases-risk-of-breast-cancer http://www.pcrm.org/health/medNews/high-cholesterol-increase... High cholesterol levels lower fertility: http://www.pcrm.org/high-cholesterol-levels-lower-fertility http://www.pcrm.org/high-cholesterol-levels-lower-fertility High cholesterol intake is associated with increased type 2 and gestational diabetes: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21324948 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21324948 High total and LDL cholesterol are associated with cognitive impairment in old age: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11890840 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11890840 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16156481 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16156481 http://www.sciencemag.org/content/294/5542/508.summary http://www.sciencemag.org/content/294/5542/508.summary http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361923011001870 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361923011... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11571339 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11571339 Reduction in cholesterol level benefits stroke, total, and cardiovascular mortality risk: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=417802 http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=417802