Once and for all... Dietary cholesterol is not bad for you

Throttle · Jun 23, 2007

the truth...

blood serum "cholesterol" (actually lipids) is completely uncorrelated with dietary cholesterol intake for most individuals. LDL (the 'bad stuff') does in fact transport cholesterol, but your body makes much more than most people eat, and your body can shed the rest.

being fat (from other causes) will surely lower your HDL, raise your LDL, and raise your triglycerides. (this is all bad)

balance your sats, omega-6 & omega-3s & monounsaturates and do not consume any artificial transfats, and you're taking care of your fat intake.

ignore your dietary cholesterol intake.

instead, if your doc says your numbers are a problem, cut carbs and/or calories, raise caloric expenditure, etc. to lose bodyfat, which will push all your quote-unquote 'cholesterol' numbers in the right direction

research says most people only need to lose 10lbs. of bodyfat to get a very significant nudge in the right direction on all numbers. since most of us fail to do that, this tells you how stubborn we are with our bad habits.

stronglifts · Jun 23, 2007

Throttle said:
the truth...

blood serum "cholesterol" (actually lipids) is completely uncorrelated with dietary cholesterol intake for most individuals. LDL (the 'bad stuff') does in fact transport cholesterol, but your body makes much more than most people eat, and your body can shed the rest.

being fat (from other causes) will surely lower your LDL, raise your HDL, and raise your triglycerides. (this is all bad)

balance your sats, omega-6 & omega-3s & monounsaturates and do not consume any artificial transfats, and you're taking care of your fat intake.

ignore your dietary cholesterol intake.

instead, if your doc says your numbers are a problem, cut carbs and/or calories, raise caloric expenditure, etc. to lose bodyfat, which will push all your quote-unquote 'cholesterol' numbers in the right direction

research says most people only need to lose 10lbs. of bodyfat to get a very significant nudge in the right direction on all numbers. since most of us fail to do that, this tells you how stubborn we are with our bad habits.

Good post Throttle.

I'd say that not eating cholesterol is dangerous. Do it for enough years, and you'll end up with low testosterone levels & maybe wake up as a woman one day.

This is one of those myths that goes around, on the same level as:
-fat is bad
-squats are bad for knee
-weightlifting is dangerous
-weightlifting will stop making you grow
-protein bad for kidney's
-drinking too much water is dangerous
-etc...

I'll make a list one day of 100 myths about training & nutrition that can be promoted everywhere. It will be my attempt to stop the dysinformation.

spesmilitis · Jun 23, 2007

What about saturated fats and LDL levels?

Throttle · Jun 23, 2007

it is widely believed that saturated fats tend to raise both HDL and LDL at the same time. this view is widely promoted by the FDA & American Heart Association, among other groups. However, there is no evidence specifically linking saturated fat intake and coronary heart disease -- if anything, just the opposite:

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/80/5/1102

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1208952

one reason is that not all saturated fats are the same, and many food sources that "sound like they're loaded with saturated fat" are (like most whole foods) a balance of fats, just skewed toward saturated fat. if you are balancing with olive oil & fish oil, you should be plenty fine.

the risks of overusing omega-6 polyunsaturated oils, particularly when used for frying, are much less well-understood and less well-publicized.

Throttle · Jun 23, 2007

stronglifts said:
-drinking too much water is dangerous

i just want to clarify that it is possible to get too much water, but only if you try to drink it all at once. an excellent discussion is here:

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm

summary? the human body can process many gallons of liquid each day, but not all at once. it is possible, but only if you guzzle straight water and never get any electrolytes. (this is a reason to drink water at a moderate pace, not a reason to guzzle sports drinks instead)

i should know... i chugged a big ol' bottle of water earlier this week as part of a stunt/dare & was quite lightheaded for a half hour or so.....

stronglifts · Jun 24, 2007

Throttle said:
i just want to clarify that it is possible to get too much water, but only if you try to drink it all at once. an excellent discussion is here:

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm

summary? the human body can process many gallons of liquid each day, but not all at once. it is possible, but only if you guzzle straight water and never get any electrolytes. (this is a reason to drink water at a moderate pace, not a reason to guzzle sports drinks instead)

i should know... i chugged a big ol' bottle of water earlier this week as part of a stunt/dare & was quite lightheaded for a half hour or so.....

Throttle,

Of course it's possible to overdo the waterconsumption.

There was a big story on the news in Belgium I think a year ago. Some exercosist (I know

) wanted to banish "the demons" out of a woman, by making her drink huge amounts of water.

I think he gave he made her drink 2-3 gallons in an hour. The woman died. Big story in the news bla bla.

First thing I got told: "you see, drinking too much water is dangerous". Not when you have common sense.

Drink 1 liter a day for every 1000calories you expend. You'll be fine. Most focus on drinking too much, while the majority drinks not enough water.

Quiksilver · Aug 4, 2007

the truth...

blood serum "cholesterol" (actually lipids) is completely uncorrelated with dietary cholesterol intake for most individuals.

Hey man,

can you clarify why you said Most, and not All?

simon · Aug 4, 2007

Throttle was most likely referring to people with familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Kev07 · Aug 4, 2007

So what you're saying is that on the nutrition panel, the cholesterol section does NOT affect your actual cholesterol, correct?

If yes.. I KNEW IT!!

My mother and father have lowered their meat and fat intakes by a lot the past few years, but their carb consumption is still the same (Asians, we eat rice.) I'm always eating beef eggs, all that great stuff, eat the fat off the meat, the yolk off the eggs, and my cholesterol is FINE.

Yet my parents' insist that I stop eating so much meat and eggs like them when their cholesterol hasn't changed a bit after almost a year of eating the way they eat. (Well except my dad, he started going olive oil only, he saw a small change)

Bible_Belt · Aug 13, 2007

Throttle said:
i just want to clarify that it is possible to get too much water, but only if you try to drink it all at once.

It's the same with protein and your kidneys. If you eat the entire bottle of powder at once, you'll end up on dialysis. It has happened to college football players in my town. Their kidneys did recover, but they spent about a week on dialysis, and if not for the dialysis, they would have died. Once again, this is from eating a massive dose of protein at once.

Throttle · Aug 13, 2007

simon said:
Throttle was most likely referring to people with familial hypercholesterolaemia.

yeh, i'm working with someone this summer with just that condition.

Throttle · Aug 13, 2007

Quiksilver said:
Hey man,

can you clarify why you said Most, and not All?

if you're about to do something massively different w/ your diet, no matter what direction, it's always a good idea to know your numbers beforehand and several months in. you'll figure out real quick if you're sensitive to sat fat & dietary cholesterol. most of the people i know are not. the only thing that ever moves their "cholesterol" numbers is pharmaceuticals.

Throttle · Aug 13, 2007

this is huge & confirms that the lipid hypothesis is a total myth: waist size alone accounts for clogged arteries:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/08/13/heart.potbellies.reut/index.html

blinkwatt · Aug 13, 2007

Let's be honest here,very few of us(on the board) are certified Dr.s,nor have we studied cholesterol and heart attacks for a living.

Your health should be your #1 and unless one of us knows for sure,110%, your so sure you'd put your life on it, we shouldn't be posted on something(if we were wrong) that could potentially cause lead to a heart attack. Instead we should note it as, it shouldn't raise your chances of a heart attack.

ignore your dietary cholesterol intake could potentially kill someone.

Throttle · Aug 14, 2007

bull****. this nonsense about dietary cholesterol has gone on long enough, and needs to be challenged. most doctors have never actually studied the hardening of arteries the way these researchers have--most don't have time. they buy into the same bull that the rest of us do, and recite it just as pedanticly. i'd like to read this study myself, b/c i have enough training in reading research to sort through the reporting of results, but in the meantime, this story isn't getting nearly enough press.

by your logic, we should not tell people to get up and go for a run, because that sure as hell can lead to a heart attack.

blinkwatt · Aug 15, 2007

Throttle said:
bull****. this nonsense about dietary cholesterol has gone on long enough, and needs to be challenged. most doctors have never actually studied the hardening of arteries the way these researchers have--most don't have time. they buy into the same bull that the rest of us do, and recite it just as pedanticly. i'd like to read this study myself, b/c i have enough training in reading research to sort through the reporting of results, but in the meantime, this story isn't getting nearly enough press.

by your logic, we should not tell people to get up and go for a run, because that sure as hell can lead to a heart attack.

I think you taking it the wrong way.

We are all here to help each out with advice and such,are we not? Now what if,we could be wrong and it raises someone's chances of a heart attack?

The result could be disastrous.

By my way of logic people shouldn't be running for fear of a heart attack? Come on. I don't think I've ever heard of anything like that. If so I'd love to read up on it.

The truth is cholesterol is associated with heart attacks,that can't be ignored.

Bible_Belt · Aug 15, 2007

In that article, they were checking arteries without surgery using electronic imaging. If it's that simple, then they should be able to also check the arteries of body builders who have eaten a lot of meat for several years and have a small waist. That would be interesting research.

simon · Aug 15, 2007

blinkwatt said:
The truth is cholesterol is associated with heart attacks,that can't be ignored.

No, it really isn't.

stronglifts · Aug 15, 2007

Do the test. Try the Anabolic Diet. It's high in saturated fat (thus cholesterol). Do a blood test before/after.

Instead of believing what studies, doctors,... say: experiment with your own body. It's only food, you're not going to die from it. Try a high saturated fat diet like the Anabolic Diet, with abscence of carbs. And look your cholesterol levels decrease.

mrRuckus · Aug 15, 2007

Now what if,we could be wrong and it raises someone's chances of a heart attack?

The result could be disastrous.

Too bad. That sh1t takes so long to develop they should've had blood work done to see the problems developing well before they occur. If someone is that irresponsible about their health then I just don't care if they get sick. If they they don't care, why should i?

It's so simple to see if dietary cholesterol effects your blood cholesterol. Get tested now, then go eat lots of eggs everyday. It's not like most of us are already older, fatter, and in bad health and at risk of heart attacks where if our cholesterol goes up a bit we're jeopardizing our lives. If there's suddenly a big increase in a few months of eating a different diet then we know if affects us personally and we can go back to our current diets and let the levels lower again.

All i know is that i completely ignore dietary cholesterol and here at work they occasionally have a health day where they do cheap blood work that tests all that stuff for you and i can't wait to see how near death i am from all my eggs and beef. But funnily enough my older friends (35+) who pig out on beer and doritos and ****loads of carbs are the ones coming home with "high blood triglycerides."

By my way of logic people shouldn't be running for fear of a heart attack? Come on. I don't think I've ever heard of anything like that. If so I'd love to read up on it.

I can't even start to fathom how you took that literally and don't see the parallels.

Once and for all... Dietary cholesterol is not bad for you

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