Cholesterol, Fats & Oil: Healthy Or Harmful?

Cholesterol is synonymous with fats and oil that are believed to be the major cause of cardiovascular disease and clogged arteries.

But this is not exactly true because cholesterol is vital to health and long life. It is a major component in the production of cell membranes, giving them energy.

There are good and bad types of cholesterol: HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the good type that protects against heart attack, stroke, angina, and other cardiovascular complications; LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is the bad type that contributes to atherosclerosis (plaque development and hardening of the arteries).

As there are HDL and LDL types of cholesterol, there are also good and bad fats in foods. The good fats in foods are: virgin coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, and walnuts (these actually improve cholesterol levels in the blood, significantly reducing the risk that the heart will suddenly stop).

As to bad fats, there are now two villains instead of just one: saturated fats (meat, butter and ice cream--all champion artery-cloggers) and trans fats (found primarily in processed foods, such as margarine, whole milk, cooking oil, and many commercially baked or fried foods).

Cardiologist and chelation specialist, Dr. Arturo Estuita, tells us that "...in medicine, fats and oil are the same: fats are solid; oil is liquid at room temperature." He emphasizes the importance of remembering the following:

• Avoid margarine. This oil, derived from plants, is transformed to semi-solid fat by the process of hydrogenation, and the product--hydrogenated fat--may cause atherosclerosis, allergy and cancer.
• Use coconut oil in cooking. It is heat-resistant and can be used a few times for cooking without the danger of turning into trans fat.
• Use olive oil liberally in salads. If used in cooking, do not re-use as it may easily form trans fat.
• Avoid fried foods from fast food restaurants because of the possibility of having trans fat from re-used cooking oil.
• Avoid animal fat. It contains arachedonic acid which is converted to prostaglandin A2, the cause of artery obstruction. Prostaglandin A2 is a potent constrictor of arteries that thickens the blood and may cause inflammation, contributing to the narrowing of the opening (lumen) of the arteries.
• Avoid cholesterol lowering medicine (ref: Newman, et al, JAMA 1996. "Carcinogenocity of Cholesterol Lowering Drugs"). It is best to neutralize by orthomolecular therapy the bad cholesterol which are HDL3 and oxidized LDL. It is not good to lower numerically total cholesterol. The cells need cholesterol--the higher the good cholesterol, the better.
• Avoid rancid oil or fried food. It contains oxidized oil which is unhealthy. Rancid oil is formed when oil (especially polyunsaturated oil, like olive oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and corn oil) is exposed to air for a prolonged period.