Diet and Cholesterol Index
Some foods that we eat have been shown to have a significant effect on cholesterol levels in our blood. Whether that has any bearing on the risk of a heart attack — or any other disease — is a matter of debate. However, here are some aspects that are considered the most important as far as levels of blood cholesterol are concerned.
Dietary Cholesterol
The eating of foods which contain high levels of cholesterol was originally thought to be the major cause of high levels of cholesterol in the blood. This article discusses the evidence — or lack of it.
Dietary Fats
After cholesterol in the diet came an allied hypothesis: That saturated fats also raised blood cholesterol. But how strong is that evidence?
Dietary Carbohydrates
When we cut down on fats, we have to eat something else to supply the body with energy. Carbohydrates were recommended to be the major part of a 'healthy' diet. But are they even healthy in small quantities?
Insulin
Dietery carbohydrates in excess raise levels of insulin in the blood. Here, you will see that insulin has been indicted as a risk factor for the atherosclerosis which is believed to cause heart attacks.
Dietary Paradoxes
Over more than half a century, ever since the diet-health hypothesis was first mooted, several cultures have seemingly defied the newly accepted wisdom about what a healthy lifestyle should be. They eat diets high in cholesterol and animal fats, and have other 'unhealthy' habits such as smoking — yet have much lower levels of heart disease. For this reason they are 'paradoxes' — or are they evidence that we have got it wrong?
