The Cholesterol Myths is a book written by Uffe Ravnskov with the intention of refuting all of the misconceptions that you have heard about cholesterol so far. There are altogether nine myths related to cholesterol, heart disease and saturated fat. And it is these nine myths that have been exposed in this 309 page book of The Cholesterol Myths. Uffe Ravnskov is a medical doctor who has a PhD in Chemistry. To date, he has over forty papers and letters that have been published in journals, which are worth reading.
Uffe Ravnskov proves through his research that too much animal fat and a high cholesterol level does not prove to be dangerous to your heart and vessels as conceived today. In fact, this is nothing but a myth according to Uffe Ravnskov. According to him, cholesterol is not a poison but a necessity of cells of animals. There is nothing called good or bad cholesterol; all changes in cholesterol levels in a body are due to mental stress, physical activity and changes of body weight. However, Uffe Ravnskov does mention that though high cholesterol is not dangerous, it is unhealthy for you.
Though it is claimed that high blood cholesterol promotes atherosclerosis, studies prove that there are people with arteriosclerosis who have low cholesterol. It is a fact that your body produces three or four times more cholesterol than the amount that you eat. Its production increases when you eat less cholesterol and decreases when you eat more. So it can be seen that there is no difference in the amount of cholesterol you eat.
Uffe Ravnskov says that there is no proof that too much animal fat and cholesterol induces atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Cholesterol can be lowered with drugs, but Uffe reminds us that a person’s heart or total mortality does not improve with these drugs. Instead, these drugs prove to be dangerous and can shorten one’s lifespan.
The latest drugs that are prescribed for lowering cholesterol, called the statins are effective in preventing cardio-vascular disease in a person. However, the effects of these drugs are mainly due to other mechanisms than in lowering cholesterol. However, it has been proven through research that these drugs also seem to stimulate cancer in rodents.
Most of these facts can be found in scientific journals and books that have been around for a long time. However, the public has never been told the proponents of the diet-heart idea. Uffe Ravnskov states that doctors, scientists and laymen have never been informed about his findings as these results are usually ignored or misquoted in the press and this is why there has not been much publicity on this matter.
