official recommendations didn’t want to contradict the USDA’s food pyramid or
the food industry claims. The food industry is big business. The triglyceride
level, the most important part of the cholesterol equation, was left behind, and
when the pharmaceutical industry jumped on the bandwagon, the total LDL, the
weaker risk, became the main culprit. The latest cardiology literature is on my
side.
Don’t just take my word for it. Next time you watch TV, note the fine print in
cholesterol drug commercials that clearly states, “This drug has not been shown
to reduce the risk for heart attacks or stroke.” Big Pharma isn’t lying to you. The
benefits of lowering LDL are minuscule, and two large clinical trials in 2008
found that lowering LDL to very low levels did not translate into measurable
benefits that reduced the incidence of heart disease. But that doesn’t mean
they’re going to dial back their nonstop commercials that reinforce the need for
you to reduce your LDL. Despite the recent research that has shown LDL to be a
weaker risk factor in heart disease, LDL remains the ultimate target to boost the
profits of pharmaceutical industry.
The Carbohydrate Theory for Heart Disease
Heart disease was a rarity a hundred years ago. The same goes for cancer. They
were mostly observed in Western societies or in indigenous peoples who worked
for Europeans and adopted their diet. As time passed, these diseases became
increasingly prevalent in both colonial countries and nonindustrialized societies.
Sugar, molasses, white flour, and white rice are easily transported around the
world without spoiling. Western diseases, however, soon follow.
First, societies see noticeable increases in dental cavities. Soon after, obesity,
diabetes, heart disease, and cancer rates begin to rise. Scientists suggested that
all these diseases had a single cause—sugar—because they were relatively
uncommon in primitive societies, prior to the influx of sugar and refined
carbohydrates.
Other scientists voiced a different viewpoint, saying that white rice is
commonly eaten in many Asian countries and does not cause direct increases in
the rates of obesity, diabetes, or heart disease. That’s true. But in many Asian
countries, people eat white rice out of necessity and it is used mostly for energy,
since animal products are so expensive.
In the food-abundant United States and other Western nations, it’s a
completely different scenario. Both sugar and animal products are inexpensive
and accessible. As a result, our bodies are faced with both animal products and
excess carbs, and the excess sugar produced creates havoc.