On Mon, 14 Sep 1998, Ilya wrote:

> What I meant by 'large amounts of dietary fat' is relative
> large amounts (relative to body size), which is what I think
> you are saying above. I didn't mean to say that given two people
> the one who eats more fat will have higher cholesterol. For any
> given person, as you increase the amount of fat (keeping carbs
> constant) the total cholesterol may go up, simply because it's
> needed for fat transport. (I am saying keeping carbs constant
> because the corresponding reduction in carbs might offset the
> change in cholesterol). Seeing how some on low carb diets can
> overeat without gaining weight it would not be surprising to
> find out that their total fat intake is much higher than maintenance.

Sure.  And yet some have a decrease in cholesterol.  It would be
useful to plot this against calories to see what happens.

> I should have been clearer about this. It seems that despite
> years of research a definitive link has NOT been established.
> There still may very well be a relationship, but if it's not
> even clear to us that there is a link (and if yes, what kind
> of a link) between them why do we keep worrying about elevated
> levels of total cholesterol? Is there any other chemical normally
> present in the body with no definite clear link to desease that
> we worry so much over (especially when its levels only go up
> within a factor of two?)

One reason why we worry is that the LDL cholesterol is
incorporated into the atherosclerotic plaques, so we at least
know that it is not utterly irrelevant to atherosclerosis.  But I
recognize that this does not show that elevated cholesterol
*causes* atherosclerosis.  But the main thing is this: There is
indeed no *clear* link between elevated cholesterol and disease,
but there is what might be called an unclear link.  Also, the
link appears to be clearer as cholesterol levels get higher.

Karsten Andersen's cholesterol was abnormally high.  That fact
alone cries out for explanation, even if we are not sure whether
it is relevant to disease.  My cholesterol went as high as 320 on
all-meat.  That too is abnormally high, probably higher than most
others on this list who have tried an all-meat diet.  Definitely
higher than contemporary HGs.  Even if it's not health related, I
would like to know the reason for the abnormality.

Todd Moody
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