On Wed, 17 Sep 1997, acbrill wrote:

> i have a friend here in turkey, my SO (significant other) who has
> genetically
> high/abnormal levels of cholesterol. his younger brother died at age 28
> from
> a heart attack brought on by blocked arteries. my SO has to take medication
> every day just to keep it at 250!! which is too too high. he watches what
> he
> eats but avoids meat and fish and 'oily' things. i am wondering if this
> diet might
> help him.
>
> he did some research into why he and other members of his family have this
> terribly high cholesterol level..his younger sister (age 24) has levels
> over 550!!!

It's a tricky subject, Arlene.  I too have elevated cholesterol,
evidently with a genetic basis, since both parents have elevated
cholesterol.  As you know, the absolute level of cholesterol is
not as important as the  HDL/LDL ratio.  Often the sign of a
genetically caused hypercholesterolemia is that HDL is low and
stays low, despite changes in diet.  If your SO's HDL is above
50, then a TC (total cholesterol) of 250 may not be so bad.

It also appears that it's not just LDL that is the problem, but
*oxidized* LDL, since this is what contributes to the foam cells
that eventually cause the blockage.  Antioxidants can help to
prevent this oxidation, especially those, like vitamin E, that
are fat soluble.  I have recently read that the spice turmeric is
eight times more potent than vitamin E for preventing lipid
peroxidation, and turmeric is "natural."

There is some evidence that the omega-3 oils in fish can help to
control cholesterol, so he needn't avoid the oily fish.  And
olive oil can help to reduce LDL without reducing the "good" HDL.
Most polyunsaturated fats reduce LDL and HDL, so they're not so
useful, and they're not on NeanderThin anyway.  As for saturated
fats, this is where it gets controversial.  The NeanderThin
program has no guidelines for monitoring saturated fats.  It
seems to be the case that some people can tolerate lots of
saturated fats if their bodies are in ketosis, and their LDL will
actually go down.  But I think it's pretty clear that it won't
work for everyone.

What's *supposed* to happen is this: Since 80-90 percent of TC is
not dietary but made in the liver, if you eat more saturated fat
or cholesterol, your liver will make less, and equilibrium will
be maintained.  Likewise, if you go on a low-fat diet, your liver
will just make more, so that is unlikely to be effective.
Insulin triggers production of cholesterol, so a low-carb or
ketogenic diet ought to keep cholesterol down, since this sort of
diet keeps insulin levels low.  The trouble is that there seem to
be other factors that cause the liver to pump out cholesterol.

Cholesterol is used constantly in the body, for cell building.
What isn't used should be eliminated in the feces, but this
process can be inhibited if there is not enough soluble fiber
present to absorb the stuff.

I've been doing the ketogenic experiment for about three weeks
now, and I'm starting to get mighty tired of it.  I haven't done
any cholesterol measurements yet, but I will soon.  Stay tuned
and we'll see how it turns out.  My last measured TC was 296.

Todd Moody
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