CHOLESTEROL IS NOT THE ENEMY: DISCUSSION ON THE FACTS ABOUT AN IMPORTANT SUBSTANCE By M. SCUNZIANO, MD, NMD 10/09/2014

1. By
M. SCUNZIANO, MD, NMD
10/09/2014
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CHOLESTEROL IS NOT THE ENEMY:
DISCUSSION ON THE FACTS ABOUT AN
IMPORTANT SUBSTANCE

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CONTENTS:
1) WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?
2) CHOLESTEROL IS NOT IN PLANTS
3) TRIGLYCERIDES ARE NOT CHOLESTEROL
4) THE REAL ENEMY OF THE DIET
5) WHAT TO ASK AND WHY
6) DRUGS ARE NOT THE FIRST LINE OR THE ANSWER
7) WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO PREVENT A PROBLEM
8) NATURAL GENTLE APPROACH
9) FINAL NOTE
10) REFERENCES & RECOMMENDED READING

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WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?
It is a fundamental component of every human and animal.
WORD DERIVATION: chole= bile; stereos= solid; -ol= alcohol>>>>>
It is classified as a WAXY STEROL that is formed by:
1) The liver
2) The intestines
3) The adrenal glands
4) Reproductive organs

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Cholesterol is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for:
1) Cell structure, function, fluidity and integrity-so that the basic
unit of life in a body can move, protect itself, change shape
2) Hormone production- estrogen, testosterone, progesterone,
and their derivatives, DHEA, cortisol, aldosterone
3) Bile acids for digestion- chol is converted to bile for storage in
the gallbladder; bile needed for fat digestion
4) Vitamin D production
5) Nerve cell protection- it is needed in myelin sheath, a fatty
sheath that insulates and allows for nerves to send their
messages rapidly from the central nervous system. Thus, brain
function requires cholesterol.
6) Immune function- cholesterol is involved in detoxifying many
harmful microbes and other substances

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The body will REDUCE its own synthesis (formation) when levels are
HIGH and INCREASE the production when levels are LOW.
Cholesterol is also recycled by the body, i.e. about 50% of cholesterol
is resorbed back into the body in the intestinal tract- a PROTECTIVE
mechanism
So, if you ingest a cholesterol containing food, your body will halt
formation unless there is no cholesterol in the diet at all.
Cholesterol MUST have an enzyme present to be produced by the
body called
HMG-CoA REDUCTASE

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>Recommended amount of cholesterol levels in blood for general good
health:
Total <200mg/dl, HDL >40, LDL <130, and Triglycerides <150
>High cholesterol does not equal DANGER so be informed and know what
your profile looks like and how it correlates to your body size, and your
habits. For example, a person with a total of 250 on cholesterol who has an
HDL of 70 or higher with an LDL of 100 is not at high risk for heart disease.
>Total average body content of cholesterol is: 35 grams
>AVERAGE FORMATION IN A DAY by the human body: 1,000mg (1 gram)
>Average daily dietary intake in US: 200-300mg
Looking at important facts
about CHOLESTEROL…

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>All foods containing animal fat contain cholesterol to some degree
>Major dietary sources: egg yolks, pork, beef, fish, shrimp, cheese
>Human breast milk contains SIGNIFICANT amounts of cholesterol- an
indication of its vital importance to the formation of an infant’s growth
and development
>Research is pointing to the role of cholesterol as an ANTIOXIDANT
substance i.e. prevents premature cell-death or aging
>Excess “small dense particle” LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream is
implicated in the development of atherosclerosis
>Cholesterol is not a plant product

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CHOLESTEROL IS NOT IN PLANTS
Plants make a substance called a PHYTOCHOLESTEROL or
plant sterols. These are NOT animal cholesterol substances
and WILL NOT raise cholesterol levels. They will LOWER
levels in the human body.
The most commonly found phytosterols in the diet are:
1) B-sitosterol
2) Campesterol
3) Stigmasterol

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These compounds are found in nuts, beans, fruits, grains, flax, vegetables such
as: walnuts, peanuts, almonds, garbanzo beans, lentils, apples, rice, millet,
wheat, broccoli and all greens, olives and olive oils. They are in HIGHER
amounts in the nuts and oils.
The phystosterols compete with animal cholesterol in the intestine and help
CLEAN UP small dense LDL particles that can contribute to atherosclerosis-
heart and blood vessel disease, stroke and more.
The average daily ingestion is 150-450 mg. A vegetarian can ingest more like
700mg daily.
Recommendation for the positive effects of these plant substances is:
1.5-2.4 grams (1500-2400 mg) daily in diet

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Here are some foods with their “sterol content” per serving:
 Cauliflower- 1 cup = 18 mg
 Whole cucumber = 42 mg
 Vegetable oil, 1 tbsp = 160mg
 Almonds, 1 ounce = 30mg
 Garbanzo beans, 1 ounce= 10mg
 Fortified orange juice, 8 ounce = 500mg (caution for the sugar content)
NOTE: it is not very easy to obtain about 2000mg a day on a good diet. DO NOT TRY to
eat to excess to obtain such figures. You do have options with supplements and some
foods on the market have added sterols.
The BENEFITS of phytosterols have been studied BUT no large studies to date. The
Europena Food and Safety Authority, Canada and some US research have indicated
these benefits.
Benefits: reduction of harmful LDL in the diet to REDUCE ARTERIAL PLAQUE BUILDUP.

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Triglycerides are a type of FAT found in
blood. These compounds are made in the
body and stored as FAT in your body.
They are used for energy. The problem is
that TOO MUCH will spell trouble for your
health.
WHAT TO KNOW NOW…
The ratio of TRIGLYCERIDES TO HDL is the
best predictor of risk for heart disease as
opposed to the total cholesterol or the
LDL alone.
TRIGLYCERIDES ARE NOT CHOLESTEROL…

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Triglycerides are formed by the excess consumption of CARBOHYDRATES and
FATS in the diet. So, if you want to reduce them, you need to be aware of your
intake of carbohydrates, PARICULARLY THE SIMPLE SUGARS FOUND IN JUNK
FOODS, PROCESSED FOODS, BEVERAGES AND OTHER “TREATS”. Fats need to be
healthy ones and they include quality meats, fish, oils, nuts, seeds and beans.
You need NOT WORRY ABOUT coconut oils, avocado oils and olive oils which are
healthy, non toxic and beneficial to the body as long as they are consumed in
“healthy” servings without excesses!!
Other causes for high triglycerides:
Little or no EXERCISE!, genetics, obesity, underactive thyroid, kidney disease,
more alcohol than you need, drugs like steroids, beta blockers, diuretics,
estrogens, birth control pills, tamoxifen.

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IMPORTANT INFO….
High triglycerides correlate strongly with high levels of small, dense
particles of LDL, which are contributors to heart and blood vessel
diseases.
A LEVEL OF LESS THAN 150MG/DL IS DESIRABLE. LESS THAN 100 IS
BEST.
GOAL: TO KEEP YOUR TRIGLYCERIDE- TO- HDL CHOLESTEROL RATIO
TO 2:1 OR LESS. So, if your triglycerides are 80 and your HDL is 40, a
ratio of 2:1 is the case and this is good. But if your triglycerides are
500 and HDL is 50, this is a ratio of 10:1 and NOT NOT GOOD!!

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Metabolic syndrome is a condition in which you have
a combination of:
1) High blood pressure 2) high blood sugar 3) Excess
waistline fat 4) a LOW HDL (less than 40) and 5) High
triglycerides
This is a FAR TOO COMMONLY SEEN condition that
increases your risks for:
HEART DISEASE, DIABETES AND STROKE
A FEW WORDS ON METABOLIC SYNDROME
**********>>>>Talk to your health care provider about the state of all your
parameters as mentioned above and see what you need to do to correct them
to reduce your risk for serious consequences.<<<<*********
YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON YOUR CHOICES & AWARENESS

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THE REAL ENEMY……….IS………SUGAR
Sugar must be controlled in your diet for you to have a reduction in your
cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
WHY?
Sugar causes GLYCATION, a process whereby the sugar sticks to proteins in the
body and cause them to be bulky and unable to pass through blood vessels.
This will result in toxic effects in the blood vessels and organs, tissues
surrounding them. Substances called AGES or advances glycation end products
are formed and lead to the breakdown of the body. It is essentially AGING or
causing the deterioration of the human body in general.>>>>>
This GLYCATION is involved in ALTERATION OF THE CHOLESTEROL PARTICLE WE
CALL LDL such that the particle becomes small hard dense and more sticky to
the arterial walls. THUS, we have a DANGEROUS LDL particle and we don’t want
it if we are seeking health and wellness in a long life.

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According to the AHA (American Heart Association) the
following should be noted and is recommended for better
control of sugar:
Men: do not consume more than the equivalent of 9 added
tsps. of sugar daily
Women: no more than 6 tsp of added sugar daily
PLEASE NOTE: 1 TSP OF SUGAR = 4 GRAMS OF SIMPLE SUGARS
IF YOU DRINK A 16 OUNCE BOTTLE OF COKE IN A DAY, COUNT
ON 40-50 GRAMS OF SUGAR THAT HAS ALREADY EXCEEDED
THE DAILY RECOMMENDATION FOR EITHER A MAN OR
WOMAN FOR SUGAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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ANOTHER VERY SERIOUS NOTE: ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS ARE NOT
HEALTHY AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DUE TO THEIR CONTENTS. DO
NOT USE THEM.
RECOMMENDATION FOR SUGAR SUBSTITUTE:
1) NONE
2) STEVIA
3) XYLITOL
4) RAW HONEY in small amounts. Beware if you have diabetes!

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WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK AND WHY?
Be always aware of the contents of your diet. If you are eating blindly,
literally, you will be completely unaware of the inherent dangers in the
diet. Everything from the smallest snack to the heaviest of meals COUNTS.
Ask your grocer, health store owners, butchers, fishermen, farmers and all
those who handle your foods and drinks about the contents and where
these foods are coming from. Look on line or in reference books for more
information if you have concerns about the good, bad and neutral food
elements. Not everything is labelled with ALL the contents, so be on the
alert.

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Be a smart consumer and talk to your health provider about use of
medications in your quest to have the best health program. Your BEST LINE
OF DEFENSE OR PROTECTION IS PREVENTION. Do your very best to avoid
having to use a medication…
1) If you are overweight, you need to lose it and remove all junk foods
from your diet now.
2) Exercise is a must and you need to do this daily. Do not come up with
excuses and rely on hope and prayer. You must put the effort in for
the results to be to your advantage and happy outcome. You can
work around any restrictions or limitations.
DRUGS ARE NOT THE FIRST LINE OR THE ANSWER

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3) Medications should be a last resort for you if you are truly looking to
have a healthy cholesterol/triglyceride profile.
4) Statin drugs like atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin and the like are
all in a category of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. These are not meant
for everyone and have many adverse effects on the body such as:
>>>muscle cramps or myalgias >>>strange behavior
>>>depression >>>loss of muscle mass
>>>general weakness >>>muscle weakness
>>>irritability >>>numbness
>>>difficulty walking >>>memory loss
>>>amnesia

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Hundreds of reports of TRANSIENT GLOBAL AMNESIA have
been made with regard to the statin drugs. Many go
UNREPORTED as a possible consequence of statin medication.
One CLASSIC CASE that is to be highlighted is of a
doctor/astronaut DUANE GRAVELINE, who was ordered to take
a statin and developed severe TGA on 2 separate times, both
of which were associated entirely with a statin. He went on to
write a book entitled:
Lipitor: Thief of Memory (see recommended reading below)

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IF YOU TAKE A STATIN OR YOUR PROVIDER IS RECOMMENDING IT, BE ADVISED OF
THE FOLLOWING:
1) IT IS ONLY PROVEN TO HELP WITH THOSE HAVING HEART DISEASE UNDER
THE AGE OF 80.
2) IT ACTS AS AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENT TO THE BLOOD VESSELS TO
REDUCE INJURY- LIKELY THE ONLY BENEFIT BUT AT WHAT COST TO BODY?
3) IT IS NOT TO BE USED IN THOSE OVER 80 YEARS OF AGE; NO BENEFITS
HAVE BEEN PROVEN AND SIDE EFFECTS ARE THE BIGGEST PROBLEM
4) IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR WOMEN OR CHILDREN AND HAS NO
PROVEN POSITIVE EFFECTS

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5) IT IS TO BE USED AS A SECONDARY PREVENTITIVE FOR MALES WHO HAVE
HAD HEART DISEASE OR EVENTS FOR FUTURE EVENTS.
6) IT MUST BE TAKEN IN SMALLEST DOES TO HAVE LEAST HARMFUL EFFECTS
7) IT MUST BE TAKEN WITH 100-200MG OF COENZYME Q10 OR COQ10
(UBIQUINONE OR BETTER UBIQUINOL THAT IS MORE EFFICACIOUS)
8) KNOW ALL THE FACTS AND BE AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL HAZARDS IN
TAKING THIS DRUG
9) REFUSING TO TAKE THE DRUG IS IN YOUR RIGHTS AND YOU SHOULD
KNOW ALL RISKS AND BENEFITS

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WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

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Protect your mind and body by making every effort to choose
a high quality lifestyle and diet program.
Cholesterol is not the cause for heart disease by itself and you
may use cholesterol-containing foods if you are active, healthy
and follow your overall health with care. Keeping cholesterol
intake to 300mg a day is not a problem for most people. If you
have heart problems, make sure to follow the
recommendations below…

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EXERCISE! This is not about walking
around in a store or to the mailbox. You
need to pay attention to moving the
entire body with vigor and repetitively
over at least 10 minutes 2-3 times a day.
Use your arms, legs, trunk and back in
ways that will not hurt or strain them.
Swim, bike, crunch those abs, walk fast
or walk-jog, play a sport, dance but
don’t just sit there!! Remember, you do
not need a gym to exercise but if you
need a PUSH, go to a gym or a personal
trainer, a class or support group to help
motivate.

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Your WAISTLINE to HIP ratio is more
important than you realize. It is actually the
measurement we all need to be looking at. It
has been found that if your waistline is larger
than your hips, you are headed in the wrong
direction.
>>>>>>For women, the ratio should be: 0.85
(34 in waist and 36 in hip)
>>>>>>For men, the ratio should be: 0.9
So, if your waistline (measured 1 inch below
the navel) is 40 and your hips are 36 inches,
you have a problem called abdominal obesity
and it needs to be helped. Heart disease and
bad LDL formation come from these large
waistlines.

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AVOID TRANS FATS: check the labels. Find out
more from different sources as mentioned
above. These are found in MANY MANY
processed foods in the snack and cereal arena
especially. These are risky for your heart and
blood vessels, liver and brain. AVOID THEM.
Avoiding eggs is not necessary. One egg a day
made in soft boiled or hard boiled form is fine
for your health. It contains about 200 mg of
cholesterol. There is no proven evidence that
an egg a day is enough to cause any damage
to your heart or arteries. However, if you eat
several a day in various forms with a lot of fat
and sugar combined, you are looking at
trouble.

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Take SIMPLE SUGAR out wherever and
whenever possible. Cake, candy, puddings and
all processed sweets and treats have LOADS
of sugar which is what causes DANGEROUS
LDL formation and raises the specter of
diabetes and all its complications.
Eat more plants to obtain all the
beneficial sterols, fiber and nutrients
that help keep your LDL in check,
raise the good HDL and lower the
triglycerides and blood sugar.

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The body needs cholesterol but it does not need a lot of it. It is
wise to know how to discipline yourself so that you have much
less to worry about when it comes to your vital organs and the
years ahead.
Using the above-mentioned recommendations will lead you on a
more healthful path and you can add supplements to your
program that will help as well. You need not take dozens of pills or
other forms of supplementation in order to be healthy.
A NATURAL GENTLE APPROACH

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1) High quality fish oil for their OMEGA-3
content: 1-2 grams a day in liquid or pill
form
2) Other omega-3 sources are WIILD
fish/sea foods like salmon, halibut,
snapper, trout and krill, plants like flax,
chia, walnuts, soybeans and broccoli.
Farmed fish have little to none of the
OMEGA-3 fats.
3) Vitamin C from fresh fruit and dark leafy
or colorful veggies. A 1-2 gram pill form
may be used
4) Add flaxmeal to your diet whenever and
wherever you can: 3-4 tsp a day is
excellent
Supplements and foods to add for daily or
several times a week in your diet:

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5) Choose a variety of herbs and spices without sugar,
processed salts and alcohol added to the meals
6) Use one or more of the following for good supplementation:
>Coq10 200-300mg a day- needed especially as we age; a
MUST in statin users
>Nattokinase- 100-200mg daily by itself or combined in a
good formula (Dr. Sinatra formula recommended); reduce
BP, blood clots.
>D-ribose 5-20 g a day- for improvement in heart function
in disease or for prevention
>Niacinamide 250-500mg- avoid long-acting niacin; this is
safe for use daily
>L-carnitine- 1000mg daily for PVD or peripheral arterial
disease

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>Magnesium- 500mg or more if no diarrhea, daily- for overall heart health
>Vitamin E- 800 IU daily for blood vessel integrity and cell function
>Curcumin – one of the best ANTIINFLAMMATORIES, ANTIOXIDANTS
known; add to food, take as a supplement in 1000-2000mg- if you can,
daily
>Lecithin 1-3 tbsp daily lowers LDL cholesterol
>Resveratrol- 500mg daily; an antioxidant
>L-glutathione- 250-500mg daily; an antioxidant
*******Note: Antioxidants work to reduce all harmful by-products
of human metabolism, digestion and other body functions********

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FINAL NOTE

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The average consumer is unaware of the harmful effects of the chemicals in the
food and pharmaceutical industry. Not only that, just about all the environmental
exposures is a “mystery” to far-too-many people.
It is time to stop and look at how you are living your life.
It is also to your advantage to know what is going on in these industries that are
adding or subtracting years from your life.
Is SUGAR taking control of you? Is your waistline growing so that you can no longer
define it?
Now is the time. Not next week or month.
And remember, CHOLESTEROL IS NOT THE ENEMY.
_______________

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References and Recommended Readings:
 Balch, P., C.N.C. Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Penguin
Group, 2010, USA
 Bowden, PhD, C.N.S. & Sinatra, M.D. The Great Cholesterol
Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won’t Prevent Heart
DIsease. Fair Winds Press, 2012, USA
 Graveline, D., M.D., M.P.H. Lipitor: Thief of Memory. Duane
Graveline, Publisher, 2006, USA
 Ibid, The Statin Damage Crisis, 3rd Ed., 2012, USA
 Mindell, E., R.Ph., Ph.D., Food as Medicine. Pocket Books, NY,
1994
 www.heart.org/lowering cholesterol
 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cholesterol