My friend and eskimo's smegma!

[Finless]

Or Cottage Cheese as it is know to other people.

[edit]Pedant title alert; I'm sure "eskimo" should be "Eskimo". Curses!

My friend, with the high cholesterol, made the mistake of telling his SWMBO and is now suffering the consequences. I could almost laugh!

So, is there any validity to the claims by any of the 'evil capitalist bastards' that their products actually do lower cholesterol? Is there any genuine reason why my friend should have to endure endless yogurt and Benecol and chilled smegma? His good old butter has been removed from the shopping list and replaced with Olivia or some such thing. Chip butties no longer have butter dripping off the lowest piece of crust ........... mmmmmmm, chip butties.

TBH, my friend quite likes Benecol and yogurt but actually queries who it is capable of lowering cholesterol?

Isn't it amazing that his SWMBO believes everything seen on a TV advert but won't believe him that hot sex with lots of women will benefit his cholesterol enormously!

Woe is my friend's life at the moment! The mere mention of a kebab etc causes much wrinkle deepening. At least we, er, they can agree that several glasses of red win a day are 'good for you' and that the doctors are woefully wrong about 'one glass a day'.

In summary, does anyone actually know how certain foods are supposed to lower cholesterol? Is it the same principal as 'off-gassing'?

Can anyone recommend some good bad-cholesterol lowering food?

My friend is already really pissed off about this! Oh well, if he develops epilepsy then a high fat diet is recommended ...........

[liamm]

cholesterol is produces in the liver, alcohol damages the liver. Therefor heavy drinking will inhibit the livers ability to produce cholesterol.

or alternatively ....
less saturated fats (animal fats generally - butter unfortunately) more olive oil (not fried though, think salad dressing) and run away from processed foods.

I'd be shocked if anyone could prove to me that the cholesterol lowering foods will do much, but then who am i to argue with the might of food producers.

[Hickdive]

Originally Posted by Finless

Isn't it amazing that his SWMBO believes everything seen on a TV advert but won't believe him that hot sex with lots of women will benefit his cholesterol enormously!

...........

I think, sadly, that having one precludes having the 'other'

Anyway, I'm sure that these products do exactly what they say otherwise they couldn't be advertised as such, however, I suspect closer examination will reveal that the benefits, whilst measurable, are miniscule in comparison with the benefits that could be achieved with dietary changes.

[Finless]

My friend needs to spend some time researching this "lowers cholesterol" claim but:-

Beta Glucans

What really bugs my friend is that he suspects that acceptable cholesterol levels vary from person to person and the only real test of importance is "is the stuff sticking to my arteries"?

Were it not for the partial rings round his irises he wouldn't have even bothered to get this checked and is beginning to get distressed that the docotor is beginning to become a more regular contact in his life. Sigh.

He is def not looking forward to seeing the next rubber glove and getting prostrate for the prostate squeeze!

[Finless]

This seems quite a useful article:-

Cholesterol - high and low levels, causes and diet advice

Quotes from the above:-

How diet affects blood cholesterol

Only a small amount of cholesterol comes directly from your diet - the majority is produced by your liver. However, if your diet is high in saturated fats and cholesterol this can cause your liver to produce more LDL ("bad") cholesterol. The amount that diet influences cholesterol levels varies from person to person.

Diet
Healthy eating can reduce cholesterol. Your diet should be low in saturated fats in particular, and low in fat overall. Biscuits, cakes, pastries, red meat, hard cheese, butter and foods containing coconut or palm oil all tend to be high in saturated fats, so cut down on these foods.

Large amounts of cholesterol are found in a few foods, including eggs, offal such as liver and kidneys, and prawns. However, if you're already eating a balanced diet, you don't need to cut down on these foods unless your GP or dietitian have advised you to.

It's also important to eat plenty of fibre, especially soluble fibre, which is thought to lower cholesterol. It's found in fruits and vegetables, beans and oats. Aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. For more information see the BUPA factsheet, Healthy eating.

There is some evidence that foods containing substances called plant sterols or plant stanols, such as the brands Benecol or Flora pro.activ, in combination with a low fat diet and physical activity, can help to lower cholesterol.






I wonder why my friend wasn't tested for 'liver health'?

[Jay_Benson]

Originally Posted by Hickdive

Anyway, I'm sure that these products do exactly what they say otherwise they couldn't be advertised as such, however, I suspect closer examination will reveal that the benefits, whilst measurable, are miniscule in comparison with the benefits that could be achieved with dietary changes.

I am not sure about this - look at the pseudo science that the hair / beauty product industry use. The "scientists" there must be laughing all the way to the bank. I doubt whether there is any proof any of it works. I have never trusted the hair companies since I put the fact that they promote "healthy hair" and also products to bleach your hair. I am sure that they would sell anything to increase their profits. Cynical, moi?

[Jay_Benson]

Originally Posted by Finless

I wonder why my friend wasn't tested for 'liver health'?

They knew how much he drank?

[Finless]

Who to believe?

Google Image Result for http://www.totalwellnessnetwork.com/assets/images/Cholestarol%20Conspiracy%20Book%20Image.jpg

[Hickdive]

Originally Posted by Jay_Benson

I am not sure about this - look at the pseudo science that the hair / beauty product industry use. The "scientists" there must be laughing all the way to the bank. I doubt whether there is any proof any of it works. I have never trusted the hair companies since I put the fact that they promote "healthy hair" and also products to bleach your hair. I am sure that they would sell anything to increase their profits. Cynical, moi?

I think, but I'm not sure and hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong, that where you are making a medical claim for your product in your TV adverts then that must be a scientifically provable claim. So stating that something 'can help lower cholesterol along with a healthy diet' then that must be demonstrable. Although I'm cynic enough to think that if I ate a healthy diet my cholesterol would be lower anyway.

I seem to recall Head & Shoulders being recently unable to prove their '100% flake free' claim and having to modify their adverts to something akin to '100% flake free when observed with the naked eye at a range of four kilometers'