The raison d'etre of this website is to provide you with hard scientific information which may help you make informed decisions in your quest for health (so far I have blogged concise summaries of over 1,500 scientific studies and have had three books published).

My research is mainly focused on the effects of cholesterol, saturated fat and statin drugs on health. If you know anyone who is worried about their cholesterol levels and heart disease, or has been told to take statin drugs you could send them a link to this website, and to my statin or cholesterol or heart disease books.

David Evans

Independent Health Researcher

Wednesday, 21 April 2010

How did the cholesterol/saturated-fat/heart disease hypothesis begin?

This post features an article from The Great Cholesterol Con Pages 42-43 and a recipe for lamb chop or steaks with garlic, paprika and herb butter.

The Great Cholesterol Con
Books:
Many of today's dietary and medical ideas are founded on hypotheses whose logic is fallacious or flawed in some way. The basis of the diet-heart hypothesis, for example, is Keys'Seven Countries Study. Dr. Ancel Keys took data from seven countries and suggested that heart disease was high in those whose diet was high in fats, and low in those whose diet was low in fats. The first, and more obvious, flaw is that at the time there were data from twenty-eight countries that he could have used. The others did not support his argument.

The seven countries out of the twenty-eight that Keys used to "prove" that saturated fat caused heart disease were; Italy, Greece, Former Yugoslavia, Netherlands, Finland, USA & Japan.

If Keys had chosen seven other countries from the data of twenty-eight available he could have "proved" that saturated fat prevented heart disease. These countries are; Finland, Israel, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Sweden.

This begs the question: Why did Keys manipulate the data?

One of Keys friends, Henry Blackburn, describes how Keys was previously humiliated about his saturated-fat/heart disease hypothesis in a meeting called by the World Health Organization in Geneva to discuss the rising rates of heart disease.

Keys was a very strong willed character, was strong of personality and didn’t shy away from vociferously attacking anyone with whom he disagreed. And he didn’t just point out in a civil way that he though opposing opinions were incorrect and give the reasons why, he attacked vituperatively in medical journals and in person during conferences.

Blackburn's theory is that the humiliation at the World Health Organization meeting was such that Keys was stung into action and was driven to find "evidence" to "prove" his saturated-fat/heart disease hypothesis - hence the seven countries study.

More information on this subject: Books : Scientific Studies : Other Websites : Videos : Food Mall 


Recipe of the day

Lamb Chop or Steaks with Garlic, Paprika and Herb Butter

Ingredients:
Avi Glatt Kosher Lamb Chops - 1.5LB.
Food Mall: Lamb Chops
4 lamb chops, cutlets or leg steaks
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the Garlic and Herb Butter:
100g/4oz unsalted butter, softened
5ml/1tsp ground paprika
30ml/2tbsp freshly chopped mixed herbs (e.g flat-leaf parsley and chives)
Juice of ¼ lemon

Method:
1.To prepare the garlic and herb butter; mix all the ingredients together. Form into a sausage shape, wrap in cling film or foil and chill until required.

2.Cook the lamb under a preheated moderate grill for 6-8 minutes. Turn over the chops and continue to cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

3.Top with a disc of the herb butter. Return to the grill and continue to cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

4. Serve

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