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
Showing posts with label Eggs and Heart Disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eggs and Heart Disease. Show all posts

Friday, 25 February 2011

Dietary cholesterol does NOT increase the risk of developing clogged arteries in pre-menopausal women

This post includes a synopsis of a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2002 Jun;21(3):250-8 and a recipe for a winter beef vegetable stew.

Study title and authors:
Pre-menopausal women, classified as hypo- or hyperresponders, do not alter their LDL/HDL ratio following a high dietary cholesterol challenge.
Herron KL, Vega-Lopez S, Conde K, Ramjiganesh T, Roy S, Shachter NS, Fernandez ML.
Ignore the awkward! How the cholesterol myths are kept alive
Books:
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs 06269, USA. kristin.herron@uconn.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12074253
 
51 pre-menopausal women aged 18 to 49 were given either 640 mg additional dietary cholesterol per day (by eggs) or a  placebo group 0 mg additional dietary cholesterol per day, for 30 days to evaluate the effect of cholesterol on the arteries.
 
The study revealed that excess dietary cholesterol does NOT increase the risk of developing clogged arteries in pre-menopausal women.

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


Recipe of the day

Winter Beef Vegetable Stew

10 servings

Ingredients:
- 1 lbs shoulder roast boneless
- 2 bunches Asparagus, green, bottom 1/3 of stem removed
- 2 lbs. Carrots, peeled, cut oblong or large dice
Kosher.com - Glatt Kosher Boneless Shoulder Lamb Roast
Food Mall: Boneless Shoulder Roast
- 1 lb. Baby Brussels Sprouts, fresh, cleaned or frozen
- 1 lb. Wax Beans, ends snipped
- 2 oz Olive Oil
- 1 each Zest from orange
- 4 oz. Olive Oil
- 1 cup Beef Stock
- 1 tsp Fresh Oregano
- 1 tsp Fresh Basel
- Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions:
Beef: Saute cut beef shoulder roast allow to brown

Asparagus: preheat grill or large heavy bottom sauté pan. Rub 2 oz of olive oil on asparagus and season with pinch of salt and pepper. Lay flat on grill or sauté pan until lightly browned. Using long fork or tongs, rotate the asparagus to brown other sides. Usually 2 or 3 minutes per side. The asparagus is done when you can use a fork to cut through. Do not overcook, this will cause asparagus to become stringy. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Carrots: bring 3 qt salted water to a boil, add carrots to water and cook until fork tender, meaning a fork will easily pass through the carrot. Drain the water from the pot and toss 1 oz butter and zest of orange and mix until carrots are coated. Season with pinch of salt and enjoy. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Brussels Sprouts: For Fresh: Bring 3 qt salted water to a boil, cut into the stem of the sprout with a pairing knife to create an X on the bottom, this will allow the stem to cook more evenly. Place sprout in boiling water and allow to cook until bottom of sprout is tender and easily cut with a knife. Preheat a heavy bottom sauté while the sprouts are cooking. Remove sprouts from water and allow all water to drain completely. Add 2 oz oil to sauté pan and add the sprouts, season with salt and pepper while tossing the sprouts around to evenly brown in the pan. If sprouts are too big, you can cut them in half, keep warm until ready to serve.

For Frozen: Bring 3 qt salted water to a boil and drop frozen brussel sprouts into water, these are precooked so you are only thawing them out. Remove from water and sauté as above.

Yellow Wax beans: bring 3 qt salted water to boil, add snipped wax beans to water and allow to cook until fork tender or to your liking of doneness. Remove from water and toss with 1 oz olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Combine all ingredients in large covered pot and at low heat for approximately 1 hour.

Thursday, 24 February 2011

High cholesterol diet results in LESS heart disease risk for men and women

This post features a summary of a study published in Metabolism 2004 Jun;53(6):823-30 and a recipe for braised lamb shanks with coriander, fennel and star anise.

The Great Cholesterol Con
Books:
Study title and authors:
High intake of cholesterol results in less atherogenic low-density lipoprotein particles in men and women independent of response classification.
Herron KL, Lofgren IE, Sharman M, Volek JS, Fernandez ML.
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15164336

52 subjects, 27 women and 25 men (18 to 50 years) had either 640 mg/d additional dietary cholesterol (by eggs) or placebo 0 mg/d additional dietary cholesterol diet for 30 days to investigate the effects of cholesterol on heart disease.

The study revealed that the consumption of a high cholesterol diet produced less of the (bad) type B LDL cholesterol and more of the relatively benign type A LDL cholesterol and therefore lowered the risk of heart disease.

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


Recipe of the day

Braised Lamb Shanks with Coriander, Fennel and Star Anise

Ingredients:
Avi Glatt Kosher Lamb Shank - 1.5LB.
Food Mall: Lamb Shanks
4 lamb shanks
30ml/2tbsp coriander seeds
30ml/2tbsp fennel seeds
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
30ml/2tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, peeled and cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
300ml/½pint Port
750ml/1½pint good, hot lamb stock
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
1 small butternut squash or pumpkin, skinned, deseeded and roughly cubed

Method:
1.Preheat the oven to Gas mark 3, 170°C, 325°F.

2.Heat a non-stick pan and dry fry the coriander and fennel seeds for 2-3 minutes, tossing the pan frequently.

3.Transfer to either a mortar and pestle or blender and grind to a fine powder. Season the shanks with salt and pepper and coat in the spices.

4.Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and brown the lamb shanks on both sides for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer to a large ovenproof casserole dish. In the same frying pan add the onions, garlic and celery. Cook for 1-2 minutes and add to the casserole dish with the lamb. Add the remaining ingredients except the butternut squash or pumpkin.

5.Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook in the oven for 2½-3 hours until the meat falls away from the bone. 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the butternut squash or marrow, mix well, cover and return to the oven for the remaining cooking time.

6.Remove the star anise and serve the shanks with a creamy cheese mash and sautéed marrow and tomatoes.