When issues like cholesterol, saturated fat and heart disease appear in print (or on the news) it is irresponsible and lazy to publish what amounts to no more than an orgy of sound bites.  The conclusions in these type of articles just about always recommend that the government ban this, take over that and require some other thing. So it was great interest that I read a recent Men’s Health article on just those topics because it was long enough that it had to include more than just a few smart sounding quips. We are constantly told that we should eliminate eggs, red meat and animal fats, especially the saturated fat. Is this good advice or does it just enrich drug makers?


READ THIS ARTICLE

LDL COMES IN FOUR BASIC FORMS: a big, fluffy form known as large LDL, and three increasingly dense forms known as medium, small, and very small LDL. A diet high in saturated fat mainly boosts the numbers of large-LDL particles, while a low-fat diet high in carbohydrates propagates the smaller forms. The big, fluffy particles are largely benign, while the small, dense versions keep lipid-science researchers awake at night.

But here’s the problem: The typical LDL test doesn’t distinguish between large and small LDL particles — it can’t even spot the difference. And people can have mostly large LDL or mostly small LDL in their overall LDL, depending upon a host of genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Your own personal mix may make all the difference between living to a heart-healthy old age and becoming a Monday-morning casualty at your desk.




No offense to the guys, but they make GHD Sit-ups look REALLY hard.