Thanks for these. The 2nd study was only of black subjects so though interesting it is not conclusive in a larger sense. I know it's fashionable to say we're all the same -- and to be clear I'm not saying that you've attempted to make that claim by referencing this study, rather I'm just making an observation -- but the science is pretty clear that there are differences between races. Do you have any that span race?
Besides I don't think you can say "independent of everything else". We know for example that high HDL mitigates higher levels of LDL. In fact this is my exact situation: I consume various saturated fats like crazy yet my rail thin, super fit doctor is jealous of my cholesterol levels. I'm not suggesting this is proof, but it is a good example I think. Not to mention my wife had high cholesterol that was not responsive to meds, but since switching to a lower carb/higher fat diet her levels have been normal. Was she at greater risk of heart disease before, or after?
My point is not necessarily that animal products consumption is good for you, but rather that it's not a slam dunk that it is bad for you. Many many factors come into play and individual differences make it hard to generalize. Hence I encourage people to enjoy bacon and eggs, eyes open of course but at least not guiltily.
Further comments?
Nope, the second study examined whitey too. "Of the 9524 white subjects examined, 3.2 percent had a sequence variation in PCSK9 that was associated with a 15 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol and a 47 percent reduction in the risk of CHD"
And, yes, you can say independent of everything else. It's a genetic mutation, meaning regardless of diet, weight, lifestyle, etc, these people with the mutation had lower risk of CHD.
The optimal LDL is 50 to 70 mg/dl. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15172426. Note the author Cordain, L. The paleo guy who says butter is healthy. Atherosclerosis cannot occur in this range.
See conclusion and figure 3 here: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.CIR.0000103664.47406.49 Once you pass 75 mg/dl atherosclerosis accelerates.
Woops, my bad. Whitey was in there too. I should not have skimmed to the results.
Regardless we agree on optimal LDL.
Not seeing the link between animal products and cholesterol levels though. Again my wife cut eggs and the like right out of her diet but her levels were still high. Now she eats eggs 2-3 times a week and fatty cuts of meat on a regular basis, her levels are normal.
I wish I could reference a study I saw years ago that strongly suggested a greater link between high cholesterol and carbohydrate consumption than for saturated fats. I mean what's up with that, right?
"her levels are normal"
Normal doesn't mean healthy. The normal person in the US is overweight. Do you have her LDL, HDL, or total cholesterol levels?
And check this out: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.549.6029&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Figures one and two. And "Percent changes of 12-15% are therefore predicted when 500 mg cholesterol is added to a cholesterol-free diet."
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