To continue on with the subject of cholesterol, fats, and heart disease, there are some compelling new theories that cholesterol placquing is simply an innocent bystander and not the culprit of heart disease.

There is hardly a person in America who isn't aware of the theory that high serum cholesterol levels in your blood stream increases your chance of heart disease. In my opinion, if you believe this theory, which I personally feel is outdated and simply wrong, you may be missing your chance to avoid heart disease. Research has showed us that some people with high serum cholesterol never develop arteriosclerotic placquing and others with quite low serum cholesterol develop heart and arterial disease. There has to be reasons for these findings.

I will present 3 theories of heart disease that implicate Vitamin C deficiency, calcium deficiency, and an overabundance of insulin in the bloodstream as the possible culprits of heart disease.

The first theory comes from researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute. They asked the question: Why don't other mammals get heart disease, and why is placquing of the arteries found almost solely in the arteries that feed the heart (the need for bypass surgeries), the carotid arteries, and in the aorta (the main artery which carries blood away from the heart)? Science knows that all mammals except humans and guinea pigs can manufacture their own Vitamin C. Vitamin C plus bioflavinoids are responsible for producing collagen fibers, which are responsible for holding the cells of the body together. Their theory holds the idea that, when the cells that make up the arteries start to pull apart, small microscopic cracks develop and cholesterol comes to the rescue by patching up the cracks. Their theory also develops the idea that if cholesterol is the only culprit, then why don't we find placquing throughout all the arteries and veins of the body? Their answer is, we find placquing where the arteries are under the greatest pressure and that is where the cracking will occur first. (Smoking depletes Vitamin C.)

The calcium deficiency theory asks the question: If cholesterol is the culprit, how come the veins never placque? Science teaches us that the arteries have an extra layer which is made of muscle tissue so that the artery can contract, thus propelling blood through our bodies. This theory reasons that calcium deficiency creates a lactic acid build up in the muscle cells which slowly eats away at the cellular lining. The artery then builds up a hard protective layer over time which then begins to crack, and along comes goopy low density cholesterol to seal the artery to prevent it from leaking.

The third theory is called Syndrome X or "Impaired Insulin Response." This theory states that after years of eating refined sugar and other processed foods, your body develops insulin resistance due to weakening of your pancreas. This causes an overabundance of insulin in your blood stream which constantly irritates the linings of your arteries, and cholesterol then attaches to these areas to reduce the irritation.

I hope these new theories get you to question the prevailing ideas about cholesterol, fats, and heart disease. Being only concerned about your cholesterol levels in regards to heart disease may not be the most benefical course of action for a healthy heart.