Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Dr. Dwight Lundell MD is a cardiologist who beat the drum of a low-fat diet and cholesterol-lowering drugs to prevent heart disease for over 25 years.
He has performed over 5,000 open heart surgeries and trained with prominent “opinion maker” physicians who considered any deviation from the recommended therapy of severely limited fat intake and cholesterol-lowering meds to reduce heart disease risk complete heresy that could possibly result in a malpractice lawsuit.
Dr. Lundell now admits that this long-held notion is wrong. Not only is it completely and utterly wrong, but it is also scientifically and morally indefensible.
Following the recommended mainstream diet low in saturated fat and high in grain-based carbohydrates has created an epidemic of obesity and diabetes “the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences”.
By following the recommended low-fat diet, Dr. Lundell says that people are unknowingly causing “repeated injury to their blood vessels”. This repeated injury, day in and day out, is what is causing rampant inflammation across all population groups which has resulted in the epidemic of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Inflammation the True Cause of Heart Disease
Dr. Lundell explains that a slow paradigm shift that identifies inflammation as the true cause of heart disease is occurring.
He goes on to say that the conventional low-fat diet which warns against saturated fats and promotes polyunsaturated vegetable oils as a healthier alternative is the biggest culprit in causing chronic and deadly inflammation.
Unless inflammation is present in the body, cholesterol is unable to accumulate in plaques in the blood vessels causing heart attacks and strokes. In an inflammation free body, cholesterol moves freely and causes no health problems.
In other words, it is inflammation caused by a low-fat diet that causes cholesterol to become trapped in the body. Cholesterol-lowering drugs have been a dismal failure to eliminate or reduce the problem as 25% of the population now takes statin drugs and yet more Americans than ever will die of heart disease this year.
In short, blaming cholesterol for heart disease is like blaming fire fighters for fires.
How One Innocent Donut Causes Deadly Inflammation
Dr. Lundell explains the deadly 3 step process of how eating a simple donut or sweet roll causes a cascade of inflammation in the body:
Step One: Refined Grains and Sugar Consumption Spike Blood Sugar
Imagine spilling syrup on your keyboard and you have a visual of what occurs inside the cell. When we consume simple carbohydrates such as sugar, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for energy. If the cell is full and does not need glucose, it is rejected to avoid extra sugar gumming up the works.
When your full cells reject the extra glucose, blood sugar rises producing more insulin and the glucose converts to stored fat.
What does all this have to do with inflammation? Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel wall. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation. When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.
Step Two: Omega 6 Vegetable Oils Produce Cytokines
It’s not just the refined grains and sugar in the donut causing spiking and crashing blood sugar that is the problem. Dr. Lundell continues by describing additional inflammation caused by the rancid omega 6, polyunsaturated oils (usually soybean) in the donut:
That innocent looking goody not only contains sugars, it is baked in one of many omega-6 oils such as soybean. Chips and fries are soaked in soybean oil; processed foods are manufactured with omega-6 oils for longer shelf life. While omega-6’s are essential -they are part of every cell membrane controlling what goes in and out of the cell — they must be in the correct balance with omega-3’s.
If the balance shifts by consuming excessive omega-6, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that directly cause inflammation.
Step Three: Excess Weight Pours Out Pro-Inflammatory Chemicals
The final nail in the coffin for producing exorbitant levels of inflammation when that innocent-looking donut is consumed is the excess weight that most Americans are carrying:
To make matters worse, the excess weight you are carrying from eating these foods creates overloaded fat cells that pour out large quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals that add to the injury caused by having high blood sugar. The process that began with a sweet roll turns into a vicious cycle over time that creates heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and finally, Alzheimer’s disease, as the inflammatory process continues unabated.
Ditch the Lowfat Diet and Get Off the Inflammation Freight Train
Dr. Lundell counsels that mainstream medicine has made “a terrible mistake” by advising people to avoid saturated fats in favor of grain-based foods containing vegetable oils. This flawed and dangerous recommendation is a direct contributor to the epidemic of inflammation that is plaguing the Western world in the form of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and numerous other ailments.
Dr. Lundell advises to leave manufactured vegetable oils and other processed foods behind and return to the whole, unprocessed diet of our ancestors.
As for the ideal fats in the diet, Dr. Lundell recommends olive oil and grass-fed butter. He says the science that saturated fat causes heart disease is non-existent and the science that saturated fat raises blood cholesterol as very weak.
Given that inflammation and not cholesterol cause heart disease, any concern about saturated fats in the diet is nothing short of “absurd” according to Dr. Lundell.
Sources and More Information
Heart Surgeon Speaks Out on What Really Causes Heart Disease
The High Risks of Low Cholesterol
Cholesterol Myths to Wise Up About
What Oxidizes the Cholesterol in Eggs?
The 9 Irrefutable Benefits of Cholesterol in the Diet
Now to get the silly bureaucrats and judges on board – the ones harassing raw milk farmers and making *food guidelines* that lead to chronic inflammation. Surely they must have loved ones suffering from diseases who could benefit from the very foods they are trying to ban.
It seems to be dawning on a few, but it isn’t reaching the majority. Maybe someday.
I saw this story a few weeks ago…I googled Dr. Lundell and found a bit of a checkered past. I wish this wasn’t so, as I’d really have liked to repost his story.
Hi Kenny, I too found out about Dr. Lundell’s very checkered past: http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/lundell.html
I really like Sara’s blog, however, I have found that I still have to do my own research before reposting on my blog or sharing with friends/family. Like the one, last week, about Whole Foods. That investigative report by channel 7 was really old but the blog presented it as if it were recent news and I caught hell about it from some of my readers.
Terrie, that news report while a couple of years old, shows a pattern that Whole Foods tricks the public which is why I posted it. A history and pattern of deceit is very important to establish. Here’s the point of posting that video: If Whole Foods can get away with it, they will do it.
It very clearly says while watching the video that Whole Foods had changed The California Blend product so any confusion about the timeframe of the newsreport is simply from people not watching it through. You can be sure there are other products in Whole Foods right now that are from China that just haven’t been reported on yet. Wal-Foods (oops, is that Wal-Mart or Whole Foods we’re talking about here? Mmmmm. They seem the same don’t they?) is a very deceitful corporation.
Quackwatch is a DISINFORMATION site: watch out about that.
Yes, one alternative doctor I heard about from someone said that his career goal was to get on Quackwatch then he would know that he had done something really good for humanity.
LOL!
You actually believe anything you read on Quackwatch? Their the epitome of anti-alternative propaganda.
My dad just sent me an article with this information last week! He thought I would find it interesting, and indeed I was stunned! I’m always thrilled when I read little snippets here and there that fall right in line with Weston A. Price. I’ve been reading more and more in the Prevention magazine that supports organics and grassfed meat. We are truly part of a huge movement back to our roots!! Love your blog!!
Mothers MUST lead the way on this one. This is our time Ladies. Rise up and DO YOUR THING by feeding your children butter and eating it yourself. It will change the world as we know it.
I second this statement! You go, Real Foodie moms! 😀
P.S. Thank you so much Mom, for introducing me to real food at an early age and putting me on the right track to be as healthy as possible. Love you! 🙂
We love our raw grassfed butter!! 🙂
Slowly but surely. Don’t you feel GREAT that you’ve been eating butter for years now 🙂 It always feels good knowing you are ahead of the mainstream curve.
Yes, Sarah, I do feel great about it. I love butter! Our ancestors knew what to eat, and their most prized food was fat.
Kudos to Dr. Lindell for admitting that he was wrong. We are all human and make mistakes, even doctors with all their years of training and high intelligence. It takes a special person to turn the ship around late in their career and make changes when necessary. I applaud Dr. Lindell for taking a stand on this very important issue for our times.
This article recommends that we “ return to the whole, unprocessed diet of our ancestors” by eating “olive oil and grass-fed butter.”
How exactly do you categorize olive oil and butter as whole or unprocessed foods?
Will you please send me links to the research showing that higher cholesterol is healthful and ideal? Thank you.
Dr. Fielding
Hi Dr. Fielding, here are couple of articles on cholesterol that contain references from respected sources. One study in particular found that women with the HIGHEST cholesterol lived the longest! Is it possible (YES) that what you were taught in medical school was actually indocrination by the pharma companies making the biggest donations to the school (and hence controlling the narrative of the “research”). I would suggest vetting research sources going forward that are clearly objective and funded independently 🙂
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/health-risks-low-cholesterol/
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/why-you-should-stop-letting-your-doctor-scare-you-about-cholesterol/
slowly is the operative word here
I watched for years as my fathers parents lived a “healthy” life after grandpa’s open heart surgery when he was in his mid 40’s and then both have continual heart issues until a heart attack killed my grandmother. I have adopted a low grain, increased butter life and I am losing weight and feel much better in general. I am grateful for the rally cry to get this word to the world.
Perhaps with cardiologists like Dr. Lundell now admitting the failure of the lipid hypothesis, more will return to butter – ideally grassfed butter – as one of the primary fats in their diet particularly for growing children.
is it my imagination or is the light slowly beginning to shine in the hallowed halls of the medical establishment?? 🙂
Its about time!