Re: Experiences with Atkins diet

From: Brian Atkins (brian@posthuman.com)
Date: Sun May 04 2003 - 13:26:36 MDT

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    Harvey Newstrom wrote:
    > It very well could be that we discover that saturated fats aren't as bad for
    > us as we think. I know it was an obvious conclusion to discover cholesterol
    > in arterial plaques, and assume that we should limit that stuff as much as
    > possible. Then we discovered that the body made its own cholesterol, and
    > dietary cholesterol was not a big contributor. Then we discovered that
    > cholesterol buildup did not occur randomly in the presence of cholesterol,
    > but needed arterial inflammation to build on. Now, we are not sure how
    > important cholesterol lowering is, but are focused more on preventing
    > inflammation and plaques. Our nutritional knowledge certainly grows as we
    > learn more.

    Here's another clue:

    Chlamydia pneumoniae a risk factor for stroke
    http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22fc5e.htm

    I believe it also has already been linked to heart disease.

    Is this the next Heliobacter pylori story? It apparently even survives
    inside macrophages.
    http://www.immuno-sci-lab.com/html/chlamydia_pneumoniae.html

    Furthermore, could changes in diet increase or decrease the risk? For
    starters it has been shown that poor teeth/gum health is a risk factor,
    perhaps by allowing infection by organisms like C. P. What do the
    bacteria in your mouth generally live on? Carbs. Remember, Eskimos and
    other low carb eaters have little to no teeth problems.

    Perhaps more interesting is the fact that many short to medium chain
    fatty acids have antimicrobial/antiviral properties... especially their
    monoglyceride versions. These particular kinds of fats also are the only
    ones AFAIK which make their way directly into the bloodstream unmodified
    when eaten as natural saturated fats. Does the body naturally make and
    release into the blood its own supply of these, or would eating them be
    possibly beneficial?

    -- 
    Brian Atkins
    Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
    http://www.singinst.org/
    


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