I'm not a fan of the current medical beliefs regarding atherosclerosis.
I'm developing a theory but I'd need guinea pigs to test the facets.
Any of you feel like including the following in your regular food intake?
garlic and or onion
broccoli and or broccoli sprouts
grapes and or sultanas, raisins
Brazil nuts and or pistachios, pecans, pine nuts.

Are you talking biochemical pathways in the body, or something else? Nitrogen based (green veg) and Sulfur based (onions and garlic - I think?!) compound effects on artherosclerosis have and are being researched currently. Funding, as always, is an issue. I heard COVID also halted a few trials.

So there are currently studies in WA looking into this if you are genuinely interested. They have moved beyond mice and onto subjects that can surf and kite if you wish to be the Guinea pig!

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psychojoe said..

garlic and or onion
broccoli and or broccoli sprouts
grapes and or sultanas, raisins
Brazil nuts and or pistachios, pecans, pine nuts.

Hey that's my grandmothers recipe for Christmas sweet breads. We are about to make a batch.
Try using red cabbage instead of broccoli. You will thank me later

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mazdon said..
Are you talking biochemical pathways in the body, or something else? Nitrogen based (green veg) and Sulfur based (onions and garlic - I think?!) compound effects on artherosclerosis have and are being researched currently. Funding, as always, is an issue. I heard COVID also halted a few trials.

So there are currently studies in WA looking into this if you are genuinely interested. They have moved beyond mice and onto subjects that can surf and kite if you wish to be the Guinea pig!

I can yes to biochemistry but not what you're thinking.
Naturally I started with myself as guinea pig number one.
In a very short time my metabolic age dropped six years, I lost over ten kilos; now small bang in the middle of the BMI, I've got more energy and endurance than ever and my rig has gone from dad bod to ripped. I got a set of bloods done a couple of weeks back; perfect.
I just need to find out if it works on others, I also want to know how many of my changes another would need to adopt to achieve success.
The problem with so many trials is they attempt to combat nature, I just want to see how well we need to eat, keeping in mind that the current health status of Australians as a whole is malnourished.
Most people have been or heard of angry hungry.
It's not because you need food, it's because you're malnourished. I realised this soon after I started eating well. More recently I found this article confirming it.
neurosciencenews.com/diet-anger-19780/

Cool.
But now you're going to have to change your name from psychojoe to cooljoe.

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kiterboy said..
Cool.
But now you're going to have to change your name from psychojoe to cooljoe.

nah, still psycho.
Now I'm psycho at the gubbinment for pushing parents to feed their children bread moreso than fruit, suggesting it has greater nutritional benefits; bollocks.
In response to my strongly worded email I've been invited to provide scientific evidence to support a reevaluation of the guidelines, this is gonna keep me busy.

This guide is just plain wrong,, it's overly focused on macros. Imagine putting white potato in the same category as sweet potato; retarded.

Wow.
There's better sources of fibre than from processed bread and processed grains.
No olives or avocados? Use only a little of olive oil? No cheese?
Low fat milk is a con.

My father and uncle each had their quadruple bypass around age 60. Both had very high cholesterol readings at the time and while they each tried various diets, nothing had a significant impact on this. Both were put on anti-cholesterol tablets after their surgery which saw their LDL levels drop from around 6 to around 1. Both are very much alive and well almost 30 years later.

Since I'm allergic to statins, my days are potentially numbered. I'm happy to be a lab rat if you like.

Consider me in

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Harrow said..
My father and uncle each had their quadruple bypass around age 60. Both had very high cholesterol readings at the time and while they each tried various diets, nothing had a significant impact on this. Both were put on anti-cholesterol tablets after their surgery which saw their LDL levels drop from around 6 to around 1. Both are very much alive and well almost 30 years later.

Since I'm allergic to statins, my days are potentially numbered. I'm happy to be a lab rat if you like.

a calcium measure ( CT scan ) is a much better predictor of heart attack than cholesterol but still nice to have a baseline.
Have you already tried statins and suffered muscular myalgia?
There are intermittent statin treatments available now for people with sensitivity but I wouldn't touch any of them with a barge pole.
I'm interested in finding what are the minimum dietary alterations required to reduce arterial plaque, but if you already have considerable build up you may want to switch to a complete dietary overhaul.

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AJEaster said..
Consider me in

Awesome! that makes two.
Not quite enough for a statistically significant observational study but I'll take what I can get.

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psychojoe said..

Harrow said..
My father and uncle each had their quadruple bypass around age 60. Both had very high cholesterol readings at the time and while they each tried various diets, nothing had a significant impact on this. Both were put on anti-cholesterol tablets after their surgery which saw their LDL levels drop from around 6 to around 1. Both are very much alive and well almost 30 years later.

Since I'm allergic to statins, my days are potentially numbered. I'm happy to be a lab rat if you like.

a calcium measure ( CT scan ) is a much better predictor of heart attack than cholesterol but still nice to have a baseline.
Have you already tried statins and suffered muscular myalgia?
There are intermittent statin treatments available now for people with sensitivity but I wouldn't touch any of them with a barge pole.
I'm interested in finding what are the minimum dietary alterations required to reduce arterial plaque, but if you already have considerable build up you may want to switch to a complete dietary overhaul.

Statins will destroy my liver, there is no safe level for me to take. My body produces a chemical in reaction to taking statin medication, and within days it is several hundred times higher than the safe level. Last CT scan I had was 100% clear, but I'm due for another.

Given the success of statins in the rest of my family, demonstrated over a period of 30 years, I'd happily take them if I could. Changes in diet did pretty much nothing for both my father and uncle.

hi harrow. can i ask how you found out? i.e. is it possible others could have the same condition but not know? Or are there significant effects that let you know you have had?

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myusernam said..
hi harrow. can i ask how you found out? i.e. is it possible others could have the same condition but not know? Or are there significant effects that let you know you have had?

I think it's standard procedure to get a blood test done a few weeks after you've started taking statins specifically to test for this problem. At least, that's what my doctor did for me

OK. Let's start with this. I'm not in a doctor so none of the following is medical advice, and in your case, Harrow, hereditary anomalies are a real curve ball, I like to point the finger at malnutrition over the previous few generations; no real evidence but a correlation has been found between low parental magnesium at conception and the absence of particular gene expression which is why magnesium supplements are now prescribed to obese pregnant women, magnesium is a common deficiency so it's worth checking your intake against the RDI.
Calcium travels via the arteries but needs vitamins K2 and D3 to deliver it to marrow, vitamin K2 comes from grass, don't bother eating grass humans can't process it, that makes it necessary to eat pasture raised meats and animal products, free range chicken is probably the cheapest option, I like eggs, they're a great source of K2, and my cholesterol has come down while feasting on eggs but I couldn't in good conscience recommend another do the same, a whole free range lamb is reasonably cost effective, the current RDI for vitamin K doesn't differentiate between K1 and K2, don't bother with K1; it comes from plants and it won't help. I'll let you decide how much sun you need for D3, the outdated advice is set to be updated soon, unsurprising given the huge percentage of people lacking vitamin D compared with a comparably modest rate of skin cancer.
Efficient delivery of calcium is important because if it stays with the iron in the blood it causes both abrasion and thickening of the arterial walls, predominantly at junctions.
Ceruloplasmin is the "lubricant" if you will, for iron transport. Ceruloplasmin is produced by the liver. Copper is credited as being the star of Ceruloplasmin, it's also acts as a "gate" but the liver also needs vitamin A for healthy function.
Copper is found in meat, nuts and dark green vegetables among other sources. For vitamin A I eat a carrot or an apple every day. Hydration is also important for liver function however coffee also helps but more than a few aids dehydration and is counterproductive.
Alcohol also contributes to dehydration and affects mineral balance, and all except tequila contain lectins. I'm not drinking this year but when I start drinking again I'm considering making tequila the drop of choice; see how it affects the well-being.
The body is generally able to excrete excess minerals liberally but uptake can be hampered by lectins. Some studies found almost no difference in uptake, others found upto 80%. A study from the 70s showed vitamin C returned mineral absorption to near normal even in the presence of gluten, for this reason I like an orange a day, preferably within two hours of dinner. I also avoid grains and legumes, favouring seeds and nuts, except cashews and peanuts, in terms of evolution humans would have only consumed them to maintain subsistence in the absence of regular nutritious foods.
The original postulation was to check if merely increasing chromium levels would deactivate the overproduction of cholesterol. Whilst it's easy enough to detect chromium poisoning in a diabetic, measuring regular homeostasis isn't so easy which would make it difficult to know where the benefits are coming from following a complete diet overhaul.

This is some of how I eat regardless, but if I were in a position to be prescribed statins then I'd first consider a shift to this way of eating.
Just to be clear, I've only included the portion of my diet that I see as relevant to the avoidance of atherosclerosis, not that I imagine anyone would take this as whole diet advice.

So meat and fruit/ veg lay of carbs and piss?

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myusernam said..
So meat and fruit/ veg lay of carbs and piss?

don't forget nuts and seeds.
A variety of free range/wild caught meats in regular small portions is preferable.
Not all vegetables are equal, nightshade vegetables (white potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum and bell peppers etc.) are better to avoid.
Carbs are important. Once a healthy weight is established avoiding carbs can lead to hypoglycemia.
Getting carbs from nutrient rich sources like
sweet potato, beetroot, banana, apple, mango, dates and raisins, all of which I eat most days, is best attempted before supplementing with grain derived carbs. Avoiding high micronutrient carbs is counterproductive even in overweight people.
As for the booze, there are "blue zones" where people are reported to drink regularly and still live comfortably into their 90s. Ideally I imagine one would need to compensate with the exact nutrient replenishment depleted by the booze but grog fortified with balanced nutrients is still a pipe dream.
In the meantime eating mostly "superfoods" could bolster the bodies ability to withstand alcohol consumption, keeping in mind that anyone who gets angry-hungry (most people) is malnourished and would benefit from no booze and an eating rethink.
Also, forget processed meat like bacon and ham even if it's free range and nitrate free. I still eat a little bacon for my oysters Kilpatrick but that's only occasionally.