Cholesterol Conspiracy Claptrap?

In the modern age of the internet, conspiracy theories flourish more so than ever before, and people want to question things. Everything is up for scrutiny, and often a controversial idea can spark huge debate, and the subject of cholesterol is no exception...

The conventional idea is that if we eat an overly fatty diet, which is lacking in fruit and vegetables at the same time, our arteries will start to get lined with cholesterol, a waxy sort of substance. If this is left unchecked, the vital flow of blood to organs like the heart is reduced, putting these organs at risk of failure. Therefore it's important to try and reduce the excess levels of cholesterol in our bodies.

That's the long accepted theory, but there is now an alternative view appearing.

It's an interesting view, but can be massively dangerous, because if we lap it up without question, we may end up deliberately ignoring previously held norms, and could be exposing ourselves to real danger. This new view is that the whole 'cholesterol artery blocking' theory was founded on small scale experiments that were not that conclusive anyway. It was picked up by the health industry and quickly became accepted.

The new theory suggest that the levels of cholesterol in our body is hardly affected at all by the diet we eat, and that the 'reduced cholesterol' industry has simply perpetuated the myth to make profits. Of course the danger with accepting this new theory is that we throw all our concerns out of the window, and revert back to fat laden foods.

Hmm... Now I am no doctor, so all my opinions are based around what I'm told, and this is the important point. Do your research and make your own judgment, don't just believe everything you are told. As for the cholesterol, I know I remember documentaries that show arteries clogged up with gooey substances. They look blocked to me, I would be worried if my blood had to try and pass through them and the documentaries tell me it's cholesterol doing the damage.

I may read the new theories, but until I read an alternative to what that gooey substance is in those blocked arteries, I for one am going to stick to paying attention to the amount of cholesterol I consume.

Is it cholesterol conspiracy claptrap - you'll have to make your own decision.