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Comment by lingben | Hacker News Reader

There are 2 things which influence CAD: omega 6 intake and stress.

Arterial plaque is formed not as a result of a high fat diet (even animal fat) but as a result of inflammation which kickstarts the plaque building process.

The myth that high cholesterol or high fat is the culprit of CAD is difficult to kill, even when study after study shows no correlation whatsoever between them and CAD.

The correlation though does exist between high stress combined with poor diet: high omega 6, processed foods, high sugar, high starch/carb intake coupled with stress which is the precursor to inflammation.

Inflammation is in fact the #1 cause of disease in humans. But like cancer, it is a slipper sonofabitch to nail down.

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>>The myth that high cholesterol or high fat is the culprit of CAD is difficult to kill, even when study after study shows no correlation whatsoever between them and CAD.

It's hard to kill because it's not a myth. Despite of all the blogs and books the paleo-opportunists are selling you, the best science available today shows a very strong correlation between cholesterol and CAD. Even the all mighty cattle industry will have a hard time convincing real scientists that the lipid hypothesis is a conspiracy theory.

As I am sure you're aware, correlation is not causation. But you didn't say it. Plenty of studies suggest that it's how the cholesterol is carried in the blood that matters and this isn't just a matter of HDL and LDL; the type of LDL matters too as do triglycerides. Another important factor is inflammation i.e., high c-reactive protein levels need checking out. And of course other factors may be significant as well.

To put it politely, pertinent questions remain regarding the data which Ancel Keys picked to support his high fat = heart disease hypothesis.

>the best science available today shows a very strong correlation between cholesterol and CAD.

True, but can you show me a study that shows that reduction or increase in cholesterol levels is correlated with improvement or escalation of CAD?

There's a correlation between having a penis and baldness, but it doesn't necessarily follow that castrating yourself will cause your hair to grow back.

> a very strong correlation between cholesterol and CAD

to imply a causation between high cholesterol and CAD is categorically and demonstrably false

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