Autism is often associated with compromised immune function, and environmental factors are increasingly suspected to play a role in the alarming recent increase in the disorder.

A new hypothesis for a principle cause of autism is an insufficient supply of cholesterol sulfate to the fetus during gestation, and to the infant postnatally. This could be related both to insufficient sun exposure and insufficient dietary sulfur, for both the mother and the child.

According to a paper in Medical Hypotheses, as reprinted on the website Green Med Info:

“A novel contribution is the theory that endothelial nitric oxide synthase produces not only nitric oxide but also sulfate, and that sulfate production is stimulated by sunlight. We further hypothesize that the sulfur shortage manifests as an impaired immune response, including an increased susceptibility to eczema and asthma. Proposed corrective measures involve increased dietary sulfur intake for both the mother and the child, and increased sun exposure.”

Some researchers are suggesting that a key contributor to Alzheimer’s may be insufficient cholesterol in the brain.  Studies have shown that serum levels of cholesterol and the ability to synthesize cholesterol are inversely associated with mental decline in the elderly.

There are now indications that depletion of sulfate supply to the brain is another important contributor to Alzheimer’s.  Sulfate may be supplied to the brain principally by sterol sulfates like cholesterol sulfate, as well as their derivatives like vitamin D3 sulfate.  Both cholesterol sulfate and vitamin D3 sulfate are synthesized in the skin upon exposure to sunlight.

According to MIT senior research scientist Stephanie Seneff:

“This is why I believe that excess sunscreen use and excess sun avoidance are another principal causative factor in Alzheimer’s disease.”

She also pointed to cholesterol-depleting statin drugs and aluminum in flu shots as other contributing causes.

A number of scientific studeis have linked low serum cholesterol to suicide, accidents, and violence.  Your brain’s dry weight is 60% fat, and cholesterol plays a vital role in neuron signaling.Bottom of Form

In fact, cholesterol, omega-3 fats, and omega-6 fats are the most important molecules in your synapses. Altering the fat composition of these structures — whether through eating synthetic industrial foods your body was not designed to process, or through aggressive cholesterol-lowering medication — can cause changes in how your brain works.  More specifically, cholesterol depletion impairs the function of serotonin — and  low serotonin also associated with suicide, impulsive acts, hostility, and aggression.

According to an article in Psychology Today:

“My brain needs cholesterol! So does yours.  Dismantling your body’s ability to make it might have some far-reaching effects.”

Cholesterol is highly enriched in your brain.  In fact, it plays a key role in synapse formation and function. The majority of this cholesterol is made in glia and secreted in form of lipoproteins.

Statin drugs — cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors — are widely used to lower circulating cholesterol and cardiovascular risk. But lipophilic statins can cross the blood brain barrier and inhibit brain cholesterol biosynthesis.

According to a study in the Journal of Neurochemistry, as reprinted on the website Green Med Info:

“We have investigated the effects of lovastatin on synapse maturation and synaptic vesicle release. Treatment of primary hippocampal neurons with low levels of lovastatin for one week reduced synapse density and impaired synaptic vesicle release … These results raise the possibility that chronic exposure of neurons to lipophilic statins may affect synaptic transmission, and indicate that hippocampal neurons need a certain level of endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis.”

Recent research sought to assess the 10-year risk of cancer mortality according to blood lipoprotein levels and lipd-lowering drug exposure. The research examine more than 3000 participants.

The study found no relationship between cancer risk and the use of cholesterol lowering drugs, but it did find an association with low cholesterol levels.

According to the study, as reprinted on the website Green Med Info:

“In the present study, we confirm the significant association between low cholesterol and cancer mortality”.

At least four of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease are actually protective reactions rather than causes.  Dialysis patients exhibit LOW measures for the following four risk factors:

• Obesity
• Blood pressure
• Serum cholesterol
• Homocysteine 

They have substantial amounts of inflammation in the blood vessels, and a substantial risk to cardiovascular disease.  Impaired kidney function is symptomatic of a much larger impairment, which has to do with insufficient ionic buffering in the blood.  They have clearly switched over from sulfur to nitrogen based oxygen transport, as they experience muscle wasting due to an  inability to repair muscle damage brought on by inflammation.  

Nitrogen is desperately needed to replace the missing sulfate (as nitrate) in the blood stream, and the profuse synthesis of nitric oxide (which then quickly becomes nitrate by capturing oxygen) is a major source of the inflammation.  But nitrogen is then unavailable as a resource for muscle.

The solution to this dilemma is to make sure that adequate sources of sulfur are available as they do not have to use nitrogen.

A new study suggests that a higher total cholesterol count may be important in slowing the progression of Parkinson ’s disease. The study involved 800 participants with an overall mean cholesterol of 216.

New information reported in the drug store industry’s newsletter, DrugStoreNews, shows that a simple combination of common spices could be the solution to reducing your insulin levels by 21 percent, and your triglycerides by 31 percent. The study, which used a combination of rosemary, oregano, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, cloves, garlic powder and paprika, was published in the Journal of Nutrition.

Sometimes nothing’s better than what comes straight from the horse’s mouth – and in this instance, a drug industry newsletter is reporting that some drugs commonly prescribed to diabetics for heart disease don’t work. As reported in Drug Discovery & Development, an FDA review panel determined that a class of drugs called fibrates, which are supposed to lower triglycerides and raise HDL levels, have not been proven successful in preventing heart attacks in Type 2 diabetes patients with elevated cholesterol. The New England Journal of Medicine also had a few things to say about these drugs.

A new study indicates that a common, inexpensive spice could be the answer to helping people deal with obesity and obesity-related metabolic diseases.

Curcumin has long been known to possess anti-inflammatory properties. But according to this study, the interactions of curcumin with several signal transduction pathways – the process by which biological functions are recognized – also reverse insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and other inflammatory symptoms associated with obesity and metabolic disorders.

A new look at statins from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology claims that no study has ever proven that statins improve all-cause mortality – in other words, they don’t prolong your life any longer than if you’d not taken them at all. And rather than improving your life, they actually contribute to a deterioration in the quality of your life, destroying muscles and endangering liver, kidney and heart function. According to Stephanie Seneff, author of this stunning revelation:

“There can be no doubt that statins will make your remaining days on earth a lot less pleasant than they would otherwise be. To optimize the quality of your life, increase your life expectancy, and avoid heart disease, my advice is simple: spend significant time outdoors; eat healthy, cholesterol-enriched, animal-based foods like eggs, liver, and oysters; eat fermented foods like yogurt and sour cream; eat foods rich in sulfur like onions and garlic. And finally, say ‘no, thank you’ to your doctor when he recommends statin therapy.”

Could it be possible that everything your doctor’s telling you about high cholesterol and how it relates to heart disease and strokes is wrong? In a thought-provoking two-part series, Dr. Ernest N. Curtis, a doctor of internal medicine and cardiology is now challenging decades-old studies that supposedly “proved” the cholesterol-heart disease link. He also says:

“The supposed benefit provided by statins in reduction of non-fatal  heart attacks by a few percentage points is no greater than that achieved by other anti-platelet and/or inflammatory drugs. Therefore I would never subject a patient to the potentially severe side effects of statins in order to achieve a questionable benefit that can be provided by drugs of much lower risk.”

In a recent study, researchers took a group of sedentary, overweight men and women and over 18 months trained them to run a marathon. The men lost just a few pounds, and the women in the study averaged no change to their weight.  One reason may be that people tend to increase their caloric intake as they increase their exercise; diet and exercise go hand in hand when it comes to weight loss.

But exercise by itself has many benefits, of which Lifehack lists a few:

Increases your energy levels: The more energy you use, the more you have.

Improves the quality of your sleep: Exercise helps you get to sleep more quickly, and improves the sleep quality as well.

Helps combat chronic disease: Exercise helps improve your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and has been linked with delayed onset of dementia.

Improves your mood: Exercise promotes positive brain chemistry.

To see the other three benefits they list, and what they had to say about them, you can click on the link below.

A recent study found that a krill oil supplemented diet reduces the activities of the mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier and of the cytosolic lipogenic enzymes in rats.  The mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier supplies cytosol with the carbon units necessary for hepatic lipogenesis.

Rats fed with a diet enriched with 2.5% krill oil showed a time-dependent decrease in the activities of the mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier. In fact, the krill oil induced inhibition of hepatic lipogenesis was more pronounced than that found in fish oil fed rats.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“The decrease in the activity of the mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier caused by [krill oil] was due to a reduced expression of the protein.”

A recent study found that a krill oil supplemented diet reduces the activities of the mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier and of the cytosolic lipogenic enzymes in rats.  The mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier supplies cytosol with the carbon units necessary for hepatic lipogenesis.

Rats fed with a diet enriched with 2.5% krill oil showed a time-dependent decrease in the activities of the mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier. In fact, the krill oil induced inhibition of hepatic lipogenesis was more pronounced than that found in fish oil fed rats.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“The decrease in the activity of the mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier caused by [krill oil] was due to a reduced expression of the protein.”

Garlic has a truly astonishing number of health benefits.  The website Green Med Info has assembled studies that list more than 150 beneficial effects that garlic can have on your health.

The studies show that garlic:

• Inhibits cholesterol accumulation
• Reduces risk for heart attack and stroke
• May be effective against drug-resistant bacteria
• Lessens cadmium induced liver damage
• May have protective effects against cancer

According to one of the studies linked on the site:

“[A] uniquely large data set from southern European populations shows an inverse association between the frequency of use of allium vegetables and the risk of several common cancers. Allium vegetables are a favorable correlate of cancer risk in Europe.”

Garlic has a truly astonishing number of health benefits.  The website Green Med Info has assembled studies that list more than 150 beneficial effects that garlic can have on your health.

The studies show that garlic:

• Inhibits cholesterol accumulation
• Reduces risk for heart attack and stroke
• May be effective against drug-resistant bacteria
• Lessens cadmium induced liver damage
• May have protective effects against cancer

According to one of the studies linked on the site:

“[A] uniquely large data set from southern European populations shows an inverse association between the frequency of use of allium vegetables and the risk of several common cancers. Allium vegetables are a favorable correlate of cancer risk in Europe.”

Garlic has a truly astonishing number of health benefits.  The website Green Med Info has assembled studies that list more than 150 beneficial effects that garlic can have on your health.

The studies show that garlic:

• Inhibits cholesterol accumulation
• Reduces risk for heart attack and stroke
• May be effective against drug-resistant bacteria
• Lessens cadmium induced liver damage
• May have protective effects against cancer

According to one of the studies linked on the site:

“[A] uniquely large data set from southern European populations shows an inverse association between the frequency of use of allium vegetables and the risk of several common cancers. Allium vegetables are a favorable correlate of cancer risk in Europe.”

A study has shown that dietary supplementation with coconut oil may result in a reduction in waist circumference and other benefits.

A randomized, double-blind clinical trial of 40 women divided them into two groups — one that received daily dietary supplements of soy bean oil (group S) and another than received a similar amount of coconut oil (group C). Both groups were instructed to follow a balanced hypocaloric diet and to walk for 50 minutes each day.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“[After one week,] only group C exhibited a reduction in [waist circumference] …  Group S presented an increase … in total cholesterol, LDL and LDL:HDL ratio, whilst HDL diminished … Such alterations were not observed in group C. It appears that dietetic supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity.”

So-called “bad cholesterol” — low-density lipoprotein, also known as LDL — may not be so bad after all. Researchers examined 52 adults from ages to 60 to 69 who were in generally good health but not physically active. The study showed that after fairly vigorous workouts, those who gained the most muscle mass also had the highest levels of LDL cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a type of fat. LDL is almost always referred to as the “bad” cholesterol because it tends to build up in the walls of arteries. But LDL serves a very useful purpose — in fact, if you got rid of all your LDL cholesterol, you would die. Your tissues need cholesterol, and LDL delivers it.

Science Daily reports:

“… [T]he more LDL you have in your blood, the better you are able to build muscle during resistance training … [This] could be helpful in looking at a condition called sarcopenia, which is muscle loss due to aging.”

If you think statin drugs are the only way to reduce your risk of cardiovascular problems, think again – scientific studies are showing that taking Omega-3 fatty acids get the job done far better than statins. Two of these studies, published in The Lancet, and presented at the 2008 European Society of Cardiology Congress, showed that statins failed to have any benefit whatsoever in a group of patients, while supplementation with Omega-3 fatty acids improved morbidity and mortality in the same group.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a group of fats found naturally in cold water oily fish such as sardines, salmon, and herring, and in flax seed, krill, and some algae. In the study patients, after 3.9 years, the omega-3 fatty acid group saw a reduced the risk of mortality by 9 percent, and mortality and admission to the hospital for cardiovascular causes reduced by 8 percent. The patients being treated with stations saw no reduction in morbidity or admission to the hospital. This group’s LDL (bad) cholesterol did decrease by 27 percent – but it didn’t keep them out of the hospital.

The Chair of the study, Dr. Luigi Tavazzi said ‘the advantage of Omega-3s is that they appear to have a beneficial effect on the mechanisms leading to the progression of heart failure.

In the U.S., prescriptions for a class of cholesterol-lowering medications call fibrates have been steadily despite the lack of a clear benefit. Experts are saying that aggressive marketing has trumped scientific evidence.

The increase in fibrate prescriptions has been driven by a 200 percent jump in the use of one of the drugs, called fenofibrate. But in the past five years, two major studies found fenofibrate failed to reduce heart disease risks among diabetic men and women.

ABC News reports:

“Last year, the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, which involved 10,000 patients with diabetes, found that those who took both simvastatin and fenofibrate suffered about as many heart attacks, strokes and deaths as diabetic patients treated with simvastatin alone. The Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) trial, which involved nearly 10,000 patients and has reported results since 2005, found that fenofibrate failed to decrease cardiovascular deaths more than a placebo.”

New evidence demonstrates that routine periodic fasting is good for your health. Fasting lowers your risk of coronary artery disease and diabetes, but also can cause significant changes in your blood cholesterol levels.

The discovery expands upon previous work that showed an association between fasting and reduced risk of coronary heart disease, a leading cause of death.

According to Eurekalert:

“This recent study also confirmed earlier findings about the effects of fasting on human growth hormone (HGH), a metabolic protein. HGH works to protect lean muscle and metabolic balance, a response triggered and accelerated by fasting. During the 24-hour fasting periods, HGH increased an average of 1,300 percent in women, and nearly 2,000 percent in men.”

Eating a “Mediterranean diet” could prevent or even reverse metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. Scientists believe that a Mediterranean-style diet has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on your body.

A review of 35 clinical trials found that faithfully eating a Mediterranean diet can improve traits such as belly fat, high blood pressure, low levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, elevated blood fat levels, and high blood sugar.

Reuters reports:

“For instance, those who stuck with the Mediterranean diet as compared to eating their regular foods or a low-fat diet trimmed their waistlines by about 0.43 cm (0.16 inches) on average.  They also showed slashed their blood pressure by 2.35 points on the top reading, and their fasting blood sugar by 3.89 milligrams per deciliter.”

Men who live to the age of 85 and beyond tend to have high levels of good (HDL) cholesterol when they are in their 60’s.  In fact, Researchers found that men with the highest HDL cholesterol were 28 percent less likely to die before they reached 85.

This adds to the evidence that HDL is important for a long life.  HDL can reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke.

Reuters reports:

“Low levels of HDL, less than 40 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood for men, are known to increase the risk of heart disease, according to the heart association … [F]or each ten mg/dL increase of HDL, the men were 14 percent less likely to have died by 85.”

Researchers have found that high levels of cholesterol do not predict the risk of stroke in women.  There was an increased risk for men — but only when cholesterol was at almost twice the average level.

The research followed close to 14,000 men and women over the course of 33 years. Cholesterol levels in women were not found to be associated with stroke.

BBC News reports:

“[The researchers] did notice a link, in both men and women, between the risk of stroke and non-fasting triglycerides.  They believe these fats are a marker for ‘remnant cholesterol’ which is left behind when other forms of cholesterol are made.”

Millions of Americans stop exhibiting dietary caution when they are prescribed statins for high cholesterol.  Meanwhile, adults aged 45 and older have increased their statin use 10-fold, from 2 percent between 1988 and 1994 to 25 percent between 2005 and 2008.

High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease.

ABC News reports:

“’What is important is that we ensure that the drugs are used by those most likely to benefit,’ [according to Dr. Harlan Krumholz.].’We cannot lose focus on the value of healthy lifestyles can also play in promoting heart health.’”

The received wisdom states that eggs are high in dietary cholesterol.  However, a new study shows that eggs today contain a lot less cholesterol than they did a decade ago.  A large egg now contains about 185 milligrams of cholesterol, down from 215 milligrams.

USA Today reports:

“‘Evidence suggests that one egg (i.e. egg yolk) per day does not result in increased blood cholesterol levels, nor does it increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy people,’ according to the government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans”.

In fact, I believe this vastly underestimates the reality.  The apparent drop in egg cholesterol isn’t really that big a deal, because the cholesterol in eggs was never that dangerous in the first place.  You can easily eat one dozen eggs per week, as they will not cause your cholesterol to increase. Scientists have shown that infants who eat the adult equivalent of 40 eggs per week don’t have problems.

People without heart disease get little or no benefit from cholesterol-lowering statins, researchers have warned.

A review of the medical literature showed that many of the reports they looked at — including all but one of the reports funded by drugmakers — were seriously flawed. Only half provided information on the side effects of the drugs, and there is evidence that the reports cherry-picked the best outcomes for presentation.

According to Reuters:

“[The review] estimated that treating 1,000 people with statins for one year would lower the number of deaths from nine to eight.”