Sunday, September 1, 2013

Book review - The Great Cholesterol Myth

The Great Cholesterol Myth - Johnny Bowden and Stephen Sinatra: Picked up this book from the library last week, and was expecting to just glance through and put back. Reading through a few pages about  cholestrol or saturated fat doesn't cause heart disease, the statin based medication scam, and how conventional wisdom of HDL is good and LDL is bad isn't quite as simple as it seems, all intrigued me, and I spent all this week reading every bit. The authors' expertise with PhD and MD clearly shows, and they make scientific arguments citing fairly wide wisdom gained from Japanese research, Korean war autopsy, Indian Ayurveda, African Masai diet etc. The book also specifies exactly the issues to look for with triglycerides, LDL/HDL cholestrol and  and suggests supplements, lifestyle and diet changes. The stress management chapter is a must read for everyone, and the diet blueprint is great as reference. What surprised me was that it covered nitty-gritty details clearing doubts that normally come to mind (e.g., dark chocolate is good, but not the typical candy bars - it should have atleast 60% cocoa). It was indeed eye-opening, useful and fulfilling - I was strongly influenced and made changes suggested in the book.

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