Originally published June 14 2005
Cholesterol good for the libido, expert says
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Conrado Dayrit, a world-renowned cardiologist from the Philippines, recently announced that cholesterol below normal levels can negatively affect libido. Dayrit also said cholesterol and saturated fats were not the causes of heart disease, since cultures who consume lots of coconut oil -- high in saturated fat -- have very low rates of death from heart disease. Dayrit said no study existed that proved blood cholesterol caused heart disease.
Most of all, cholesterol is not the artery-clogging culprit that has made heart disease the No. 1 cause of death among Filipinos, he said.
Citing new findings in the study of heart disease, Dayrit said that more than dietary cholesterol, it was the inflammatory process, microbial infection and free-radical injury to blood vessels that were contributing to the killer ailment.
Naturopath and nutritionist Dr. Bruce Fife -- who, along with scientists Vermen Verallo-Rowell and Fabian Dayrit, also spoke at the symposium -- said what mattered was the ratio of total blood cholesterol to good cholesterol carried by the high density lipoprotein (HDL) for elimination.
A high total blood cholesterol level indicates the liver's deployment of the repair substance in large amounts when arteries are irritated or weak, said Fife, who is best known for his book "Coconut Oil Miracles."
But it does not reflect the state of your heart's health unless balanced by an elevated HDL cholesterol level protective of the heart, he said.
He cited a 1974 study that found Bicolanos -- whose diet is rich in saturated coconut oil -- to have a below-normal serum cholesterol level.
"If it is true that coconut oil causes heart disease, then coconut-consuming Filipinos, Indonesians, Sri Lankans and Polynesians should be dying of heart disease right and left.
A similar study of Sri Lankans whose diet is also rich in coconut, but in a less pure state, showed a remarkably low incidence of heart disease.
In another study covering 12 countries to determine the relationship between heart disease mortality and fat calories consumed, the Philippines -- the only coconut oil consumer -- emerged with the lowest mortality rate.
Dayrit said a listing from the Department of Health showed that even as heart disease was No. 1, Filipinos who succumbed to heart attacks comprised only about 16 percent of all deaths.
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