The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released new data that they say is proof that the nation is getting healthier. Their statistics show a 27% decline in number of adults with high cholesterol.
I read the report, and I can tell you, the only thing it proves is that cholesterol isn’t that important.
After all, the general population is sicker than ever, despite lower cholesterol statistics. The World Health Organization (WHO) released its World Health Statistics report for 2012 last month. And it shows that one in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure. And one in 10 suffers from diabetes.
Also in the WHO report–the highest obesity levels are in the Americas. A whopping 26% of adults–that’s 1 in 4–in North and South America are obese.
So I hardly think that a decline in cholesterol levels indicates much of anything about the health of our nation. The CDC, quite simply, is confused on the real source of chronic disease.
Inflammation, not cholesterol, is at the heart of chronic disease–heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and more.
And the Standard American Diet is the direct cause.
You see, packaged foods… fast foods… contain large amounts of omega-6 fatty acids. This is the “pro-inflammatory” fatty acid. And if you’ve got lots of omega-6 fats in your diet, you’re constantly fueling this inflammation.
And, if you’re overweight, you’re compounding the inflammation problem even further. Body fat, and especially belly fat, triggers a low-grade chronic inflammation throughout the body.
Now for the good news: Fixing it is easier than you might imagine. In fact, I’ve outlined an unbelievably simple strategy for curbing inflammation in this month’s issue of my Logical Health Alternatives newsletter. Subscribers can view this issue for free right now by visiting www.logicalhealthalternatives.com and logging in to the subscriber area with your username and password. (And if you’re not already a subscriber, you can find all the details you need to become one on the website as well). Source: “Total and High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2010,” NCHS Data Brief 2012; 92