GMO’S: The Science and The Myths: Part 6

 

 

 

 

GMO”S: The Science and The Myths: Part 6

In today’s post I want to tackle the sticky subject of cholesterol. Levels have been lowered, drugs are passed out and yet does the research prove cholesterol is the culprit in CVD, cardiovascular disease?

Again I am going to refer to Dr. Seneff’s research at MIT.

In an interview with Dr. Mercola, one of the top health websites in the world, she addresses this issue.

“Heart disease, I think, is a cholesterol deficiency problem, and in particular a cholesterol sulfate deficiency problem…

Dr. Mercola continues, “through her research, she has developed a theory in which the mechanism we call “cardiovascular disease” (of which arterial plaque is a hallmark) is actually your body’s way to compensate for not having enough cholesterol sulfate. To understand how this works, you have to understand the interrelated workings of cholesterol, sulfur, and vitamin D from sun exposure.

Cholesterol sulfate is produced in large amounts in your skin when it is exposed to sunshine. When you are deficient in cholesterol sulfate from lack of sun exposure, your body employs another mechanism to increase it, as it is essential for optimal heart- and brain function. It does this by taking damaged LDL and turning it into plaque. Within the plaque, your blood platelets separate out the beneficial HDL cholesterol, and through a process involving homocysteine as a source of sulfate, the platelets go on to produce the cholesterol sulfate your heart and brain needs. However, this plaque also causes the unfortunate side effect of increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease.

So how do you get out of this detrimental cycle?

Dr. Seneff believes that high serum cholesterol and low serum cholesterol sulfate go hand-in-hand, and that the ideal way to bring down your LDL (so-called “bad” cholesterol, which is associated with cardiovascular disease) is to get appropriate amounts of sunlight exposure on your skin.”

She explains:

“In this way, your skin will produce cholesterol sulfate, which will then flow freely through the blood—not packaged up inside LDL—and therefore your liver doesn’t have to make so much LDL. So the LDL goes down. In fact… there is a complete inverse relationship between sunlight and cardiovascular disease – the more sunlight, the less cardiovascular disease.”

“What this also means is that when you artificially lower your cholesterol with a statin drug, which effectively reduces the bioavailability of cholesterol to that plaque but doesn’t address the root problem, your body is not able to create the cholesterol sulfate your heart needs anymore, and as a result you end up with acute heart failure.” (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/15/dr-stephanie-seneff-on-cholesterol.aspx)

Cholesterol plays several important roles in our biology. For example, the cholesterol in the cell membranes protects those membranes from ion leaks. Ions travel back and forth maintaining specific cellular concentrations. If we don’t have enough cholesterol, then ions leak and the cells have to expend energy trying to get the ions back where they belong. This causes our cells to become tired. This phenomena is being looked at in Alzheimer’s, “brain tired”.

Next, heart muscle needs a huge amount of energy. Cholesterol in the cell membrane protects the cell from leaks. The ions that are needed for muscle contraction create byproducts, garbage so to speak. Sulfates help pick up the garbage. Also these cells need sulfate too so the heart beats in an organized fashion. With decreases in sulfate we see possible arrhythmias.

Another important metabolic pathway is disrupted by glyphosate, the ENOS pathway which makes sulfate which then causes the release of cholesterol from the skin. The end result when this pathway is disrupted is a cholesterol and cholesterol sulfate deficiency.

When we don’t have enough cholesterol sulfate, remember our skin is the largest
manufacturer of cholesterol sulfate from sunlight, and now we know glyphosate disrupts the synthesis and transport of sulfur when we eat food contaminated by roundup and in the food itself, problems occur.

Plaque buildup may actually be the way the heart cells can receive cholesterol sulfate. It needs the stuff that creates plaque for the heart muscle contraction because our exposure to glyphosate in digestion, air, water, interferes in the synthesis of sulfate needed to help the heart with its energy needs. Sulfate deficiency means we are not getting enough sulfate through our digestive process. Though our body compensates by forming plaques, that is not a good thing in the long run as it can lead to CVD.

Whew! complex biochemistry is helping to explain why roundup in particular and its chief component glyphosate should be banned from our food supply, along with other pesticides known to be harmful to all species. Please support legislation to ban roundup, 2,4-D and other dangerous pesticides in our food supply. Other countries are doing so. Why are we lagging behind? Why are we afraid of food labeling?

Your comments are always appreciated. Oh, by the way, buy organic as much as you possibly can. Every purchase we make casts a vote. What is your vote going to be today?

Enjoy this beautiful day. Judith