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Fasting and cholesterol.....

Now I don't think cholesterol is evil...in fact I am a fan....but spotted this the other day.

I have not had much up here about intermittent fasting / IF for a while. (For those interested I like both Brad Pilon and Martin Berkhan's approaches). Anyway, this report indicates that fasting prompts an enzyme that turns off the body's generation of fats and cholesterol.

As I said I don't think dietary cholesterol is a problem, and I'd disagree with some of the stuff in the article about a high fat diet, but this is an interesting finding for those who practice intermittent fasting.

When Food Intake Stops, Enzyme Turns Off Production of Fats, Cholesterol

"This study is significant because it explains the signals that tell the body to burn fat in response to fasting or dieting," says David Sinclair, PhD, a professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) who helped discover the genes that code for sirtuins but was not involved with this MGH-led study. "This improved understanding could help treat and prevent metabolic diseases such as atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes."
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Unknown said…
i follow your blog daily, and i am also a proponent of martin berkhan's approach to IF. great find of an article today!

cheers :)
July 1, 2010 at 7:08 PM
Anonymous said…
This is interesting, thanks

Also a find of Martin btw...tons of good content on his blog
July 1, 2010 at 11:15 PM
Stephen Guy-Clarke said…
It is important to note that dietary cholesterol may or may not contribute to heart disease depending on how the individual’s liver is able to regulate the plasma cholesterol level and the production of LDL. Certainly we know the body needs fats, but they must be the right kind. Good fats supply essential fatty acids, which are a very important link in our health chain. All cell membranes are composed of fats. Fats supply energy, act as an intestinal lubricant and carry the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the body. Unfortunately many of us in the West consume much too much of the wrong fats - that is, saturated, hydrogenated, and heated fats – which are linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer.
July 2, 2010 at 12:50 AM
Chris said…
Stephen
I'd agree about hydrogenated fat....but saturated fat is healthy. When you look at the studies there is no link between saturated fat and the diseases with which it is so often linked in the media. For example:

http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2010/02/fat-is-not-bad.html

A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD

http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2010/01/ban-butter-now-things-are-getting.html
July 2, 2010 at 1:01 AM
Aaron Curl said…
I agree with the above commenter.....sat. fat is not only healthy but should be a mainstay in everyones diet. Eat bacon and eggs cooked in real butter everyday!
July 2, 2010 at 2:56 AM
Mike said…
This may be a dumb question, and I apologize if it is, but if fasting reduces production of cholesterol, then might it not be a good idea to require patients to fast before getting a lipids test?
July 2, 2010 at 8:21 AM
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