The 21^st Century Magazine,
at South Florida's www.miami-dade-online.com.

Some 65% of the average American's diet is comprised of food fillers called refined carbohydrates, which are void of or contain limited nutrients. Refining promotes shelf-life through processing. With the advancements in food processing, people began to experience new health problems.

One of those problems was degenerative heart disease. As medical science matured, cholesterol was identified as the main cause of blocked arteries which results in heart attacks or strokes. We all know this, don't we?

Well, we may believe the cure to heart disease is limiting cholesterol, but the medical establishment knows this has never been proven. In the 85 years of accepting the Cholesterol Theory, there has never been any study anywhere that proved a causative connection between cholesterol and heart disease! The stuff blocking arteries - plaque - was found to contain crystals of cholesterol and fat deposits. This was considered the problem.

The Cholesterol Theory has dominated medicine and nutrition, in spite of the lack of scientific support in long-term studies and the "French Paradox". The traditional French diet is saturated in cholesterol and fats - the supposed cause of heart disease - without a corresponding rate of heart disease among the French people. But, the French people also eat an abundant amount of fresh fruits, vegetables, liver and other organ meats, and red wines which provide sufficient levels of all type nutrients to prevent high homocysteine levels.

You cannot live without cholesterol. That is a fact. You need cholesterol to create new cells and to manufacture sex hormones and bile. When you do not eat enough cholesterol, your liver creates it. Most heart disease patients have normal blood cholesterol. Repeating: most heart disease patients have normal blood cholesterol!

So, what went wrong? Is there a massive conspiracy between the food companies, medical establishment, and Federal Government? Probably not. The food companies were simply trying to provide better foods, i.e., foods that last longer and are easier to prepare. The medical community saw arteries clogged with cholesterol and made a logical conclusion. The Federal Government tries to make people healthier by following the advice of doctors.

But, in the process much money and credibility hinged on the Cholesterol Theory. No one wanted to hear Dr. Kilmer McCully and his theories about how important vitamins are in combating homocysteine, the primary cause of heart disease. With numerous studies from different countries, the truth will soon be undeniable. Guilt, embarrassment, and financial considerations will not keep the truth from changing the way we think about food and about eating.

For years, people have pointed out the evils of refined carbohydrates. "Refined" is really "processed". White rice is polished, wheat is milled and bleached into white flour, sugar is nothing but glucose in the body, and the various versions of pasta are really "created" foods. In the processing, much of what we need for good health is lost. None of this impressed me. With my 50^th birthday and accompanying growing aches and pains, I began thinking about eating to live rather than living to eat. In understanding how homocysteine is directly related to degenerative diseases and aging in general, I am now paying attention.

The first change made was to increase my intake of vitamins and minerals as discussed in Chapter 2. The second thing was to realize refined carbohydrates are food fillers and a waste of my time processing. The thought of cooking, eating, digesting, and riding my body of stuff that does not give me anything seemed such a waste of effort and time. And, in the case of the deadly sugar, it was damn stupid (more on sugar later). By filling up with fillers, everything worth ingesting was limited or missing all together. Refined carbohydrates provide too many calories without enough nutrients. My focus has become one of ingesting rather than eating. Now my preferred carbohydrate is "complex carbohydrate" found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These are worth the time and effort in eating and ingesting.

One needed adjustment is that fruits and vegetables just do not seem to "fill me up". However, the full-feeling is gained by eating potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice, and bulgur wheat. These foods are full of fiber as well as nutrients and complex carbohydrates. These break down slowly releasing energy in a steady stream. Simply switching from refined to complex carbohydrates will benefit your health. Without the vitamins, minerals, oils, and trace elements provided by complex carbohydrates, homocysteine builds up in the cells and eventually seeping into the blood.

Once in the blood, homocysteine can attack the inside walls of the arteries. Homocysteine stimulates over-growth of muscle tissue in the cells of the arterial walls, while simultaneously releasing a substance able to destroy the elastic tissue of the artery. The result is a thickened and tough artery wall without any elasticity. This damaged wall snags the stuff that makes plaques - fats and cholesterol - and calcium deposits develop.

PURE CHOLESTEROL found in pure foods in a natural state does no damage

OXY-CHOLESTEROL powdered egg, powdered milk, frying meats found in cases of clogged arteries

There are two types of cholesterol in food. Pure cholesterol which is found in pure foods does no damage. Oxy-cholesterol is created during food processing, and in combination with homocysteine damages cell walls of the arteries, resulting in clogging. An "oxy-cholesterol" has an extra oxygen atom allowing it to be more "reactive" inside the body.

In search for a more easily preserved and easier to use egg, a process was developed to create powdered egg. Egg yolk's pure cholesterol is used in creation of the baby chick's cells and tissues. Pure and fresh this same cholesterol only benefits our bodies. However, when eggs are processed into powdered eggs, oxy-cholesterol is formed. Powdered eggs have found their way into all sorts of foods and are often served up as breakfast by themselves. Powdered milk brings on the same oxy-cholesterol development when formed out of liquid milk and is also a popular ingredient in processed foods due to its ease of handling and long-term shelf life.

So, in addition to providing empty calories of refined carbohydrates, processed foods with powdered eggs and powdered milk provide oxy-cholesterol. If meat is fried, oxy-cholesterols are developed. And, if the hot oil is not discarded after every use, the oil itself builds up oxy-cholesterol which can be transferred to other foods cooked in the same oil, i.e., french fries. So, if you are the type who sees food as a necessity of life and best handled through fast and prepared food, you are taking in calories and deadly oxy-cholesterol, without the benefit of the vitamins which can render oxy-cholesterol non-threatening with a lowering of homocysteine.

It should be noted that pure butter converted into the Ghee of Indian cooking through heating over long periods, also is a source of high oxy-cholesterol. Fresh butter, milk, and eggs were not designed to harm your arteries. Only processed oxy-cholesterol versions of the original will kill you. If you are health conscious and following a low-fat diet, check to see how much oxy-cholesterol contaminated powdered milk and powdered eggs are in those low-fat, processed cookies, cakes, or crackers you are eating instead of pure ice-cream.

UNSATURATED OILS liquid oils like olive, canola, fish oil associated with lower LDL and higher HDL cholesterol levels	SATURATED OILS solid fats like butter and lard raise LDL cholesterol levels
PURE OIL unsaturated or saturated never use margarine	HYDROGENATED OILS stabilized by adding hydrogen atoms contain transfats found in arteriosclerosis

Solid fats like butter and lard are saturated. Unsaturated oils are the liquids like olive oil, canola oil, and fish oil. "Saturated" means these fats contain more hydrogen. Low Densidty Lipoprotein (LDL) appears to transport homocysteine from the cells into the blood, where together they can access and attack the interior of the arteries. Studies indicate there is a rise of LDL with the intake of solid, saturated fats, with their excess hydrogen atoms. Unsaturated, liquid oils are preferred because they result in lower LDL levels and higher levels of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) which does no harm. Margarine should never be used.

In addition to the question of saturated versus unsaturated oils, there is the aspect of "hydrogenated" oils. These oils are stabilized by a process of adding extra hydrogen atoms to limit the spoilage of the oil through chemical interaction with oxygen atoms in the air. Hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils contain "transfats" found to increase the risk of arteriosclerosis in certain large-scale studies. Shelf-life should not be traded for a good heart. Avoid anything with the word "hydrogenated" - even when preceded with the word "partially".

So, where are we? Let us take a look at some types of eaters and find out.

• Fast Food Junkies: main diet of refined carbohydrates, splattered with oxy-cholesterole from long-lived powdered milk and powdered eggs, along with anything fried. As there are insufficient vitamins to convert/eliminate homocysteine, the arteries will come under attack. Fat accumulation depends upon amount of exercise. Potential for a long life, not good. In addition to heart clogging, demand on pancreatic insulin increases risks of developing hypoglycemia or diabetes.
• Low-Fat Dieters: in attempting to limit cholesterol from meat and dairy products, low-fat, refined carbohydrates are eaten. The body will attempt maintaining cholesterol levels and eventually an anti-cholesterol drug will often be administered. With the high refined carbohydrates comes the buildup of homocysteine and the arteries will still be attacked. As with any high refined carbohydrate diet the dangers also include obesity, diabetes, hypoglycemia, and degenerative disease.
• Homocysteine Aware Dieters - Phase 1: Increasing intake of fresh vegetables and fruits, while decreasing refined carbohydrate intake. Supplementing B vitamins. Drinking a minimum of a gallon of water per day. With vitamins attacking homocysteine, potential for long life getting better. The fewer processed foods eaten, the less strain on the glucose-insulin balance lessening threats from diabetes and hypoglycemia and obesity.

When starting this series of articles, it seemed fairly cut and dry: more veggies, more water, less processed foods, take nutrient supplements; homocysteine declines and methylation is enhanced. Having been a Homocysteine-Aware Dieter for three months, my health, weight, energy level, and mood have all benefitted. I have not made any drastic changes. Pizza, bagels, cakes, and other created foods still find their way to my table. But, the table has more of the good things than before.

When starting this series of articles, it seemed fairly cut and dry. In fact, if we are only considering the homocysteine factor, a Phase 1 Dieter will turn the tide toward better health. But, in considering the total potential for good health, we have to go further.

Consider, for instance Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) which blinds more Americans over 65 than other ailments. This supposed incurable disease sees the retina of the eye breaking down. A recent study of 14 ARMD patients by Stuart Richer, Veterans Administration Vision Researcher in Chicago has concluded there may be cure contained in leafy greens, building upon earlier observations.

"Lutein" is a pigment in leafy vegetables that appears able to repair damaged retinas. The lutein absorbs damaging blue light and protects the retina against any damage from blue light that does get through. Richer's study used ½ cup of cooked greens (2 cups raw) including spinach, kale, collards, and turnip greens. Fresh is better than frozen and canned is the least desirable. Who knew?

For that matter, who knows what little magic to good health is contained in pure foods whether of plant, meat, dairy or fish. And, that is why understanding what to eat becomes complicated. Supplements cannot replace these hidden magic formulas. The best way to eat is to eat fresh and pure.

In future installments of The Methyl Manual, we will continue our dual journey of unraveling the complexities of nutrition from food to methylation. In the meantime, think water, pure, and fresh...and continue supplementing. Think of yourself as a 21^st Century Hunter-Gather. The hunt is no longer in the forest. The hunt is for the best suppliers of fresh and pure foods. Go and gather and be well.

For more information concerning nutrition and heart health including recipes , see Dr. Kilmer McCully's book The Heart Revolution - amazon.com