LDL cholesterol binds to and inactivates bacteria and viruses, Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD

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LDL cholesterol binds to and inactivates bacteria and viruses, Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD

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Monday, February 04, 2013 2:29 pm Email this article

Lipoproteins including LDL, HDL and VLDL, which carry cholesterol, perform an immune function in that they bind to and inactivate bacteria and viruses notes independent researcher Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD in an extended interview on the DVD for the wonderful documentary called
Statin Nation.

LDL is THE MOST POTENT of the lipoproteins in humans at performing this immune function, Dr. Ravnskov notes.

People with LOW cholesterol levels have HIGHER rates of infectious disease.

Below is the exact quote of what Dr. Ravnskov says about this.

LOW cholesterol is associated with atherosclerosis

LOW cholesterol is associated with atherosclerosis, NOT high cholesterol

“It is NOT HIGH cholesterol that produces atherosclerosis,” says Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD.

“It is LOW cholesterol.

“You say… that’s impossible.

People who had a heart attack had LOWER levels of LDL

People who had a heart attack had LOWER levels of LDL than the general population, LDL levels of 104 mg/dl vs 123 mg/dl

“There was, two years ago, two American studies.

“They showed that people with an acute heart attack… they analyzed more than 90,000 [people], they have, on average, LOWER cholesterol than ordinary people, NOT higher [LDL levels of 104 mg/dl for those who had had a heart attack vs 123 mg/dl for the general population.]

“[But] what did they conclude?

“[That] we have to lower [cholesterol] even more!”

“In one of the studies, they really did so [they lowered the cholesterol even more] and after two years they realized that those with the LOWEST cholesterol… there were MORE, 3 times more in that group [with LOW cholesterol] who had died from heart disease than those with HIGH cholesterol.

“Have these papers made any difference?

“No.

LDL, HDL and VLDL inactivate bacteria and viruses

LDL, HDL and VLDL bind to and inactivate bacteria and viruses

“The reason why HIGH cholesterol is PROTECTIVE is that the lipoproteins—the HDL and LDL and VLDL—these molecules are transporting cholesterol around in the blood…

“These molecules have another important function.

“They participate in the immune system.

“All the lipoproteins are able to bind and inactivate lots of viruses and bacteria.

People with LOW cholesterol have MORE infectious disease

People with LOW cholesterol levels have a GREATER RISK of infectious disease

“If you follow a large number of people, you see that those with LOW cholesterol, they are at a greater risk of… infectious disease.

“The experts say that it is the infections that lower cholesterol, but that is NOT true.

“There is a good study from San Francisco… Baron is his name… and they followed, I think, more than 15,000 healthy people for about 12 years.

“[After 12 years] they called them back and they saw that those with LOW cholesterol at the beginning had been admitted to [the] hospital much more often than those with HIGH cholesterol.

“At the end [of the study], those with LOW cholesterol had MORE often infectious disease.”

LDL is the MOST potent

LDL is the MOST potent in humans at binding to and inactivating bacteria and viruses

“... [T]here is nothing bad or good with normal substances in the blood [LDL or HDL]...

“and to mention this function of lipoproteins that they participate in the immune system…

“by binding and inactivating all kinds of microorganisms,

“this effect is MOST pronounced, it’s STRONGEST effect, is performed by the LDL—the so called “Bad Guy”—in animals the HDL is the strongest protector, but in humans, it’s the LDL.”

Doctors and experts in immunity are NOT aware of this

Very few doctors and researchers are aware of this

“Many, many research groups have discovered that the lipoproteins participate in the immune system, but VERY FEW doctors know about it, and you CAN’T find it in the textbooks.

“And I have spoken to many experts in infectious disease, and they DON’T know about it.

Examples of how LDL binds to and inactivates bacteria

Human LDL PREVENTED DEATH in rats that were injected with bacteria

“I can give you a few examples.

“If you put LDL with bacteria in a test tube, you will see that all the bacteria are attached to the LDL.

“Then add white blood cells, you can see that the white blood cells eat these LDL complexes—the LDL together with bacteria and viruses.

“There are beautiful animal experiments showing the effect of LDL… for example, researchers studied rats.

“They have two types of rats.

“One group, they got bacteria under the skin, and MOST of them DIED… ALL of them died.

“The other group of rats, they started by injecting purified HUMAN LDL under the skin of these rats, and after that they injected the bacteria, and MOST of them SURVIVED.

“There is only one explanation.

“The LDL molecule PROTECTS us against bacteria and viruses.”

—Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD
from the documentary Statin Nation

Uffe is the founder of
The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics
http://www.THINCS.org
and author of several books about how the cholesterol hypothesis of heart disease is wrong.
—-

Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD’s Newsletters are posted here:

http://www.ravnskov.nu/newsletters

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics website is here:

http://www.thincs.org

Uffe’s Cholesterol Myths are listed here:

http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm

—-

I encourage everyone who is interested in statins or heart disease to buy the Station Nation DVD and watch both the one-hour documentary as well as the two-hours of extended interviews.

You can buy the DVD here:

http://www.statinnation.net

The DVD contains the one-hour documentary plus an additional two-hours of extended interviews with Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD and others.

I enjoyed the two-hours of extended interviews every bit as much as I enjoyed the documentary.