Rath is an interesting man. He worked closely with Linus Pauling and researched with him the benefits of high-dose vitamin C. Rath, who lives in Germany, is now one of the leading campaigners in Europe against the EU directives that look to close down nutritional and alternative medicine.

In a recent interview, Rath stated: ‘If high cholesterol would damage the blood vessel wall, it would so everywhere along the long pipeline of our blood vessel system. This system would clog everywhere and not just in the heart or in the brain. In other words, we would also get infarctions of the nose, the ear, the knees, elbows, fingers and any other organ in the body. This is clearly not the case.

‘Then I discovered that cardiovascular disease is essentially unknown in the animal world, whereas amongst human beings, it is a leading cause of death. Animals manufacture their own vitamin C, which is required to produce the reinforcement molecules of our body and its blood vessel system called collagen.

‘We human beings cannot produce a single molecule of this vitamin and frequently get too few vitamins in our diet, exposing our blood vessel system to weakness and to the development of deposits.’

The remedy? High-dose vitamin C. Oh yes, we forgot. They’re banning that too.

(Sources: British Medical Journal, 2003; 326: 518; and http://www.dr-rath-health-foundation.org).

* Follow a Montignac low-glycaemic diet (low processed carbohydrates), which lowers cholesterol (for more information, order a copy of The Secrets of Longevity from our offices)

* Eat foods containing high levels of beta-sitosterol, found in most plants, especially soybeans, as they can reduce cholesterol by at least 10 per cent (Ann Nutr Metab, 1995; 39: 291-5)

* Take omega-3 fatty-acid supplements, preferably with vitamin B6 (Circulation, 2002; 105: 1897-903)

* Eat a high-fibre diet based on vegetables, fruits and nuts (Metabolism, 2001; 50: 494-503); oat bran, apple pectin and psyllium are especially helpful (Am J Clin Nutr, 1979; 32: 346-63)

* Take up to 3000 mg/day of niacin, but beware of overdosing (Curr Cardiol Rep, 2003; 5: 470-6)

* Try blue-green algae supplements; they contain large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids which may reduce cholesterol (Proceedings of the American Chemical Society meeting, March 1999)

* Don’t forget garlic (Allium sativum), which lowers cholesterol (Ann Intern Med, 1993; 119: 599-605)

* Try guggul, an Ayurvedic remedy that prevents atherosclerosis, and raises ‘good’ HDL by an impressive 60 per cent (J Assoc Phys India, 1989; 37: 323-8).

Homocysteine has been mentioned in these articles, and as new research has thrown further light on the subject, it seems a good time to get a better understanding of its role in heart disease.

Homocysteine is an amino acid that accumulates in the blood. When levels become abnormally high it is known as homocystinuria, and it was first linked to heart disease in Irish research published in 1962.

But it was Kilmer McCully, then a resident pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, who recognized that homocysteine could cause cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis at far lower levels than the Irish researchers thought. He published his findings in 1969, and he was rewarded for his efforts by being banished from Harvard University and he lost his job at the Massachusetts hospital.

His views certainly seemed heretical. Cholesterol and clogged arteries were not the cause of heart disease, but were merely the symptoms of an underlying cause – raised homocysteine levels. A diet rich in vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid could reduce homocysteine to levels that were not life-threatening, he postulated.

Although medicine has finally accepted the theory, it has done so begrudgingly and has never fully taken on board the full implication of McCully’s discovery. To this day, many specialists still work with the old paradigm that cholesterol is the problem.

Their view seems to be supported by a new piece of research among 3,680 adult Americans who had suffered a heart attack. Half were given high-dose vitamin B, made up of 25 mg pyridoxine, 0.4 mg cobalamin and 2.5 mg folic acid, while the rest were given the same in low doses.

Although homocysteine levels were reduced more in the high-dose group, not surprisingly, there wasn’t a significant difference between the two groups in terms of stroke and further heart attacks.

So is there a flaw in McCully’s theory? Not necessarily, as the research team from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, admits. In the first place, the study period, at two years, could have been too short. It’s equally as possible that the participants’ homocysteine levels weren’t critical in the first place, thanks in part to the US government initiative to fortify grain with folate.

It could also be that raised homocysteine levels are yet another marker for heart disease, a theory that is supported by some research. Perhaps, after all, ‘dunno’ is the correct response when people want to know the cause of heart disease, but, if so, it’s a ‘dunno’ of a far richer quality.

(Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2004; 291: 565-75).

Artherosclerosis (a disease that causes arteries to thicken and harden), which is often associated with ageing, can begin in childhood and may develop undetected for decades. Researchers from Finland have found that your chances of developing the disease is related to your exposure to some of the risk factors, such as smoking and being overweight, as an adolescent.

They were able to track the health records of 2,229 white adults, now aged between 24 and 39 years, who had been monitored from the age of 3. They discovered that the critical years fall between the ages of 12 and 18, when exposure to health risks can be as significant as those the group faces today. Yet, the same risk factors do not seem to have the same correlative effects if the child is aged between 3 and 9 years when exposed to them.

(Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003; 290: 2277-83).

Although death from heart disease fell dramatically in the US and other countries between 1980 and 1989, cases of coronary atherosclerosis remained stable, they say.

If the textbooks are correct, a similar drop in athersclerosis should also have been recorded, because severity of the disease has always been seen as a major indicator of survival from heart disease.

While cholesterol levels among their patients fell during the nine year period, the prevalence of coronary artery disease remained fairly stable, at 35 per cent in 1980-1, 37 per cent in 1982-3, 34 per cent in 1984-5, 37 per cent in 1986-7, and 35 per cent in 1988-9. During the same period, death from heart disease fell by 23 per cent, according to one American study. This latest research provides further proof that high cholesterol levels may not be responsible for hardened arteries and heart disease.

!AN Eng J Med 1996; 335: 316-22.

The report says that passive smoking not only increases the risk of lung cancer but also respiratory disease, middle ear infection and decreased lung function in young people.

The study warns that approximately 80 per cent of Europeans over the age of 15 years are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke and inhale the equivalent of one or more cigarettes a day. The French researchers recommend that governments protect non smokers by designating more smoking areas and banning smoking in all indoor public places (BMJ, 1998; 316: 9).

Both active and passive smoking leads to the progression of atherosclerosis, according to a US medical report. The study demonstrated that exposure to environmental smoke caused an 20 per cent increase in the risk of developing ather osclerosis, after accounting for lifestyle variables (JAMA, 1998; 279: 119-124).

* It is stable. According to American physiologist Dr Raymond Peat, coconut oil kept at room temperature for a year has shown no evidence of rancidity. This may be because its high saturated-fat content resists rancidity at high temperatures, even after ingestion.

* It is antimicrobial. The lauric acid in coconut oil is converted to monolaurin in the body, proven to have antibacterial/antiviral properties (Int J Antimicrob Agents, 2002; 20: 258-62; Arch Virol, 2001; 146: 777-90).

* It aids weight control. Contrary to popular belief, a review of the scientific literature concluded that medium-chain fatty acids – such as found in coconut oil – increase energy expenditure and make you feel full (J Nutr, 2002; 132: 329-32).

* It may protect against cancer and liver disease. Numerous animal studies (which are not necessarily applicable to humans) have shown that, compared with unsaturated oils, coconut oil safeguards the liver and protects against cancerous tumours (Ann Surg, 2003; 237: 246-55; Nutr Cancer, 1993; 20: 99-106).

Scientists have found that saturated fats and cholesterol work together to support the walls of our body’s cells, imparting strength and stability to them. When large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids are consumed, they step in for the depleted saturated fatty acids in cell walls, but they’re not a good substitute. So, the cell walls weaken, and cholesterol from the blood seeps into the tissues to offer added support. This is why blood-cholesterol levels are temporarily lowered when we consume polyunsaturated oils instead of saturated fats (Am J Clin Nutr, 1997; 66: 438-46).

* In a recent study, one third of 773 individuals involved in a road accident as a driver, bicycle rider or pedestrian experienced some level of anxiety, depression, fear of travel or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 3 to 12 months later and, in most cases, persisted. After one year, about half the group had phobic travel anxiety, nearly 60 per cent had general anxiety, and half were diagnosed with PTSD (Am J Psychiatry, 2001; 158: 1231-8).

* New research in nearly 1300 men suggests that, during a severe asthma attack, men are less likely than women to notice the symptoms of the attack. The reason for this is unclear, but it may be that men perceive less discomfort because of greater lung size and muscle strength, or because they generally develop asthma at an earlier age than women. Men also tend to only seek medical attention when symptoms are too severe to ignore, the researchers noted (Ann Emerg Med, 2001; 38: 123-8).

* What’s lurking in that paddling pool? Physicians in Canada have found the first outbreak of a new type of Pseudomonas infection called ‘hot foot syndrome’. This discovery was made when 40 children, aged 2 to 15, developed intense pain in the soles of their feet within 40 hours of using the same wading pool. A hot, red swelling began after a few hours, along with pain so severe that the children were unable to stand up. Three children were given oral cephalexin (an antibiotic) while the others were treated with cold compresses, analgesics and foot elevation. In all cases, the condition resolved within 14 days, although it recurred in three children after they revisited the same pool (N Engl J Med, 2001; 345: 335-8).

Chlorination is inferior water treatment. Although it has greatly lowered infectious waterborne diseases in countries like the US and Canada, chlorination fails against a variety of water problems, including parasites, and can seriously harm those who use the water.

Preliminary evidence suggests that chlorinated water can damage your arteries. Researchers led by William F. Enos autopsied 300 GIs who had died in the Korean War. These men, who had been inducted as healthy, averaged 22.1 years of age; yet, 77 per cent of them showed ‘gross evidence of arteriosclerosis in the coronary arteries’, some of whom had partly or completely blocked arteries (JAMA, 1953; 152: 1090-3).

The water that the soldiers had to drink in Korea was heavily chlorinated. In Vietnam, too, autopsies revealed heart-artery damage (JAMA, 1971; 216: 1185-7). Again, water supplied to them had been heavily chlorinated.

Highly reactive chlorine is an industrial waste product. Chlorine oxidises lipid (fatty) contaminants in the water, creating free radicals (highly reactive atomic or subatomic particles lacking an electron) and oxysterols (formed when lipid and oxygen molecules combine). Excess free radicals and excess oxysterols damage arteries and initiate cancer, among other kinds of harm.

Chlorine destroys Lactobacillus acidophilus, which feeds the three pounds or so of immune-strengthening ‘good’ bacteria in the colon. It also combines with organic impurities in the water to make chloramines, or trihalomethanes (THMs). The more organic matter, the more THMs which, like excess oxysterols, are carcinogenic.

Chlorinated water alters and destroys essential fatty acids (EFAs), the building blocks of the brain and central nervous system (Chem Res Toxicol, 1992; 5: 418-25). Hypochlorite, formed when chlorine mixes with water, generates excess free radicals that oxidise EFAs, making them turn rancid.

Among the THMs created when chlorine combines with organic compounds in water are carcinogenic chloroform and carbon tetrachloride. The combination of chlorine and organic materials already in the water produces cancer-causing byproducts. The more organic matter in the water, the greater the accumulation of THMs (Epidemiology, 1998; 9: 134-40).

A study of more than 5000 pregnant women showed that those who drank more than five glasses a day of tapwater containing more than 75 parts per billion (ppb) of THMs had a 9.5 per cent risk of miscarriage vs 5.7 per cent in women less exposed to the contaminants (JAWWA, 1992; Apr: 29).

Drinking and swimming in chlorinated water can cause melanoma (J Invest Dermatol, 1980; 75: 122-7; Epidemiology, 1992; 3: 263-5). Sodium hypochlorite, used in swimming pools, can cause genetic mutations (Environ Cell Perspect, 1996; 69: 221-5). Indeed, one study concluded that worldwide pollution of rivers and oceans, and chlorination of swimming-pool water have led to an increase in melanoma (Epidemiology, 1992; 3: 263-5).

A study in the late 1970s found that chlorinated water appears to increase the risk of gastrointestinal cancer over a person’s lifetime by 50-100 per cent. This risk of cancer was from water containing chlorine at or below the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) standard (Harris R, speech to the Miami chapter of The Sierra Club, 1980).

A review of studies found chlorinated water in the US to be associated each year with an estimated 9 per cent of bladder cancer cases and 18 per cent of rectal cancers (Am J Public Health, 1997; 87: 1168-76).

Researchers in Finland found yet another hazard in chlorinated water: a byproduct called MX. By causing genetic mutations, MX initiated cancer, at least in laboratory animals (J Natl Cancer Inst, 1997; 89: 832-3, 848-56).

For all its dangers, chlorine isn’t very effective at killing dangerous bugs, including Cryptosporidium. (In 1993, this protozoan killed more than 100 people and infected over 400,000 in the US alone). The American Society of Microbiology recently reported that water in the US is filled with microbes that pose a growing threat to public health (Acres USA, 1999; Sept: 5).

Substitute water treatments
There are many better, safer and cheaper alternatives to chlorine. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) destroys infectious organisms and impurities in water 4000 times better than chlorine (McCabe E, Oxygen Therapies, Morrisville, NY: Energy Publications, 1990) – at only two-thirds the cost of chlorination in some places. A 35-per-cent technical grade H2O2 promotes bacterial growth that will break down sewage and enhance the oxygen level in the discharge water entering lakes and streams (Acres USA, 1999; Aug: 46).

Ozone (O3) is equally effective. To generate ozone, dry air or oxygen is passed through a high-voltage electrical field. Worldwide, 1100 cities treat their drinking water with ozone, some since 1901. Ozone treatment in Massachusetts successfully controlled the effects of algae blooms and eliminated water-quality problems. Potential THM formation was reduced by an average of 75 per cent (Am City County, 1996; 111: 38).

To protect yourself against the dangers of the water supply, carry out your own water purification with either a reverse-osmosis water purifier or carbon block filters. One type of filter combines a carbon block to remove lead, chemical and organic pollutants with ultraviolet light to kill microbes. If you don’t, every time you turn on your tap, you could be risking your health.
Joseph Hattersley