In 1969 Dr. Kilmer McCully from Harvard Medical School informed the world community about his very important discovery that the increased amount of the amino acid homocysteine as a result of deficiency of vitamins B6, B9 and B12 in the body is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases because of its highly damaging effects on the coronary and other blood vessels in the whole organism being physiologically the reason for the accumulation of lipid plaques therein (atherosclerosis). Then he was condemned under the pressure of the pharmaceutical industry and forced to leave Harvard as from this year onwards started the introduction of the myth that elevated cholesterol levels are the main cause of atherosclerosis.
In this connection I want to give you an example of my father who is now 80 years old and who lived all his life with elevated levels of the total cholesterol being within the range of 6.5 to 11 mmol/l (double the physiological norm of 2.7 to 5 mmol/l) and three fold elevated triglycerides in the presence of a healthy heart and perfectly accessible coronary vessels!
My father always had a great appetite as he did not limited himself of anything related to food especially with its quantity. However, he has never overdone with salt. The numerous culinary delights that my mother was preparing almost constantly striving to provide us home comfort were irresistible. According to all cardiologists my father was supposed to be dead a long time ago. As I have explained in the previous paragraph the reason for this phenomenon is in the low value of homocysteine and constantly high value (at the upper limit) of vitamin B12 in his body which in the opposite case are becoming a major factor for the formation of plaques in the blood vessels. The ultrasound examination of the carotid artery showed the presence of some atherosclerotic plaques but for an 80 year-old man this is absolutely normal. Where is the key? In four essential circumstances. Firstly, my father throughout his entire life drinks plenty of water in the physiological norms laid down in paragraph "How much water should you drink?" Secondly, his vitamin B12 level has always been at the upper limit. Thirdly, every day he used to walk (not run) although in working age he was a clerk (sitting the whole day behind a desk in an office) having extremely stressful and responsible profession. As you already know from this book mental stress leads to an increased release of adrenaline and it contributes to powerful separation of triglycerides from the adipocytes (the fat cells in the body) and respectively of cholesterol which is contained therein. Fourthly, at the age of 60 my father decided to quit smoking and that was a big step forward in preserving his heart healthy. Cigarettes make detoxification of excessive amounts of homocysteine extremely difficult.