What really causes heart disease? It may not be what you think. Our Instaread library just dropped a new summary of The Clot Thickens, an alternative health title that challenges the orthodoxy on cardiovascular disease.
Out with the OldHeart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. According to the “cholesterol hypothesis,” which was first proposed in the late 1800s, its main cause is eating a lot of saturated fat, which raises cholesterol levels and leads to narrowing of the arteries until they are eventually blocked. This hypothesis has been promoted worldwide as an inarguable fact. But what if it’s wrong?
Enter Dr. Malcolm Kendrick. He says that even though the cholesterol hypothesis has been the dominant theory for over 150 years, there is an alternative. It’s just not as well known because it is incompatible with the cholesterol hypothesis, which has been pushed by Big Pharma and other stakeholders.
In with the New?
According to Dr. Kendrick’s hypothesis, blood clots are the primary cause of CVD. Atherosclerotic plaques are the remnants of blood clots that have formed on artery walls and then incorporated into them.
The process starts when the lining of the artery wall is damaged. This stimulates the formation of a blood clot, or thrombus, that covers the area. A new layer of arterial lining then grows over the top of the thrombus, which effectively draws it into the artery wall. In most cases, the remnant thrombus is then fully broken down and removed. However, if there is a higher rate of damage, the clots are bigger or tougher, or the repair systems are not working so well, then repeated blood clotting at the same spot will lead to plaques increasing in size. Eventually, they will severely narrow the artery and constrict blood flow.
Dr. Kendrick says that every bit of evidence that supported the cholesterol hypothesis was based on assumptions and jumping to conclusions, not research and facts. Most of the evidence supports the thrombogenic hypothesis but was misinterpreted to fit the cholesterol narrative.
Do we know what to make of this? No. But does it make for a compelling read? Absolutely, yes.
About the Author
Dr. Kendrick works in Cheshire, England, as a general practitioner. He is a member of the International Network of Cholesterol Sceptics, a group of scientists, doctors, and researchers who believe that cholesterol does not cause cardiovascular disease.
Read our full summary of The Clot Thickens. . .
