Scientific Consensus
Since the middle of the 20th century, the lipid hypothesis proposing that saturated fats and cholesterol in the blood are a major factor in cardiovascular disease has been the focus of research seeking to prove or disprove its validity. The interpretation of this research has resulted in the general acceptance of the lipid hypothesis as scientific fact by the end of the century. While it has attracted controversy, the scientific consensus was early on in its favor. A survey conducted in 1978 found that a large majority of researchers and practitioners were supportive of the validity of the lipid hypothesis. In this survey, 211 prominent researchers in the field were questioned about the association of the plasma cholesterol biomarker and the link of disease to diet. 90% responded with the following answers:
Question | Yes | No | Uncertain |
---|---|---|---|
Do you think there is a connection between plasma cholesterol level and the development of coronary heart disease? | 189 | 2 | 2 |
Do you think that our knowledge about diet and coronary heart disease is sufficient to recommend a moderate change in the diet for the population of an affluent society? | 176 | 16 | 1 |
The National Institute of Health held a consensus development conference reviewing the scientific evidence in 1984, during which a panel of 14 experts unanimously voted "yes" on the questions of whether blood cholesterol was causal and whether reducing it would help to prevent heart disease. The panel concluded:
It has been established beyond a reasonable doubt that lowering definitely elevated blood cholesterol levels (specifically, blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol) will reduce the risk of heart attacks caused by coronary heart disease... —As of the end of the 1980s, the evidence accumulated through studies resulted in general acceptance of the lipid hypothesis and the rejection of the "cholesterol controversy", and by 2002, the lipid hypothesis was accepted by the scientific community as proven, or, as one article stated, "universally recognized as a law." Critics point out that the standard for proof in the field is placebo controlled, double blind tests and not argumentum ad populum. A minority of the medical community still argue that the lipid hypothesis has not yet been scientifically validated as having identified a cause of heart disease.
Nowadays, the term "lipid hypothesis" is commonly used by the opponents of the scientific consensus concerning the role of cholesterol in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, such as members of The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics founded in 2003 by critic Uffe Ravnskov.
Read more about this topic: Lipid Hypothesis, Lipid Hypothesis of Atherogenesis
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