Cholesterol, Sulfate, and Heart Disease Stephanie Seneff Wise Traditions Workshop, London Feb 9, 2014
Download These Slides http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/London2014/SeneffHeartDisease2014.pptx
”If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true, there would be little hope of advance." -- Orville Wright
Outline • Introduction • Cholesterol sulfate • Blood clots and hemorrhages • Streaming potential • Atherosclerosis is protective • Summary
A Provocative Proposal • Cholesterol sulfate supplies oxygen, sulfur, cholesterol, energy energy and negative charge to all the tissues • Sulfate is synthesized from sulfide in skin and blood stream utilizing energy in sunlight • Protects from UV damage and keeps microbes out • Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase (eNOS) performs the magic The skin is a solar powered battery!
High Cholesterol; Low Mortality!* "In conclusion, our population-based study shows that high total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, or LDL-C levels in the elderly are associated with a lower all-cause mortality compared with the group with the recommended low lipoprotein level." "Our findings could seem controversial. However, most studies performed in older adults show an inverse association between TC and mortality [11,14]." *L. Bathum et al., Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, 2013; 31: 172–180.
Cholesterol and Cholesterol Sulfate Sulfation makes cholesterol water-soluble and therefore much easier to transport SULFATE
Think about Sulfate! • Cells in the skin produce vitamin D3 sulfate upon exposure to the sun • The precursor to vitamin D3 is cholesterol • Cells also produce an abundance of cholesterolsulfate • I believe this is the more important molecule! • Many of the alleged benefits of vitamin D3 are actually benefits of cholesterol sulfate • Protection against cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease; improved immune function
Heart Disease Mortality and Sunlight* *Grimes et al., Q. J. Med. 1996; 89:579-589
Cholesterol and Sepsis* "The protective role of LDL in sepsis is well documented and the increasing incidence of ICU sepsisand mortality may be linked to widespread statinuse, as is also the increasing incidence of heart failure, attributed by some researchers to reduced mitochondrial coenzyme Q10 through statin inhibition." *Do healthy people with high cholesterol need statins? imt.ie/features-opinion/2013/12/do-healthy-people-with-high-cholesterol-need-statins.html
Lack of Sunlight May Raise Stroke Risk* • Strokes are caused by blood instability: clots and hemorrhages • Is this due to insufficient sulfate in blood? • Study involved 16,500 people • Tracked the history of where they had lived • Looked at weather statistics for those places • Found 60% increased risk to stroke for lowest sun exposure (relationship with both latitude and weather patterns) *A. Mozes, HealthDay, RSS Feed, Feb 2, 2012.
Ultraviolet Exposure and Mortality among Women in Sweden* • 38,472 women selected in 1991-1992, aged 30-49 • monitored for 15 years • Questionnaire asked about frequency of sunbathing vacations and sunburn • Increasedsunburn frequency associated with reducedall-cause mortality • Sunbathing vacations more than once a year reduced risk to cardiovascular disease and mortality * Yang et al., Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 20(4):683-690, 2011
Skin Melanoma Increasing 2%/Yr since 1974* This corresponds to a 30-fold increase in the use of sunscreen * Andrew Schneider, Aol News, May 24, 2010 aolnews.com/2010/05/24/study-many-sunscreens-may-be-accelerating-cancer
How to Stay Healthy • Plenty of dietary sulfur • Plenty of dietary cholesterol • Plenty of sun exposure
Cholesterol is a Miracle Worker • In the brain: • Synapse: promotes cell-cell communication • Myelin sheath: insulates channel from signal loss • In the membranes of all cells • Prevents ion leaks • Protects from pathogens (microbes) • In the plasma lipoprotein (LDL, HDL) • Essential for protecting contents from oxidation and glycation damage during transport to cells • Precursor to vital hormones • Vitamin D • All the sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen, etc.) • Cortisone: the stress hormone • Aids in digestion of fats
Sulfate is Vastly Underappreciated! • Sulfate is the 4th most abundant anion in the blood and protects it from coagulating • Detoxifies drugs, food additives, and environmental toxins like aluminum and mercury • Essential component of extracellular matrix proteins throughout the tissues • Cerebroside sulfate is a major constituent of myelin sheaths surrounding axons in neurons
Sulfated Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) • Prominent in extracellular matrix of all cells • Amount of sulfate depends on availability • Crucial for maintaining negative charge and protecting from infection http://www.science-autism.org/sulphate.htm
Sulfated Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) • Prominent in extracellular matrix of all cells • Amount of sulfate depends on availability • Crucial for maintaining negative charge and protecting from infection These are also known as “mucopolysaccharides” http://www.science-autism.org/sulphate.htm
Ten Positive Effects of Mucopolysaccharides* • A lipid-clearing effect in the blood. • Stimulation of cellular metabolism. • Efficient metabolism of fatty acids. • Increase in RNA and DNA synthesis of cells. • Increase in growth, size and quantity of normal cells. • Anti-atherosclerosis, anti-atherogenic activities. • Anti-inflammatory effect. • Anti-thrombogenic and anti-coagulant activity. • Increases the number of coronary artery branches and collateral circulation in experimental atherosclerosis. • Accelerates healing, regeneration and repair of cardiovascular tissue * http://www.vitaflex.com/res_csaa.php
Ten Positive Effects of Mucopolysaccharides* • A lipid-clearing effect in the blood. • Stimulation of cellular metabolism. • Efficient metabolism of fatty acids. • Increase in RNA and DNA synthesis of cells. • Increase in growth, size and quantity of normal cells. • Anti-atherosclerosis, anti-atherogenic activities. • Anti-inflammatory effect. • Anti-thrombogenic and anti-coagulant activity. • Increases the number of coronary artery branches and collateral circulation in experimental atherosclerosis. • Accelerates healing, regeneration and repair of cardiovascular tissue Many of these effects can be explained by the fact that they supply sulfate * http://www.vitaflex.com/res_csaa.php
Heparan Sulfate: Wonder Worker Polymers of sugars with attached sulfates: safe glucose storage
Disrupted Signaling when HSPGs are Depleted* HPGs = Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans *Figure 5 in P Muller and AF Schier, Developmental Cell 21, July 19, 2011, 145-158.
HSPGs, Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis* • Reduced sulfationis associated with inflammation and atherosclerosis and with increased age • Vessels with half as much heparan sulfate have 4-5 fold more cholesterol retention • ApoE& HDL promote heparan sulfate synthesis *L. Paca et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1999, 274:4816-4823.
Are we getting enough sulfur in our diet?* GGT = Gamma glutamyltransferase Amino Acid Pool Protein Synthesis α-ketoglutarate GGT Urea glycosaminoglycans Glycosaminoglycans *Figure 1, ME Nimni et al., Nutrition & Metabolism 2007, 4:24
GGT is a Strong Predictor of …* • Arterial stiffness • Hypertension • Coronary artery disease (CAD) • Heart failure • Elevated homocysteine levels • Cardiac syndrome X: angina without CAD • Acute pulmonary embolism *S. Jianget al., Role of gamma-glutamyltransferase in cardiovascular diseases. ExpClinCardiol2013;18(1):53-56.
Cholesterol Sulfate: What’s It All About?* • Omnipresent in blood serum in small amounts • Collects around exterior of red blood cells (RBCs) and gives them a negative charge field • Keeps cells from sticking together or sticking to capillary walls • Prevents RBCs from falling apart • Plays an important role in barrier function in the skin *Strott, J. Lipid Res. 44, 2003
Cholesterol Sulfate Protects from Obesity* • Dysregulation of glucose and lipid metabolism is a major factor in the metabolic syndrome • SULT2B1b is a sulfotransferase that synthesizes cholesterol sulfate in the liver • Induced following food consumption • Overexpression of SULT2B1b inhibits gluconeogenesis in the liver • Gluconeogenesis is the release of glucose from stored sugars which can lead to obesity *X. Shi et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 2014, 34(3):485.
Cholesterol Sulfate Deficiency • Cholesterol sulfate deficiency leads to filaggrin deficiency which is associated with: • Atopic Dermatitis • Eosinophilic Esophagitis • Asthma • These three conditions are on the rise and are associated with autism and celiac disease
Cholesterol Sulfate Synthesis in the Skin • Keratinocytes synthesize abundant cholesterol sulfate as they mature • This synthesis takes place in the outer layer of the epidermis • Cholesterol sulfate catalyzes synthesis of profilaggrin, one of the two key proteins forming the cross-linked mesh that protects from bacterial invasion and prevents water loss
Water loss • Microbe penetration Impaired wound healing in atopic dermatitis *J.A. Segre, J Clin Invest.2006;116:1150-58
Filaggrin Plays a Crucial Role • Loss of filaggrin function associated with • Increased skin permeability • Susceptibility to eczema and asthma • EosinophilicEsophagitis: (EoE)* EOE is a new disease first recognized in the 1990’s * Schroeder et al., Expert Rev clinImmunol. 6:6, 929-937, 2010.
More on EoE* • Allergic inflammatory condition of the esophagus • Eosinophils invade esophagus • Release toxins that kill viruses and induce tissue damage • Person has difficulty swallowing • Eats very slowly • Food gets stuck in the throat * Schroeder et al., Expert Rev clinImmunol. 6:6, 929-937, 2010.
Cholesterol Sulfate in the Lungs* • Bronchial tubes produce cholesterol sulfate in the epithelial cells as they mature and form the outer layer of the bronchial epithelium *Rearick et al., J. Cell. Physiol. 133:3, 573-578, Dec. 1987.
Cholesterol Sulfate in Horses’ Hoofs! * • 37-43% cholesterol • 15-20% cholesterol sulfate Is Chinese medicinal use of rhino horn based on cholesterol sulfate? *P.W. Wertz and P.T. Downing, J Lipid Res 25, 1985, 1320-1323.
Laminitis (Founder) • Lameness in horses due to inflammation in the hoof • Can be caused by exposure to herbicides and nitrate fertilizers Is This due to Impaired Cholesterol Sulfate Supply to the Hoof?
Cholesterol Sulfate and Trypsin* • Trypsin is an enzyme released by the pancreas, which digests proteins • Too much trypsin leads to breakdown of collagen glue that maintains structural integrity of intestinal mucosa (GAGs) • Cholesterol sulfate suppresses trypsin synthesis (protects mucosa from breakdown) * Ito et al, J. Biochem. 123, 107-114, 1998.
Cholesterol Sulfate Inhibits Trypsin* * Sato et al., J. Investigative Dermatology, 11:2, 189-193, Aug 1998
Recapitulation • Cholesterol sulfate plays many important roles in the body: skin, blood, esophagus, lungs, liver and gut • Cholesterol sulfate in the skin and lungs keeps bacteria out and water in • Cholesterol sulfate protects collagen from breakdown by trypsin • HSPGs play a crucial role in ion transport, nutrient uptake, and cell signaling
Hemostasis • Hemostasis keeps the blood in circulation and prevents excessive blood loss upon injury • Maintained by coagulation system through clotting factors • Complex coagulation cascade involving calcium, thromboplastin, phospholipids and several serum proteins • Final product is insoluble fibrin (blood clot)
Hemostasis • Hemostasis keeps the blood in circulation and prevents excessive blood loss upon injury • Maintained by coagulation system through clotting factors • Complex coagulation cascade involving calcium, thromboplastin, phospholipids and several serum proteins • Final product is insoluble fibrin (blood clot) Hypothesis: insufficient sulfate supply to blood leads to fragile state of constant tension between hemorrhage and blood clots
The Glycocalyx • Negatively charged gel-like mesh lining the walls of all arteries, veins and capillaries • Depends crucially on sulfated polysaccharides • Particularly heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) • Sulfatecreates “exclusion zones” • Helps protect cells in wall from ion leaks and contact with enzymes suspended in blood • Greatly reduces amount of flowing blood (decreases resistance, lowers blood pressure) • Stores energy in “battery” constructed from structured water
Dr. Mercola Interviews Dr. Gerald Pollack* • "The Fourth Phase of Water" = the Exclusion Zone (EZ) • Profoundly excludes things, even small molecules • H3O2instead of H2O -- negatively charged! • Fills most of your cells and the extracellular tissues • "polywater" - water as a polymer • Many experiments in our laboratory confirm the existence of EZ water • A hydrophilic surface (sulfate!) will promote growth of EZ water upon exposure to infrared light • EZ water absorbs UV light (270 nm) and this builds charge! • Water flows in small diameter tubes and the flow rate increases upon exposure to sunlight • Could the same thing be happening in your capillaries? • Pressure, oxygen, light, and infrared energy all build EZ water *http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/08/18/exclusion-zone-water.aspx
A Quote from Pollack’s Book* “And so it is with the exclusion zone. Order cannot persist without a continual supply of energy. The separated charges will slowly recombine, and order will give way to disorder. The exclusion zone’s outer reaches will wear thin like an eroding beach.” – page 95, The Fourth Phase of Water Sunlight renews the exclusion zones throughout your body!
A Quote from Pollack’s Book* “And so it is with the exclusion zone. Order cannot persist without a continual supply of energy. The separated charges will slowly recombine, and order will give way to disorder. The exclusion zone’s outer reaches will wear thin like an eroding beach.” – page 95 Sunlight renews the exclusion zones throughout your body!
Therapeutic Value of Sauna Therapy (Infrared light)* • Impaired vascular function associated with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, obesity • Sauna therapy ameliorates endothelial dysfunction and improves health • Increased eNOS synthesis in aorta in animal experiments • Decreased body weight and body fat in obese subjects • Improved cardiac function in patients with heart failure • Infrared expands exclusion zones 4-fold** *S. Biro et al., Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2003 Nov;228(10):1245-9. **B. Chai et al., J PhysChem B. 2009 October 22; 113(42): 13953–13958.
Effect of Radiant Energy on Near-Surface Water * “The main question, however, is where the energy for building these charged, low-entropy zones might come from. It is shown that radiantenergyprofoundly expands these zones in a reversible, wavelength-dependent manner. It appears that incident radiant energy may be stored in the water as entropy loss and charge separation.” *B. Chai et al., J PhysChem B. 2009 October 22; 113(42): 13953–13958.