Harvard: 11 Foods That Lower LDL-Cholesterol
It is easy to eat your way to high cholesterol levels. But it may also be easy to lower LDL-cholesterol by changing the foods that you eat.
Tag: cholesterol
Eating Meals Late at Night Causes Weight Gain and Impairs Fat Metabolism
If you’ve ever been on a diet, one common tip is to not eat heavy meals at night, usually past 9pm. The reason being that the probability of high activity level after that time, enough to burn the fat from that meal, is very slim. …
Cholesterol Levels: Why They’re More Important Than You Think
You’ve probably heard, “Watch your cholesterol levels!” more than you’d like. But, the fact is, your cholesterol level can determine a lot about your health and other factors you may be at high risk of developing.
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in all cells of the body. Your body needs it to make hormones, Vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods. Your body makes all of the cholesterol that it needs, but because humans consume foods high in cholesterol like meat, poultry and dairy products, high levels can cause a lot of damage to the body.
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There are two types of cholesterol – LDL and HDL. LDL is the “bad” cholesterol that can cause a buildup in your arteries. HDL cholesterol, “good” cholesterol, carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver, where it is removed from the body naturally.
When to Worry
Having high cholesterol levels, specifically LDL, means you have too much bad cholesterol in your blood. This can be determined by your doctor running a blood test and testing your levels. High LDL levels are dangerous, as it increases your risk of developing heart disease.
According to The Framingham Heart Study, the following ratios roughly signal different degrees of heart disease risk:
Men
- 5.0 = average risk
- 3.4 = half the average risk
- 9.6 = twice the average risk
Women
- 4.4 = average risk
- 3.3 = half the average risk
- 7.0 = twice the average risk
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly 1 in every 2 American women has high or borderline high cholesterol. The center reports, 240 mg/dl and above is considered high, 200-239 mg/dl is borderline high, and less than 200 mg/dl is considered your desirable level.
What happens to your body when you have high levels?
Heart disease is a condition where plaque builds up inside your arteries. When plaque – a combination of cholesterol, fat, calcium and other substances – builds up, that is called Atherosclerosis, which limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heat. If the buildup of plaque becomes too large, it can cause a complete block of blood through the artery which commonly leads to a heart attack, as the blood to your heart muscle is reduced or blocked.
What can you do if you have high cholesterol?
The good news, according to Jerry Hickey, R.Ph is that your cholesterol levels are completely manageable. “A major strategy of health professionals in reducing the risk of cardiovascular related death and morbidity is to reduce LDL-cholesterol, and if need be increase beneficial HDL. It is crucially important here to emphasize a good and balanced diet as the first line of action against high cholesterol. A menu rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, including some whole grains, seeds, fresh nuts and beans, is a fantastic start. Salmon or some other fish two or three times a week is also a good choice. Restrict salt, and consume only small amounts of saturated fats while avoiding synthetic trans-fats altogether. Exercise, stress management, and rest are also required components in lowering blood cholesterol levels and the risk of stroke and heart attack. In recent years it has come to light that inflammation is an important contributor to cardiovascular disease. Inflammation causes immune system factors such as C-reactive protein (and many others) to spill into the blood stream. These factors greatly contribute to hardening of the arteries and all its related woes. In fact, C-reactive protein has been shown to cause blood vessel dysfunction and dramatically increase the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Nutrients for Healthy Cholesterol Levels
There are nutrients that, along with a healthy diet and exercise, that may contribute to healthy cardiovascular health. Here are important phytonutrients to include into your diet, according to Jerry Hickey, R.Ph –
Plant Phytosterol Esters are natural components of foods that safely compete with bad cholesterol for absorption. To a degree, the more Phytosterol Esters present in your digestive tract during a meal, the less cholesterol you will absorb. Phytosterol Esters have been studied in large and varied populations over the past 50 years and it is very well documented that Phytosterol Esters are very safe. They quickly lower total cholesterol and dangerous LDL-cholesterol and improve the ratio of LDL to HDL (a determinant of longevity in the elderly).
Policosanol is a component of sugar cane wax that safely aids a healthy cholesterol balance. Although it comes from sugar cane, Policosanol lacks sugar and is safe for use by diabetics and weight watchers. Policosanol reduces the production of cholesterol, while also increasing its rate of excretion.
Red Yeast Rice is an important nutrient that is formed by fermenting rice with red yeast, creating structures called monacolins. Monacolins have a profound impact on healthy cholesterol balance. Red yeast rice has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for promoting healthy circulation, as it helps decrease levels of LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol, lowers triglyceride levels and impacts lipoprotein (a blood fat difficult to lower that may be more dangerous than LDL-cholesterol). Red yeast rice also decreases C-reactive proteins and other inflammatory components in the blood.
Resveratrol is an important nutrient, derived from red grape skins. Rather than directly lowering cholesterol levels, Resveratrol stimulates greater release of PON-1 by our liver. Pon-1 is an important component of HDL, and it gives HDL its ability to stabilize LDL- cholesterol. This prevents LDL rancidity helping to prevent cardiovascular disease. Resveratrol also has the ability to directly protect the heart muscle and relax blood vessel walls – improving blood flow and helping to prevent increases of blood pressure. Resveratrol also directly protects the blood vessel walls from damage and decreases inflammation on blood vessel walls. It may also modestly improve blood viscosity.
Source: https://goo.gl/6seVUQ
Do you have questions about your Cholesterol levels? Leave a comment for Jerry Hickey, R.Ph for some advice!
The Health Benefits of Soy, Based on Clinical Studies
One of the most controversial foods of our time, soy has been debated between nutritionists and doctors as either being dangerous or being an incredibly powerful superfood. So, what exactly is soy? And is it good for you or not? Soy, from the soybean plant, …
Your Cholesterol Problem by Jerry Hickey, R. Ph
Cholesterol is one of the most confusing topics in today’s medical world. Many times, those who ask me for help have questions regarding their cholesterol. They often start by telling me their total cholesterol number. But, unknown to them and many others, that is just one …
What Could Happen If You Stop Treating Your Diabetes
It’s difficult enough to get out of bed in the morning. But for those who must regularly take pills, check their blood sugar levels or give themselves insulin every morning, they may have it a lot harder. Though, maintaining your health, especially with diabetes is no easy task, leaving your diabetes untreated will only make matters much worse.
Betul Hatipoglu, MD, an endocrinologist at Cleveland Clinic explains, “If you don’t take care of yourself, diabetes complications typically start within 5 years; within 10 to 15 years, the majority of patients will progress to have multiple health issues.” She goes on to advise that eating a nutritious diet, regularly exercising and taking your medication may not only stop complications for progressing, but can reverse them. [1]
Here are some ways your body can take a turn for the worst when you stop taking care of your diabetes –
Your cholesterol and blood pressure will rise
Insulin is a hormone that regulates your blood sugar. With Type 1 diabetes, your body stops producing insulin all togethe
r. With Type 2 diabetes, your body produces insulin but cannot properly use it. Because of this, your “good cholesterol” levels become low and the levels of harmful blood fats (triglycerides) rise. Your blood pressure may also rise due to hardened, narrow arteries brought on by the insulin resistance. This is why about 70% of people with both types of diabetes have hypertension, a major risk factor for stroke, heart disease and cognitive decline.[2] Robert Gabbay, MD, PhD, and chief medical officer at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston says, “Failing to control high blood pressure and high cholesterol, either with a diet and exercise alone or by adding medications, accelerates the rate at which all your other complications progress.”
Your vision health declines
Retinopathy, the damage to the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, plagues more than 4 million people with diabetes to some degree.[3] This is because your high blood pressure levels damage your eye’s blood vessels. There are no early on-set symptoms but the longer you let this condition go untreated, the more your vision will fade. Prevention says, a study on people with Type 2 found that when HbA1c levels (a measure of blood glucose) rose by one percent, the risk of developing vision problems increased by about one third. Hatipoglu agrees – “In 20 years, about 80% of people with diabetes will have retinopathy, and about 10,000 will go blind each year.”
Stay tuned for kidney failure
Your kidney’s, the bean-shaped organs located near the middle of your back, are basically “trash collectors”. Every day, your kidneys process about 200 quarts of blood to sift out about 2 quarts of waste products and extra water, which is then removed from your body through urination.[4] When you have this condition, high blood glucose thickens the structures within your kidneys. According to Prevention and Hatipoglu, “About 7% of the time, you’ll already have protein leaking into your urine (an early sign of kidney problems) by the time you receive a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. About half of those who don’t take steps to control their diabetes will sustain kidney damage within 10 years and 40% will progress to kidney failure, which will require dialysis or a kidney transplant.”
Get ready for nerve damage
Gabbay explains, “At first you might have no symptoms or feel a mild tingling or numbness in your hands or feet, but eventually, neuropathy can cause pain, weakness, and digestive troubles as it strikes the nerves that control your gastrointestinal tract.” Neuropathy is nerve damage caused by high blood glucose. According to Prevention, about 7.5% of people already have it when they’re diagnosed with diabetes. If glucose levels are not checked regularly, this risk is heightened.
Save your feet
Because there may be damage to the nerves that work between your brain and lower body, your feet can be affected greatly. As your muscle tones become weaker, you may develop bunions, flat feet or other deformities that may cause ulcers, numbness and poor circulation.[5] An infection in your feet may even spread to the bone, warranting about 73,000 lower-limb amputations per year, says Gabbay. This is why, while suffering from diabetes, it’s important to take care of your feet.
Your Heart health will decline
High blood sugar can directly affect your cardiovascular health – from your veins to the muscles of your heart. Hatipoglu says, “Anyone with diabetes has nearly double the risk of heart attack, and their risk of stroke quadruples. Heart attack is the number one killer in diabetics.”
An earlier death
A recent study published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) has concluded that women with type 1 diabetes can expect to live 13 years less than people without the disease. Diabetes ranks as the 7th leaving cause of death, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Sources:
[1] http://www.prevention.com/health/what-happens-when-you-dont-treat-diabetes
[2] http://www.prevention.com/health/what-happens-when-you-dont-treat-diabetes
[3] http://www.prevention.com/health/what-happens-when-you-dont-treat-diabetes
[4] http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/function-kidneys
[5] http://www.prevention.com/health/what-happens-when-you-dont-treat-diabetes