Natural Cholesterol Management
Your cholesterol is too high. High "bad" cholesterol is seriously dangerous to your health. However, cholesterol is necessary for the body to function. Problems begin when blood levels of "bad" cholesterol, are too high, and EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, when levels of "good" cholesterol are too low. Cholesterol lowering drugs are now available by prescription. Unfortunately, the side effects make them a difficult choice. Further, some of the drugs, when studied, caused people that lowered their cholesterol levels with these drugs to live shorter lives, than people that left their cholesterol high and didn’t take the drugs. This information can be discouraging. Fortunately, there are other ways to reverse this dangerous situation that are not dangerous themselves. In fact, the "side effects" of these natural cholesterol management techniques, include overall better health in more ways than simple cholesterol management.
The human body manufactures 60 - 75% of its total cholesterol for its own use. The body uses cholesterol as glue to keep cell membranes from falling apart. It also is one of the building blocks for many of the body’s hormones such as estrogen, testosterone and cortisone. In the intestines, the cholesterol in bile emulsifies fats and allows them to be absorbed into the body. High blood cholesterol levels seem to lead to the development of artery and heart diseases, but low cholesterol levels can be destructive to the body as well and are often seen in immune system problems such as cancer and AIDS. So it’s not that cholesterol is bad, levels and types must be regulated for optimal body function. Further, a little known fact is that increasing your "good" cholesterol is four times more beneficial to your health than decreasing your "bad" cholesterol. This means that significant attention must be paid to increasing your "good" cholesterol while you are decreasing your "bad" cholesterol. It is a balance.
In the lining of the larger arteries, excess cholesterol is deposited in pockets called plaques and later often replaced with calcium. This prevents the arteries from expanding and contracting normally, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood through the body. Consequently, blood does not flow efficiently, limiting the nutrition and oxygen available to tissues and leading to a stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure and circulation problems in the legs and arms. Many studies have found that significantly lowering high cholesterol levels can actually reduce the size and number of plaques and lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. With diet changes and nutritional supplementation, this process can be halted and even reversed.
When testing cholesterol levels, your blood sample and reveal a "lipid profile" which lists the proportions of a number of different fats in the blood. LDL’s and VLDL’s are the "bad guys" - proteins which carry cholesterol through the body and deposit excess fat onto the artery walls. On the other hand, HDL’s are the "good guys" - they have been found to carry cholesterol from other sites in the body (including arteries) to the liver where they are made into bile or broken down and used by the body for many beneficial purposes, including proper hormonal function. The number that you will be most familiar with is your "total cholesterol." However, the more valuable information will include the "ratio" comparing LDL levels to HDL levels. Triglycerides are also measured here, and high levels seem to correlate with an increased risk of diabetes. These levels are best lowered by increasing protein sources and decreasing sugar and refined carbohydrate sources in the diet.
There is disagreement among various sources about the levels of the LDL’s VDL’s and HDL’s that are considered optimal for health. Based on present research, we prefer total cholesterol to be between 150 & 180 dl/ml mg/dl HDL’s should be 1/3 to 1/2 the total cholesterol. So these are numbers we are aiming for when we start changing. Remember, because 60-75% of the body’s cholesterol is produced by the body, even a cholesterol-free diet could place a person in the cardiovascular danger zone. In most cases however, a few changes in diet and the addition of some key nutritional supplements, will significantly lower the "bad" blood cholesterol levels, and increase the "good" ones.
The first and most obvious change one may make is to decrease the intake of cholesterol into the body. Animal fats and dairy products such as butter, cheese and egg yolks, all contain cholesterol in large quantities. Note: when egg yolks are mixed with air, such as in scrambling, they become an addition to the body’s load of "bad" cholesterol. However, studies have shown that cooking the eggs with the yolks intact, such as poaching, over easy, over hard, or boiled does not result in an increase in "bad" cholesterol. Also note: margarine is by far more dangerous than butter, should you have to choose between the two. Margarine is an artificially created fat. It is made from fine unsaturated oils. Unfortunately, it is artificially saturated, yielding a much more dangerous saturated fat than nature could ever create. Hint: mix butter half and half with olive oil for a healthier spread. Plants do NOT contain cholesterol. Even though you are decreasing the intake of cholesterol, you must be sure that you are eating enough protein - an average person needs two ounces or more daily in divided doses. Good sources of protein with low cholesterol content are fish, lean beef, skinless chicken, beans, grains and nuts.
The body builds cholesterol most quickly from saturated fats and decreasing these will reduce levels as well. Saturated fats are the solid-at-room temperature fats, such as animal fats, plant oils that have been hydrogenated to make them solid (margarine & shortening) and coconut and palm oils. Saturated fats raise cholesterol twice as much as polyunsaturated fats (oil-at-room-temperature fats). Unsaturated fats should be retained in the diet. Olive oil is known to raise beneficial HDL ("good cholesterol") levels while saturated fats lower it. Remember, increasing "good cholesterol" is more important than lowering "bad" cholesterol, by four time. Fatty acid oil components are needed for hormone synthesis, skin function, cell wall synthesis, etc. The most beneficial oils are cold-pressed soy, sunflower, olive, safflower, nut and flax seed oils.
Besides reducing intake, another way to lower cholesterol levels is to increase its elimination from the body. Cholesterol containing bile is secreted by the liver and carries fat to the side of the intestines where the fat is absorbed. The bile is then reabsorbed just before the small intestines empty into the large intestines. If the re-absorption of bile is reduced, it gets excreted in the feces along with the cholesterol it contains. The liver will then use stored cholesterol to make new bile. Oat bran and apples are especially good absorbing agents, but evidence suggests that increasing fiber of any kind in the diet will decrease cholesterol levels. We define fiber as the undigestible cell walls of the plants that travel through the gut unchanged, so that any whole, unrefined plant will work - vegetables, grains and beans. The process of refining grains removes most of the fiber. Use whole grains and be liberal with consumption of beans. Half-a-cup serving of cooked pinto or navy beans daily can lower LDL cholesterol levels by 20%.
One researcher reduced his own cholesterol by 110 points by starting each day with a bowl of hot oat-bran cereal and eating four oat-bran muffins during the day. Psyllium husk seed powder has also been used to reduce cholesterol by 10-14%. A group of high cholesterol patients who had not responded to normal prescription medication were given activated charcoal. Total cholesterol levels fell 41% in this study. (a side effect is black stools).
Coffee, both regular and decaf, has been implicated in high cholesterol levels and reducing or eliminating its consumption is suggested.
Exercise can dramatically increase the HDL’s and to some extent, decrease the cholesterol-depositing LDL’s. Non-aerobic exercise such as house-cleaning and everyday movement is not sufficient. The most effective exercise routine would include 20-40 minutes of brisk walking, cycling or swimming four times a week.
Certain fish and plant oils will reduce cholesterol in some people. Niacin can lower LDL’s and increase HDLs significantly and has been proven to decrease the risk of heart attack. Dosage can be determined by Dr. Daenell, and periodic blood tests of liver function are recommended, in order to monitor liver function. Flushing is experienced by most people with this vitamin, especially in the early stages. Flush-free niacin is now available, in the form of inositol hexaniacinate. Most patients prefer this version of the vitamin. Lecithin has been shown to significantly lower LDL cholesterol while raising HDL. Garlic tablets can also lower cholesterol. However, they are not all created equally. Some of the best-marketed brands contain the lowest amount of three important active constituents. These constituents are what make the garlic lower LDL’s and raise HDL’s. Dr. Daenell can help you decipher an effective brand from a non-effective brand, as studies have been conducted on many popular products on the market. Onion and garlic can be used liberally in your cooking as well, although it would take nine cloves of raw garlic to work as well as one of the more effective varieties of garlic supplements.
High levels of cholesterol are associated with many life-threatening diseases but there are a number of dietary and supplemental measures that can lower "bad" cholesterol, and raise "good" cholesterol. If periodic checks are made by Dr. Daenell, and common-sense dietary changes and nutritional supplementation schedules are followed, atherosclerotic disease can be reduced over time, poor cholesterol readings can be improved and maintained, and the problems these conditions cause may be prevented and possibly even reversed.