Cholesterol...some important information...

Elevated cholesterol is not always something to be concerned with as there are other measures which are FAR more indicative of cardiovascular problems, they are: elevated triglycerides, poor ratio of HDL (good) to LDL (bad) cholesterol; elevated homocystein levels and elevated levels of high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein, low Vitamin E levels

* Cholesterol is actually a very important anti-oxidant in the body, and is raised when there are other disturbances. Contrary to what most people believe, eating foods high in cholesterol (butter, eggs, shrimp etc) will NOT raise cholesterol. In fact, the most common causes of elevated cholesterol levels include: genetic predisposition, STRESS, reduced liver function (often occurs in a toxic body or when drugs or alcohol are abused/over-consumed or due to a virus such as hepatitis); consuming too much sugar, eating a low to no fat diet.

* A few things to consider: the diet should be low in refined sugar and simple carbohydrates (candy, cookies, white flour products etc); high in vegetables and fruit, lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, essential fatty acids (help break up choleseterol deposits) ~ fish intake should increase, while fried and overly fatty foods (animal meats) should be minimized

* the diet should be high in soluble fiber, from: apples, oranges, pears, peaches, berries, grapes, seeds, nuts, oat bran, dried beans, whole grains & vegetables

* Other beneficial foods are: onions, olive oil, coconut butter (unrefined), avocado

* Exercise is important~ try to get 20-30 minutes in each day

* Stress MUST be managed ~ through: deep breathing, yoga, meditation, journaling ~ it doesn’t matter HOW, just as long as it is reduced! Sleep should also be improved, and a minimum of 6 ½ hours should be slept each night

* QUIT smoking! And do not drink excessive amounts of alcohol, some red wine is good, but too much is not

* Supporting the liver would also be helpful: teas: milk thistle or hepatic support (dandelion root, burdock root, yellow dock); hot water with lemon first thing in the morning is also important ~ foods for the liver: garlic, lemons, bitter greens (dandelion greens, kale, collards, rapini, radicchio), beets, carrots

* Statin drugs cause CoQ10 deficiencies ~ it is IMPORTANT to supplement if you are taking these medications. Other side effects of statins include: muscle pain, impaired kidney function (even leading to kidney failure), liver damage, insomnia, skin rashes

For more information, I think the following will be of help... enjoy

Here is an excerpt from Dr. Kim’s Health blog (http://drbenkim.com) which come from the book by author Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD, The Cholesterol Myths : Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease. Dr. Ravnskov is considered by many to be the world’s leading expert on the relationship between cholesterol and human health.

Here are some facts from his book:

1. Cholesterol is not a deadly poison, but a substance that you need to be healthy. High cholesterol itself does not cause heart disease.
2. People who have low blood cholesterol have the same rates of heart disease as people who have high blood cholesterol.
3. The cholesterol found in your blood comes from two sources: cholesterol in food that you eat and cholesterol that your liver makes from other nutrients.The amount of cholesterol that your liver produces varies according to how much cholesterol you eat. If you eat a lot of cholesterol, your liver produces less. If you don’t eat much cholesterol, your liver produces more. This is why a low cholesterol diet does not typically decrease a person’s blood cholesterol by more than a few percent.
4. Drugs that solely lower your cholesterol do not decrease your risk of dying from heart disease, nor do they increase your lifespan. These drugs pose dangers to your health and may decrease your lifespan.
5. The newer cholesterol-lowering drugs – called statins – do reduce your risk of heart disease, but through mechanisms that are not related to lower blood cholesterol. And alarmingly, statins like lipitor mevacor, zocor, pravachol, and lescol are known to stimulate cancer in rodents.

What about HDL and LDL?

Well, here are some facts about LDL and HDL that the vast majority of my patients are surprised to learn:

• LDL and HDL are not types of cholesterol.
• LDL and HDL are lipoproteins that transport cholesterol through your blood circulatory system.
• LDL stands for Low Density Lipoprotein, and HDL stands for High Density Lipoprotein.
• LDL is often mistakenly thought of as being bad cholesterol because it carries cholesterol to your arteries.
• HDL is often mistakenly referred to as good cholesterol because it carries cholesterol away from your arteries (to your liver).
• LDL and HDL carry the same cholesterol.

Here are the main points to take away from the facts presented above:

Cholesterol that naturally occurs in animal foods is not harmful to your health. But it can become harmful to your health if it is damaged by exposure to high levels of heat and/or harsh processing techniques.

If you regularly consume damaged cholesterol and foods that are rich in free radicals, you likely have significant quantities of damaged cholesterol floating through your circulatory system.

And if you regularly have damaged cholesterol floating around in your blood, then a high LDL level correlates with a higher-than-average risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and a high HDL level correlates with a lower-than-average risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

In other words, if you have significant amounts of damaged cholesterol in your blood circulation, you don’t want a lot of LDL to be available to carry this cholesterol to your arteries, where the damaged cholesterol can contribute to atherosclerosis, and you want a lot of HDL available to shuttle damaged cholesterol away from your arteries.

So while it’s true that a high HDL/total cholesterol ratio can reflect a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, what’s most important when it comes to cholesterol and your health is to avoid eating animal foods that have been cooked at high temperatures, since these foods are typically rich in damaged cholesterol.

Hope this helps ease your worries when it comes to the dangers of cholesterol

:)

m

Live Healthy, Live Zen