You wouldn't judge a book by its cover, would you?
You would want to open the book and read part of it to get a better idea about what is going on, right?
Well,
judging a book by its cover is what happens when you look at LDL (bad)
cholesterol levels and decide that this is the only - or even the best
indicator of heart disease.
Worse yet, you are told you MUST lower your LDL cholesterol level.
1) Naturally produced by the body, cholesterol is needed for a variety of functions.
Your
body uses cholesterol to make testosterone and other essential hormones
and is one of the best health and youth enhancing strategies for aging
men and women. -2
As you age your body naturally starts to lose
its ability to produce as much testosterone and you start to lose
energy, strength, sexual desire and sexual capacity.-2
2) Because
the fact is cholesterol alone is not THE indicator of heart disease.
Cholesterol which has been oxidized is the problem. Oxidation of
cholesterol is the more specific problem which would enable the
cholesterol to become "sticky" and start to form plaque in the walls of
the arteries.-3
We have all seen an apple cut open and watch as
it turns brown - this is oxidation. Your body will oxidize on the
inside unless steps are taken to help prevent this.
One can keep
oxidation of cholesterol in check by incorporating plenty of
anti-oxidants in your consumption of food and supplements.-1, 3
A few of the most powerful anti-oxidants are:
- CoenzymeQ10
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
Low cost, safe and proven food sources high in omega 3's and the right fats to help keep your cholesterol levels in balance-1, 3
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Olive oil
- Olives
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Flaxseed
- Eggplant
- Okra
- Eggs
- Fresh fruit
These are better, safe, proven and natural ways to prevent cholesterol from becoming a problem.
A
diet heavy in grains and processed foods will actually raise your blood
cholesterol levels more than foods which contain cholesterol.
A diet low in cholesterol will do you little if anything health wise -4
Focusing
on raising your HDL cholesterol levels because as you raise your good
cholesterol it decreases the concern about your LDL levels of
cholesterol and gives you a better total cholesterol profile. -5
Some of the best ways to improve your "Good" or HDL cholesterol is through:
- Exercise.
- Vitamin D
- Niacin
- Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with raising HDL cholesterol levels - 6
There is a big difference between the cholesterol your Body produces and dietary cholesterol from the food you eat.
3) Two factors which are of greater concern and are better indicators of heart disease are
1. A measure of inflammation in the blood stream called C-reactive protein
2. An amino acid produced by the body called homocysteine.
High
levels of C-reactive protein and high levels of homocysteine are better
leading indicators and also contribute to the formation of plaque in
the blood vessels leading to heart disease -3
As reported in the
July, 2003 issue of JAMA, a study was conducted which showed that a
diet high in plant sterols, fiber and almonds was clearly the better
way to reduce cholesterol and heart disease over statin drugs.-8
And finally ?
Policosanol - An organic plant alcohol from sugar cane is one of the best natural ways to reduce bad cholesterol levels-7
Naturally,
as you realize the power of these proven ways to prevent cholesterol
from becoming a problem, you will find yourself taking action.
References
1- Dr. Al Sears Health Confidential for Men - "The biggest drug and the biggest lie" august 4th, 2003.
2- Dr. Al Sears Health Confidential for Men - "Ignore the hype focus on cholesterol that matters" April 4, 2004
3-
Hyman, Mark M.D., Liponis, Mark M.D., Ultra-Prevention, The 6-Week Plan
that will Make you healthy for life, New York, Scribner, 2003
4- Dr. Al Sears Health Confidential for Men - "Teaching Nutrition?" March 15, 2004
5-
Framingham Heart Study conducted on healthy people in the 1950s.
cholesterol misleading as only one of 240 factors in heart disease.
http://www.researchprotection.org/infomail/03/07/11.html
6-
Castiglioni A and Neuman WR. "HDL Cholesterol: What Is Its True
Clinical Significance?" Emergency Medicine, January 2003:pp 30-42.
7- Policosanol safe alternative just one of many.
http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?ID=663
New
study finds that this sugar-cane extract safely lowers cholesterol
levels. By Aaron W. Jensen, Ph.D. References PR Newswire, March 5,
2002. White Plains, NY. Omar MA, Wilson JP. FDA adverse event reports
on statin -associated rhabdomyolysis. Ann Pharmacother 2002
Feb;36(2):288-95. Gouni-Berthold I, Berthold HK. Policosanol: clinical
pharmacology and therapeutic significance of a new lipid-lowering
agent. Am Heart J 2002;143:356-65. Expert Panel on Detection,
Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults.
Executive summary of the third report of the National Cholesterol
Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and
Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel
III). J Am Med Assoc 2001;285:2486-97.
8 - Jenkins D. et al.,
Effects of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol- lowering foods vs
Lovastatin on serum lipids and c-reactive protein. JAMA 2003; 290:
502-510
9 - Health Sciences Institute - Jenny Thompson - Article "Broken Ground" 3/11/2004
About The Author
Lee
Cummings has been helping people solve problems and feel better with
proven nutrition for over 4 years. Lee publishes the montly LC
Nutrition newsletter. For a Free Report - mailto:report@lc-nutrition.com Discover proven nutrition information visit: http://www.LC-Nutrition.com