| High cholesterol is caused by a variety of factors
including hereditary influences, excess body fat, eating too much
saturated fat and cholesterol, and not eating enough foods high
dietary fiber. Cholesterol lowering is important for everyone —
children, young adults, middle age, and seniors. The lower your
cholesterol, the lower your risk for blocked arteries (heart attacks
and stroke). That's why it's important for everyone to have it checked
regularly and to reduce it if it's high. A total cholesterol less than
200 is desirable; 160 or less is ideal.
Fiber & Diet
The American Heart Association Eating Plan suggests
eating a variety of food high in fiber sources. Fiber is important for
the health of the digestive system and for lowering cholesterol. Foods
containing fiber are good sources of other essential nutrients.
Depending on how they're prepared, these foods are typically also low
in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Fruits, vegetables, whole-grain
and fortified foods, beans and legumes are good sources of both
soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. The fiber in whole-grains,
fruits, vegetables, and legumes (peas and beans) are helpful in
lowering cholesterol levels. The high fiber helps rid the body of
excess cholesterol. The antioxidants and other protective substances
in these high fiber foods are also protective. To get more dietary
fiber we suggest supplementing fiber in your diet with the Garden of
Life product “Super
Seed”. For dietary assistance, we suggest the
Shopping for Optimal Health Video and Food Shoppers Guide by Dr.
Jordan Rubin or his book “The
Maker’s Diet” for dietary suggestions.
Probiotics
Friendly bacteria live inside your intestines and
help you digest food, break down proteins, help process bile, and
lower cholesterol in the arterial walls. Medical scientists are not
certain of the exact mechanisms surrounding how friendly bacteria
function to reduce fat levels in the body. Numerous studies, however,
have demonstrated that Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacteria
bifidum, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus bacteria lower cholesterol in a
significant fashion when its level is too high. But if you have taken
antibiotics, it’s highly probable that you have reduced numbers of
these good bacteria. If your cholesterol problem is linked to a high
saturated fat diet, putting beneficial bacteria back into the
intestine as supplements offers a natural way to help balance out
lipid and fat levels. Dr. Frederic Vagnini, M.D., Medical Director of
the Cardiovascular Wellness and Longevity Centers of New York City
says he believes supplemental probiotics containing beneficial
bacteria are an important aid to help the body maintain a healthy
cardiovascular system. He recommends that adults use these natural
beneficial bacterial supplements to help keep cholesterol levels with
in healthy ranges. Probiotic formulas, such as
All Flora by New Chapter,
CaproBiotics by Mt. Capra or
Primal Defense by Garden of Life (listed alphabetically) would aid
in reducing cholesterol levels.
HDL & LDL Levels
Scientists have known for some time that keeping a
close eye on your dietary fat intake and your cholesterol consumption
is the key to lowering your LDL (Low-density lipoproteins) cholesterol
level. The rule for cholesterol is simple: Eat less than 300
milligrams a day of cholesterol. The rule for fat is a little more
complicated. By now we have all heard that a diet in which you get
less than 25 percent of your calories from fat is best. But for
someone with high cholesterol, that’s not the case. Research has shown
that a diet too low in fat will lower not only your level of damaging
LDL but also your level of beneficial HDL (High-density lipoproteins).
A diet that gets 30 percent of its calories from healthy fat sources
is better for someone with high cholesterol, because it lowers LDL
levels without lowering HDL.
Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) carry cholesterol from the liver to the
rest of the body. When there is too much LDL cholesterol in the blood,
it can be deposited on the walls of the coronary arteries. Because of
this, LDL cholesterol is often referred to as the "bad" cholesterol.
High-density lipoproteins (HDL) carry cholesterol
from the blood back to the liver, which processes the cholesterol for
elimination from the body. HDL makes it less likely that excess
cholesterol in the blood will be deposited in the coronary arteries,
which is why HDL cholesterol is often referred to as the "good"
cholesterol. In general, the higher your LDL and the lower your HDL,
the greater your risk for atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Healthy Fats
What is becoming clearer and clearer is that bad
fats, meaning saturated and trans fats (including margarine and
partially hydrogenated oils), increase the risk for certain diseases
while good fats, meaning monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats,
lower the risk. The key is to substitute good fats for bad fats to
lower your LDL and increase your HDL. Good fats can be found in fish,
nuts, seeds, virgin
coconut oils like Garden of Life or Nature’s Blessing, flax seed
oil and flax seed (see
Fipro Organic Flax Seeds), extra virgin olive oil, fish oils and
various other sources. I recommend supplementing with Garden of Life’s
Cod Liver Oil or
CODmega or New Chapter’s
SuperCritical DHA (listed alphabetically) to lower LDL and raise
HDL levels.
While being careful not to lower your HDL is
important, it is recommended to increase your levels of this good
cholesterol. Researchers are just beginning to learn how you can do
that. Some studies indicate that a little wine (one or two glasses a
day), heart-pumping exercise several times a week and avoiding tobacco
are three strategies that will raise HDL.
Vitamin C
Several studies from researchers at Tufts University
in Medford, Massachusetts, indicate that the higher the level of
vitamin C in your blood, the higher your HDL level. Blood levels of
vitamin C and HDL were tested in 1,372 men and women at Tufts. Those
who had the highest levels of vitamin C in their blood had 10 percent
more HDL than those with the lowest vitamin C levels. We suggest
whole-food, fermented forms of Vitamin C such as
C Food Complex by New Chapter or
Living Multi Full Spectrum Vitamin C by Garden of Life to help
raise your levels of HDL.
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