Diet and Cholesterol
By Caroline Lee
In the last few years, cholesterol has received a large amount of publicity. The power of the media has created a huge impact on the way many people view cholesterol. There are many facts that need to be clarified, prior to taking cholesterol-lowering drugs:
1) Prior to the FDA’s approval for cholesterol lowering drugs such as Lipitor, blood levels of cholesterol between 175 and 275 were healthy. Now, some doctors are suggesting that cholesterol levels over 175 may be detrimental to health. In most cases, cholesterol levels between 225 and 240 are considered healthy.*
2) Cholesterol is a natural substance needed to make sex hormones, adrenal hormones, Vitamin D production, and healthy cell membranes. Adequate cholesterol is essential for the development of the brain and nervous system in babies and children. Extremely low amounts may lead to conditions such as low libido, anxiety, and depression.
3) Cholesterol-lowering drugs are scientifically linked to:
- increased risk of lung cancer
- increased risk of stroke
- increased risk of mortality from all causes
- increased risk of cardiac death
- erectile dysfunction
- loss of memory
- loss of mental focus
4) If you MUST take statin drugs (and most people do not), it is important to supplement with liberal amounts of CoQ10**.
5) The liver regulates cholesterol levels; if the liver is damaged by a high carbohydrate diet, hydrogenated foods, food allergies, drugs, and alcohol, its ability to manage cholesterol will be altered.
6) Dietary cholesterol, such as eggs and red meat are relatively insignificant to blood cholesterol levels. Oxidized dietary cholesterol, such as refined flour products, hydrogenated oils, bottled vegetable oil (such as corn), and trans-fatty acids may potentiate damage to arterial walls.
FYI: Individiuals who have high cholesterol levels, but no history of heart attack, will not be protected from future heart attacks by taking statins. Statins have a 30:1 odds in preventing a 2nd heart attack.
General Advice for high cholesterol**
- Increase fiber in the diet, as fiber binds cholesterol and helps to excrete it.
- Avoid all hydrogenated and trans-fatty acids
- Improve liver health, as the liver helps regulate cholesterol levels in the body. A healthy liver will produce more cholesterol if not enough is obtained from the diet and will help process excess cholesterol that is not needed.
Reduce carbohydrate and sugar intake**
- Regular exercise, like walking
- Increase healthy fats like fish oil
- Take ½ clove of fresh garlic daily
* It is now recognized that total cholesterol levels are not as important in determining heart disease than the triglyceride level, or the HDL (high density lipoprotein) levels. People with triglyceride levels > 150, or HDL cholesterol levels < 40 (male), < 50 (female) may have reason to be concerned.
**As always, please consult your health care provider before starting any new supplements.
“The point is that it’s not the cholesterol itself in the blood that determines your risk of heart disease. It’s not even the LDL cholesterol. It appears to be the LDL particle itself. LDL stands for low density lipoprotein and that’s one of the particles that carries cholesterol and fats around in your blood stream. The idea that cholesterol itself is bad is an idea that dates to the 1970s. Since then, research has shown pretty conclusively that it’s the size and density of the LDL particle that is the risk factor for heart disease. Small, dense LDL is dangerous. Large fluffy LDL is not. And what makes for small, dense LDL: eating a lot of carbohydrates. Fat seems to have no effect. This has been a problem for policy makers, because they’d like to include small, dense LDL as an “official” risk factor for heart disease, but when they try to do so, they’re stuck with this evidence that it’s not fat or even saturated fat that increases the risk of heart disease, but carbs.
- Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories Bad Calories, when asked about his challenges to the conventional approach (limit fat intake) of treating high cholesterol
