Elaine Magee
See book keywords and concepts |
 According to David Jenkins, MD, PhD, chair in nutrition and metabolism at the University of Toronto and creator of the Portfolio plan, each of the diet's four featured foods has been found to lower cholesterol by up to 7 percent. Plant sterols, for example, have a noted cholesterol-lowering effect. But when they're combined with soy protein, almonds, and soluble fiber, synergy occurs because the cholesterol-lowering effect is greater than that of plant sterols alone.
But that's not all the good news—if those cholesterol-lowering benefits are the cake, here's the icing. |
Gabriel Cousens
See book keywords and concepts |
 It has been reported to decrease fasting blood glucose and lower cholesterol levels in diabetic rats,59 and in one human study, onion extract was shown to reduce hyperglycemia in a dose dependent manner.60
GRAINS AND BEANS
The following grains and beans are high-fiber complex carbohydrates that have been found to be important for the prevention and healing of diabetes. They are part of the indigenous diets, especially of the Native Americans, that made diabetes a rarity before these cultures began to accept the Western diet in the 1940s and their rate of diabetes began to soar.
?Millet
? |
David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes
See book keywords and concepts |
 Millions of people are taking prescription drugs such as Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Mevacor, and Crestor to lower cholesterol levels. The prescribing of these drugs is based on the hypothesis that high cholesterol levels cause heart attacks. Unfortunately, serious side effects have been reported for these drugs, which are prescribed for preventive purposes.
Cholesterol reduction in some cases can be achieved without drugs, and adaptogens can help. Several adaptogens, when used along with dietary changes, exercise, and supplements, can help reduce cholesterol levels. |
Andreas Moritz
See book keywords and concepts |
 Even aggressive behavior and suicides are now linked with lower cholesterol levels. Since 1992, researchers have noted increases in suicides among those undertaking cholesterol-lowering treatment or dietary regimes. By lowering blood cholesterol you also reduce serotonin receptors leading to increased micro viscosity and affecting the balance of cerebral lipid metabolism. This is believed to have profound effects on brain function. Data from mental institutions have revealed that aggressive people and those with antisocial personalities have lower blood cholesterol levels than average. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 If you are taking these drugs or the statin drugs commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol (which also deplete CoQ10), read a detailed description in the section Coenzyme Q10: Don't Take Your Statin without It! on page 66, in Chapter 4. Diabetics will generally benefit from this nutrient, as it strengthens the heart and helps both to lower blood pressure and increase energy levels. CoQ]0 is not found in any significant quantity in food.
Dose: Take 30-200 mg per day. |
| You now have the inside scoop: when you're concerned about preventing heart disease, think reduce inflammation, not lower cholesterol.
If you chose to read this chapter, you are probably one of the millions of American adults who take a statin and/or a blood pressure-lowering drug every day. You've probably made this choice based on your doctor telling you that not lowering your cholesterol and/or blood pressure will eventually lead you down the road to heart attack or stroke. |
| The drugs lower cholesterol by inhibiting the action of the enzyme, called HMG-CoA, that is responsible for cholesterol production in the body. It just so happens that HMG-CoA is also needed to make CoQ10. When you replenish CoQ10 with a supplement, you can diminish symptoms related to its lack.
What is CoQ10, and what is its role in the body? It is a compound made within the cells of all animals. CoQ10 is fat-soluble, meaning that it is stored in fats. |
| If you are taking these drugs or the statin drugs commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol (which also deplete CoQ10), read a detailed description in the section Coenzyme Q10: Don't Take Your Statin without It! on page 66, in Chapter 4. Diabetics will generally benefit from this nutrient, as it strengthens the heart and helps both to lower blood pressure and increase energy levels. CoQ10 is not found in any significant quantity in food.
Dose: Take 30-200 mg per day. |
| I explained that it's a nutrient required by every cell of the body to transform carbohydrate and fat into energy, in the many "energy-producing factories" called mitochondria; and that the same mechanism Lipitor employs to lower cholesterol also lowers production of CoQ10.
57
He was actually grateful for the information, and wondered why his doctor hadn't recommended that he take CoQ10 along with the drug. "I'm constantly amazed at how little attention most physicians pay to their patients' nutrient status," I told him, "and it's affected by the drugs they prescribe. |
Gary Null and Amy McDonald
See book keywords and concepts |
 We know that high-fiber foods, and the pectin found in apples, will lower cholesterol. Blueberries are very good at this, too. Hot grain cereals, such as oats, barley, and buckwheat are also good. Therefore, having some apples and blueberries in your cereal is exceptionally helpful. Other anticholesterol foods are polyunsaturated oils (in small amounts only!) and linoleic oils from cold fish (but do not eat shellfish), walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and nut butters. |
Hyla Cass
See book keywords and concepts |
| The catch is that the drugs probably don't help these people because they lower cholesterol, but because they address another, more important risk factor: inflammation.
However, even this action is open to question. The statins may be changing the results of commonly used tests for measuring inflammation (C-reactive protein tests, for example; more on this below), rather than actually altering the inflammation itself. In other words, we've lowered the marker, but the underlying inflammatory condition remains.
THE INFLAMMATION CONNECTION
Inflammation is the immune system's response to injury. |
Dan Buettner
See book keywords and concepts |
 In addition, phytoestrogen seems to modestly lower cholesterol and promote healthy blood vessels.
All of which is not to say that people who live a long time don't eat meat: Festive meals in Sardinia include lots of meat. Okinawans slaughter pigs during lunar New Year festivals. And Nicoyans raise family pigs as well. But meat is typically eaten only a few times a month. And most warnings concern red meat or processed meat like bacon. Both Dr. Robert Kane and Dr. |
Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C. with Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Fiber [which is also found in vegetables, fruits, and legumes] also helps lower cholesterol levels in the blood," Dr. Willett believes. "Fiber may also rev up some of the body's natural anticoagulants and help prevent the formation of small blood clots that may trigger heart attacks or strokes.
"Antioxidants like vitamin E [found in whole grains] prevent cholesterol-containing low-density lipids from reacting with oxygen, a key early step toward the formation of cholesterol-clogged arteries. Phytoestrogens, or plant estrogens, may protect against some cancers."
What's more, Dr. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
| I explained that it's a nutrient required by every cell of the body to transform carbohydrate and fat into energy, in the many "energy-producing factories" called mitochondria; and that the same mechanism Lipitor employs to lower cholesterol also lowers production of CoQ10.
57
He was actually grateful for the information, and wondered why his doctor hadn't recommended that he take CoQ10 along with the drug. "I'm constantly amazed at how little attention most physicians pay to their patients' nutrient status," I told him, "and it's affected by the drugs they prescribe. |
| The drugs lower cholesterol by inhibiting the action of the enzyme, called HMG-CoA, that is responsible for cholesterol production in the body. It just so happens that HMG-CoA is also needed to make CoQ10. When you replenish CoQi0 with a supplement, you can diminish symptoms related to its lack.
What is CoQ10, and what is its role in the body? It is a compound made within the cells of all animals. CoQ]0 is fat-soluble, meaning that it is stored in fats. |
Ann M. Coulston and Carol J. Boushey
See book keywords and concepts |
 Although this may be undesirable for some nutrients, it holds potential benefit as well with respect to lower cholesterol and energy absorption. There is an inverse association between the fiber content of foods/diets and measured metabolizable energy [65, 66]. In one trial, the metabolizable energy of diets varying in fruits and vegetables was measured. The lower fiber condition provided 16 g of total dietary fiber and the higher provided 37 g. The metabolizable energy value of the lower and higher fiber diets were 4.6% and 6.0% less than values listed in food tables [65]. If the 1. |
Jack Challem
See book keywords and concepts |
 The niacinamide form of vitamin B3 does not cause this flush, nor does it lower cholesterol levels.
I recommend against taking time-release niacin supplements. These supplements are more likely than ordinary niacin to raise liver enzyme levels, which may indicate problems with normal liver function.
Dosage: For schizophrenia, take 3,000 mg of vitamin B3 and 3,000 mg of vitamin C daily. You can get the cholesterol-lowering effect of niacin (not niacinamide) by taking 1,000 mg daily. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 Rimando demonstrated that blueberries, particularly their skins, can lower cholesterol when fed to animals.
Some thirty different species of blueberries are native to North America. The berries are rich in anthocyanins, widely recognized for their antioxidant qualities. Blueberries are also a good source of ellagic acid, which blocks metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer. |
Michael T. Murray and Michael R. Lyon
See book keywords and concepts |
 So the researchers switched gears and focused on teaching people to prepare and eat foods that were delicious but still in line with a diet that would lower cholesterol. They found that when people were able to eat foods that they completely enjoyed, they had no difficulty remaining faithful to the diet. By focusing on what they could enjoy, rather than on what they had to avoid, they achieved dieting success.
Turn to Delicious Healthy Foods
We have used this principle for many years in helping our patients to lose weight and reverse diabetes and cardiac risk factors. |
Andreas Moritz
See book keywords and concepts |
| The avocado has shown to benefit circulation, lower cholesterol, and dilate blood vessels. It's true, avocados are high in fat—one reason they've earned the nickname "butter pear." But it's primary fat, monounsaturated oleic acid (also concentrated in olive oil), acts as an antioxidant to block LDL cholesterol. A 1996 study by researchers at the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social in Mexico looked at the health benefits of daily avocado consumption. The 45 subjects who ate avocados every day for just one week experienced an average of 17 percent drop in total blood cholesterol. |
| The statins manage to lower cholesterol by inhibiting the body's production of mevalonate, which is a precursor of cholesterol. When the body makes less mevalonate, less cholesterol is produced by the cells and thus blood cholesterol goes down as well. This sounds good to most people. But mevalonate is a precursor of other substances also, substances with many important biologic functions that you definitely don't want to disrupt (see side effects below). |
| A real problem arises when we lower cholesterol by bypassing or disturbing this life-essential mechanism. The cholesterol-lowering statin drugs do just that. If your body has reasons to increase cholesterol levels in your blood, it is for your protection only. Artificially lowering blood cholesterol with synthetic drugs removes that protection and can generate an entire host of health problems, starting with disrupting the production of adrenal hormones. |
| The extremist attempt to indiscriminately lower cholesterol levels, especially among the elderly where elevated cholesterol levels are normal and very necessary, has led to numerous cancers in the U.S. and worldwide. As most studies have shown, high serum cholesterol is a weak risk factor or no risk factor at all for men above fifty, and actually increases longevity in those over eighty.
Women, in particular should be cautious about using statins. Most studies have shown that high serum cholesterol is not a risk factor for women at all and, therefore, should not be lowered by any means. |
Bill Sardi
See book keywords and concepts |
 Yet another confounding fact is that prostate cancer patients have lower cholesterol levels than their healthy peers. [Lancet 2:1178-80, Nov. 18, 1989]. Men who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Survey I in the early 1970s, and underwent extended followup through 1987, found males with the lowest cholesterol had a slightly higher risk for prostate cancer. [Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Prevention 4:807-11, 1995] Cholesterol accumulates in cancer cells, which may explain why there is less cholesterol in circulation. |
Gerald E. Markle and Frances B. McCrea
See book keywords and concepts |
 Third in prescription activity are "statins," which are drugs that lower cholesterol (Lipitor and other brands). ACE inhibitors, for treatment of high blood pressure and chronic heart failure, are the fourth most commonly prescribed.
We've already considered semisynthetic narcotics; our discussion of antidepressants awaits the following chapter. Therefore, we turn our attention to...
Statins
Statins are a category of drug9 that slow the body's ability to produce cholesterol and increase the liver's ability to remove low density lipids (LDLs), so-called bad cholesterol. |
Gabriel Cousens
See book keywords and concepts |
| Plant-source-only live-food fats, such as those in almonds and walnuts, have actually been shown to lower cholesterol and help with the healing of diabetes. For example, the people in our study experienced a 44 percent average decrease in their LDL cholesterol in 21-30 days. Most of these people went to an LDL of approximately 80, which is the minimal cut-off point for the prevention of heart disease.
Cross-cultural ethnographic studies suggest that the ancient people, even 3.2 million years ago, had a relatively low-fat diet. |
Ann M. Coulston and Carol J. Boushey
See book keywords and concepts |
| Although the study goal was to lower cholesterol in the mothers, it is likely that this diet also improved their nutritional status [9]. Other studies have shown that zinc [10], folate [11], and iron [12] deficiencies all increase the risk of preterm birth and LBW. In addition, low serum selenium early in pregnancy has been shown to predict lower birth weight [13].
2. |
David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes
See book keywords and concepts |
| Holy basil can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels and is a carminative (relieves digestive upset) that is useful for relieving gas, nausea, and vomiting.
• Licorice offers significant benefit for irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It is a good choice for irritation, inflammation, or ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract. It is a prominent remedy for gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, ileitis, and leaky gut syndrome, and it is an excellent digestive tonic. |
Ann M. Coulston and Carol J. Boushey
See book keywords and concepts |
| The mechanisms by which plant sterols and stanols lower cholesterol levels involve the displacement of cholesterol from micelles, thus reducing intestinal cholesterol absorption and increasing fecal cholesterol excretion [229, 230].
Several nested case-control studies have found conflicting results between plasma sitosterol concentrations and
CHD [231, 232]. Because nested case-control studies involve subsamples of participants in prospective studies, biological samples collected prior to onset of disease can be analyzed as a measure of exposure prior to onset of disease. |
Brigitte Mars, A.H.G.
See book keywords and concepts |
 It also helps lower cholesterol levels and can help inhibit the growth of cancer cells in the breasts, cervix, and prostate.
Milk thistle seed is used in the treatment of alcohol abuse, bile duct inflammation, chemical exposure, chemotherapy side effects, cirrhosis, depression, drug abuse, environmental illness, hepatitis, high cholesterol, jaundice, liver damage, poisoning, and psoriasis.
Edible Uses
The seeds are edible; they are usually ground before being sprinkled onto culinary preparations. |
Email this page to a friend
