Cholesterol: A Necessary Evil?

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Aug 30, 2004 23:44 PDT

Cholesterol: A Necessary Evil?

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Cholesterol always gets a bad rap... and it should. But it's

important to understand that cholesterol is a fatty acid that is

naturally found in the brain, nerves, liver, blood and bile—and is

needed to build cell membranes, insulate nerves, produce vitamin D,

hormones, and bile acid for digestion.

 

It even helps provide antioxidant protection when your vitamin and

mineral stores are low. Cholesterol is so crucial, in fact, that

each cell is equipped with the means to synthesize its own membrane

cholesterol, regulating the fluidity of those membranes when they

are too loose or too stiff.

 

Necessary for hormone production

 

The hormones, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are

manufactured from cholesterol. Also, adrenal corticosteroid

hormones, which regulate water balance through the kidneys, and

cortisone, the anti-inflammatory hormone that also controls

our 'stress response', all come from cholesterol.

 

Normally, the liver makes all the cholesterol your body needs.

 

Problem is, because of our poor dietary habits and sedentary life

styles, we produce way too much of the wrong type of cholesterol …

which increases our risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack and

stroke. Also, some people have a genetic disposition to high

cholesterol levels.

 

 

A cholesterol primer:

Cholesterol is carried in blood in the form of substances called

'lipoproteins'.

 

Cardiovascular risk can be assessed by measuring total blood

cholesterol, as well as the proportions of the different types of

lipoproteins.

 

1) Total cholesterol is the most common measure of blood cholesterol

and the only number many people get from their doctor.

 

Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of

blood. A

total cholesterol reading less than 200 mg/dL means a lower risk of

heart disease, which everyone should try to attain.

(Although cholesterol is not the only marker for heart disease risk,

200-239 is borderline high cholesterol, and 240 and over is high

cholesterol.

 

Lipoproteins:

 

2) HDL cholesterol, the " good " cholesterol, helps carry LDL

cholesterol

out of the body, including cholesterol deposited inside blood

vessels,

where it may block the flow of blood.

 

If there is too much cholesterol for the HDLs to pick up, or an

inadequate supply of HDLs,

cholesterol may aggregate into 'plaque' groups that block arteries.

Those blockages are the main cause of heart attacks.

 

Remember that higher HDL is healthier.

 

A reading of less than 40 is low, at or greater

than 60 is high, and having a level of 60 or greater is considered

a " negative' risk factor that can offset another risk factor.

 

3) LDL cholesterol, commonly called the bad cholesterol, hauls

cholesterol from the liver to all cells in the body. Remember that

lower LDL is healthier.

 

A reading of less than 100 is optimal; 100-129 is near or above

optimal; 130-159, borderline high; 160-189, high; 190 or great is

very high.

 

Rule of thumb:

You want to raise your HDL and lower your LDL.

 

 

4) Triglycerides make up most of the body's fat, and are the

storehouse for energy. Edible oils from certain seeds and animal

fats are composed mainly of 'triglycerides'.

Refined carbs and sugar also fall into this category.

 

They may not be as corrosive as LDL, but excess triglycerides

exacerbate heart disease potential when they 'oxidize' and damage

artery linings or induce blood cells to clump. A reading of under

100 is optimal; under 200 is normal; 200-400 is borderline high;

over 400 is high.

 

When high triglycerides and low HDL occur together, risk of

cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, heart and kidney

failure

and other degenerative diseases increase.

 

In fact, another up-and-coming index of heart disease risk is your

triglyceride-to-HDL ratio. A ratio of less than 2 is considered

good.

 

The best ways to lower your triglyceride levels are:

 

1) to reduce your intake of simple carbohydrates, especially sugar

and

starchy foods and 2) to take a high-quality fish oil product.

 

The new cholesterol guidelines:

 

In May 2001 27 of America's top cholesterol experts issued new

guidelines. This is only the second time the National Institutes of

Health has revised its guidelines for preventing heart disease.

 

Here are the highlights:

 

• While artery-clogging, low-density lipoproteins are still

considered

the chief target for diet and therapy, the report from the National

Cholesterol Education Program established new parameters for HDL

cholesterol.

 

Any HDL level below 40, rather than 35, is now considered low. This

sets

up a new risk-assessment regime for everyone starting at age 20.

 

• A complete lipoprotein profile should be done every five years,

beginning at age 20. This covers total LDL, HDL and triglycerides.

 

• Reduce saturated fat intake to less than 7% of total calories and

cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg a day.

 

Add more vegetables and 10-25 grams of soluble fiber to your diet

(fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans). Exercise regularly,

and reduce weight. Men should keep their waistlines smaller than 40

inches, and women smaller than 35.

 

• People with diabetes who do not have heart disease are in the same

high-risk category as those who already have heart disease

 

" Studies show conclusively that lowering the level of LDL the " bad "

cholesterol, " can reduce the short-term risk for heart disease by as

much as 40%. Treatment may lower risk over the long term, beyond 10

years, even more. " Dr. Claude Lenfant, director of the

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

 

 

According to NDS Health, a health-care information services company

based in Atlanta, more than 110 million prescriptions were written

for statin drugs in 2001-- they're expensive … and they're not

without risk.

 

The hidden side effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs

Unfortunately, like most pharmaceuticals, these drugs usually have

side effects. The symptoms vary depending on what type of

cholesterol

drug is being taken, but they include:

 

 

• Hot flashes

 

• Nausea

 

• Allergic reaction (skin rashes)

 

• Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)

 

• Abdominal pain

 

• Constipation

 

• Decreased sexual desire

 

• Vomiting

 

• Diarrhea

 

• Peptic ulcers

 

• Gout

 

• High blood sugar

 

• Cholesterol gallstones

 

 

In addition to the above side effects, some drugs may carry the risk

of serious side effects, such as:

 

• Rhabdomyolysis - a muscle condition that can cause kidney failure

 

• Muscle pain or weakness

 

• Liver abnormalities

 

 

How do statins work?

 

Statins all work by the same mechanism: they 'inhibit' a

liver 'enzyme'

called HMG CoA reductase that 'enables' the liver to make

cholesterol.

 

The liver is the body's main source of cholesterol.

 

But when the liver can not make its own, it removes cholesterol from

the

blood to fulfill your body's other needs for cholesterol. '

Ideally, blood levels of cholesterol decrease, which reduces the

tendency for arteries to become clogged with fatty deposits.

 

Statin Hazards:

In a clinical advisory issued recently, the American College of

Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the National Heart,

Lung and Blood warned doctors about possible serious adverse effects

and factors that could increase the risk of statin-caused muscle

disorders.

 

In fact, in January 2002 Bayer Pharmaceutical announced that its

cholesterol drug *Baycol* has been linked to approximately

100 deaths since its withdrawal from the market in August 2001, and

Baycol was recalled after it was linked to about 40 deaths in the

US.

Bayer is currently facing several lawsuits from patients who were

injured while taking the drug.

 

New York Times health writer Jane E. Brody recently reported

(December 10, 2002) that last summer an 82-year-old Kansas woman

died as

 

a result of an undetected muscle disease caused by the statin she

had been taking for years to control her cholesterol. During the

entire

time she was taking it, the woman had muscle pains

that doctors never attributed to the drug

 

She was mistreated with an anti-fungal agent for skin lesions that

actually resulted, not from a fungus, but from the muscle breakdown

caused by the drug. " It's been shown that when anti-fungals are

combined

with statins,

they can greatly increase the risk and severity of muscle

disorders.

 

" Within three months, the woman's condition worsened and

she became so weak she could not stand or breathe on her own.

 

Two weeks later, she was dead, " reported Brody.

 

Public Citizen Calls for Stronger Warnings on Statins:

Statins may also cause a liver disorder in about one percent of

patients.

 

Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, has petitioned

the FDA for stronger warnings on all statin drugs in the wake of the

August 2001 recall of Baycol.

The petition asks the FDA to include a warning that muscle pain or

weakness can lead to muscle damage.

 

Cholesterol is just a risk factor, one of many.

 

Sure, you'd like to see that high reading come down, but – and here

is

the most important message of this article – you want that reading

to

come down for the right 'reasons'. You want your cholesterol to come

down as a result of an

overall 'improvement' in your health.

 

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Understanding Fat and Cholesterol

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Blood Lipid Parameters:

The National Cholesterol Education program recommends that everyone

over the age of 20 be tested for cholesterol at least once every 5

years.

 

Total Cholesterol

< 200 mg/dL

200-239 mg/dL

= 240 mg/dL

Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL)

< 130 mg/dL

130-159 mg/dL

= 160 mg/dL

High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL)

35 mg/dL

(values >60 mg/dL are considered a negative risk factor)

Triglycerides

< 200 mg/dL

 

The National Cholesterol Education Program

 

Lipids (Fats) Explained:

 

Fats, or lipids, can be divided into three general categories:

 

Triglycerides, Phospholipids and Sterols.

 

Triglycerides - (fats and oils) This is the main form of fat in the

diet. Triglycerides provide us with energy, insulates, cushions and

protects internal organs and helps our bodies use carbohydrates and

proteins more efficiently. Triglycerides can be further divided into

the following categories:

 

Saturated fats - Usually solid at room temperature, saturated fats

contain the maximum number of hydrogen atoms (saturated with

hydrogen). Saturated fats are considered the most detrimental to

health.

 

 

Monounsaturated fats (n-9's) - Liquid at room temperature,

monounsaturated

fats include macademia nut, avocado and olive oil. This type of fat

tends to lower " bad " LDL cholesterol while leaving the " good " HDL

cholesterol unchanged.

 

Polyunsaturated fats (n-6's) - Liquid at room temperature,

polyunsaturated fats include corn oils, safflower oil and sunflower oil This

type of

fat tends to lower both bad LDL and good HDL cholesterol.

 

Hydrogenated fats (transfatty acids)-

 

This fat results from a process where hydrogen atoms are added back

to polyunsaturated fats to protect against rancidity .

This procedure effectively changes polyunsaturates to saturated

fats.

Thus, if a food lists partially hydrogenated oils among its first

three ingredients, it usually contains a lot of trans-fatty acids

and saturated fats.

 

Trans-fatty acids - In nature, most unsaturated fats are cis-fatty

acids. During hydrogenation, the molecular structure changes from

cis-to trans-fatty acids.

Trans-fatty acids increase " bad " LDL cholesterol and lower good HDL

cholesterol, which may increase overall heart disease risk.

 

Essential fatty acids - Essential fatty acids must be supplied by

the diet. The body uses essential fatty acids to maintain the

structural parts of cell membranes.

 

They are also used as a component in the production of hormone-like

substances (eicosanoids) that help regulate blood pressure, clot

formation, and maintain the immune response.

 

" Linoleic " Acid - The Omega-6 family. Common sources for these fatty

acids are vegetable oils and meats. Most individuals

can ensure an adequate intake of Omega-6 fatty acids by including

seeds,

leafy vegetables, and small amounts of vegetable oils in the diet.

 

" Linolenic " Acid - The Omega-3 family. Linolenic acid is a major

component of the communicating membranes of the brain, and is active

in the eye's retina. It is essential for growth and development.

Fish, in particular, is abundant in both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty

acids.

 

Phospholipids - ( non-gmo soy lecithin) Phospholipids help

transport fat-soluble vitamins, hormones and other substances

through cell membranes. Because they can dissolve in both water and

fat, they act as an emulsifier, helping to keep fats suspended in

body fluids and blood.

 

The liver can produce all the body's phospholipids from

scratch, therefore it is not an *essential* nutrient.

 

Sterols - Sterols include cholesterol, vitamin D and sex hormones.

They are a component of bile, sex hormones (testosterone),

adrenal hormones (cortisol)

and are a structural component of cell membranes. 9/10 of

the body's cholesterol is stored in cells.

 

Cholesterol - The liver manufacturers about 800-1500 mg. of

cholesterol per day, which contributes much more to total body

cholesterol than does diet.

 

The liver can also make cholesterol from carbohydrates, proteins or

fat.

Only animal food contains dietary cholesterol.

Excess cholesterol harms the body when it forms deposits on artery

walls, leading to atherosclerosis and heart disease.

 

Cholesterol can be divided into HDLs and LDLs:

 

Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) - Considered " bad " cholesterol. It is

produced in the liver and circulates through the body, transporting

fat to the muscles, heart, fat stores and other tissues.

 

High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL) - Considered " good " cholesterol. It

is produced by the liver to carry cholesterol and phospholipids from

the cells back to the liver for recycling and/or excretion.

 

Because HDLs represent cholesterol *removal* from arteries and blood

to the liver for breakdown and disposal, it is considered " good "

cholesterol. Therefore, high levels of HDL cholesterol is considered

a " negative " risk factor for heart disease.

 

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Foods that Elevate HDL (Good Cholesterol) from the book,

" Food Your Miracle Medicine "

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Some components of cholesterol are dangerous to arteries, while

others are beneficial.Furthermore, what you eat may

actually " detoxify "

detrimental cholesterol so it cannot harm arteries.

 

Regardless of cholesterol's complexities, one thing is undeniable:

 

What you eat can put a striking dent in dangerous cholesterol

and more spectacularly, according to new findings,change its

character so its not so deadly!

 

This radical way of controlling cholesterol by *detoxifying* it,

according to new research, promises to dramatically slow the

progression of atherosclerosis by 50 to 70 percent

and even help reverse existing artery clogging by *shrinking* the

clumps

of plaque on artery walls, says leading researcher Daniel Steinberg,

M.D., at the University of California School of Medicine in San

Diego.

" We can now attack the disease at the artery wall as well by simply

lowering LDL cholesterol. It's very exciting, " he says.

 

HOW YOU CAN USE FOOD TO CONTROL CHOLESTEROL

Essentially, you should eat in a way to lower one type of

cholesterol, called LDL (low-density lipoprotein), and boost another

type, known as HDL (high density lipoprotein).

 

That's because the LDLs are the bad-guys that serve as raw material

to

clog arteries. In contrast, the good-guy HDLs gobble up the LDL

villains and cart them to the liver, where they are annihilated!

 

Obviously, the more HDL and the less LDL you have in your blood, the

safer your arteries.

Certain foods help bring this about by destroying detrimental LDLs

and creating beneficial HDLs.

Now enters an exciting new theory that promises to make it possible

to control cholesterol with food in ways unimagined even a few years

ago.

 

According to that new theory put forth by Dr. Steinberg and many

others, here's how arteries get clogged:Special forms of oxygen

known as *free radicals* in the blood collide with fatty *LDL*

cholesterol molecules, *oxidizing* them.

 

The LDL then turns rancid, much as unrefrigerated butter does.

n this altered form it is quickly gobbled up by cells called

macrophages.

Stuffed with 'fat' globules, the macrophages enlarge into

dreaded " foam cells " which insinuate themselves into artery walls,

triggering artery destruction!

If you can prevent this toxic transformation, your LDL cholesterol

may remain relatively harmless.

 

So the issue is not just how much LDL cholesterol your blood

contains, but how much of it is " toxic oxidized LDL, "

capable of clogging your arteries.

 

Dr. Steinberg and many others now believe that LDL cholesterol is

not so

dangerous to arteries unless it is converted into a toxic form by

oxygenated " free radicals " in your blood.

 

That's where diet can be a powerful weapon. Mounting evidence shows

you can block LDLs *toxic* transformation, and thus its awesome

hazards, by eating foods packed with 'protective' antioxidants.

 

This means you may intervene at the very " genesis ofatherosclerosis "

at every stage, blocking the cascade of arterial events that create

clogged arteries, heart attacks and strokes. It is a thrilling

prospect.

 

Bottom Line:

To combat hazardous blood cholesterol, reduce bad LDL cholesterol,

eat foods that boost HDL (good) cholesterol, and keep as much as

possible of your LDL from becoming toxic to your arteries.

 

Here are your best bets for doing it with diet.

Foods that Raise Good (HDL) Cholesterol levels:

 

Onions, raw, Leeks,Scallions

 

Garlic (fresh is best for its high allicin content)

Alaskan Salmon, sardines (in water), & other cold-water fish

( it is best to avoid farmed fish, for it is genetically altered)

 

Oysters

Oatmeal

Beans,Lentils,Legumes

Grape Seed Oil

Almonds

Macademia Nuts & Oils

Avocadoes

Extra Virgin Olive Oils

Olives

 

Vitamin C rich foods ( red (hot) peppers, bell peppers,

broccoli, oranges)

 

Beta-carotene-rich foods (carrots, spinach, broccoli)

Red Wine in moderation

 

Caution: Diets containing processed refined oils (omega 6s) and

foods

which contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils and

fats ( margarines, all of them, including Benecol and Take Control)

are known to *depress* HDL ( or good cholesterol) levels.

 

" Food your Miracle Medicine " (How Food can Prevent and Cure

Over 100 Symptoms and Problems) by Jean Carper

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest