Barley in the Bank

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" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

 

Barley in the Bank

Tue, 21 Dec 2004 08:21:34 -0500

 

Barley in the Bank

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

 

December 21, 2004

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

Why lower cholesterol?

 

Studies have shown that some people may reduce their risk

of heart disease and atherosclerosis (narrowing of the

arteries) by keeping LDL at an acceptably low level while

maintaining elevated HDL. And I know of two other good

reasons to keep the LDL/HDL ratio in check (which I'll get

to in a moment).

 

My only problem with the cholesterol issue is the medical

mainstream's over-the-top mania to drive LDL levels down

as low as they can possibly go (not a healthy choice) with the

use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. As longtime

members know, I'm no fan of those drugs because I'm

convinced that in most cases they may do more harm than

good. And as we've seen, there are safer ways to control

cholesterol.

 

One of those ways is through dietary choices. Which brings

us to today's topic about a grain that may be an effective tool

for those who are trying to bring their cholesterol in line.

 

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USDA certified

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The grain is barley, which was first cultivated more than

10,000 years ago and was once used as currency by the

Babylonians. Over the centuries barley has been used in folk

medicine to treat infectious diseases, tumors and digestive

problems. Now to that list the U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA) has added the lowering of cholesterol.

 

As reported last month in the American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, USDA researchers recruited 25 subjects with

elevated cholesterol levels: seven men, nine postmenopausal

women, and nine premenopausal women. None of the

subjects were taking any cholesterol-lowering drugs.

 

For 17 weeks, each subject ate meals prepared by the

research team. The meals were based on the American Heart

Association Step 1 diet, which is a low-fat diet. In the second

phase of the study, subjects were randomly divided into three

groups. The same meals were served – unsupplemented – to

one group, while the second group received an additional

three grams of fiber from barley per day, and the third group

received six grams per day. This phase lasted five weeks.

Fasting blood samples were collected twice each week

throughout the two phases of the study.

 

The USDA team writes that when the diet contained either

three or six grams of barley, total cholesterol and LDL

cholesterol measurements were " significantly lower "

compared to the subjects who received no barley. The

greatest change was observed among men and

postmenopausal women. HDL levels were also higher among

the postmenopausal women.

 

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Beyond barley

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In spite of its success in the USDA trial, barley isn't for

everyone. One of the barley drawbacks is the caloric content,

and quite a bit of the calories come from carbohydrates, so

this may not be a suitable daily food for diabetics. Some of

the USDA study subjects who received barley with their

meals complained of feeling too full.

 

But barely intake isn't the only natural way to lower LDL

cholesterol. In the e-Alert " To Lower, or Not to Lower... "

(9/9/03), I told you about policosanol, a compound of fatty

alcohols derived primarily from sugar cane or beeswax. In a

trial involving 240 post-menopausal women with high

cholesterol, 10 mg of policosanol taken daily for six months

significantly lowered LDL levels (25.2 percent) and total

cholesterol (16.7 percent). The women also experienced an

overall 29.3 percent increase in HDL levels.

 

Even though policosanol is drawn from the same plant that

produces table sugar, it doesn't affect blood sugar levels

when ingested. And several studies have shown that it can

reduce cholesterol without creating the dangerous side effects

associated with statin drugs.

 

In other e-Alerts I've told you about natural supplements like

grapefruit pectin and tocotrienol vitamin E that can help

lower your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels.

Another promising supplement is arjuna, the ancient

Ayurvedic herb that has been shown to lower cholesterol as

much as 12 percent in just 30 days.

 

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Going low

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And now back to the opening question: Why lower

cholesterol?

 

As we grow older, our hormone levels drop, often boosting

cholesterol levels. One of the most common age-related side

effects of high cholesterol is a debilitating syndrome of

cramping pain in the calves known as intermittent

claudication. This is often linked to poor circulation and the

presence of arterial fat deposits.

 

Other research has shown that elevated cholesterol levels

may play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. In

the e-Alert " Clear as a Bell " (6/26/02), I told you how

elevated cholesterol levels are believed to increase the levels

of a certain protein that is abnormally processed by people

with Alzheimer's disease. This abnormal processing sets off a

chain reaction that causes a peptide to accumulate and form

tangles that can kill brain cells.

 

So while high cholesterol is not the end-all and be-all of heart

health (as the mainstream medical community would have us

believe), keeping tabs on LDL and HDL with regular

exercise and natural treatments is a wise idea.

 

**************************************************************

 

....and another thing

 

Chew on this...

 

In an HSI Forum thread titled " Vitamin C chewable – does

the added sugar undermine the benefits? " a member named

Sandy writes: " My sis, a dental hygienist for 25 yrs, says the

chewable does so much damage to your teeth it's better to go

without. "

 

Naturally, I checked in with HSI Panelist Allan Spreen,

M.D., to find out how he feels about the chewable form. And

sure enough, he agrees with Sandy's sister. But only to a

point: He would not suggest that it's better to go without.

 

Dr. Spreen: " I always avoided chewable vitamins as much as

possible. Vitamin C is the worst, as it's either really sour

(ascorbic acid), or really bitter (sodium ascorbate), and needs

to be sweetened a LOT. Unfortunately, most chewables are

sweetened with sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup,

etc., unless you find a really 'enlightened' company, which is

rare. You also have to get one without artificial colors and

flavors. "

 

And here's an idea for an " enlightened " supplement company

(courtesy of Dr. Spreen): Try sweetening with xylitol. It's a

natural sweetener that actually protects against tooth decay

instead of promoting it.

 

But there's one more issue concerning chewable. I've read

that chewing an acidic vitamin like C can actually harm tooth

enamel. When I asked Dr. Spreen about this question, it

didn't concern him as much as the sugar problem: " Harming

the enamel with a chewable C may be possible, though even

the chewable form doesn't stay in the mouth very long.

However, affecting outer tooth enamel isn't all that

tough. Anyone who eats a few pieces of pineapple notices the

effect of dissolving the outer layers. Also, many of the tooth

whitening systems include a mild acid to deliberately do the

same thing, so the peroxide can have a better whitening

effect. "

 

Bottom line: A non-chewable form is probably best. As for

kids, by the time they've lost their baby teeth, most of them

can swallow a capsule. So why not get them used to it at a

young age and start them off on a good habit of taking daily

supplements?

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

**************************************************************

 

Sources:

" Diets Containing Barley Significantly Reduce Lipids in

Mildly Hypercholesterolemic Men and Women " American

Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 808, No. 5, November

2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

" Barley Helps Lower Cholesterol " Miranda Hitti, WebMD

Medical News, 12/8/04, my.webmd.com

 

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