Guest guest Posted July 31, 2005 Report Share Posted July 31, 2005 Why Cholesterol Matters Jul 31, 2005 14:13 PDT The cholesterol equation is universal. High readings lead to heart attacks and low readings mean you’re safer. People in Finland consume one of the fattiest diets on earth and have some of the highest average cholesterol readings of anybody – a sky high 265. Not surprisingly, they also have the highest incidence of heart disease known. Those in the United States and Canada come in a close second to the Finns by eating too much fat, weighing too much and having high cholesterol levels (an average reading of roughly 212). Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. Every year, 1.1 million Americans have heart attacks, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and about 476,000 of them die as a result. This is no game. High cholesterol is a life or death gamble. On the other hand, people in Japan traditionally eat a diet very low in animal fat with lots of fresh vegetables and grains. As a result, they enjoy cholesterol levels significantly lower than ours – the average cholesterol reading in Japan is 165 – and suffer fewer heart attacks. Interestingly, when Japanese people come to America and eat the same high fat, high cholesterol diet we do, their cholesterol levels soar and the risk of heart disease rises. There is also some evidence that average cholesterol levels are on the rise in Japan because fast food restaurants and American-style eating is taking that nation by storm. Numbers: Officially, the National Cholesterol Education Program of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute says a cholesterol level: *Under 200 is desirable 200 to 239 is “borderline high” and 240 and above is “high” To make things easy, just keep the number 200 in mind for now. It’s as simple as that. Nobody’s blood cholesterol level should ever go about 200. why? Because your risk of heart disease (attack) soars when it does. Doctors measure cholesterol in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). Your risk of having a heart attack doubles if your cholesterol is in the range of 200 to 250. If that number creeps in the range of 250 to 300, the risk doubles again, So if your cholesterol is 300, your heart is four times more likely to have a heart attack than someone whose cholesterol is 200. Unfortunately, over 50% of the adults in American have a cholesterol level between 200 and 239, and nearly 40 million, or one of out four adults have “high” cholesterol, in excess of 239. HDL and LDL: Experts now say we need to pay attention to HDL, or “good” cholesterol. Research indicates that the higher your HDL, the better overall shape you’re in. Conversely, a low HDL reading is warning of a heart attack waiting to happen. Studies have established that for every percentage point your HDL cholesterol rises, your heart attack risk drops by two to three percent. So you see what a health bargain it is to focus on inflating that HDL number. New HDL guidelines read as follows: High – 60 or above – Good Acceptable – 35 to 60 – Average Low – 35 or below – Bad Doctors now deem a low HDL level is a heart attack risk factor and thus designate a high level " protective " . Triglycerides: These are fat molecules made in the liver from dietary fats, sugars and alcohol. They are the form the body uses to store fat. They circulate through the blood stream and combine with cholesterol to plug your arteries. High triglycerides accelerate heart attack risks. High triglycerides are 250 and above. Below that is considered safe, yet below 200 is desirable. Ask your doctor to discuss these blood fats with you. Once again, if you concentrate on lowering your total cholesterol, the triglycerides should fall into line. Every point counts! For each one percent decrease in blood cholesterol, your reduce your risk of heart disease by two percent, according to the American Heart Association. so a 10 to 15 percent drop in cholesterol means a 20 to 30 percent reduction in your heart attack risks. You can easily accomplish that. by changing your diet, exercising and getting regular checkups, you will start to see a difference within a couple of weeks. It should be no problem to take 30 points off your cholesterol within a month’s time. And there’s no reason to stop there. Remember, that what we’re talking about here is not a crash diet. The only solution to the cholesterol problem is lasting and permanent lifestyle changes. It is never too late to lasso your cholesterol and bring it down. Don’t wait until you develop high blood pressure or your doctor says you need a bypass operation. And don’t wait until you have a heart attack, because one out of every two heart attacks is fatal. Terms: Let’s take a moment to learn some definitions so we all know what we’re talking about, shall we? Cholesterol – This is a waxy, fat-like substance. It is made by the liver and occurs in all human tissue and the tissue of all other animals. Therefore, all foods of animal origin contain it. Some cholesterol is necessary for life. The body uses it to make every cell membrane, vitamin D and a number of hormones. Lipoprotein – These are packages of cholesterol, proteins and triglycerides which circulate through the bloodstream. Triglycerides – These are the most common fat molecule found in fatty tissue. The body turns dietary fats into triglycerides, which are a storage form of fat. They can be broken down for energy in times of need, but in excess, they team up with cholesterol and other junk to clog arteries and cause heart attacks. LDL – (low density lipoprotein) – This is bad cholesterol. It is the molecular vehicle that carries cholesterol from the liver to wherever it is needed in the body for cell repair. Whatever excess it brings along, it dumps into the arteries instead of carrying it back into the liver. HDL – (high density lipoprotein) – This is good cholesterol. It is the molecular dump truck that picks up unused cholesterol throughout the body and returns it to the liver, where it is either recycled or excreted (more often the case). Doctors measure “total cholesterol” as the sum of HDL and LDL. The higher the proportion of HDL, the better for you because that means there is less cholesterol left to collect on artery walls. So, this means that not only do you want your total cholesterol number to be as low as possible, you also want the portion of that total which comes from HDL to be as high as possible. The fundamentals of lowering cholesterol: Slim down. Each two pounds of body weight over your ideal raises your cholesterol levels by at least one point. Cut down on hydrogenated and saturated fats. They raise total cholesterol and LDLs in particular. Consume more soluble fiber, the type that comes from beans, peas, oats, fruits and vegetables. It has a gummy quality that binds with free floating cholesterol and whisks it out of the system. Tests at the University of Kentucky shows that it lowers total cholesterol and LDL in particular. Familiarize yourself with the produce section of your supermarket. Find a farmers market or roadside stand where you can buy good organic fresh vegetables. Plant foods have no cholesterol and virtually no fat. If it grows on a trunk or stalk, its good for you. Exercise more - Regular activity can help you corral cholesterol. Evidence strongly suggests it can raise the fraction of good cholesterol in your blood. It doesn’t have to be strenuous, even walking for 20 minutes several times a week is a good start. Don’t smoke. Smoke, even second hand smoke constricts arteries, deposits free radicals in your lungs and bloodstream which travel throughout your body and contribute to heart attack risk. If you drink alcohol, do so only in moderation. Use extreme caution when ingesting this potentially dangerous substance. Reduce stress, which can cause biochemical changes within which accelerate cholesterol levels. Meditation, relaxation, biofeedback, and other highly effective techniques can help counteract this silent enemy. Food and You: The old saying goes “You are what you eat”. When it comes to cholesterol though, its not quite that simple. The cholesterol that winds up in your bloodstream did not come from food you ate. Your liver produced it – and all that fat in the food you ate forced your liver to make too much of it. Your liver is the body’s chemical factory, manufacturing thousands of compounds every second, including cholesterol. If your diet is balanced, your liver makes only as much cholesterol as your body needs, and no more. But excesses of fat, especially hydrogenated and saturated fats, cause the liver to go berserk and spew out more cholesterol than you could safely use. As a rule of thumb, the more fat you consume, the higher the cholesterol level in your blood. Food that helps to keep your cholesterol level under control are rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber. As we said before, these come mainly from the plant kingdom – fruits, vegetables, and a wide variety of cereal grains. Take Charge the number one move you can make to lower your cholesterol is to eat properly. Research indicates proper diet makes a bigger difference than any other factor! That’s great news because you can change the way you eat! So, remember, you really have control over your cholesterol, your heart and your health. It starts at meal times, in the kitchen, at vending machines, in supermarkets and in restaurants. We’ll examine the specifics of what to change and how to do it in greater detail, but for now, make these matters your priority: Slash fat intake. Cut back on cholesterol rich foods Consume more complex carbohydrates and fiber Eat a balanced diet. What is a balanced diet? It supplies a variety of foods so that you obtain all the nutrients necessary for good health. At the same time, it provides a minimum of harmful substances, such as fats, cholesterol, sodium, chemicals and preservatives. A balanced diet can be enjoyable. Most people report a heightened sense of well being and greater energy when they eat properly. How healthy people eat: A report by the United States Surgeon General examined people in good overall health who were able to maintain lower cholesterol levels. Compared to the average American, these individuals regularly consume: Fewer processed foods Fewer “fast foods” Less sugar Less salt Less red meat More organic whole grains More fruits and vegetables More unprocessed beans and peas More fish Less hydrogenated and saturated fats You will enjoy a wide range of benefits if you follow these dietary practices. They make it easier to control blood pressure and weight, prevent diabetes, reduce the likelihood of developing cancer and protect you from osteoporosis, arthritis and many of the serious illnesses facing Americans today. The trap: Food cravings can sabotage you as you attempt to change your diet. For thousands of years, these foods were scarce. So Nature built in a little motivation to make people go look for them or hunt them down – we’re talking about meat, milk, salt, honey, nuts and seeds. For hundreds of centuries it all worked out fine because, even though people preferred high calorie, high protein, high fat foods, they really ate them only once in a while. And it took a lot of work, a lot of physical activity, to get them! when they did, they feasted! The rest of the time it was back to whatever they could scrounge or grow – fruits, leaves, nuts. So it all worked out find. The seasons and Nature forced moderation on them. The modern food supply industry has turned this upside down. About 75 years ago, one marvel of food packing and processing followed another. More food, tastier foods, packaged food and ready made food became available – most of them high in calories, protein, fat, sugar and or salt/sodium. Preservatives made them last longer, gave them ‘shelf life”. This mass produced food catered to our inborn food preferences. You didn’t have to go hunting, fishing or even grow a garden. Now the food you crave is available in endless variety, anywhere, anytime, rain or shine, 24 hours, 365 days a year. Not only do these foods make people fat, they elevate their cholesterol. The potato vs. the chip Dr Mike Samuels, author of “Heart Disease” (summit books), provides this illustration of the way people used to eat and the way they eat today: “The potato is a tuber eaten by hunter gatherers, but the potato chip its modern day offspring, has six times the calories, 400 times the fat and 250 times the salt,” he writes. Get the picture? All that fat means high cholesterol but a plain old potato won’t cause you any problems. “We have to make a conscious decision to eat a healthy diet”, says Samuels. Where are you now? To change, you have to know where you stand so you can figure out where to head from there. You need a clear and honest picture of your present eating habits. Samuels and other experts say the best way to eat is to keep a detailed record of everything you eat for one full week. This means the food, seasonings, condiments, beverages and between meal snacks you consume. Note accurately the times you ate, where you were and the portions sizes. Have your cholesterol checked before you start. It’s the only way to know if it’s too high and by how much. The cholesterol test is a blood test. The most accurate one involves a doctor drawing a sample from a vein in your arm. Finger prick tests are available. They are useful, but results are not as accurate as the test your doctor can give you. There are also at home tests, which are helpful as far as they go, but they don’t go very far. For one thing, they do not register HDL. So have your doctor do the first couple of tests. Your physician will probably recommend a second test called a “complete lipid profile” to check for LDLs. JoAnn Guest _________________ JoAnn Guest mrsjoguest DietaryTipsForHBP www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes AIM Barleygreen " Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future " http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html Start your day with - make it your home page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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