| Balancing cholesterol naturally (Part 1)
We are constantly being told that high cholesterol is the cause of heart disease. If this is the case then we would expect to find that people who have had heart attacks have high cholesterol. Reality though is very different.
Cholesterol levels in people who have had a heart-attack
Hospitals in the US have been recording cholesterol levels of those people admitted with heart attacks. We would expect to find a nice clear relationship between the so called ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and heart attacks.
The study involved over 135,000 people hospitalised in over 500 US hospitals over a 10 year period. What they found was about half of the people who had a heart attack had LDL cholesterol levels in the normal or low range. This is not what researchers were expecting. Read more at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002870308007175
The relationship between LDL cholesterol and heart disease was at best inconclusive. What they did find however was that there was a clear relationship between ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and heart attacks. The researchers found that most people who have heart attacks have low levels of protective HDL.
What’s really happening in your arteries?
It is generally accepted that cholesterol only becomes dangerous when smaller particles of LDL cholesterol become trapped within blood vessel walls. These are then changed by oxidative stress (free radical damage) and inflammation to a dangerous oxidised form. It is this oxidised cholesterol that triggers a process that leads to artery blocking plaques.
Immune cells ‘gobble’ up the oxidised cholesterol as they would viruses or bacteria. The problem is that this accumulates in the immune cell till it is full of oxidised cholesterol which is the first step in forming plaques in arteries.
Beneficial supplements
Fortunately we have protection against this process. When the liver is making the LDL carriers to move cholesterol around the body, it builds in vitamin E to prevent dangerous oxidation.
Cell-X is a great source of natural (d-alpha tocopherol) Vitamin E with over 150 IU in 2 capsules. Other antioxidants patrol our blood and prevent the same type of damage including vitamin C, the antioxidants in grape seeds and co enzyme Q10.
Another group of compounds called polymethoxylated flavones (PMF’s) extracted from tangerine skins have some special tricks. As potent antioxidants they help to reduce cholesterol oxidation. Secondly they help balance the cholesterol we produce in particular the important ratio between HDL and LDL. They then help remove oxidised cholesterol and use this as a source of energy for your body. These are particularly effective when combined with a form of vitamin E from palm fruit as in Abundant Health Sytrinol®.
Only supplements can deliver sufficient flavones to influence cholesterol balance. Sytrinol® is ideal for those who cannot tolerate cholesterol lowering medications or for those who would prefer a more natural solution.
Eating for cardiovascular health
It is generally agreed that the best diets for heart health are low in sugars, refined carbohydrates and inflammatory fats especially meat fats and omega 6 rich plant oils. Conversely cardio-protective diets are high in plant foods especially lower starch vegetables and legumes while high in oily fish and anti-inflammatory Omega 3 and monounsaturated oils.
It is worth remembering that excess carbohydrates result in your body having to deal with excess blood sugar. If this cannot be used for energy it is stored as triglycerides in fat cells. Please contact me for personalised food advice for your circumstances.
Foods that reduce cholesterol
- Psyllium Husk: This has a special type of fibre that helps pass cholesterol deposits from bile through the digestive tract and can help lower cholesterol. Make sure you stay well hydrated on psyllium as it absorbs a lot of water. Lifestream Bowel Biotics is a great product.
- Barley: This has been proven to reduce LDL cholesterol. An easy way to get barley in in winter soups but you can substitute cooked barley for other breakfast grains or add cold into salads. Barley has a combination of fibre that helps lower cholesterol, improves gut health and may even help blood sugar control.
- Ground flax seeds: This is excellent at helping reduce gut cholesterol re-absorption. The best solution is to buy whole flax seeds (normally available in supermarket bulk bins). Use a hand-held electric coffee grinder to grind enough for a week. Store in the fridge. Add about a dessert-spoon to breakfast, add to salads or just stir into good low sugar yoghurt for a fast, very nutritious breakfast.
Beneficial supplements
Fortunately we have protection against this process. When the liver is making the LDL carriers to move cholesterol around the body, it builds in vitamin E to prevent dangerous oxidation. Other antioxidants patrol our blood and prevent the same type of damage including vitamin C, the antioxidants in grape seeds and co enzyme Q10.
Another group of compounds called polymethoxylated flavones (PMF’s) extracted from tangerine skins have some special tricks. As potent antioxidants they help to reduce cholesterol oxidation. Secondly they help balance the cholesterol we produce in particular the important ratio between HDL and LDL. They then help remove oxidised cholesterol and use this as a source of energy for your body. These are particularly effective when combined with a form of vitamin E from palm fruit as in Sytrinol®.
Only supplements can deliver sufficient flavones to influence cholesterol balance. Sytrinol® is ideal for those who cannot tolerate cholesterol lowering medications or for those who would prefer a more natural solution.
We have seen excellent results with Sytrinol® when used as part of a cholesterol balance programme. In particular blood tests after 3 months use usually show improvements in the all-important LDL-HDL ratio. Feel free to contact me for a personalised heart health programme.
John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv.Dip.Nut.Med.) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health. If you have questions or need help you can contact John 0800 423559. You can email John at john@abundant.co.nz.
Please note that the health advice given through this column is for general educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any health problem. © John Arts 2020 |
