Heart Health
Let's look at the relationship between “high” cholesterol and insulin resistance, inflammation and impaired liver detoxification. Many people are not aware that high cholesterol is actually connected to the way the body is responding to excessive carbohydrate intake and not a direct result of eating high cholesterol foods.
Many people have watched their cholesterol levels rise as they age and are rightly concerned about this however, are confused as to what these numbers mean on a CBC blood panel. Cholesterol is found in every cell of the body and is essential for proper cell membrane fluidity and necessary for steroid hormone production and bile production in the body. The liver, intestines and skin produce most of the body’s cholesterol (60-80%) with only a fraction being obtained through diet.
Understanding what your cholesterol numbers mean involves so much more than just looking at the numbers the way conventional medicine does. If you look at a typical CBC Blood panel you will see readings for total cholesterol, HDL and LDL and sometimes triglycerides. Total cholesterol comprises all of the cholesterol found in the body; HDL, LDL and triglycerides. According to conventional laboratory ranges anything > 200mg/dl is considered high and > 225mg/dl is considered high according to the “optimal” range in Functional Medicine.
Optimal ranges for HDL are >55mg/dl. An HDL reading of <35mg/dl is cause for alarm but needs to be determined by its relationship to LDL levels. If total cholesterol is low and HDL is low this is not a cause for concern. Increased (>55mg/dl) HDL is protective. One of the most important functions of HDL is its role in savaging free radicals. So a low HDL along with a low total cholesterol level can indicate you are more prone to heavy metal or chemical toxins damage. If HDL is <55 and LDL > 120mg/dl and total cholesterol level are >220mg/dl then early development of fatty liver is quite possible. Fatty liver is caused by being over weight, excessive alcohol consumption, and prescription drugs (steroids); iron overload; solvent tissue exposure and rapid weight loss.
Now let’s look at LDL cholesterol and what a high reading (<120mg/dl is optimal) might indicate. Again this points to a diet high in refined carbohydrates. If the fasting blood glucose is trending upwards (>100) then you are probably becoming insulin resistant and could be suffering from Syndome X. But again checking adrenal function and thyroid function would be a good idea.
Apolipoprotien A and B: Apolipoprotiens are proteins are major components of HDL (Apo A1) and LDL (Apo B) Elevated levels of Apo 1(110-162mg/dl) are believed to be a better predictor of lower cardiovascular disease than HDL alone. Higher Apo B levels (>52-109mg/dl) are associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease. Unfortunately, most standard CBC blood panel’s doctors run do not include this reading.
If you have increased levels of cholesterol, part of why you have this is because of increased inflammation in your body. The cholesterol is there to do a job. It is there to help your body to heal.
Inflammation is a protective mechanism in the body. It is this protective process that allows a cut to heal. Here is what happens: Your blood vessels constrict to keep you from bleeding to death and then blood becomes thicker so it can clot. And remember it is the immune system that fights off viruses, bacteria etc that could lead to infection so it serves this purpose too. Once a cut is healed a protective scar forms over the area.
Likewise, if your arteries are damaged, a very similar process occurs inside of your body, except that a "scar" in your artery is known as plaque. This plaque, along with the thickening of your blood and constricting of your blood vessels that normally occur during the inflammatory process, can indeed increase your risk of high blood pressure and heart attacks. Cholesterol comes in because, in order to replace your damaged cells, it is necessary.
If you have been told your cholesterol is too high you have probably been advised by your physician to reduce consumption of saturated fats. In reality, focusing on reducing saturated fat consumption has little effect on total cholesterol levels and has this been validated by many studies. A study sponsored by the German Ministry of Research and Technology showed that no exact link exists between food cholesterol and blood cholesterol. And in Japan, the cholesterol levels have increased during recent years, however the number of heart attacks has dropped. The largest health study ever conducted on the risks of heart disease took place in China. As with similar studies, the Chinese study found no connection between heart disease and the consumption of animal fats. *
By the way: Increased cholesterol levels can often be associated with thyroid or adrenal hypo function and decreased levels can be associated with endocrine hyper function, so checking both of these is important.
So what is the real driver cardiovascular disease? It’s over consumption of simple carbohydrates and Americans are addicted to simple carbohydrates! So if you reduce your consumption of refined carbohydrates, starches and other fast acting sugars along with hydrogenated oils you will automatically be decreasing your risk of developing cardiovascular disease because it’s actually the inflammation caused by eating too many refined carbohydrates that creates higher risk for heart disease. This along with checking for proper thyroid and adrenal function is key to understanding how to effectively managing cholesterol because high cholesterol is merely a symptom of something else going on.
When we eat more foods that turn into glucose than we need our body stores the excess as fat. This fat accumulates in our body and in our liver; hence elevated serum (blood) triglycerides occurs. As our liver gets fuller and fuller with this fat it has a much more difficult time doing its job – removing toxins and thus we become more inflamed and toxic and this is where the term “fatty liver” comes from. So this is another down side of consuming so many carbohydrates.
Doctors are trained to identify trends however, many do seem to miss opportunities to use this information; connect the dots and help patients act proactively to prevent chronic disease. In most cases making some diet and lifestyle changes works wonders to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease.
Tips for healthy hearts:
Reduce inflammation by:
- Strictly limiting consumption of grains and switch to gluten free grains.
- Eliminate high fructose corn syrup, and sharply reduce intake of sugar and high glycemic index foods.
- Eat more wild caught fish and supplement with high quality Omega 3 DHA which is a natural anti-inflammatory.
- Eliminate low quality oils – hydrogenated oils, palm kernel oil, corn oil, canola oil and replace with healthy oils from olive, coconut, avocado and flax seeds.
- Treat non-fermented diary products as condiments and eat real, high quality cheese, not low fat or processed type “fake’ cheese.
Improve liver health:
- Support your liver by eliminating unhealthy (man –made) trans fats and replacing them with healthy fats from olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, nuts and seeds. Supplements such as milk thistle and n-acetylcysteine help protect the liver and aid in detoxification.
Increase your body’s ability to fight free radical damage:
- Help increase your body’s ability to make andoponicetin by eating choline rich foods such as (liver, wheat germ, free range or omega enriched eggs, cod & wild caught beef). Adiponectin is a hormone that starts out in your white adipose tissue and helps increase your insulin sensitivity. It has also been linked to shrinkage of fat cells so may aid in weight loss. Increasing your intake of green tea, reservatrol rich foods such as red grapes and berries (and red wine!), and taking grape seed extract may help increase adiponectin too.
- Eat plenty of foods high in plant sterols such as nuts, and seed and their oils; fresh vegetables and fruits. Aim for 9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day.
- Remember half you plate should be filled with vegetables and fruits with only a ¼ filled with grains (preferably gluten free).
* Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/022960_disease_health_heart_disease.html#ixzz1EcfTTGTd
Are you taking stains? If so you need to be supplementing with the right form of CoQ10. The Ubiquinol form is the best and is the reduced version of Coenzyme Q-10. This form is far more effective if you are over 35-40 years old. Anyone with hyperlipidimeia will benefit from taking a product I offer called CoQnol (60 softgels = $33.)
Hear are a couple heart healthy recipes you can try:
Antioxidant heaven
1 Pomegranate, seeded
1 Cup washed blueberries
1 Cup fresh Acai berry juice
2 Tablespoons flax seed oil
1 Cup ice cubes
Blend all ingredients. Consume immediately.
Variation:
Add other berries into the mix – strawberries, raspberries or blackberries; whatever is in season is best. Try other fresh juice bases – blueberry, apple juice are also good.
Pomegranate, blueberries and acai berries are particularly rich in antioxidants, especially great as an antiager and protection for the heart and vascular system, defense against cancer and other chronic illnesses. Pomegranates are in season in early winter. They can be seeded and frozen to be used throughout the year.
Carrot Apple Ginger Parsley – (1- 8 oz serving)
5 carrots
½ organic apple
½ inch fresh ginger root
Handful of fresh parsley
Process carrots then apple and ginger in a juicer. Add parsley last.
Parsley is high in chlorophyll, potassium and magnesium which are all beneficial to heart health. Chlorophyll has antimutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties so that it may be helpful in protecting your body against toxins and in reducing drug side effects. Along with other vitamins such as A, C and E, chlorophyll has been seen to help neutralize free radicals that do damage to healthy cells.
Avocado & sliced tomato w/lemon olive oil dressing - (serves 3-4)
Salad -
1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced
2 medium ripe tomatoes (heirlooms if you can find them) sliced
2 to 4 Boston or romaine lettuce leaves washed and dried
Dressing –
Juice of ½ lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Pepper to taste (optional)
Arrange Boston lettuce on 4 plates using one or two leaves depending on size to form a base. Arrange sliced tomatoes (2 slices for each salad) and then avocado slices on top. Mix salad dressing and drizzle over top of fruits. Eat immediately. (Nourish Holistic Nutrition Therapy)
Alternate version: Substitute oranges for the tomatoes and use the juice form the orange in place of the lemon juice. Add a little honey to sweeten.
Avocados are one of the highest sources of pantothenic acid. It has shown promise in lowering total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood of both diabetic and non-diabetic individuals.
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