 US
Medical Guide
Free Press . . Allopathic and Alternative Health News Volume I Issue I April 14, 2008 Eat Your Way to Lower Cholesterol LevelsMay Be an Alternative to Drugs by Susan Turner, ND Medical Journalist  Eating
apples, cinnamon, almonds, barley, oats, olive oil, garlic, and other natural
foods* may make your next checkup a breeze.
Studies published in by the late Maureen Salaman, author and nutritionist, demonstrated that eating an apple daily can lower serum cholesterol by ten percent; eating barley reduces the liver's ability to produce cholesterol; cooked beans – a cup a day – lowered cholesterol as much as nineteen percent; three medium size raw carrots a day showed an eleven percent improvement in cholesterol levels; and a daily ration of five cloves of raw garlic eaten or minced into other food, reduced cholesterol levels about ten percent in 25 days and only one ounce of lecithin daily reduced serum cholesterol by eighteen percent. In her excellent book on nutrition -- Foods that Heal -- Salaman reported that onions both helped lower LDL cholesterol and helped increase the good or HDL. She also detailed that oat bran is one of the most effective foods for reducing cholesterol; that eating a half or whole large green banana (called a plantain) lowered cholesterol dramatically and helped create a more favorable ratio between LDL and HDL; seafood eaten several times a week was found to contribute to the control of fat circulating in the blood and helping keep cholesterol levels from elevating; her research also highlight yogurt as a real winner. Almonds -- Best New Snack Food for Lowering Cholesterol In the federal government's recently released Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a handful of almonds is perhaps the best snack foot you can eat. A 2005 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association confirms that eating almonds significantly increases vitamin E levels in the plasma and red blood cells and simultaneously lowers cholesterol levels. This is the first study to demonstrate that eating almonds will result in higher vitamin E levels. "This study is important because it shows that eating almonds can significantly boost levels of vitamin E in the diet and bloodstream," says Ella Haddad, Ph.D., RD, an author of the study. "Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that defends your cells against damage on a daily basis and prevents artery clogging oxidation of cholesterol. Eating a handful of almonds a day is a great way to get the vitamin E your body needs to stay healthy." Researchers at Loma Linda University found that when people ate 10 percent of their calories from almonds, they increased their vitamin E levels by 13.7 percent. When participants consumed 20 percent of their calories from almonds, the effect was greater, increasing their vitamin E levels by 18.7 percent. Participants in this 2005 study also reduced their total cholesterol by 5 percent and lowered their LDL or "bad" cholesterol by nearly 7 percent as a result of consuming a high almond diet. Keeping your cholesterol in range may be as simple as your choice of salad dressings. A couple of tablespoons of olive oil a day could make a considerable difference in your health. Dr. Scott M. Grundy, of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Texas in Dallas, as reported in Foods that Heal, demonstrated that olive oil could lower or control cholesterol levels. Dr. Grundy “keeps his blood cholesterol in line” by taking two teaspoonfuls daily and holds his consumption of fats to between 30 and 35% of total calories.” Yogurt, consumed at the rate of three cups a day, was shown to improve LDL/HDL ratios, and to apparently cause a decline of cholesterol by five to ten percent in a week! She also reported that Japanese studies showed that seaweed (kelp) helped lower cholesterol by unknown mechanisms. Seaweed supplements are available at most health food stores. People sensitive to iodine, may also be sensitive to a sea supplement like kelp. Soybeans helped reduce cholesterol levels when substituted for meat and milk foods --- but soybeans are now adrift in a sea of controversy and many professionals suggest avoiding them. Other foods that helped control cholesterol and improve cholesterol ratios were chili peppers, eggplant, grapefruit pectin powder taken as a supplement, skim real milk, spinach, and yams (sweet potatoes). An English medical study, conducted by Constance Spittle Leslie, a pathologist at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England reported that taking 1000 mg of vitamin C daily led to a decrease in her own blood cholesterol -- from 230 to 140. Patients at that hospital experienced similar results on her regime. Compare Natural Foods to Approved Drugs Some commonly marketed statin drugs are known as Lipitor, Pravachol, Crestor, Lescol, Mevacor, Zocor, and Baycol. There are many other brands of course. Some statin drugs are involved in class action lawsuits and some, like Baycol, have been totally withdrawn from the market under legal and scientific pressure. An examination of statistics on five of these statins suggested that a cholesterol decrease of 17% could be expected overall, with some high reductions possible in ranges of 25%, and higher if large doses were prescribed. According to the drug manufacturers, common side effects of Lipitor and other statin drugs may include gas, stomach pain or cramps, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, headache, blurred vision, dizziness, rash or itching, upset stomach, muscle pain, tenderness, muscle cramps or weakness with or without a fever, and in some cases liver damage. Alcohol, grapefruit juice, or grapefruit consumption is not recommended with statin drugs. When nuts, a vegetable or two, and cinnamon would apparently produce similar results, it makes one wonder whether to take high priced statin prescriptions or just enjoy eating a few more almonds daily and sprinkling cinnamon and/or lecithin granules on cereal The use of supplements, and there are many, is not here considered in detail but, by way of example, one ounce of lecithin granules daily has marvelous benefits.. Lecithin, available in whole food markets, tastes sort of like butter buds, and is known to reduce cholesterol by 18%. Lecithin may be sprinkled over eggs, rice, pasta, stirred into chili, soup, or stew, or added to a sandwich; or you can dine on Lipitor. One has a choice -- the vegetable market or the pharmacist. The effectiveness of statins has a great deal to do with what dose is taken -- generally a larger dose suggests a larger cholesterol reduction. Unlike natural foods, there are definite risks associated with these drugs, as with any medication or alternative treatment; but statin drugs continue to be popular with the giant pharmaceutical companies and many doctors. The alternative community has been and continues to be opposed to statins which are very profitable to the drug companies and more than a little dangerous to consumers. According to Joseph Mercola, DO, Medical Director of the Optimal Wellness Center twelve million Americans are taking cholesterol lowering drugs, mostly statins, and experts recommend that another 23 million should be taking them. "It's important to remain educated on this issue." says Dr. Mercola. " The statin drugs are linked to many, many dangerous side effects " Alternative health professionals suggest experimenting for yourself before beginning a regime of prescription medications that may be difficult to discontinue. Sprinkle cinnamon on a daily apple and eat almonds and other cholesterol lowering foods for a month or more before your next checkup. Try the natural approach and surprise your doctor. One borderline diabetic lady said she reduced her cholesterol levels so significantly within a couple of months that her doctor took notes on her own self prescribed natural treatment. Evidently the doctor's cholesterol was high. *The cholesterol lowering foods described in this article were all natural foods, not genetically altered or irradiated foods, which contain no medicinal value. See the dangers of irradiation in the Natural News at http://www.naturalnews.com:80/023015.html ©2008, US Medical Guide, Susan and Terry Turner |
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