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November 16th, 2005 | Issue 39 |
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Special Report: Lower High Cholesterol
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that the body uses to make hormones and cell walls. Cells in the liver make all the cholesterol our body needs.
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CHOLESTEROL RESOURCES
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The body does NOT need the extra cholesterol we get in the foods we eat, which is called dietary cholesterol. Eating foods high in cholesterol, saturated fat, and trans fats can raise levels of cholesterol in the blood.
Why are high levels of cholesterol a problem?
The higher the level of cholesterol in your blood, the greater your risk of heart disease, the #1 killer in the United States of both men and women.
What factors tend to raise cholesterol?
Several factors raise blood cholesterol. Some we have no control over, like our genetic make-up and aging bodies. But many we do have control over.
A major controllable factor that raises blood cholesterol levels is a diet high in:
- Saturated fats (such as butter, palm oil, coconut oil, meat fats, and milk fats)
- Trans fats (such as margarine, vegetable shortening, and partially hydrogenated oils)
- Cholesterol (found ONLY in animal products such as meat and cheese, not plants)
Other controllable factors that raise cholesterol levels include:
- Gorging (eating one or two very large meals per day)
- Fasting
- Fructose and sucrose
- Unfiltered coffee (both regular and decaffeinated, if greater than 1 cup per day)
- Weight gain and excess body fat (BMI, or body mass index, greater than 25)
- Medications (such as diuretics and beta blockers)
- Uncontrolled diabetes, hypothyroidism, and other metabolic conditions
- Stress
Exactly how does cholesterol cause a heart attack?
Cholesterol, particularly one type of cholesterol called LDL “bad” cholesterol, seeps into the inner walls of the arteries, creating plaque. Like sores on your skin, plaques are raw, sensitive to infection, which means they make the arterial skin a breeding ground for inflammation.
The higher the LDL cholesterol, the more plaques tend to form, and the more inflamed the arterial skin becomes. Plaque build-up is also known as atherosclerosis.
Most heart attacks occur because one of these plaques ruptures. Like boils, many plaques are soft and fragile, full of cholesterol-rich “pus.” When inflamed, they can burst and spew their contents into the bloodstream, triggering chemical reactions that often culminate with a large blood clot, which can choke off blood flow to the heart.
Scientists call a plaque that has burst or ruptured the single most common lethal event of the industrialized world.
Plaque build-up can happen in arteries throughout the body, including those carrying blood to the brain. So plaque build-up can also lead to strokes and other circulatory problems.
Can I stabilize these plaques?
Yes. That’s the really good news. With a healthy lifestyle and, if needed, cholesterol-lowering medications, you can stabilize plaques and improve the entire health of the inner walls of your coronary arteries, so much so that “you could very well reduce your risk of a heart attack by 80 to 90%,” asserts Dr. Jay Kenney, Nutrition Research Specialist at the Pritikin Longevity Center® & Spa.
Regular exercise and a diet like the Pritikin Eating Plan, very low in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol, and very high in fruits, whole grains, and vegetables, can dramatically lower the amount of cholesterol entering plaque, aid weight loss, reduce insulin levels, control blood pressure, reduce inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein, and bring down blood sugar levels – all good things for your arteries.
What factors tend to lower LDL “bad” cholesterol and total cholesterol? »
What is HDL cholesterol? »
How can I raise my HDL “good” cholesterol? »
What is CRP, or C-reactive protein? »
What if I have a heart attack? »
What can the Pritikin Program do for someone who has high cholesterol and is at risk of a heart attack? »
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Copyright 2005 Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa. All rights reserved.
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Phone (305) 935-7131
Pritikin Perspective - Healthy Living Made Easier
Pritikin Perspective is a publication for Alumni of the Pritikin Longevity Center. It is dedicated to helping people make healthy changes in their lives. The articles in this publication should not be considered specific medical advice, as each individual circumstance is different. You are strongly encouraged to seek medical advice before beginning a program of diet and exercise.
Editor/Writer: Eugenia Killoran.
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