Avoid Artificial Trans Fats
While trans fats occur naturally in red meat and dairy products, most peoples main source is artificial trans fat used in many restaurants and processed foods .
Artificial trans fats are produced by hydrogenating or adding hydrogen to unsaturated fats such as vegetable oils to change their structure and solidify them at room temperature.
Trans fats make a cheap alternative to natural saturated fats and have been widely used by restaurants and food manufacturers.
However, substantive research shows that eating artificial trans fats increases bad LDL cholesterol, lowers good HDL cholesterol and is linked to a 23% greater risk of heart disease (
31 ).
Summary Artificial trans fats are linked to higher LDL cholesterol levels and an increased risk of heart disease. Recently, the US banned their use in restaurants and processed foods, making them easier to avoid.
Cholesterol In A Few Words
Cholesterol is a type of fat present in the blood. The liver is responsible for producing the beneficial kind. The body also absorbs it from certain foods. Cholesterol is necessary for the health of your vital organs, but too much can result in a risk for disease.
Consuming a diet that is high in fat and cholesterol should be avoided. If there is an excess of cholesterol in the blood, it can cause blockage in the cells. Blood vessel walls may become clogged with plaque, narrowing and tightening passageways for blood. This is a condition called atherosclerosis.
Risks associated with high cholesterol are diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
Understanding Your Cholesterol Results
The results of a cholesterol test can be as confusing as they are important. Learn the difference between LDL and HDL, and how to lower your cholesterol. What do my cholesterol results mean?
Thats because lowering heart attack risk is not just a matter of lowering cholesterol. There are many other factors that damage artery walls and increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke, including:
- High glucose levels
- High blood pressure
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Ask About Cholesterol Medication
Cholesterol medications such as statins may be the fastest way to lower cholesterol for some people usually within 6 to 8 weeks. This allows a person to quickly reduce their heart disease risk while cultivating a healthy lifestyle. During this period, a person can focus on lowering cholesterol over time with lifestyle and dietary changes.
Because high cholesterol is a risk factor for serious heart health issues, the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology recommend statins for many groups of people with high LDL cholesterol.
If LDL cholesterol does not drop enough with diet and lifestyle changes and statins, a person might need additional medications.
Prepare Your Food A Little Differently
Its not only what you eat its how you eat it. Just as you can change what you buy in the grocery store, you can also choose healthier ways to make your food that help lower your cholesterol naturally. For example:
- Trim fat and remove the skin when cooking meat or fish. This helps you get the protein while reducing fat intake.
- Focus on boiling, broiling, baking, poaching or grilling. These are better methods of preparation than deep frying or breading, which can bring in extra fat.
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How Is Cholesterol Measured
Most people with high cholesterol feel perfectly well and often have no symptoms. The best way to find out if your cholesterol is high is to have a blood test .;
Visit your GP to determine whether you need to lower your cholesterol level and what action to take.;
GPs can also do a heart health check, that calculates your heart disease and stroke risk.
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Cut Back On Animal Fats
Forgo fatty, processed meats such as bologna, salami, pepperoni and hot dogs, as well as fatty red meats like ribs and prime cuts of beef, pork, veal or lamb. Also, skip skin-on chicken or turkey. Avoid full-fat dairy products such as whole milk, cheese, cream, sour cream, cream cheese and butter. These foods contain saturated fat as well as cholesterol, which are both associated with higher blood cholesterol and plaque buildup.
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Intermittent Fasting Can Be Hard But Maybe It Doesnt Have To Be
Initial human studies that compared fasting every other day to eating less every day showed that both worked about equally for weight loss, though people struggled with the fasting days. So, I had written off IF as no better or worse than simply eating less, only far more uncomfortable. My advice was to just stick with the sensible,;,;;diet.
New research is suggesting that not all IF approaches are the same, and some are actually very reasonable, effective, and sustainable, especially when combined with a nutritious plant-based diet. So Im prepared to take my lumps on this one .
We have evolved to be in sync with the day/night cycle, i.e., a circadian rhythm. Our metabolism has adapted to daytime food, nighttime sleep. Nighttime eating is well associated with a higher risk of obesity, as well as;.
Based on this, researchers from the University of Alabama conducted;a study;with a small group of obese men with prediabetes. They compared a form of intermittent fasting called “early time-restricted feeding,” where all meals were fit into an early eight-hour period of the day ,or spread out over 12 hours . Both groups maintained their weight but after five weeks, the eight-hours group had dramatically lower insulin levels and significantly improved insulin sensitivity, as well as significantly lower blood pressure. The best part? The eight-hours group also had significantly decreased appetite. They werent starving.
How Cholesterol Impacts The Overall Functioning Of Our Body
Our body requires some amount of cholesterol to function properly but the situation may go haywire if its level goes northwards. The same cholesterol can then stick to the artery walls while creating some kind of blockage in the process.
Now, this is some situation that may lead to certain heart-related diseases and even put yourself to a risk of a heart stroke.
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Can You Lower Your Cholesterol Just By Changing Your Diet
Statins are used to lower cholesterol but how much can be achieved with changes to diet alone, asks Michael Mosley.
Over the many years that Ive been making science documentaries Ive covered a huge range of subjects, but there is one that is of particular personal interest. My family tree is riddled with heart disease and I know that, unchecked, my cholesterol scores tend to soar.
I am not alone 60% of people in Britain have cholesterol levels that are too high and increasingly we are recommended to go on statins. Yet statins have side effects and many people are reluctant to go on a lifetime of pills.
So, for the current series of Trust Me, Im a Doctor, we wanted to see if you could lower your cholesterol just as effectively by changing your diet.
We asked Dr Scott Harding from Kings College London to help us set up and run a small study. With his help we recruited 42 volunteers, all of whom had concerns about their cholesterol and were keen to see what they could do without taking medication.
We started by taking blood samples to look at their current levels of total cholesterol.
Cholesterol is complicated stuff. Most of it is made in the liver and then sent to the cells that need it, bound to a lipoprotein called LDL .
LDL is often called bad cholesterol because high levels are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. HDL is known as good cholesterol because it carries cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver.
Hormonal Imbalance May Be A Factor
Hormonal imbalances can cause you to lose weight at a slower pace. For instance, stress can trigger an increase in cortisol and adrenaline, and throw off hunger hormones, causing you to overeat and indulge in junk foods. Lack of sleep can also throw off your natural hormonal balance and slow your metabolism.
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Putting Together A Low Cholesterol Diet
When it comes to investing money, experts recommend creating a portfolio of diverse investments instead of putting all your eggs in one basket. The same holds true for eating your way to lower cholesterol. Adding several foods to lower cholesterol in different ways should work better than focusing on one or two.
A largely vegetarian “dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods” substantially lowers LDL, triglycerides, and blood pressure. The key dietary components are plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains instead of highly refined ones, and protein mostly from plants. Add margarine enriched with plant sterols; oats, barley, psyllium, okra, and eggplant, all rich in soluble fiber; soy protein; and whole almonds.
Of course, shifting to a cholesterol-lowering diet takes more attention than popping a daily statin. It means expanding the variety of foods you usually put in your shopping cart and getting used to new textures and flavors. But it’s a “natural” way to lower cholesterol, and it avoids the risk of muscle problems and other side effects that plague some people who take statins.
Just as important, a diet that is heavy on fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts is good for the body in ways beyond lowering cholesterol. It keeps blood pressure in check. It helps arteries stay flexible and responsive. It’s good for bones and digestive health, for vision and mental health.
Reduced Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Being overweight increases your risk of type 2 diabetes due to the way excess weight can interfere with your bodys hormones and insulin production. Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for heart disease, along with obesity, physical inactivity, and chronic hypertension. Losing just 10 pounds has the ability to reduce your risk of diabetes by as much as 60 percent.
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Fruits Vegetables Beans Whole Grains
And theres really no need to count up fiber grams. If you fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables at every meal, as we teach at Pritikin, youre well on your way to getting enough. Add in whole grains like barley and brown rice and at least one serving every day of beans or bean-derived foods like tofu, and youre there!
High Cholesterol And Obesity
Understanding why some people have high cholesterol and some do not has a lot to do with the interplay of your genes coupled with your environment. Your genes and your environmentin this case, what you eat and how much you exercisecombine to form a baseline risk for developing high cholesterol. If you eat a diet that is high in fat, like high-fat meats, fried foods and high-fat cheeses, you are increasing your risk of both obesity and high cholesterol.
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Repeat After Me Beans Beans Beans
Beans are soluble fiber superstars all beans, from lentils to pintos.
Eating a cup of beans each day, such as kidney, navy, pinto, black, chickpeas, or butter beans, can lower cholesterol by as much as 10% in six weeks. A review7 of 26 studies recently found that one serving of beans per day was linked to lower levels of LDL cholesterol as well as healthier arteries, especially in men.
Beans are also very good for weight loss. They help people feel fuller and reduce food cravings, research8 has shown.
Future Directions And Conclusions
Future research should attempt to replicate and extend these findings by incorporating a longer-term follow-up period. Additionally, more research is needed to develop more scalable weight loss interventions capable of producing weight loss similar to that in the present study, so that larger segments of the population can participate in them and achieve the health benefits of modest weight loss. In the interim, the present results support the message that weight loss of 510;% is good and a greater loss is even better.
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Misconception: Using Margarine Instead Of Butter Will Help Lower Cholesterol
Butter is high in saturated fat and has some trans fat ;raising LDL cholesterol and contributing to atherosclerosis. But many hard margarines also have a high amount of saturated and trans fat.
The healthiest choice is a liquid or soft tub margarine. These are made with vegetable oils. They have less partially hydrogenated fat and saturated fat than solid spreads such as hard stick margarine and butter. Look for margarines that say 0 g trans fat on the Nutrition Facts label.
Switching from butter to soft margarine is a good step. But by itself, it probably wont reduce your cholesterol to healthy levels.
Weight Loss Does Not Always Mean Lowered Cholesterol
A combination of factors determines cardiovascular health, with the major ones being diet, physical activity, weight, genetics, and age. But being overweight or obese is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease due to high levels of bad cholesterol and low levels of good cholesterol .;
Cholesterol is a fatty substance that the body uses to make hormones and metabolize food. When there is too much low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol, you are more likely to have plaque buildup in your arteries, which often impedes proper blood flow to the heart and other organs. The higher your LDL levels, the higher your risk for heart disease. And higher LDL levels often go hand-in-hand with being overweight or obese.;
High-density lipoprotein or good cholesterol actually helps keep LDL levels in check. So low HDL levels, which is also common among overweight or obese individuals, also increases risk for heart disease.;
You can know your risk for high cholesterol, or if your levels are already higher than normal, through a blood test. The optimal LDL level is less than 100 mg per deciliter of blood, but between 100 mg/dL and 129 mg/dL is still normal.;
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Intermittent Fasting: Surprising Update
- By Monique Tello, MD, MPH, Contributor
Theres a ton of incredibly promising intermittent fasting research done on fat rats. They lose weight, their blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugars improve but theyre rats. Studies in humans, almost across the board, have shown that IF is safe and incredibly effective, but really no more effective than any other diet. In addition, many people find it difficult to fast.
But a growing body of research suggests that the timing of the fast is key, and can make IF a more realistic, sustainable, and effective approach for weight loss, as well as for diabetes prevention.
Why Weight Loss May Temporarily Raise Cholesterol Levels
Overweight individuals are at risk of higher levels of cholesterol in their blood, which may increase their risk for cardiovascular disease. For this reason, weight loss is often recommended to help lower cholesterol. While weight loss is an effective tool at lowering cholesterol, it may temporarily raise cholesterol, although this effect is not permanent.
If youre in the process of losing weight and your blood cholesterol levels have risen, in spite of your weight loss, dont panic. Its completely normal for blood cholesterol levels to go up temporarily as your body burns stored fat. You may not see accurate blood cholesterol readings until your weight has stabilised for at least four weeks, and your blood cholesterol levels have had a chance to normalise.
When we lose weight, our fat stores shrink. The fat and cholesterol normally stored in fatty tissue have nowhere to go but the bloodstream, causing a rise in cholesterol. This effect is not permanent and cholesterol levels will drop as your weight stabilises. Medications used to treat high cholesterol are not effective in controlling cholesterol when it comes from fatty tissue stores.
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Lowering Your Cholesterol Is Easier Than You Think
You can see that lowering your cholesterol level doesnt have to be a difficult process. Even though millions of Americans are taking statin drugs to lower their cholesterol levels, you can make a bigger impact by simply making a few positive lifestyle changes. As you develop good eating habits, exercise regularly, and get plenty of sleep each night, youll fight off bad cholesterol and better utilize good cholesterol to boost your overall health and significantly reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Try Having One Vegetarian Meal Every Week
Dont let the word vegetarian scare you. By choosing a smartly prepared vegetarian meal, youre hitting multiple cholesterol-lowering goals at the same time, like eating healthier fats and getting more soluble fiber. Plus, many vegetarian meals are just as flavorful and filling as their meaty cousins.
Heres one idea for a low-cholesterol recipe: Try a freshly prepared salad with a sesame vinaigrette and some grilled, spiced tofu. For dessert, add some fresh blueberries, strawberries and oats to low-fat vanilla yogurt.
The key here is to build up a routine, like making every Tuesday night vegetarian night. Once that becomes the norm, try expanding to different nights, or add a weekly vegetarian lunch, too. You can also be flexitarian by just eating smaller portions of meat. Over time, these modifications can really add up and pay off.
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Can 10 Pounds Make A Difference In Your Health
Data reveals that at least 60 percent of Americans are, by definition, overweight. If youre carrying lots of excess weight, 10 pounds may not seem like enough to make a difference in your health. However, scientific evidence shows that losing just 10 pounds can improve conditions related to metabolic syndrome, such as hypertension and high cholesterol. Losing 10 pounds can also do wonders for your mental health by boosting your confidence and self-esteem.
When making the commitment to lose weight, most people are driven by the desire to look better physically. While this is a great advantage of achieving weight loss and a healthier lifestyle, the best reasons to lose weight often come with results you cant necessarily see.
Many benefits of weight loss are associated with the proper functioning of your bodys most important systems. A 5 to 10 percent weight loss can:
- Improve good cholesterol by about 5 points, also lowering the risk of heart disease
- Lower triglycerides significantly, around 40mg/dL. Triglycerides of over 200mg/dL are shown to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Improve or reverse sleep apnea
- Reduce inflammation in blood vessels, helping to reduce the risk of plaque and blood clots
- Increase energy and vitality