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HEART
DISEASE - A 5 STEP PLAN TO LOWER YOUR RISK |
Think you need drugs to lower your risk of heart
disease? Think again. If you believe that
cholesterol causes heart disease, you're not alone.
For years, you've read and watched news stories
stating -- and even been told by your doctor -- that
this is a fact.
But there's a lot more to the story.
The truth is, cholesterol is just one risk factor
for heart disease. And it's not even the most
important one. You see, cholesterol isn't all bad.
In fact, you'd die without it.
This fatty substance produced by the liver helps
keep your body running smoothly by building cell
membranes and maintaining hormone levels. Even more
surprising, lowering cholesterol doesn't necessarily
improve health.
Research has even linked LOW levels of cholesterol
to a higher risk of death in older people. For some
of us, lowering cholesterol may do more harm than
good, since higher amounts of cholesterol may
actually protect against death.
When it comes to cholesterol, its role in heart
disease isn't the only myth. Here's another one: "A
high-fat diet causes cholesterol problems." Again,
the truth is more complicated than that. That's
because the TYPE of fat you consume matters much
more than how MUCH of it you eat.
Trans fats or hydrogenated fats and saturated fats
promote abnormal cholesterol, while omega-3 fats and
monounsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol and
improve the type you do have. Fat isn't the bad guy
here. Instead, it's sugar. And your body turns sugar
into fat.The biggest source of abnormal cholesterol
is not fat -- it's sugar, which your body converts
to fat.
One kind of sugar is worse than the others. That's
high-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS. You'll find HFCS
in sodas, many juices, and most processed foods. But
HFCS isn't so sweet: It's the main dietary cause of
cholesterol problems.
While we're on the subject of myths, let's talk
about total cholesterol. It is NOT the most critical
aspect of cholesterol. And lowering cholesterol may
not be the answer. That's because you want your HDL
("good") cholesterol levels to be higher, not lower.
It turns out that many different facets of
cholesterol make a difference in your health. These
include your levels of HDL ("good") vs. LDL ("bad")
cholesterol; your triglyceride levels; your ratio of
triglycerides to HDL; and your ratio of total
cholesterol to HDL. That's a lot of things to
consider -- but there's more.
When it comes to cholesterol and triglycerides, size
matters, too. In this case, bigger is better.
Cholesterol particles that are large and fluffy are
generally safe, even if you have high cholesterol.
Smaller particles are more dangerous because they
can easily penetrate arteries. Your cholesterol can
also become rancid, or oxidized, which can be
unhealthy. Oxidative stress and free radicals can
trigger inflammation. And when small LDL particles
become rancid, they lead to plaque and cholesterol
buildup in your arteries.
So cholesterol isn't the only cause of
cardiovascular disease. And lowering cholesterol
doesn't always make a difference in your risk.
Instead, cardiovascular problems occur when your
body functions get out of whack. The result:
Inflammation, blood sugar imbalances, and oxidative
stress. Simply put, your risk is determined by the
way that your genes interact with your lifestyle and
environment. These factors need to stay balanced, or
your risk for heart disease will increase. One major
risk factor for heart disease is inflammation.
In one major study, Harvard researchers found that
people with high levels of a marker called
C-reactive protein (CRP) had higher risks of heart
disease than people with high cholesterol. People
who had lower cholesterol levels didn't protect
those with high CRP. The risks were greatest for
those with high levels of both CRP and cholesterol.
Insulin resistance (also called metabolic syndrome
or pre-diabetes) also increases the risk of heart
disease, by causing blood sugar imbalances and high
levels of insulin. High levels of a substance called
homocysteine may also lead to cardiovascular
illness.
All of these conditions can lower cholesterol, but
not the way you'd like. The cholesterol that they
lower is the good kind -- and lowering that is bad!
They also boost your triglycerides, increasing
inflammation and oxidative stress -- and triggering
cardiovascular disease. So what can you do?
There is good news. These factors can arise from
poor diet, nutritional imbalances, stress, and lack
of activity -- all of which are under your control.
Changing these factors can help lower cholesterol,
as well as other risks for heart disease. But before
you can start a comprehensive program to lower your
risk of heart disease, you need to determine your
overall risk.
Ask your doctor about the following
tests.
- Total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol, and
triglycerides. Your total cholesterol should be
under 200; triglycerides under 100; HDL over 60; LDL
under 80. Your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL
should be less than 3.0. Your ratio of triglycerides
to HDL should be no greater than 4.
- NMR Lipid Profile. This looks at your cholesterol
under an MRI scan to assess the size of the
particles.
- Cardio C-reactive protein. This should be less
than 1.
- Homocysteine. Your homocysteine should be between
6 and 8.
- Lipid peroxides or TBARS test, which looks at the
amount of oxidized or rancid fat.
- Fibrinogen, which looks at blood clotting. It
should be less than 300.
- Lipoprotein (a), can promote the risk of heart
disease, often in men. It should be less than 30.
- Genes or SNPs including Apo E, cholesterol ester
transfer protein, and MTHFR genes.
- High-speed CT or (EBT) scan of the heart may be
helpful. Scores higher than 100 are a concern.
As you can see, cholesterol is important -- but it
isn't the most important risk for heart disease.
Likewise, lowering cholesterol isn't the only
answer. By getting tested, you'll get a better
picture of your true heart disease risk. Then you'll
be ready to start lowering cholesterol AND your
other risk factors so you can improve your health --
today.
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