The Truth About Cholesterol And Heart Disease

Many people have been taught that high cholesterol leads to heart attacks and heart disease. But is that true? Well, the answer is NOT REALLY. But before we talk about the association between cholesterol and heart disease, let's first discuss cholesterol.

What is cholesterol? Well, for starters, it isn't a fat. Instead, it's more like a waxy, fat-like substance. Your body manufactures some cholesterol. Your body also absorbs some dietary cholesterol — which is found in foods such as meat and eggs. Cholesterol is vital to your health because, among other important functions, it helps build your body's cells and produces certain hormones. But your body makes enough cholesterol to meet its needs. You don't need any dietary cholesterol.

With that said, the recommendation for cholesterol intake is less than 300 milligrams a day. If you're at high risk for cardiovascular disease, the recommendation is less than 200 milligrams a day.  Major sources of cholesterol include eggs and egg dishes, chicken dishes, beef dishes and hamburgers. Other sources include seafood, dairy products, lard and butter.  [Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010]

Excessive cholesterol in your diet CAN increase your LDL cholesterol level. But does this increase your risk of heart disease and stroke? What most people don't understand is that HEART DISEASE IS AN  INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF THE ARTERY and not a disease of cholesterol.

Contrary to popular belief, researchers have found that more than 50% of patients who have heart attacks in this country have normal cholesterol levels. You might want to read that again.  Our LDL cholesterol level isn't the issue. It's our OXIDIZED LDL cholesterol that is the problem. It is the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and oxidation of the arterial walls, leading to inflammation, which appears to be the primary cause of atherosclerosis and heart disease, according to the medical literature today.

So if oxidation is the problem, how does LDL cholesterol get oxidized? It gets oxidized by MANY different sources: cigarette smoke, "bad" foods, drugs, stress, pesticides, and pollution are common sources.

As far as the arterial walls, they can be oxidized by toxins, which cause inflammation and plaque buildup, regardless of a person's cholesterol level. One of the biggest culprits that causes oxidation of the arteries is something called homocysteine.  (You can have your homocysteine level checked and should do so.) For optimal health, your homocysteine level should be less than 7.0.  Homocysteine is second only to cigarette smoke in causing damage to the arteries, inflammation, and plaque buildup, which causes atherosclerosis, and eventually heart disease and death. This, again, is independent of your cholesterol level.  High LDL cholesterol is only bad if it is oxidized. It is oxidation that is the key to heart disease.  If your LDL cholesterol were not oxidized, and your arteries were not oxidized and inflamed, you would not develop atherosclerosis and heart attack...even if your LDL cholesterol were elevated.

The greater the oxidation from sources such as cigarette smoke, homocysteine, "bad" foods, lack of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, drugs, stress, pesticides, and pollution, the more likely you are to develop heart disease.  And as a matter of fact, greater oxidation puts you at greater risk for stroke, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease as well.

So how do we control this oxidation?  We consume antioxidants.  The more antioxidants we put in our body, the broader the type of antioxidants we put into our body, and the better the quality of antioxidants we put into our body, the less chance we will have of developing a degenerative disease or experiencing premature death.  This is the primary reason you need to look at consuming high quality supplements.  It is truly your best health insurance.  The key here is also understanding the meaning of the phrase "high quality" and then learning how to identify such supplements.  Then the next key is actually taking them!

If you do not consume an optimal level of antioxidants DAILY, the cells in your body cannot fully protect themselves.  And without proper protection, cellular repair processes will ultimately wear out and the result will be disease.  Understand that the health of your body is determined by the health of the cells that make up your body.  The key to having excellent health is to maintain healthy cells.  So PROTECT them!

Also take note that essential fatty acids, along with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants help protect the cells from oxidative damage and inflammation.  In fact, the medical research indicates that taking nutritional supplements: vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids, along with a healthy diet and exercise, is the BEST and SAFEST option for possibly reducing the risk of several chronic degenerative diseases, including, but not limited to, heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, cancer, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, numerous autoimmune diseases, as well as many chronic inflammatory diseases, such as fibromyalgia and ulcerative colitis.

But even though this is true, many people still rely on drugs to save them from heart attacks or heart disease. And if you are one of those that put all your faith in cholesterol-lowering drugs, you should be asking yourself why heart disease hasn't significantly declined when people have spent decades lowering their cholesterol. Don't you find it interesting that the number one cause of death in both men and women is still heart disease and stroke?  I hope this wakes you up and gets you asking more questions.  Your health is precious.  You owe it to yourself to understand the truth.

You should also be asking yourself about the safety of these cholesterol-lowering drugs.  Have you ever really taken notice of ALL of the side effects?  While I will never encourage others to stop taking their medications, I will encourage them to discuss the benefits and risks with their doctor. In addition, I will encourage them to start learning about the link between poor nutrition and disease.  The answer lies in changing dietary and supplementation habits, not in taking drugs.

Did you know, in the U.S. alone, there are over 100,000 deaths per year from drugs?  These deaths are not a result of drugs that are mis-prescribed. These deaths are a result of drugs that were taken THE WAY THEY WERE PRESCRIBED.  Prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.  This fact is often ignored, or not known, when a drug is prescribed for cholesterol or blood pressure.  Think about that the next time you are handed a prescription drug and told not to worry about it.  Also, keep in mind how many deaths occur per year in the U.S. from following a proper diet and taking quality supplements. The answer is none!  Which path are you going to follow?

Don't get me wrong. Drugs do have a place in this world, but drugs should be a last priority, behind proper diet, proper supplementation, and exercise (except, of course, in critical situations).  The problem today is that drugs are either prescribed when unnecessary or over-prescribed.  Understand that there is a better way, a healthier way, and also a less expensive way to manage your health. And remember, a drug only fixes a symptom.  Modifying nutritional habits gets to the root of the problem.  So the only path to the root of the problem is through proper diet, proper supplementation, and exercise, although pharmaceutical companies may not want you to follow that path.

The final point I want to make is this:  We are not born into this world deficient of drugs such as statin drugs. We do, however, become deficient in nutrients our body needs to remain healthy, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  And there are numerous studies that show that proper diet, exercise, and proper supplementation, such as fish oil, do more to lower the risk of death from heart attacks than do cholesterol-lowering drugs.

I hope this gives you a better understanding of the link between cholesterol and heart disease.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to send me a message.

What Supplements Should NOT Include

Many people don't have a clear understanding of the importance of multivitamin/multimineral supplements. Whenever I mention these specific supplements, I am referring to products that contain nutrients that SHOULD be in our food.  It is true that due to the lack of nutrients in our food along with the toxic world in which we live today, many of us are deficient in achieving the optimal levels of vitamins and minerals we need from our diet.  This is the primary reason we all need to take a multivitamin/multimineral supplement - to fill in the missing gap.

But can we get "TOO MUCH of a good thing?"  The answer is yes in some cases. But if we take supplements that contain nutrients our bodies can excrete [if it needs to do so], or if we avoid specific nutrients in a supplement, then there isn't a problem.  I want to call your attention to two ingredients frequently found in supplements which can build up and should NOT be included in a routine vitamin supplement or multivitamin/multimineral supplement.  These are VITAMIN A and Iron.


RED FLAG #1:  VITAMIN A

Why shouldn't vitamin A be included in a routine multivitamin/multimineral supplement?

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, and its level can build up in the tissues causing skin problems, bone pain and fractures, nausea, vomiting and weakness.  A good vitamin supplement will include BETA-CAROTENE instead of vitamin A.  If the body needs more vitamin A, it can convert it from the beta carotene, but if not, then the beta carotene is harmlessly excreted.

Don't misinterpret this to mean vitamin A isn't important. You just don't want to fill in the missing gap with this nutrient from a supplement.  Vitamin A is still made inside the body using beta-carotene as a raw material. Vitamin A (also called retinol) is an essential nutrient and has three important functions in the body.

The most important function is its role in promoting vision. Another important function of vitamin A involves its role in affecting immune function, taste, hearing, appetite, skin renewal, bone development, and growth. Vitamin A's third role involves controlling embryonic development.

So vitamin A is very important!  And while the take-home message today is to opt for beta-carotene OVER vitamin A in a supplement, also be alert to the fact that vitamin A deficiency is a major public health issue, particularly in developing countries. It has been estimated that 500,000 preschool-age children worldwide become blind each year as a result of vitamin A deficiency.  Millions of others suffer from night blindness, a common clinical sign of inadequate vitamin A intake. Further estimates suggest that more than 100 million children worldwide suffer from vitamin A inadequacy without showing clinical signs of acute deficiency. Beta-carotene is known to be an effective dietary cure for vitamin A deficiency and an effective remedy for symptoms of this disorder.

Epidemiological studies are showing today that long-term intake of dietary beta-carotene may reduce the risk of several types of cancer. Similar findings pertain to heart disease and immune health.

That being the case, let's discuss some dietary sources rich in beta carotene and vitamin A.  These include carrots, broccoli, yellow squash, corn, tomatoes, papayas, oranges, and dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and Chinese cabbage. Beta-carotene is heat stable, so it is not degraded during prolonged boiling or microwaving.  But keep in mind, we typically don't get enough of this important nutrient in our diet which is the reason we need additional help from a quality supplement.

I should also point out that HIGH LEVELS of beta-carotene in the diet can induce hypercarotenosis, a benign condition characterized by a jaundice-like yellowing of the skin. Symptoms are reversed when dietary intake is reduced.  But understand that MOST people are deficient in this vitamin, not the other way around.


RED FLAG #2:  IRON:

So we discussed the reason vitamin A shouldn't be in a routine multivitamin/multimineral supplement, but why shouldn't iron be included?

While iron is frequently found in supplement tablets, it causes no problem for most people.  BUT one person in 300 has a condition called hemochromatosis which means that the iron will continue to build up in the body tissues, especially the liver, pancreas and heart, leading to cirrhosis, diabetes and heart failure.  THIS CAN BE FATAL!

Unfortunately only a special blood test can confirm the presence or absence of hemochromatosis, so to include iron in a routine supplement could potentially kill one person in 300.

So look for a multivitamin/multimineral supplement that is complete and broad-spectrum but that DOESN'T contain iron. The widespread availability of iron-fortified foods ensure that most adults receive sufficient iron from their diets. (As an example, just one cup of a popular toasted oat cereal provides 45% of the RDA for iron.)

While it is readily available, it is also important to understand that some people need extra iron (for anemia). However, it should be taken as a SEPARATE tablet, only after a blood test has confirmed there is a need!

It is simply not possible to provide an adult multivitamin supplement with adequate iron for those who need substantial amounts without providing too much for those who do not need extra iron.

ONE FINAL NOTE:  For best absorption, avoid taking an iron supplement together with a calcium-containing supplement. Calcium and iron supplements should be taken several hours apart.

So which multivitamin/multimineral supplement is in your cabinet?

As always, feel free to send me a message if you have questions or comments about anything discussed in the article or if you have any questions about health in general.

The Importance of Prevention Over Diagnosis & Cure

How many people do you know have heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, osteporosis, Alzheimer's, or multiple sclerosis? How many of them are in your own family? Have you been told these diseases are mostly genetic?...or tied to old age? If so, think again. Degenerative diseases, like those mentioned above, are tied primarily to diet and lifestyle. Do you think these diseases were prevalent a century ago?

In 1912, the "Journal of the American Medical Association" (JAMA) published the first clinical report on cardiovascular disease in America. At that time, the disease was so rare it took years to find. Yet, in less than 100 years, due to changes in our lifestyle, environment, and diet, we have made cardiovascular disease the number one killer in North America.

Furthermore, on July 13th, 2000, a groundbreaking report, published in the "New England Journal of Medicine", tied the development of most cancers to lifestyle and exposure to environmental and occupational risk factors. While not disregarding genetic influence, which appears to account for approximately 30% of total cancer risk, the findings cite poor dietary habits, smoking, alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, and exposure to environmental toxins as the dominating factors. Many other studies on cancer have revealed similar findings.

Today we have overwhelming proof that degenerative diseases, like heart disease and cancer, are caused primarily by poor diet and lifestyle choices. You might want to read that again, S-L-O-W-L-Y! Many people tend to gloss over such statements and then continue eating and living poorly. Don't let that be you! So if most disease is tied to diet and lifestyle choices, that means we can PREVENT disease from occurring in the first place. But DO NOT wait until you see visible signs of illness, or symptoms, before attempting to deal with a health problem. Unfortunately, many will wait for the symptoms, get a diagnosis, and then look for a cure. In most cases, that is too late. We can do better. We must be proactive with our health if we truly care about ourselves and our families.

I want to take a moment to talk a little more about the word SYMPTOM so we have a clear understanding of what it means. When you get a stuffed up nose from having a cold, the stuffed up nose is not the cause of your cold. It's a symptom. A heart attack isn't the cause of heart disease. It's a symptom. If you were to get cancer, cancer isn't the cause of the disease. It's a symptom. Symptoms are cues that alert you that something isn't right in your body, but they are not the cause of illness or disease. Additionally, your body can be getting sick before you ever see symptoms, which is why it is critical you become proactive about your health. You can't wait for symptoms to develop before taking action.

So if symptoms aren't the cause of illness or disease, what is the cause? Inadequate nutrition for our cells. Our health is dependent on the health of the cells that make up our body, of which there are roughly 100 trillion cells in each of us. In order to limit sickness and prevent disease, we must protect and properly feed our cells. Not doing so results in disease. This means we must change our diet and lifestyle habits, AND we cannot afford to wait until we SEE a symptom before doing so.

With that said, the word health should take on a new meaning to you. Health is not the absence of symptoms. Health is the absence of DISEASE! Degenerative diseases typically takes years to develop. Just because you don't feel cancer developing inside your body doesn't mean it isn't there. Just because you don't feel plaque building up inside your arteries doesn't mean you don't have heart disease. The first sign of heart disease is not typically chest pain, numbness in the left arm, or shortness of breath. It is SUDDEN DEATH! That being the case, we must protect our health by following good DAILY habits so that these slow-developing diseases do not catch us while we are "asleep at the wheel".

Let me ask you something. What would it be worth to you if you could TRULY reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's, or osteoporosis? Would it be worth the "hassle" of eating right?...AND taking vitamins daily? Would it be worth the cost of learning how to balance your diet?...Picking quality foods...and picking quality supplements? I hope so because you won't find the long-term solution elsewhere, as in taking a drug to fix a symptom. And remember, just one case of heart disease or cancer can financially devastate a family. Your choice of action is critical to you and your family's future. Unfortunately, lack of education, or denial, prevents many people from taking appropriate action or making smart decisions.

But let's talk more about making smart decisions and use an analogy to do so. Think of your vehicle. In order to operate it, you have to put gas in it. Gas is the fuel that gives your car the ability to move. Similarly, food is the fuel that allows your body to move. While gas is needed to move the vehicle, it isn't enough. If you want your vehicle to run smoothly and efficiently, you need to add oil. The main purpose of motor oil is to lubricate moving parts so you can keep metal from touching metal. This helps your engine to run smoothly so you can operate your car efficiently. Your car will run without motor oil, but it's engine life will be severely limited. Without oil, your engine will eventually find it too hard to perform or burn up. So if you are a responsible car owner, you will add oil and change it every three months to allow for optimal performance. Motor oil is similar to the vitamins and minerals you get from a supplement. They aren't the primary source of fuel to make your body move, but they do add to the performance of your body and the life of your body by "lubricating the cells", so to speak, with key nutrients. If you decide not to change your oil, you might save about $30 every three months, or $120 a year. Over three years, you might be able to save about $360. But replacing a blown engine would cost you about $3000! So you saved $360 but had to spend $3000. It doesn't make sense does it? Along the same lines, if you neglect to take a quality vitamin/mineral supplement, it is like not adding oil to your vehicle. Sure you might save on the cost of a supplement, but how much is heart disease or cancer going to cost you in the long run? You don't want to go down that road. The financial implications would startle you. And remember if you blow an engine, you can replace it if you have the money. If you neglect your body, you are done. You are only given one body. You must nurture and protect it. You don't have a spare body and you can't buy a new body.

The point I am trying to make is this:  We must all recognize the value and importance of the daily habits necessary to keep us healthy. PREVENTION costs a lot less than Diagnosis and Cure! And prevention gives us much better quality of life. So remember the importance of eating a well-balanced diet, high in fruits and vegetables, and take every opportunity to eat as close to the earth as possible. In addition, in today's fast-food world, because it is difficult to escape high-calorie, low-nutrition, over-processed food, it is critical that we take extra steps to optimize our nutritional needs. This means fortifying our diets with high-quality nutritional supplements that replenish the body with the same vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and important-plant based nutrients that ought to be provided in the food we eat.

As Dr. Robert Fletcher, co-author of the 2002 groundbreaking JAMA study on the importance of vitamin supplements states:

"All of us grew up believing that if we ate a reasonable diet, that would take care of our vitamin needs. But, the new evidence, much of it in the last couple of years, is that vitamins also prevent the usual diseases we deal with every day--heart disease, cancer, osteporosis, and birth defects."

If you value your health, diet and supplementation is your PERSONAL health insurance plan that will help you to age gracefully and reduce your risk of disease down the road. Eating a healthy diet and supplementing with a high quality vitamin/mineral supplement isn't there to assist you when you fall ill. It is there to keep you healthy in the first place.

This is what PREVENTION is all about. Remember that daily habits got us to where we are today. And daily habits will get us to where we want to be tomorrow. Don't become a statistic. Work on your daily habits for yourself and your family. And remember: It's not just about adding years to your life. It's about adding LIFE to your years. It's about having a great quality of life, with boundless energy, while we are on this planet.

So how are you going to change your daily habits today?  And what is your reason for doing so?

As always, feel free to send me your questions and/or comments. I would be happy to respond to help you live a healthier life!

What Is Aerobic Exercise? And Why Is It Necessary?

Many of you have engaged in aerobic exercise, but did you know it is actually necessary for good health? According to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, you need to engage in two types of physical activity each week to improve your health:

1) Aerobic exercise; and
2) Muscle-strengthening activities.

And according to the CDC, for important health benefits, adults need at
least:

* 2 hours & 30 minutes of moderate-intensity AEROBIC ACTIVITY (i.e. brisk walking) every week and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms);

OR

* 1 hour & 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity AEROBIC ACTIVITY (i.e. jogging or running) every week and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms);

OR

* An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity AEROBIC ACTIVITY and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

Knowing the importance of aerobic exercise, you now might be asking what exactly is aerobic exercise? Aerobic exercise is any rhythmic, repetitive activity that involves your large muscles (i.e. your butt, legs, and back) and lasts longer than a minute and a half.

Activities that count as aerobic exercise include walking, jogging, bicycling, and climbing stairs and are the best way to burn lots of calories in a relatively short period of time. It doesn't matter which type of aerobic activity you choose.  What matters is that you pick one you enjoy and stick with it. You can't enjoy much benefit if you do aerobic exercise for a week and then wait an entire year before deciding to do it again.

Activities that DON'T count as aerobic exercise include weight lifting. Weight lifting is not aerobic exercise because you break the rhythm when you stop to rest between sets. The only type of weight training that is moderately aerobic is circuit training: You move from one weight lifting exercise to another with little or no rest in between.

In general, activities such as weight training or the 50-yard dash are considered anaerobic, not aerobic. Aerobic means "with air", and anaerobic means "without air". Since weight lifting exercises and sprinting only take a few seconds to complete, your body has enough stored energy to get through these actions. But to sustain any activity that lasts longer than 90 seconds (the type of activity necessary to strengthen your heart and lungs), your body needs an outside source of fuel, which it gets in the form of oxygen from the air you breathe.

So now that you understand the importance of aerobic exercise and some of the activities that fall into this category, you might be interested in learning about the benefits.  Here are four benefits of aerobic exercise:

* FAT LOSS - Fat loss is a great benefit of aerobic exercise, but the BEST STRATEGY FOR FAT LOSS is to engage in aerobic exercise AND weight training, along with eating a well-balanced diet and supplementing with a pharmaceutical-grade (high-quality) multivitamin daily.

* IMPROVED CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH - Aerobic exercise strengthens your cardiovascular system, which include your heart, your lungs, and your blood vessels. When your heart is stronger, it beats fewer times per minute because it's capable of pumping out more blood per beat.

* INCREASED STAMINA - Aerobic exercise enables your lungs to take in more air per breath--allowing you to more efficiently extract oxygen. This leads to increased stamina (energy).

* REDUCED STRESS - Stress can be brought on by a physical, mental, social or emotional stimulus, and it has real physical effects. The body responds to stress by secreting adrenaline, raising blood pressure, speeding up the heartbeat, increasing muscle tension and a host of other chemical reactions. Aerobic exercise allows the release of the buildup of harmful stress chemicals in the body and helps it to return to a calm, relaxed state. Aerobic exercise may help manage stress because it causes you to breathe more rapidly and deeply and makes your heart beat faster to carry blood to your muscles and back to your lungs. Your capillaries take more oxygen to your muscles and carry away carbon dioxide and lactic acid.

These are great benefits. But your next question might be "How hard should I work out?"

First of all, I believe in working out efficiently and getting the biggest bang for my buck so to speak. If your goal is to work out efficiently too and rid the body of excess fat, the best type of aerobic exercise is high-intensity, short-duration aerobic exercise, NOT low-intensity, long-duration aerobic exercise. High-intensity, short-duration aerobic exercise speeds up your metabolism and keeps it raised for hours afterward which is why it is roughly 50% more efficient. The majority of your calories are used up an hour after your workout, which is why it's best not to eat for an hour after your workout. In addition, doing aerobic exercise in the morning, in a fasted state, burns fat up to 300% faster. If you would like more information on the meaning of SHORT-DURATION aerobic workout, along with the structured aerobic workout I follow to maximize efficiency, please send me a message.

Secondly, when doing aerobic exercise, pay attention to your heart rate (or how fast your heart beats). Your target training zone should be between 50% and 90% of your maximum heart rate (MHR), depending on whether you want to lose fat or build cardiovascular endurance. Your MHR is determined by the formula [220 - Your Age]. This is the "simple" formula for calculating your MHR.

So, as an example, if you are 40 years old, your MHR would be 220-40 = 180 bpm (beats per minute).

The "complex", or more accurate, formula for calculating MHR is the following:

Men: [(210 - half your age) - (.05 x weight) +4]
Women: [210 - half your age) - (.05 x weight)]

I hope this gives you a better understanding of the importance of aerobic exercise, the activities that make up aerobic exercise, the benefits of aerobic exercise, and the best way to perform aerobic exercise to get the biggest bang for your buck.

So what aerobic exercise are you going to go out and do?

As always, feel free to send me any questions you might have so we can get you on your way to getting healthy and fit and feeling great!