Reversing Heart Disease

[txdon]

Originally Posted by charlz

. I have read that diet and exercise can really only lower your cholesterol about 5 points... genetics is the main driver of your cholesterol levels.

Where ever you read that it was wrong! I have lowered mine 30 points (without medication) and I'm going for another 20 points.

The 15 Austin Texas firefighters who did the plant based diet for 28 days dropped their cholesterol 30% or 62 points.
(Also the average weight loss was 14 pounds.)

What your body does with extra consumed cholesterol and fat is a genetic thing but what you supply your body with is a lifestyle choice. Therefore If you don't eat it, you don't have the extra for you body to contend with. That makes diet the main driver of cholesterol levels.


Edit: Just in, my wife found someone else on the E2 diet and he dropped his cholesterol 100 points - Bob Harper, the trainer on NBC Biggest Looser
http://vegetarianstar.com/2009/08/06...sterol-points/
http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/vi...9181fcd8d1c593

[ronjhall]

Interesting subject. Will be following for my personal health.

[LostInTheWoods]

Two-pronged approach. Lifestyle modifications and discussing medicine with your healthcare provider.

If you smoke, stop. Continue watching your diet, and most importantly, stick with it. Regular aerobic exercise.

If you're thinking of "natural" supplements, go with fish oil (omega-3's) and possibly vitamin D. Many reports suggest they may be beneficial for the prevention of arterial disease, among other things. The verdict is still out, but they do look promising.

Talk with your provider. Find out what your total cholesterol picture looks like. It will be broken down into total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, tiglycerides. Difficulties with the different types of cholesterol may require different treatment options.

Don't let your dental health suffer. Good gums reduce inflammation and reduced inflammation is a good thing for cardiovascular health. The connection between the two has been suggested, although not proven. I figure its a good idea, anyway. And if it helps prevent heart disease, even better.

Keep tight control of other health issues if you have them that affect your risk (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.).

Some of the statin medications (e.g. Lipitor) have been shown to contain the progression of atherosclerosis. Some studies suggest they may even reverse some of the plaque formation in arteries. Again, talk with your provider.

[charlz]

Originally Posted by txdon

Where ever you read that it was wrong! I have lowered mine 30 points (without medication) and I'm going for another 20 points.

Good to know! and Congrats

Originally Posted by txdon

The 15 Austin Texas firefighters who did the plant based diet for 28 days dropped their cholesterol 30% or 62 points.
(Also the average weight loss was 14 pounds.)

What your body does with extra consumed cholesterol and fat is a genetic thing but what you supply your body with is a lifestyle choice. Therefore If you don't eat it, you don't have the extra for you body to contend with. That makes diet the main driver of cholesterol levels.


Edit: Just in, my wife found someone else on the E2 diet and he dropped his cholesterol 100 points - Bob Harper, the trainer on NBC Biggest Looser
Bob Harper Goes Vegetarian, Drops 100 Cholesterol Points
DrMcDougall.com :: View topic - Bob Harper - Biggest Loser

Looking over the E2 diet it appears to not only be 'plant based' i.e. vegetarian but actually vegan... giving up dairy and eggs as well. Not sure I could do that.

[charlz]

Originally Posted by LostInTheWoods

Don't let your dental health suffer. Good gums reduce inflammation and reduced inflammation is a good thing for cardiovascular health. The connection between the two has been suggested, although not proven. I figure its a good idea, anyway. And if it helps prevent heart disease, even better.

I had a dentist tell me they were looking at the connection between bleeding/inflamed gums and diabetes. The train of thought at that time was that having what is essentially a continuous low-level infection in your gums somehow led to diabetes.

I have had on and off issues with bleeding gums for years even though I would brush at least twice a day and water pick daily. When on a low-carb diet, which means cutting out all the sugars etc., it clears right up. My suspicion is that all the sugars feed the bacteria on your teeth/in your gums and the bleeding is an indicator you have too many sugars in your diet.... which can lead to diabetes.

[serviceman]

Txdon,
PM me and I will send you information on a product that has really helped my family and friends.
serviceman

[Chuck52]

One dietary problem we've brought on ourselves is our high intake of fructose. Unlike most other simple sugars, fructose is metabolized almost entirely in the liver. Glucose, for instance, is taken up by all cells and is the basic energy molecule of life. In the past, it was assumed that fructose was simply converted to glucose and metabolized the same way, but it is now known that fructose behaves more like a fat in metabolism. Where is fructose, besides in high fructose corn syrup? Well, along with glucose, it makes up the disaccharide sucrose, common table sugar. We did not evolve to consume the large quantities of sucrose and plain fructose. Complex carbohydrates are fine in the diet. The simple sugars, especially fructose, can be a problem if they constitute too high a percentage of our caloric intake. It's getting really difficult to control our intake of fructose due to it being included in so many processed foods. High fructose corn syrup is cheap.

Chuck

An interesting video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

[MossRoad]

Originally Posted by txdon

Where ever you read that it was wrong! I have lowered mine 30 points (without medication) and I'm going for another 20 points.

I agree. Some of us have high cholesterol pretty much entirely from what we eat. Me, for example! I dropped mine by a huge amount in 3 months just by changing my diet. I switched from pop tarts and milk for breakfast to fresh fruit. I have a bowl of cantaloupe for a mid-morning snack instead of a donut and milk. I have grilled chicken on a salad for lunch instead of a burger (I'll have a small burger if we are having chicken for dinner). Cherry tomatoes and mini carrots for an afternoon snack instead of a candy bar. Ice water or tea instead of 2-3 pops a day. A normal dinner and only 2-3 Oreos with a glass of milk before bed instead of a dozen oreos and 2-3 glasses of milk throughout the evening. Gee, I lost weight, too!

[Bird]

If you smoke, stop.

Yep, I stopped 3 years ago, gained about 40 pounds, have less energy than ever before, and don't feel nearly as good as I did when I was smoking. Cholesterol level was good when I was smoking and now I'm taking simvastatin. But the house and car are cleaner.

[txdon]

Bird, congratulation on stopping smoking, now all you need to do is work on getting your cholesterol down and you're good to go! I was tired also when on cholesterol medicine, and had aches and pains all the time and overweight by 40 pounds. thats why I'm trying everything I can to stay off of it.... and what I'm doing is working.

I will be posting, and encourage anyone with information on scientific studies or personal lifestyle change that worked to please post.

I found an interesting 10 year study, concluded in March 09, conducted by The National Institute of Health and AARP. There was an increase of cancer for people who eat red meat (31-36%) and an increase of HEART DISEASE for people who eat white meat (20-24%).

I always look who conducted the study to see if the backers would benefit from the results.