Guest post provided by Rebecca S. Reeves, DrPH, RD, FADA

2013 is shaping up to be a year of prevention, which should have you thinking about how well you are treating your own heart. If you are trying to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, or your doctor has said that you need to lower your cholesterol, you are probably trying to keep a close eye on your diet.

This does not mean that you must avoid all your favorite foods. What it might take is substituting different ingredients in a recipe or stir-frying a food rather than deep fat frying it.

Learning the difference in the types of fat that we eat and where these fats are found in our food is also important to controlling the cholesterol levels in our blood. Taking precautions today could prevent a heart condition tomorrow.

Here are some of the most common myths and facts that you should know.
Continue reading ‘Common myths about cholesterol, foods and fats’ »

Do you take statin medication? If so, when did your doctor recommend you being statins? Was it when your lab results found your LDL cholesterol levels to be elevated?

LDL cholesterol has been the measure used to determine when lipid lowering therapy is needed…and statins are often the therapy started.

Research is beginning to question if LDL is the best measure for knowing if cholesterol treatment is warranted to reduce heart disease risk.
Continue reading ‘Heart Disease Risk and Cholesterol Levels’ »

There are some very interesting questions coming out regarding the benefits of HDL cholesterol.

High HDL cholesterol has always been encouraged because people with higher HDL cholesterol levels have a reduced risk for heart disease. If you have low HDL cholesterol levels it’s likely that your doctor recommended you to boost levels through diet and exercise or by taking niacin supplements. This is due to the long held belief that HDL cholesterol reduces heart disease risk by “picking up” artery clogging cholesterol from circulation.

A new study utilizing modern genetic testing is challenging this theory, finding that there may not be a direct cause-and-effect relationship between reduced heart disease risk and high HDL cholesterol levels. Study findings indicate the high HDL levels themselves may not be protective on their own. These high HDL levels may be an indicator of something else reducing heart disease risk.
Continue reading ‘Why is HDL Cholesterol Considered to be ‘Good’?’ »

Phytosterols (plant sterols) are similar in structure to cholesterol. Consuming phytosterols as part of your diet can decrease total cholesterol because molecularly they are very similar to cholesterol. As you digest phytosterols they can prevent cholesterol from being absorbed into the bloodstream and therefore the cholesterol that is not absorbed is removed from the system as waste.

Red yeast rice is a fermented product where red yeast has grown on rice. It acts as a natural statin drug in that it forms monacolins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) that lower cholesterol levels. Red yeast rice contains isoflavones, sterols, and monounsaturated fats that also promote lower cholesterol levels.

A study published April 2012 in the Journal of Dietary Supplements studied 18 individuals with high cholesterol. Daily for six weeks the 18 participants received a combination of phytosterols and red yeast rice.

Study results found the supplement combination decreased total cholesterol 19% and LDL Cholesterol 33%. No changes were seen in triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, BMI, or liver function.

For comparison, a 1999 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found statins to reduce LDL Cholesterol 28%.

Granted, this wasn’t a large study, but it does show there is likely a way to achieve the results of statins (or even better results) without needing the medication and the potential side effects.

Explore all your options with your doctor.

Keep in mind that even though red yeast rice is naturally occurring, it can deplete coenzyme Q10 levels just like statin drugs. Coenyzme Q10 plays a key role within every cell for energy production. Some coenzyme Q10 deficiency symptoms include aches/pains, fatigue, sore muscles, weakness, and shortness of breath. Be sure to supplement coenzyme Q10 if taking red yeast rice or statin medications.

Access the free e-course How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps at http://lowercholesterolwithlisa.com.

Heart Health Made Easy: Master the Basics to Lower Blood Pressure and Cholesterol for a Longer, Healthier Life Click here to learn more.

The new social media site Pinterest is coming under scrutiny for wrecking diets and causing increased calorie intake. Why? All those delicious pictures of sweet desserts!

As the third most popular social media platform, Pinterest now has more than 20 million users with a majority being women.

When users “pin” their favorite recipes the recipes tend to lean towards the unhealthy high calorie choices.

Red Velvet Cake
Chicken Taco Chili
Oreo Layer Dessert
Strawberries and Cream Dessert Squares
Gnocchi, Sweet Corn, & Arugula in Cream Sauce
Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Tin Roof Ice Cream Cake

And the list goes on. . .

All sounds delicious, right? On the negative side, the recipes tend to be high in added sugars, saturated fat, and calories.
Continue reading ‘Is Social Media Causing You to Gain Weight?’ »

Waist circumference has a direct relationship to high blood pressure and lipid (cholesterol) levels.

A study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found the greater the Waist-to-Height Ratio the worse the lipid profile and hypertension in adolescents.

This particular study evaluated 4,104 ninth-grade students between the ages of 14 and 15 years-old during the 2009 – 2012 school year. Body mass index was used to classify waist measurements.

The greater the waist-to-height ratio, the greater the risk for poor lipid profiles and high blood pressure compared to those with normal body mass indexes and waist-to-height ratios.
Continue reading ‘Lower Blood Pressure by Trimming Your Waistline’ »

You don’t have to begin a drastic diet in order to achieve your heart health goals. Big results can be achieved by improving your daily habits one step at a time.

Here are 5 steps you can implement now for a healthy heart:

Step 1 – Add fruits and vegetables to your daily diet

That’s right, I’m not telling you to eliminate a food, but to add foods. Fruits and vegetables are essential. Add a fruit and/or vegetable to every meal or snack to boost your intake of this necessary food group. It’s estimated that our intake of vegetables is usually only 59% of what it should be and fruit only 42%.

Step 2 – Switch processed grains for whole grains
Continue reading ‘5 Steps to Achieve a Healthy Heart’ »

Is the deck stacked against you when it comes to genetics and heart disease? If so, I’m right there with you. However, this isn’t a pass to just say “oh well, nothing you can do about it” and proceed to live an unhealthy lifestyle.

Heart disease and heart attacks are for the most part preventable. Deaths due to coronary heart disease have significantly decreased since 1980.

Here are 5 steps you can take right now to beat the odds:

1. Know your numbers

   Go to the free health screenings to have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked. Discuss with your doctor to determine how often more in depth lab work should be completed. Ignorance is not going to help you.

   For cholesterol, the American Heart Association provides the following recommendations:
   Continue reading ‘Reduce Your Heart Attack Risk’ »

For quite awhile now, I’ve been encouraging you to look at more than just your standard cholesterol panel to assess your risk for heart disease. I’m going to share the findings of an expert panel that supports this need.

In the Journal of Clinical Lipidology a panel of specialists concluded that patients considered at intermediate risk for heart disease be tested for C-reactive protein. It’s likely this applies to a majority of the U.S. population since overweight and obesity is rampant. Family history, diet, exercise, and tobacco use also factor into determining if you are at intermediate risk.

Just evaluating total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol does not work well for predicting heart attack and stroke risk, especially for patients with metabolic syndrome or diabetes. It’s even more difficult to evaluate risk if a patient is using cholesterol lowering statin medications.

C-Reactive Protein

C-Reactive protein is a marker for inflammation and is associated with plaque build up in blood vessel walls. The plaque build up in coronary arteries leads to narrow arteries, which can cause chest pain. If these arteries rupture you are dealing with a heart attack or stroke.

Continue reading ‘C-Reactive Protein Good Heart Attack Predictor’ »

I recently had an individual email me the following question:

How much fiber do I need to eat to equal 25 grams? How many pieces of fruit, slices of bread, cups of barley or flaxseed? I can’t relate to 25 grams.

I want to share the answer with everyone. Read on. . .

How Much Dietary Fiber

You need to consume between 25-35 grams of dietary fiber daily. Of this, soluble fiber should make up 15 grams. For every 1-2 grams of daily soluble fiber intake, LDL (bad) cholesterol is lowered 1%.

The average US dietary fiber intake is 12-18 grams/day. If your current diet is very low in dietary fiber, do not increase to 35 grams overnight. A sudden increase will result in gastrointestinal (stomach) distress and unpleasant side effects (flatulence and diarrhea). You want to increase your intake gradually.

Top 5 Foods Containing Dietary Fiber

Continue reading ‘What equals 25 – 35 grams of dietary fiber?’ »