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Let’s commence with the obvious. DIET If you get started out with a healthful diet, which comprises largely of lean protein sources, vegetables that grow above the ground, and fruit, that will help. In addition to a fundamentally healthful diet, to control cholesterol most experts counsel avoiding eating red meat and animal fat in general. For example, if you eat the breast of birds such as chickens and turkeys rather of the legs and thighs, you will eat less animal fat. You may likewise stay clear from animal fat by not eating the skin. Now, if your cholesterol difficultnesses are diet based, eating a healthful diet will probably solve the problem. If not, then you might need to look into a good deal of sort of supplement to support you control your cholesterol levels. I assume if you’re reading this article, you’ve already ruled out statin drugs because they are carcinogenic and often have side effects such as muscle pain and weakness, nausea, insomnia, fatigue, slurred speech, remainder problems, memory loss, liver problems, sexual dysfunction, personality changes and irritability. Fortunately, there are less detrimental and costly number of things from which only one can be chosen available. NIACIN Niacin has been known to lower cholesterol since the 1950s. Of peculiar interest is a comparative study amongst Lovastatin (a ordinary statin drug) and Niacin. 136 people who are in need of medical care with high cholesterol were randomly assigned either Lovastatin or Niacin over a 26 week period. Although the Lovastatin introductory lowered LDL cholesterol more speedily than the Niacin, by the end of the study, there was not a whole lot of difference, with Lovastatin letting down LDL by 32% and Niacin letting down LDL by 23%. But where Niacin actually shines is in increasing HDL (the good cholesterol) and letting down Lp(a), a lipoprotein which is highly predictive of heart disease. By the end of the study, Niacin had increased HDL by 33% and lowered Lp(a) by 35%, equated to 7% and 0% for Lovastatin, respectively. However, there are a lot of difficulties with Niacin. It causes unpleasing flushing and may impair blood sugar control in diabetics. Worse, if using sustained-release Niacin, almost half of users construct liver toxicity, altho it will have to be brought up that if using regular Niacin, there is little peril of liver toxicity. Fortunately, there is a form of niacin called inositol hexaniacinate, which has been employed in Europe for a great deal of years to control cholesterol levels. INOSITOL HEXANIACINATE Inositol hexaniacinate’s side effects are minimal and it works even better than regular niacin, according to a study comparing the effect of niacin and inositol hexaniacinate on hyperlipidemic Buscat rabbits (The role of nicotinic acid and inositol hexaniacinate as anticholesterolemic and antilipemic agents. Nutr Reports Int 1983;28:899-911). The inositol hexaniacinate caused a 79.5 % reduction in cholesterol while niacin caused a 74.9% reduction. Better yet, inositol hexaniacinate caused a 63.2% triglyceride reduction, equated to a 30.9% reduction for regular niacin. This same correlation was found by Welsh and Ede (Inositol hexanicotinate for bettered nicotinic acid therapy, Int Record Med 1961;174:9-15). If you plan to take inositol hexaniacinate to lower your cholesterol, experts commend that you commence out with 500 mg, 3 times a day with meals for 2 weeks. If you tolerate that okay, they suggest upping the dosage to 1000 mg, 3 times a day with meals. Although inositol hexaniacinate appears to have little in the way of side effects, it might still be prudent to have your doctor test your cholesterol levels and liver enzymes with a frequency of each 3 months, at the very least. Like regular niacin, inositol hexaniacinate is not commended for use by diabetics, because it may interfere with blood sugar metabolism. Given inositol hexaniacinate’s effectiveness, that’s in all likelihood a good choice to try first. However, if you cannot tolerate inositol hexaniacinate, there are more choices you may try. PANTETHINE Pantethine, a stable form of vitamin B5, inhibits the production of cholesterol by the liver. In a one-year clinical trial conducted with 24 patients, pantethine was shown to decrease LDL (the bad cholesterol) by 21% and increase HDL (the good cholesterol) by 23%, with nearly no toxicity (Effectiveness of long-term treatment with pantethine in people who are in need of medical care with dyslipidemia, Clin Ther. 1986;8(5):537-45). The dosage of pantethine commonly commended for cholesterol management by experts is 300 mg, 3 times a day. VITAMIN C It has been shown that the higher the level of vitamin C in the blood, the lower the total cholesterol count and the higher the HDL (the good cholesterol) is (High plasma vitamin C related with high plasma HDL- and HDL2 cholesterol, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 60, 100-105). In particular, for each increase of .5 mg/dl in vitamin C plasma content, there was a sameness increase in HDL of 2.1 mg/dl in men and 14.9 mg/dl in women. Many experts recommend taking 2000 mg of vitamin C a day as ordinary nutritional insurance. That ought to be a great deal for cholesterol control purposes as well. GARLIC Believe it or not, garlic has a significant effect on cholesterol levels, but you would need among 1 to 4 cloves of fresh garlic a day to achieve a significant therapeutic result. Fortunately, the compounds in garlic responsible for it is therapeutic gain may be detached in pill form. However, in order to be effective, the supplement must supply the equivalent of 4,000 mg of fresh garlic, not aged garlic. Aged garlic has been proven not to be as effective (A double-blind crossover study in moderately hypercholesterolemic men that equated the effect of aged garlic extract and placebo administration on blood lipids, Am J Clin Nutr. 1996 Dec;64(6):866-70). On the other hand, a study done at the Clinical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana showed that treatment with standardized fresh garlic of 900 mg a day resulted in a drop of 11% in LDL (the bad cholesterol) (Can garlic reduce levels of serum lipids? A controlled clinical study, Am J Med. 1993 Jun;94(6):632-5). So, if you wanted similar results, you could either take 900 mg a day of a standardized fresh garlic supplement or 1 to 4 cloves or fresh garlic a day. GUGULIPID Gugulipid is extracted from the mukul myrrh tree, which is native to India. It appears to get it’s cholesterol letting down effects from increasing the liver’s metaboli process of LDL (the bad cholesterol). In a double blind study of 125 persons who requires medical care comparing the effect of gugulipid with the cholesterol letting down drug clofibrate over a amount of time of 12 weeks, the gugulipid group lowered their LDL (the bad cholesterol) by 11% and the clofibrate group by 10% (Clinical tryouts with gugulipid. A new hypolipidaemic agent, J Assoc Physicians India. 1989 May;37(5):323-8). While HDL (the good cholesterol) was unchanged in the clofibrate group, the gugulipid group specifically increased HDL levels by among 16%-20%. With purified gugulipid preparations, there are no substantial side effects. Experts commend a standardized extract of gugulipid containing 25 mg of guggulsterone per 500 mg tablet, 3 times a day for elevated cholesterol. |
Most helpful customer reviews
56 of 65 people found the following review helpful.
worth reading
By fblaw6
An excellent book which I heartily endorse for a layperson’s understanding of cholesterol. An everything you need to know book, with all the latest as of the publication date. The doc also has recommendations based on his own experience and research, most obviously well considered and grounded. Of course, things are moving so fast in heart and health research that I have questions since the two months ago I read this book, and things are left unanswered. I felt the book failed to synthesize adequately all the information that is coming out. E.G. how do we combine the benecol with the vitamin e,c,b, the fish oil, the garlic, the COQ-10, the flaxseed oil, melatonin etc. Does the benecol affect absorption of some of these other food ingredients being touted now by the researchers? And, do we take something, or everything, and if we combine everything, when do we ingest? I also had questions, unanswered, about the doc’s touting of oat bran and psyllium fiber, since other research indicates that these foods, like processed wheat flour, have high glycemic indexes, and therefore that large ingestions would by inference tend to increase blood triglycerides. Thus, maybe I consider this more an information book than a program book, as I felt that latter aspect as explained needs more work.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
A great introduction to “functional foods”
By William Davis, MD
For over 30 years, Dr. Ken Cooper has been a trusted source for insights into health, exercise, and heart disease. Despite its release in 1999, Dr. Cooper’s book remains a persuasive and detailed introduction to the use of so-called “functional foods” and “nutriceuticals” to lower cholesterol. These included stanol/sterol esters in butter substitutes, soy products, Phytrol, and oat bran. If you have high cholesterol (LDL or total) and you’re unaware of the power these strategies, you’ve got to read Dr. Cooper’s book to get up to speed.
Dr. Cooper’s book is also the only other book on the market besides mine that discusses how heart scans can be used as a part of your heart disease prevention program. Although the discussion is only 3 pages long, he details how this exciting technology is proving to be among THE most powerful tools available for detecting hidden coronary plaque.
Only one criticism: Dr. Cooper’s discussion of causes of heart attack beyond cholesterol is too brief and you’ll have to turn elsewhere for more information. (In all fairness, much new data has become available since publication of this book.) Nonetheless, Controlling Cholesterol the Natural Way remains a principal reference for people who wish to augment their health program with powerful nutritional strategies.
23 of 28 people found the following review helpful. Dr. Cooper also proved to me that I needed to be even more concerned about cholesterol than I thought. Cholesterol is a problem in America and lower is better. I was happy to read that there are many other doctors and clinical studies that support Dr. Cooper’s use of Benecol to lower it. Similar Products To Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way Eat Your Way
I had no idea lowering my cholesterol could be so easy
By A
I agree wholeheartedly with the other reviewers. At first, I thought it was just hype, but Dr. Cooper convinced me that new foods like Benecol actually work to reduce cholesterol. My doctor wanted me to take medication, but I hate taking pills. This is so much easier and I trust eating food more than taking pills.
Controlling Cholesterol the Natural Way: Eat Your Way to Better Health with New Breakthrough Food Discoveries
Controlling Cholesterol the Natural Way: Eat Your Way to Better Health with New Breakthrough Food Discoveries
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Source Naturals Policosanol Cholesterol Complex, 90 Tablets
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Highly informative and useful
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This book contained a lot of great information. It began by giving a layman’s understanding of why we need cholesterol and what too much LDL cholesterol does to our bodies. Dr Cooper then explained a variety of ways to lower the LDL cholesterol without drugs; ways other than just diet and exercise. I came away with a much better understanding of the cholesterol problem than when I started the book.
Best cholesterol-lowering advice I have seen yet!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Dr. Cooper provides straight, clear advice on how to lower cholesterol naturally with functional foods like new Benecol foods and even bran flakes. His recipes and meal tips provide even more options for including Benecol into the everyday routine. His explanation of the “science” behind this new food is simple and understandable. His discussion of the additional cholesterol reduction seen when Benecol is used alongside a cholesterol-lowering medication is intriguing.
Oustanding advice on a major problem
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The dangers of heart disease as an early killer if not identified and tackled properly do not need repeating This book is great – after reading numerous items on the subject of cholestrol and preventing heart disease which told you little new and largely duplicate each other, one finishes this book feeling great and that there is real hope without needing to just rely on expensive medications and drugs.
This is because firstly it delivers a much better grasp of all the extensive medical research; secondly it outlines well the simple steps needed to make a real difference, and thirdly it shows how the diferent alternatives can be mixed and tailored (diet, exercise and drugs) for each person’s specific case. The most critical benefit (and hence the “natural way” in the title of the book) is his coverage of the new functional foods (both natural and designed) and the way these can make a real difference and how they should be approached and used based on your specific cholestrol problems.
The writer’s no nonsense and straight talking style plus his long experience as a doctor treating patients in this area, means that though there is a lot of medical and scientific jargon inevitably, one finishes the book with a much greater general knowledge and appreciation of what is possible plus how with suitable application one can access the compund effect of applying diferent elements of the treatments together. An educating and thought provoking read on an important subject.
Practical. Easy to read. An articulate Dr. speaking to me
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was really impressed with Dr. Cooper’s ability to take complex technical terms and put them into words and stories that made the information very useful. I just want to lower my cholesterol not get a science lesson. I am also glad to hear there are a lot of clinical studies and Drs. supporting the use of Benecol to lower my cholesterol – - I don’t like taking pills!
worth reading
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
An excellent book which I heartily endorse for a layperson’s understanding of cholesterol. An everything you need to know book, with all the latest as of the publication date. The doc also has recommendations based on his own experience and research, most obviously well considered and grounded. Of course, things are moving so fast in heart and health research that I have questions since the two months ago I read this book, and things are left unanswered. I felt the book failed to synthesize adequately all the information that is coming out. E.G. how do we combine the benecol with the vitamin e,c,b, the fish oil, the garlic, the COQ-10, the flaxseed oil, melatonin etc. Does the benecol affect absorption of some of these other food ingredients being touted now by the researchers? And, do we take something, or everything, and if we combine everything, when do we ingest? I also had questions, unanswered, about the doc’s touting of oat bran and psyllium fiber, since other research indicates that these foods, like processed wheat flour, have high glycemic indexes, and therefore that large ingestions would by inference tend to increase blood triglycerides. Thus, maybe I consider this more an information book than a program book, as I felt that latter aspect as explained needs more work.
A great introduction to “functional foods”
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
For over 30 years, Dr. Ken Cooper has been a trusted source for insights into health, exercise, and heart disease. Despite its release in 1999, Dr. Cooper’s book remains a persuasive and detailed introduction to the use of so-called “functional foods” and “nutriceuticals” to lower cholesterol. These included stanol/sterol esters in butter substitutes, soy products, Phytrol, and oat bran. If you have high cholesterol (LDL or total) and you’re unaware of the power these strategies, you’ve got to read Dr. Cooper’s book to get up to speed.
Dr. Cooper’s book is also the only other book on the market besides mine that discusses how heart scans can be used as a part of your heart disease prevention program. Although the discussion is only 3 pages long, he details how this exciting technology is proving to be among THE most powerful tools available for detecting hidden coronary plaque.
Only one criticism: Dr. Cooper’s discussion of causes of heart attack beyond cholesterol is too brief and you’ll have to turn elsewhere for more information. (In all fairness, much new data has become available since publication of this book.) Nonetheless, Controlling Cholesterol the Natural Way remains a principal reference for people who wish to augment their health program with powerful nutritional strategies.
Controlling Cholestrol The Natural Way
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This book helped me in some ways, but it was not a simple book to read. I felt that there could have been more information on the exact foods to eat to lower the cholestrol. I will not be using it as an reference
Excellent guide to those who want to improve their diet, lower cholesterol
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Benecol Smart Chews, Caramel, 120 Soft Chews
In addition to taking products like Benecol to lower cholesterol (and, by the way, Benecol is not a medication, but tastes like candy with the benefit of plants), this book can help give you guidelines for lowering your cholesterol and perhaps help you prevent the use of statins.
Practical. Easy to read. An articulate Dr. speaking to me
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was really impressed with Dr. Cooper’s ability to take complex technical terms and put them into words and stories that made the information very useful. I just want to lower my cholesterol not get a science lesson. I am also glad to hear there are a lot of clinical studies and Drs. supporting the use of Benecol to lower my cholesterol – - I don’t like taking pills!
beating cholesterol!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
If you are like me and cannot take ‘statin’ drugs, you will appreciate the information in this book. It may tell you some things you already knew, but it also focuses on the natural approach. I think this book is a good reference book for anyone trying to combat inherited high cholesterol and wants alternatives to prescription drugs. I lowered mine from 330 to 220-still high but oh so much better.
I had no idea lowering my cholesterol could be so easy
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I agree wholeheartedly with the other reviewers. At first, I thought it was just hype, but Dr. Cooper convinced me that new foods like Benecol actually work to reduce cholesterol. My doctor wanted me to take medication, but I hate taking pills. This is so much easier and I trust eating food more than taking pills.
Dr. Cooper also proved to me that I needed to be even more concerned about cholesterol than I thought. Cholesterol is a problem in America and lower is better. I was happy to read that there are many other doctors and clinical studies that support Dr. Cooper’s use of Benecol to lower it.