Which Fruit is better than Statins at reducing Cholesterol?

Right now you are probably expecting to read about some incredibly exotic and equally expensive tropical fruit that is unlikely to appear on the shelves at Supervalu anytime soon – but no! In fact the fruit in question is the humble apple.

That’s right, recent research has found that just two apples a day can help keep bad cholesterol away! And unlike statins, apples also raise good (HDL) cholesterol and contribute to weight loss.

Dr Bahram H. Arjmandi, director for the Centre for Advancing Exercise and Nutrition Research on Aging at Florida State University even goes as far as to state “I consider apples a magic food. I buy a bag a week and try to eat two per day. I am convinced this is what I should do if I want to remain healthy.”

The cholesterol lowering properties of apples appear to be due to their high levels of pectin, a type of soluble fibre found under the skin, which binds to cholesterol in the gut and transports it out of the body. We have known about the benefits of pectin for a number of years but many researchers, including Dr Arjmandi, have been surprised by recent research demonstrating just how effective apple pectin actually is at removing excess cholesterol from the body.

In one recent study involving 160 women between the ages of 45 and 65 it was found that women who ate 2 apples per day on top of their usual diet experienced a 23% decrease in LDL “bad” cholesterol, and increased their HDL “good” cholesterol by 3–4%. This level of reduction would be very hard to achieve using either drugs or exercise.

Many people do not realise that most of the cholesterol in our body does not come from food but is, in fact, manufactured in the liver. Therefore reducing high cholesterol foods will not always impact on overall cholesterol levels as the problem may be simply an overproduction of cholesterol in the body itself. Statin drugs, such as Lipitor and Crestor, reduce cholesterol by blocking an enzyme needed to make it. The problem is that statins can be hard on the liver, which is why people who take them must have a blood test periodically to make sure their liver is not becoming irritated and inflamed. It is also suggested that these drugs can reduce levels of the essential nutrient Co enzyme Q10 in the body. This nutrient is vital for energy production in the body and low levels (as can occur in individuals taking statins) can lead to fatigue and muscle weakness. Some healthcare professionals also believe that whilst statins may reduce cholesterol, a potential cause of heart disease, they can negatively impact on the heart muscle due to their impact on CoQ10 – remember that the heart is a muscle that requires an awful lot of energy to keep beating!

Dr Arjmandi puts it very simply. “The liver is one of the largest organs in the body, and it can remain pretty functional if only 50 percent of it stays healthy. You do not see an abnormality in the blood unless you do substantial damage to the liver. Drugs have their place, but if you have to check your liver enzymes, that means the drug is doing something not so good for you, and I don’t understand why we would go for drug therapies when eating two apples a day reduces LDL cholesterol so effectively. Eat apples and you not only don’t harm your liver, but you substantially benefit your health.”

So why aren’t apples prescribed for high cholesterol as avidly as statin drugs? Statins account for about 6.5% of all drug sales in the U.S and earn drug companies about $26 billion per year. You would have to sell an awful lot of apples to make that kind of money!

The even better news is that apples are not alone in their cholesterol lowering prowess. So if you suffer from high cholesterol or want to prevent it in the future try adding as many foods as you can from the list below to your daily diet:

• Walnuts, almonds and other nuts
• Oats, oatmeal and oat bran
• Oily fish
• Olive oil
• Pulses
• Garlic
• Onions
• Whole grains
• Avocado

Pretty easy really!

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Acupuncture?

Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM) is useful to the patient to further reduce risk, to reduce or clear atherosclerotic plaque, and to improve the health of the systems that create and regulate the various types of cholesterol carriers, lipoproteins and triglycerides in the body. 

The ultimate goal in cholesterol health is to normalize unhealthy types of cholesterol-lipoprotein conjugates (LDL-C), as well as triglyceride metabolism, and to promote higher levels of healthy cholesterol carriers, and high density lipoproteins (HDL). 

It's a long read....................

Heart healthy diets are as effective as statins

A new advisory issued by the American Heart Association unequivocally states that replacing foods high in saturated fats with those that contain unsaturated fats can reduce a person’s risk of developing heart disease as much as cholesterol-lowering drugs.

“We want to set the record straight on why well-conducted scientific research overwhelmingly supports limiting saturated fat in the diet to prevent diseases of the heart and blood vessels,” states lead author Dr. Frank Saks, leader of the advisory and professor of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

“Saturated fat increases LDL —bad cholesterol — which is a major source of artery clogging plaque and cardiovascular disease,” he says.

Saturated fats are found in meat, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils such as coconut, palm, and others.

Other types of fat include polyunsaturated fats found in corn, soybean, peanut, and other oils and monounsaturated fats found in olive, canola, safflower, avocado, and other oils.

The AHA advisory is based on clinical trials that found lowering dietary intake of saturated fat and replacing it with polyunsaturated vegetable oils reduced cardiovascular disease by approximately 30 percent. That is roughly the same risk reduction achieved by cholesterol-lowering statins.

The advisory board was careful to point out that their fat recommendation should be only a part of an overall healthy diet such as the Mediterranean or DASH plans.

The researchers also noted the studies concluded that that replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrates and sugars did not have any cholesterol-lowering benefits.

Interestingly, controversial coconut oil, a saturated fat that many consider to be healthy, raised the LDL in carefully controlled studies more than safflower oil or olive oil.

“Given the lack of offsetting favorable aspects, we advise against the use of coconut oil, said the advisory.

Dr. Kevin Campbell, attending cardiologist at North Ridge Executive Wellness Center in North Carolina and a CBS on-air expert, tells Newsmax Health that not all fats are created equal.

“While the data is clear that a diet that is dominated by lots of saturated fats will promote fat in your arteries, including a mix of nutrients into your diet is a good thing,” he explains.

“Some lean cuts of red meat, for example, can be part of a healthy diet. Avoiding one type of food will not provide perfect cardiovascular health. We must also take stock in our fitness levels, body weight and overall diet. Together we can use multiple strategies to live a heart healthy life.”

Dr. Gabe Mirkin, author of “The Healthy Heart Miracle” tells Newsmax Health that the recent advisory comes as no surprise to experts who have long espoused the idea that a healthy diet and lifestyle can beat medication, when it comes to combatting heart disease.

“Studies from all over the world are coming to the conclusion that your can prevent heart disease by changing your lifestyle and that this method is at least as effective as taking statin drugs,” he says. “The more recent data shows that lifestyle may even be more important than drugs.”

Mirkin adds that modern scientists are also discussing the role of anti-inflammatory foods to prevent heart disease instead of focusing solely on saturated fats and cholesterol.

“However the rules remain the same whether you blame saturated fat and sugar or blame inflammation,” he says. “Your diet should be based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. You should restrict red meat, and avoid all processed meat and foods with added sugar as well as fried foods.”

Campbell adds the voice of moderation.

“Saturated fats are best avoided if you have high cholesterol or are at high risk for heart disease,” he says. “However no diet should be completely exclusive of any one food. These diets are doomed to failure.

“It’s far better to focus on moderation and variety as well as taking other preventive measures such as regular exercise and reducing stress to prevent heart disease.”

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Substitute for statins

Keep stroke at bay

Quitting smoke, limiting alcohol, eating more fruits and vegetables, and keeping your weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar in check, can lower your likelihood of stroke. Still, there are eight lesser-known ways to protect yourself; based on research, ABC News reported.Here are some ways you can keep strokes at bay:

Take a walk

Walk 20 minutes a day. We know—you work, you have kids, errands to run, dinner to make, and an episode of Mad Men to watch, but make the time. Even if you break it up into two 10-minute sessions, it’s worth it. Walking a total of 2 hours a week can cut your stroke risk by 30 percent, according to a large study of nearly 40,000 women, conducted over a 12-year period. Walk briskly (so you can talk but not sing) and your chances are reduced by almost 40 percent.

Learn to recognise depression

Know the difference between sad and depressed. To feel sad during major life crises like the death of a loved one, losing a job or the ending of a relationship is normal. Depression on the other hand is a condition where there is prolonged sadness and an individual’s mood isn’t tied to life events. The latter makes you 29 percent more likely to suffer from stroke, says a new study of more than 80,000 women. Depressed women tend to smoke more, weigh more and exercise less; plus, they’re more likely to have uncontrolled medical issues, like high blood pressure and diabetes, which can also increase stroke risk. Recognize depression symptoms and you can get proper treatment.

Talk to your doctor if you: feel persistent sadness, anxiousness, or ‘emptiness’; hopeless; guilty, worthless or helpless; irritable; exhausted; if you lose interest in things you used to like; can’t concentrate or sleep; overeat or lose your appetite; think about suicide or have aches and pains that don’t go away even with treatment.

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of depression.

Get the right amount of sleep

Set your alarm for 7 hours of sleep. More than 10 a night in la-la land may increase your stroke risk by up to 63 percent, compared with the recommended 7-hour stretch, scientists at Harvard claim. And if you’re especially loud in bed—while snoring, that is—studies suggest you’re twice as likely to develop metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions that raises your risk of stroke, as well as heart disease and diabetes.

Switch to olive oil

Make olive oil your go-to ingredient for sauteing, baking, frying, drizzling, and all other food-related ings. You know it helps lower your risk of heart attacks; new research now shows it extends its protective branch to strokes as well. An observational study of more than 7,600 French adults age 65 and older found that those who regularly use olive oil cut their chance of stroke by just over 40 percent.

Mind the migraine

 Those extra-special headaches—particularly the ones that come with flashes of light and blind spots—appear linked to a higher stroke risk in women; and as an added bonus, most migraine-sufferers are women, thanks in part to hormonal fluctuations and medications. Though there’s no clear proof that indicates treating a migraine means no stroke, experts agree it’s reasonable to try and reduce their frequency. Talk with your doctor—she may prescribe preventive meds or suggest stress management techniques.

Don’t ignore irregular heartbeats

Pay attention to palpitations especially if the heart flutters occur with shortness of breath, light-headedness, and chest pain—those are all signs of atrial fibrillation (AF), an abnormal heartbeat that boosts risk of stroke about five-fold.

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

Eat potassium rich food

Eat sweet potatoes and raisins and bananas and tomato paste. Not all on the same plate but individually, each is loaded with potassium—and a diet rich in foods with this nutrient may reduce stroke risk by 20 percent, suggests a recent report. More good sources: fruits and veggies, fish, poultry, and dairy.

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of stroke.

Lengthen that short fuse

 A study published in the journal Hypertension suggests that angry and aggressive people may be at a higher risk of stroke.

Use the handy mnemonic FAST to recognize the symptoms:

F (face): uneven smile, facial droopiness, numbness, vision disturbance

A (arm and leg): weakness, numbness, difficulty walking

S (speech): slurred, inappropriate words, mute

T (time): Realize that time is critical. If you notice any of the above symptoms, immediately call 911—studies show that you get faster care if you arrive at the hospital in an ambulance than if someone drives you. With strokes, time lost is brain lost—simple as that.

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.

With inputs from ANI

You may also like to read:

• Stroke – causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention
• Symptoms of stroke – how do I recognize them?
• Would you recognise the symptoms of stroke if you saw someone having one?
•  Eight ways to keep stroke at bay
• Keep strokes away by switching to olive oil
• What is a stroke and am I at risk of suffering from it? (Disease query of the day)
• How uncontrolled diabetes can cause kidney failure and stroke
• People with high blood pressure are at risk of stroke
• Recognize symptoms of stroke, provide help in the golden hour!
• Revealed – guidelines for stroke prevention in women

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Statin alternatives

Statins vs. the alternatives

Statins lower cholesterol by inhibiting HMG CoA reductase, an enzyme that helps the body make cholesterol, explains Mark Houston, MD, director of the Hypertension Institute of Nashville and author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Heart Disease (Grand Central, 2012). “This reduces total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides,” he says. That’s helpful because, in the bloodstream, LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol) and triglycerides increase inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune dysfunction that cause plaque buildup on artery walls, restricting blood flow and leading to heart disease and possible heart attack.

But simply lowering bad cholesterol doesn’t address the underlying problem, says Houston. That’s partly because plaque tends to develop where artery-wall lining has already been damaged—by high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic inflammation, or an autoimmune disorder. Scientists don’t yet fully understand why these conditions cause arterial deterioration, but they do know lowering bad cholesterol is only one piece of the puzzle.

Indeed, mounting research shows raising HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or “good” cholesterol) may be equally important for reducing CVD risk. HDL mops up excess cholesterol in the blood and takes it to the liver for breakdown. So the higher the HDL level (60–80 mg/dL is optimal), the less “bad” cholesterol in the blood. In a new study in The American Journal of Cardiology, increased HDL levels translated to lower CVD risk among diabetics.

Adopting a holistic plan to improve heart health—one that includes smart diet and lifestyle strategies—is most likely to lead to long-term wellness. “You cannot take your statin, and then go eat at McDonald’s and expect it to work,” says Mark Hyman, MD, founder of The UltraWellness Center in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Even lowering your LDL level to the optimal range (less than 100 mg/dL) isn’t a magic bullet, he says. In a 2009 study of nearly a quarter million people hospitalized with coronary artery disease, almost half had optimal  LDL levels. That’s because LDL particles vary in size, says Houston. Small, dense LDL tends to clog arteries; large, fluffy particles can float right through. Unless your LDL is very low (less than 60 mg/dL), he adds, statins aren’t especially good at targeting problematic small particles—which means that although the drugs may have lowered your LDL, you might still be at risk.

Moreover, research shows statins tend to work best for people who already have a history of heart disease and heart attacks. A 2010 research review found that statins did not prevent mortality among those who were just at risk of developing heart disease because of family history, high cholesterol, and other factors.

And although statins are considered safe drugs, their use can have downsides. Potential adverse effects include muscle weakness and breakdown, liver dysfunction, and possible links to memory loss and nerve damage, says Houston.

How to boost heart health naturally

Try the Portfolio diet.

A new study helmed by David Jenkins, MD, PhD, DSc, the University of Toronto nutrition professor who created the glycemic index concept, tracked patients who followed this diet, which combines proven cholesterol-lowering foods: soy proteins such as tofu and soy milk; sticky soluble fiber from oats and barley; plant sterol ester–enriched margarine; and tree nuts such as almonds and walnuts. Over six months, participants’ LDL levels dropped about 13 percent, results comparable to statins and far better than eating a traditional low-fat diet. In addition, Houston recommends the research-backed Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes high-quality lean protein and healthy fats like fish and extra-virgin olive oil, along with lots of fiber-rich produce (six vegetable and four fruit servings daily).

Get moving.

Cardiovascular exercise strengthens your heart, raises good cholesterol, and lowers bad cholesterol. Start by walking, jogging, swimming, or cycling 20 minutes, along with 40 minutes of resistance training daily, and gradually work up to longer sessions four days a week, says Houston. Your goal: lose visceral abdominal fat, a major risk factor. (While you’re at it, if you smoke, quit. It raises bad cholesterol and lowers good, and is the most preventable CVD risk factor.)

Ditch bad fats.

Avoid trans fats, which lower HDL and raise LDL. They’re most often found in processed foods and baked goods—and don’t trust “No Trans Fats” label claims. A loophole allows 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving to go unlabeled, so if you eat more than one serving or more than one kind of packaged food, you’re getting a serious amount. Too many saturated fats, found in animal products such as red meat and butter, also can negatively affect cholesterol levels, so reduce intake.

Eat more fatty fish.

Research shows EPA and DHA, the omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish such as salmon, and sardines, reduce triglycerides. They also lower inflammation; scientists believe they counteract the effects of inflammatory substances and cells in the body, such as prostaglandins and macrophages. If you don’t eat much fish, take fish oil. Flaxseed and its oil also battle inflammation, thanks to ALA, another fatty acid. (See “Omega-3s For All,” page 47.)

Shun simple carbs and sugars.

In a review of more than 200 studies, researchers linked eating high glycemic index foods such as white potatoes, sugar, white rice, and white bread with increased CVD risk. Along with sugary sodas, these foods cause inflammation and trigger harmful small LDL. Choose fiber-rich whole grains and produce such as raspberries and pears. Savor dark chocolate. Antioxidant flavonoids in cocoa can reduce oxidation of bad cholesterol, and high-polyphenol dark chocolate boosts good cholesterol levels, according to recent studies. Be sure to relish just a square or two; most chocolate also contains saturated fat.

Enjoy red wine, tea, and curry.

Recent studies link drinking purple grape juice and very moderate amounts of red wine (up to two 4-ounce servings daily for men and one 4-ounce serving daily for women) to improved heart health and reduced inflammation, due partly to the powerful antioxidant resveratrol. Ditto for anti-inflammatory green and black tea: Drinking three cups a day or more translates to better cholesterol ratios and lower heart attack risk. Finally, growing research indicates that antioxidant curcumin, derived from the curry spice turmeric, prevents disease and fights inflammation. To get enough, consider high-quality supplements of both resveratrol and curcumin.

Even with all these diet and exercise measures, some people still need statins for heart health. To assess whether that’s true for you, develop a step-by-step lifestyle-change plan with your physician, while slowly decreasing statin use. Eventually, if you stick with it, you may find yourself enjoying a true heart-healthy—and statin-free—lifestyle.

5 top heart health supplements

1. Coenzyme Q10
2. Fish oil
3. Niacin
4. Red yeast rice
5. Vitamin D3

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Low carb diets

Protect your heart

Anyone hoping that the soluble fiber in oats or psyllium will protect their heart, extend their life, and enhance their health is very much mistaken because, in reality, this fiber is doing the complete opposite.

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Lifestyle medicine

Fibre contributes to obesity

Besides all the other goodies, fiber is broadly promoted as a weight loss aid. In fact, the complete opposite is true:

• First, fiber expands your stomach's capacity, and makes it much harder to fill yourself to the point of satiety;
• Second, fiber extends the time it takes you to digest carbohydrates, which, in turn stimulates longer insulin secretion, and causes low blood sugar;
• Third, fiber interferes with the digestion of protein in your stomach, which, in turn, causes hunger pains.

These three factors - a cavernous, distended stomach, low-blood sugar, and hunger pains are the primary drivers of the ravenous, round-the-clock appetite, and ensuing weight gain. But that's only half-the-truth. The other half is fiber's considerable caloric content. You've probably heard the oft-repeated statement that fiber has "zero net carbs," meaning it's a calorie-free, guilt-free product — Question: Do Metamucil Capsules have zero net carbs?

— Answer: Yes, because they are made up of 100% natural fiber. Dietary fiber is not absorbed by the human body and is not converted into blood sugar.

Actually, this is a well-practiced lie.

According to the Dietary Reference Intakes manual - the nutritional bible from the National Academies Press that no legitimate dietitian or nutritionist goes without a copy of - fiber provides digestible calories just like any other food: "Current data indicate that the [energy] yield [of fiber] is in the range of 1.5 to 2.5" calories per gram of consumed fiber. [18]

If you aren't starving - and how can you be when your day starts with three servings of oatmeal - your liver turns these extra calories from fiber into body fat.

Granted, a few grams of fat there, a few grams here, may not seem like a big deal. But, still, if you are consuming thirty to forty grams of fiber daily in addition to all other carbs, eventually it all adds up to extra body fat, prediabetes, and, finally, diabetes.

I don't have to tell you again and again that that a free lunch exists only in deceptive advertising, and that nothing brings on heart disease with as much vengeance as these three omnipresent conditions.

Fiber's Epitaph: If it sounds too good to be true, it means some one is peddling you junk

Junk food, junk science - it's all the same. Take any junk, repackage it into health food, legitimize it with junk science, mark it up to make a killing, sell it to unsuspecting health-concerned customers, laugh all the way to the bank, and let someone else clean up the mess...

This means we are ready to summarize our findings:

• First, as any cardiologist will tell you, cholesterol-lowering drugs claim to reduce the risk of heart attack only by about 30%... To accomplish even this partial reduction of risk requires the lowering of total cholesterol by twenty, thirty, or more percent, all the way down to two hundred, not just a statistically-insignificant 1.7%, or just five milligram per deciliter as fiber does.
• Second, low-fat diets recommended for cholesterol reduction with fiber actually increase your risk of heart disease because they reduce the protective properties of HDL cholesterol.
• Third, fiber from food or supplements without a restrictive low-fat diet has zero effect on your level of cholesterol. As the American Heart Association noted, “A fiber supplement added to a diet otherwise high in saturated fat and cholesterol provides dubious cardiovascular advantages.” [19]
• Fourth, natural fiber in fruits, vegetables, and cereals is always accompanied by dietary carbohydrates, usually five to ten times as many. If you attempt to consume the recommended thirty five grams of natural fiber daily, you will ingest alongside between one hundred and fifty to three hundred grams of extra carbohydrates.
• Fifth, excess carbohydrates in a fiber-rich diet are the primary cause of metabolic syndrome, obesity, prediabetes, and diabetes. All four conditions are known as the major causes of heart disease.
• Sixth, natural and supplemental fiber reduces the absorption of essential fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and minerals, such as iron, calcium and magnesium. These vitamins and minerals regulate blood, heart, and lung functions, and their deficiencies may cause death long before heart disease.
• Finally, seventh, I hope you noticed that the actual effect of fiber on heart disease was never studied. All this talk about fiber's benefits for the heart is simply marketing and money-making ploy made from fiber's non-existent "ability" to lower cholesterol in connection with a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet that lowers it anyway without any fiber...

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Eat Real Food

Summary: Eat real food

Hopefully this research has helped convince you that food quality trumps quantity. Here are a few of the main takeaways:

1. Macronutrient composition is important, but the quality of those macronutrients and the context they are found in are likely far more important. Our ancestors ranged from an intake of as little as 8 percent of calories from carbohydrate to as high as 70 percent calories from carbohydrate with few health problems. Only when they introduce refined Western foods do they develop metabolic disease.
2. Low-carb diets are somewhat effective at achieving weight loss because they tend to reduce acellular carbohydrates, but if an individual is still eating enough to produce an inflammatory microbiota, he or she may stall in weight loss.
3. Even small amounts of sugar or refined grains could lead to an inflammatory microbiota and leptin resistance. Ancestral peoples’ health tends to be very sensitive to even small influences of Western foods (23, 24). This means that the popularized 80-20 rule may not work for many people if that 20 percent is carbohydrate-dense enough to cause dysbiosis.
4. Eat real food. Focus on fresh, whole foods that are minimally processed and have their carbohydrates encased in cellular compartments. These foods will not only have a lower carbohydrate density but will also likely be accompanied by a wide variety of micronutrients.

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Eggs (again)

They are also extremely high in cholesterol, with two large eggs providing a total of 422 mg (10).

They also provide 13 grams of protein, 46% of the RDI for selenium, as well as good amounts of riboflavin, vitamin B12 and choline (10).

Unfortunately, some people throw out the cholesterol-rich yolk and eat only the egg white. This is generally due to a misguided fear of the cholesterol in the yolk.

However, the yolk is by far the most nutritious part of the egg. It provides almost all the nutrients, while the white is mostly protein.

In addition, egg yolks contain the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which provide protection from eye disorders like cataracts and macular degeneration (11, 12).

Eating whole eggs may actually reduce your risk of heart disease by modifying the LDL cholesterol in your blood (13, 14).

Eggs may also lower blood sugar levels, and make you feel full and satisfied (15, 16).

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Eggs (again)

Effect of combining psyllium fiber with simvastatin in lowering cholesterol.

Dietary psyllium supplementation in patients taking 10 mg of simvastatin is as effective in lowering cholesterol as 20 mg of simvastatin alone. Psyllium soluble fiber should be considered as a safe and well-tolerated dietary supplement option to enhance LDL-C and apolipoprotein B lowering.

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A strategy to arrest and reverse coronary artery disease: a 5-year longitudinal study of a single physician's practice.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Animal experiments and epidemiological studies have suggested that coronary disease could be prevented, arrested, or even reversed by maintaining total serum cholesterol levels below 150 mg/dL (3.88 mmol/L). In 1985, we began to study how effective one physician could be in helping patients achieve this cholesterol level and what the associated effect of achieving and maintaining this cholesterol level has on coronary disease.

METHODS:

The study included 22 patients with angiographically documented, severe coronary artery disease that was not immediately life threatening. These patients took cholesterol-lowering drugs and followed a diet that derived no more than 10% of its calories from fat. Disease progression was measured by coronary angiography and quantified with the percent diameter stenosis and minimal lumen diameter methods. Serum cholesterol was measured biweekly for 5 years and monthly thereafter.

RESULTS:

Of the 22 participants, 5 dropped out within 2 years, and 17 maintained the diet, 11 of whom completed a mean of 5.5 years of follow-up. All 11 of these participants reduced their cholesterol level from a mean baseline of 246 mg/dL (6.36 mmol/L) to below 150 mg/dL (3.88 mmol/L). Lesion analysis by percent stenosis showed that of 25 lesions, 11 regressed and 14 remained stable. Mean arterial stenosis decreased from 53.4% to 46.2% (estimated decrease = 7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.3 to 10.7, P < .05). Analysis by minimal lumen diameter of 25 lesions found that 6 regressed, 14 remained stable, and 5 progressed. Mean lumen diameter increased from 1.3 mm to 1.4 mm (estimated increase = 0.08 mm; 95% CI, -0.06 to 0.22, P = NS). Disease was clinically arrested in all 11 participants, and none had new infarctions. Among the 11 remaining patients after 10 years, six continued the diet and had no further coronary events, whereas the five dropouts who resumed their prestudy diet reported 10 coronary events.

CONCLUSIONS:

A physician can influence patients in the decision to adopt a very low-fat diet that, combined with lipid-lowering drugs, can reduce cholesterol levels to below 150 mg/dL and uniformly result in the arrest or reversal of coronary artery disease.

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Fibre and vitamins

Fiber, particularly the soluble variety in oats and psyllium, prevents these vitamins from assimilating in the first place because it blocks the absorption of fat and bile in the intestines.

In clinical terms, this outcome is called fat malabsorption, and, this is, in fact, fiber's principal mechanism of action for reducing blood cholesterol.

Unfortunately, fat malabsorption also blocks the assimilation of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. In this case, even supplements are useless, because the blocking mechanism is exactly the same as with food sources.

According to The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, a deficiency of these vitamins may cause the following pathologies:

Lets start with Vitamin A: "Vitamin A deficiency can result from [...] fat malabsorption. Deficiency impairs immunity and hematopoiesis", which is the blood's ability to form new blood cells. [13]

I hope you don't need me to tell you that the impaired immunity and the failure to form new blood cells may kill you much, much sooner than high cholesterol...

Next, is vitamin D:"[Fat] Malabsorption can deprive the body of dietary vitamin D... Vitamin D deficiency can cause muscle aches, muscle weakness, and bone pain at any age." [14]

 Do you need me to remind you that your heart is made from muscle tissue too, and the same aches and weakness that may affect your feet or back, will affect your heart just as bad?...

I bet you can find a vitamin D deficiency in practically all of the 300,000 hearts which suddenly stop beating each year in the United States... [15, pdf]

The outcome of vitamin E deficiency is equally disturbing. According to Merk, it is: "Usually due to fat malabsorption... Vitamin E deficiency causes fragility of RBCs..." [16]

The RBCs is doctor-speak for red blood cells, the same cells that carry oxygen from your lungs to your heart, and from your heart to everywhere else... When red blood cells become fragile, the heart begins to work extra hard to pump oxygen until one day it simply stops beating because it doesn't have enough oxygen to feed even itself...

The last troublemaker is Vitamin K, and for exactly the same reasons: deficiency: "Results from fat malabsorption [...] decreases levels of prothrombin and other vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors, causing defective coagulation and, potentially, bleeding." [17]

When all this happens, you heart may still be okay, but you may bleed to death from any internal bleeding, due to, for example tooth extraction, stomach ulcers, hemorrhoids, trauma from a fall or car accident, blood vessel rupture, or minor stroke..

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