The Health Benefits of Flaxseeds

April 14, 2011 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Isaac Eliaz Flaxseed provides many benefits for the body’s systems due to its richness in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid that can contribute to lower cholesterol levels, decreased inflammation in joints, and constipation relief…. April 14, 2011

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Atherotech Diagnostics Lab Shares Advances in Lipid Profiles at ‘Best Practices in Primary Care’

November 15, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Atherotech Diagnostics Lab will showcase its VAP® Cholesterol Test at two upcoming Best Practices in Primary Care conferences. The meetings are two-day, multi-topic programs focusing on the latest advances in diagnosis and treatment for primary care clinicians. The first meeting will be held November 16-17 at the Hilton Anaheim in Anaheim, Calif., and highlights the science of advanced lipid testing in cardiometabolic risk management. The second meeting will be

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Atherotech Diagnostics Lab to Exhibit at 2010 Cardiometabolic Health Congress

October 19, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Atherotech Diagnostics Lab will exhibit its VAP® Cholesterol Test in booth 32 at the 2010 Cardiometabolic Health Congress (CMHC) from October 20-23 at the Sheraton Hotel in Boston. More than 1,000 U.S.-based practicing clinicians will gather to explore the latest clinical data and how it translates into practical strategies to prevent, delay and manage cardiometabolic risk. Atherotech Medical Advisory Board member and 2010 CMHC Distinguished Faculty member, Eli

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News coverage about a flawed omega-3 study reveals truth about media’s inaccurate health reporting

September 21, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

(NaturalNews) Scientists have conducted numerous studies (http://www.naturalnews.com/omega-3.html) over the past decade showing the remarkable health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids — the kind of “good” fat found in cold water fish like salmon and some plant foods such as walnuts. Recently, Dutch researchers published a study in the New England Journal of Medicine which involved adding a small amount of marine source omega-3s to the diets of heart patients. Instead of actually reporting the details of this study and placing the findings in the context of previous scientific research, the mainstream media went, predictably, for the easy headline. The result? Widespread inaccurate and even downright misleading headlines and sloppy reporting that hinted — and even sometimes declared — the Dutch study was proof omega-3s aren’t so great for the heart after all. For example, Time magazine blared: “Omega-3 May Reduce Heart Risks Less Than Thought”. Another case in point: “Omega-3 Fats No Magic Answer to Heart Problems” declared U.S. News and World Report . The latter article also started off with the highly questionable statement that “Omega-3 fatty acids might not be as potent a weapon against heart disease as some research has shown, a new study suggests.” So what exactly was wrong with this coverage? It distorted the specific facts of a scientific study — which is not only bad journalism but denies the public accurate information about medical research. First of all, the new study does not conclude, nor prove, that “omega-3s may reduce heart risks less than thought”. Instead, it shows only that a low dose of omega-3s failed to offer any additional cardiovascular protection to a very specific group of people — those diagnosed with heart disease who had already suffered from heart attacks and who were all taking an “optimal”, i.e. multi, regimen of all kinds of prescription drugs (for cholesterol, hypertension, and to prevent blood clots). The new study, as the majority of mainstream media failed to even mention, did nothing to refute previously clinically substantiated findings that omega-3s (in high enough doses) overall reduce the risk of second heart attacks as well as the risk of sudden death. In fact, the Dutch researchers behind the new study admitted — if reporters bothered to actually read the research thoroughly — that one obvious explanation for their findings was that the omega-3s simply didn’t do anything to override or change the combined power of all the cardiac drugs the nearly 5,000 heart patients in the study were taking. A similar German study last year came up with the same results. And, just like the Dutch research, the German scientists’ conclusions in no way negate the long-term health protective value of omega-3s for people who are not already heart patients taking multiple drugs. The head researcher of the 2009 German study, Jochen Senges, said in a media statement that while his research team could not find any additional benefits of omega-3s within a year after patients were placed on multiple heart drugs “…it would be incorrect to say that omega-3 fatty acids are not effective.” So what did the new Dutch research actually show? The scientists added low doses of omega-3s to four different kinds of margarines and gave them to heart patients every day for more than three years. At the end of this period, the low dose omega-3s from fish oils hadn’t added any heart protection to the patients who, as stated earlier, were all taking a variety of Big Pharma prescription meds. In fact, about 14 percent of the heart attack patients had experienced another major cardiovascular event, and some had died. Women in the study who consumed low dose fish derived omega-3s added to ALA (alpha-linolenic acid, the plant-form of omega-3s) were almost one third less likely to develop more cardiac complications. However, this was deemed to be not quite enough of an impact to be statistically significant. Bottom line: the Dutch study showed low doses of omega-3s don’t do anything to help people who already have heart disease and have had myocardial infarctions and who also take a variety of drugs. But the research does not negate the host of previous studies that have found cardioprotective benefits at higher doses. And it certainly does not mean — as the spurious U.S. News and World Report headline implied — that all the well documented studies showing omega-3s do have important cardiovascular benefits were somehow just an attempt at “magic”. For a detailed analysis of what the growing body of scientific research has revealed about omega-3s and heart health, check out a study just published in the journal Thrombosis and Haemostasis that has received virtually no media attention. Among the conclusions of a team of Italian scientists from the University of Milan: omega-3 fatty acids reduce overall mortality and mortality due to heart attacks and sudden death in patients with congestive heart disease; fish oil rich in omega-3s reduces heart rate, a major risk factor for sudden death; and consuming adequate omega-3s leads to a 10 to 33 percent net decrease in triglyceride levels. For more information: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1003603 http://www.schattauer.de/en/magazine/subject-areas/journals-a-z/thrombosis-and-haemostasis/contents/archive/issue/special/manuscript/13498.html

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Lower Your Cholesterol and Increase Your Chance of Stroke

June 18, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Recently, The New York Times published an article entitled – “U.S. calls for major cholesterol reductions” and which was also printed in numerous local papers.

Sounds like a great way to fight heart disease, right?

Let’s take a look at what the article does not tell you about lowering your cholesterol. Because you must understand the effects of artificially lowering your cholesterol levels without implementing other strategies which are crucial to your health.

Because the fact of the matter is the Framingham Heart study – which has followed people for over 5 decades – proved without a doubt that LDL cholesterol is just one of many misleading factors of heart disease.

In fact, LDL cholesterol levels are only a very minor factor of heart disease and only under certain conditions.

Here is a quote from Christie Ballantyne, M.D., a cardiologist from the Baylor College of Medicine – “The majority of people who end up having heart attacks or stroke don’t have high cholesterol.”

Here is another quote from an article in the Red Flags Daily By Malcolm Kendrick, M.D. who talks about the Framingham Study results as published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“There is a direct association between falling cholesterol levels over the first 14 years and mortality over the following 18 years.”

You guessed it, the mortality rate goes UP.

Scientific research has also proved without a doubt that as people lower their LDL cholesterol level, their chances for stroke go up.

Using cholesterol lowering drugs may artificially lower cholesterol levels, however, they will also increase the death rate from stroke. And because of toxicity to the body, you will also face liver and kidney failure.

You see, your body not only produces cholesterol, it also needs cholesterol for a variety of functions. Cholesterol is an essential part of each and every cell membrane.

Cholesterol also provides the critical starting point and building block for the steroid hormones in our bodies. These hormones include testosterone and estrogen.

As you can see, cholesterol itself is not bad. It is the oxidation of cholesterol which is just one of the factors of developing heart disease.

Oxidation of cholesterol is the more specific problem which would enable the cholesterol to become “sticky” and start to form plaque in the walls of the arteries.

We have all seen an apple cut open and watch as it turns brown – this is oxidation. Your body will oxidize on the inside unless steps are taken to help prevent this.

The way to keep oxidation from damaging your cholesterol is to zap them with antioxidants!

You can keep oxidation of cholesterol in check by eating plenty of food and supplements which are rich in anti-oxidants.

A few of the most powerful anti-oxidants are:

CoenzymeQ10

Vitamin E

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

And the mother of all anti-oxidants – Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA).ALA is produced naturally by your body but, as you age, your body produces less and less.

Low cost food sources which you can easily get, which are high in omega 3′s and the right fats to help keep your cholesterol levels in balance.

Garlic

Ginger

Olive oil

Olives

Almonds

Walnuts

Flaxseed

Eggplant

Okra

Organic Eggs

Fresh fruit

These are easily purchased, safe, proven and natural ways to prevent cholesterol from becoming a problem.

And if you are someone who truly needs to lower their cholesterol, there is an organic plant alcohol from sugar cane which is one of the most powerful ways to reduce bad cholesterol levels. It’s called – Policosanol.

As for the majority of you, focus on raising your HDL cholesterol levels because as you raise your good cholesterol it decreases the concern about your LDL levels of cholesterol and gives you a better total cholesterol profile.

Some of the best ways to improve your “Good” or HDL cholesterol is through:

Exercise.

Vitamin D

Niacin
Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with raising HDL cholesterol levels

Sources:

Framingham Heart Study conducted on healthy people since the 1950s. cholesterol misleading as only one of 240 factors in heart disease.

Health Sciences Institute e-alert “Cholesterol Cowboys”, August 2nd , 2004, Jenny Thompson

Dr. Al Sears Health Confidential for Men – “Ignore the hype focus on cholesterol that matters” April 4, 2004

Hyman, Mark M.D., Liponis, Mark M.D., Ultra-Prevention, The 6-Week Plan that will Make you healthy for life, New York, Scribner, 2003

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Author: Lee Cummings
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