(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

View full post on All Stories

And it is important for people to lower their cholesterol levels because cholesterol has been associated with the development of coronary heart disease. The higher the level of blood cholesterol levels in an individual, the more likely it is that he will be developing heart disease later on. Aside from that high cholesterol levels can also put a person at risk of suffering from a stroke or a heart attack.

Aside from using drugs to lower cholesterol levels, following a low cholesterol diet is the next best thing to keep your cholesterol levels down. Eating more vegetables, soy products and other low cholesterol foods can be just as effective at reducing blood cholesterol as medication. A study has been able to show that a vegetarian diet can lower cholesterol by as much as one-third in just a month.

The best cholesterol-lowering diet that you can follow usually includes a hearty serving of vegetables such as broccoli and red peppers. Soymilk and soy sausages, oat bran cereal and bread as well as plenty of fruits and nuts make up a complete low cholesterol diet. Soy protein, nuts, and fiber rich food such as oats and barley can effectively cut cholesterol levels by up to seven percent.

A low cholesterol diet also requires you to minimize your intake of saturated fat by seven percent and other fat substances by 25-35 percent. It has been discovered that the best diet for avoiding coronary heart disease includes consuming non-hydrogenated (unprocessed) fats rather than the hydrogenated variety. Increased consumption of omega-3 fats from fish, fish oil or plant sources such as flaxseeds is the suggested fat intake in a low cholesterol diet. With a low cholesterol diet, one should also limit daily sodium intake somewhere in the level of 2400 milligrams daily.

A typical day on the low cholesterol diet would include a hearty breakfast of soymilk, oat bran cereal with chopped fruit and almonds, oatmeal bread, vegetable-based margarine and jam. A typical low cholesterol lunch would comprise of soy cold cuts, oat bran bread, bean soup and a dessert of fruit. For dinner, stir-fry vegetables, tofu, fruit and almonds would be the usual low cholesterol diet fare. Following this type of low cholesterol diet religiously for long periods, it is possible for one’s cholesterol level to drop by as much as 29 percent in just a month.

The thing to understand is that when we talk about cholesterol, we are actually talking about three different things: the good cholesterol (HDL), bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides. Triglycerides are cholesterol but are not really very closely related to normal cholesterol. Now, not all of these things are unhealthy or that cause disease. In fact, the body requires cholesterol and triglycerides also. The trick is to identify good and includes them in their daily diet, while avoiding unhealthy. Cholesterol and triglycerides of fish is good. Omega-3 fats found in fish numbers are recommended by doctors and nutritionists to patients suffering from diseases caused by cholesterol, and Omega-3 actually helps to reduce bad cholesterol level.

Foods high in cholesterol is not always the fault of cholesterol-related problems. The way food is cooked, the means used to cook food, even foods that are consumed along with staple foods are all factors contributing to high levels of bad cholesterol. Ignorance of the facts about cholesterol and how they affect our health often has led to ridiculous situations about certain foods.

So now you care to eat eggs. Been restricted to a poached egg. But are you seeing what you have with the egg? Bacon and cheese and sausages, with thick slices of white bread generously spread with butter! The egg is not going to hurt, but the portions are definitely side! Again, the point is that rather than adopting a policy of exclusion of a specific food, we need a more holistic approach of all the food.

In general you should avoid greasy foods and fried or fried. You take a perfectly healthy, non-aggravating cholesterol eggplant, then cover it in batter and fry it is a perfect recipe for a large number of cardiovascular problems! Yes, there are some foods that are bad for the heart to be avoided. All animal products like meat, poultry, dairy and egg yolks are known contributors to high cholesterol in the blood. So go easy on red meat, for the love of your heart!

In addition to keeping a watch on the cholesterol in foods also should monitor the saturated fat consumed. Saturated fats have an effect on the way the liver produces cholesterol. Too much saturated fat causes the liver to increase production of LDL and triglycerides, ultimately, shelter and block the arteries.

There is no sense in banning certain foods from your diet. It has more practical sense to maintain a moderate approach. All they have, but in moderation. Keep a close watch on what you eat and how it is cooked. A fresh potato salad is good, but the French fries it is not! Choose to grill foods instead of frying. Have plenty of fresh vegetables. These common precautions will help keep your heart beating perfectly for many, many years!

The first step you should take is to get a cholesterol test to discover what their levels, know what are the foods high in cholesterol. Then eat a balanced diet, low cholesterol, and keep track of their levels through the use of a cholesterol monitor.

Charles Wainwright is an acknowledged expert in the field of Heart Health. He focuses especially on the effects of cholesterol on diseases of the heart and cardiovascular system including high blood pressure, strokes, coronary heart disease and heart attacks. For more information please visit http://www.foodshighincholesterol.info