If one is really interested in prolonging life, which is not dying prematurely from hardening of the arteries, one should understand cholesterol completely. More importantly, one should understand the importance of keeping cholesterol in a very healthy range. Multiple publications and different scientific studies show that if LDL cholesterol is reduced, one can reverse and reduce the years of buildup which has caused hardening of the arteries. It takes six months to two years to slow down hardening of the arteries and actually pull the cholesterol out. During this period of time, one must be diligent in keeping the "bad" LDL cholesterol at 100 or less. Ways to accomplish this are listed in the following section on cholesterol.

I encourage all my patients to read this carefully, save it, go back to it from time to time, and to apply it. These are all things that will help keep cholesterol at a safe and healthy level. Premature death from heart attack or stroke can be avoided by doing these things.

In order to determine the amount of medicine for cholesterol control, it is necessary to experiment with medication and diet. Some people will find that diet, one medicine, or two to three different types easily control their cholesterol. I will determine this at your routine cholesterol evaluation.

Again, I want to stress the importance of only looking at the LDL cholesterol. Total cholesterol or good cholesterol levels do not really seem to matter. This "bad" LDL cholesterol actually deposits in the walls of the arteries and causes blockage. The blockage is what causes early death and disability. Again, I hope the following will be helpful in understanding what cholesterol is, how to treat it, and what therapies are available.

Introduction to cholesterol

Types of cholesterol

Which foods contain cholesterol

Prevention of complications from elevated cholesterol

Therapies that are available

Cholesterol is found throughout the body and can be measured by a routine blood draw. It is a sterol structure and is probably the most common substance in the body. Cholesterol is contained in many of the foods we eat daily.

When we measure one's cholesterol we look at three things:

Total cholesterol: Should not be above the 150 - 180 range in people over thirty.

This is the so-called "bad" cholesterol, and should never be above 100. The desirable level is 90 or less. LDL is the most important cholesterol factor because it is oxidized and is deposited in the walls of arteries throughout the body. The deposition of cholesterol leads to thickening, hardening, and complications that ultimately result in blocked arteries. This condition causes heart attack,stroke, kidney failure, and other complication of the arteries.

The "good" cholesterol should be kept at an elevated rate. Elevated HDL tends to help excrete LDL from the body.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I know what has cholesterol?

Which foods have none?

Which foods have higher \ lower levels?

There are ways to lower cholesterol if abnormalities are detected. One way is diet; that is, avoid anything that is rich in cholesterol. I propose to all my patients that they understand a very simple way to determine if cholesterol is in a food. Any thing that has "eyes and can see", has cholesterol. Any products that come from animals that can see also contain cholesterol. Lets look at some examples. All animals have eyes; that is chicken, fish, beef, pork, crabs, fish, shrimp, etc...Basically, if it can see it has cholesterol.

Subsequently anything that comes from these animals (i.e., eggs, cheese, butter, and milk) has cholesterol. How do you avoid the cholesterol in these products? Use skim milk and EggBeaters to replace eggs. Cheese is hard to cut back on because most products have cholesterol. At any rate, a general rule of thumb to become an expert on cholesterol is to think "did this come from something with eyes".

People frequently confuse cholesterol with fats in food. Fats are totally different from cholesterol. It is important to understand this difference when trying to maintain a low cholesterol diet. Fats can come from both plants and animals. For example, shortening, avocados, beans, corn, and olives all contain fat; however, they have no eyes so there is no cholesterol in these foods. It is important to understand that one should also limit the amount of fat in one's diet for good health.

Most important is to understand the difference between what has cholesterol and what does not. There are many substitutes for cholesterol; I recommend EggBeaters, egg whites, liquid margarine, olive oil, and safflower oil. However, if one really goes on a low cholesterol diet, they should allow themselves a little butter and occasional meat product.

Why is cholesterol important?

The most common cause of death in this country is heart attack due to BLOCKAGE OF THE ARTERIES BY CHOLESTEROL.

There are over two million heart attacks per year.

Roughly one half to one million people die from myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) every year.

This country has over six million people with arteriosclerotic heart disease. They are at risk for sudden death, and many of them have no symptoms.

How do we lower the cholesterol?

1. Low cholesterol diet discussed above.

2. Good common sense things. If you have high blood pressure, control it. Eliminate cigarettes; they are one of the most harmful things of all. Elevated diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and stress are other factors that need to be managed.

3. Factors that one cannot change are increasing age and family history of coronary artery disease. Males tend to have arteriorsclerosis more than women do. After menopause women begin to enjoy the same degree of blocked arteries as men.

4. There are many natural substances and therapeutic medications that lower our cholesterol.

Probably the best substance is a common Vitamin B3 called Niacin. A dose of 1.5- 2.5g per day will improve cholesterol perhaps more than any other substance we have. It lowers the total cholesterol and LDL while it raises the HDL.

Foods that are high in pectin. For example, apples, pears, legumes are all substances that block the absorption of cholesterol from the intestinal tract.

Statin drugs: Lipitor, Mevacor, Lescol, Pravachol, Zocor, etc.

Fats high in unsaturated fatty acids - Olive Oil and Safflower Oil.

Metamucil: Blocks cholesterol absorption.

Alcohol: one glass of wine or beer a day

Vitamin E

Lopid drugs

CONCLUSION

If one wants to lower cholesterol, avoid foods that come from something with eyes. Monitor blood cholesterol level. If it is not in a satisfactory range mentioned above, you should be placed on a medication with periodic checks to make sure it is responding correctly. It is important to maintain one's total cholesterol at 170 or lower. The LDL should 90 or less.

Another very important factor that has just recently come into the forefront is ANTIOXIDANTS. These work to prevent hardening of the arteries. If you remember from above, the LDL deposits in the walls of arteries. In order to be deposited, LDL must be in the oxidized form. We are now using antioxidants to prevent this process from occurring. In addition to the therapies above, a simple substance (Vitamin E) is found to prevent oxidation of LDL. It is recommended that a person take 800- 1200 units per day. It can reduce coronary artery disease or hardening of the arteries by as much as 30-40% according to studies done in England.