Cholesterol IS Longevity I

Young Again.org

Cholesterol IS Longevity I

- Roger Mason

I was just reading a review of international cholesterol studies in the Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 90, 1979) that compiled major studies on cholesterol and heart disease from around the world. This included the classic Framingham Study which is my favorite. We have previously covered the critical important of total cholesterol levels in this column and how to lower them naturally, safely, effectively and inexpensively.

This review makes it clear that the lower your cholesterol levels the longer you will live, the better your life will be and the more immune you will be to heart and artery disease generally. You should have a total cholesterol level of about 150. That's right- about 150 is what any healthy person should have. The much touted ideal of 200 isn't "normal" at all but simply average for young European peoples in the top 12 countries of the world. You know, those white people who scarf down a 40% plus fat diet of mostly saturated animal fats. But even if you just keep your cholesterol level at 200 or less you will still be ahead of the game for the most part.

The problem is that Americans over the age of 40 average about 225 and heart/artery disease of all kinds is epidemic. No, I'm not going to ask you to start living off carrot sticks, tofu and bean sprouts at all. Yes, we will again go over how to lower your cholesterol levels without any diet or exercise changes at all. But common sense tells you that LIFESTYLE, diet and exercise is the real key to good health and long life and not just popping pills no matter how natural. Meat, poultry and dairy are the concerns here. Cut down on red meat and quit eating one pound slabs of it at dinner. Choose lean meat and eat four ounce portions stir fried with vegetables like the Asians prepare it. Eat more vegetables. Try beans and quit thinking of them as food for welfare recipients. At least use Egg Beaters instead of whole eggs. Try soy milk and soy cheese (in cheddar, monterey, mozzarella and other flavors) instead of dairy. In fact stop eating all dairy products no matter how "low fat" they are because you cannot digest the lactose in them. It isn't just the fat content but also the lactose content. Eat more fish and seafood rather than red meat. Learn how to cook for God's sake so simple foods will taste delicious and flavorful without adding fat to them.

And what supplements do you need? 300 mg of beta sitosterol. You can find this in catalogs such as Puritan's Pride (800 645-1030) or on the internet. 1000 mg of 2.5% sterone content "guggul" lipid which is a boswellin extract. Soy isoflavones with about 40 mg of genestein and daidzein. You will never eat enough soy foods to do this. 100 mg of beta glucan (oat or yeast source) will not only lower your cholesterol but is the most powerful immune stimulant known to science. You can also take 3-5 grams of plain citrus pectin in tablets or tasteless powder. Do NOT use the "modified" pectin as it is a promotion without value. You should be taking 400 IU of the vitamin E of your choice. 25,000 IU of beta carotene is good. Absolutely you should take 1-2 grams of flax oil and keep it refrigerated. This is a better choice than fish liver oil. Our diets are deficient in these omega-3 fatty acids but excessive in the omega-6 fatty acids. Magnesium, chromium, selenium, vanadium, silicon and boron are important minerals to take as our diets are very deficient in these. Curcumin extract is very effective and has other important benefits.

Intestinal health is very important as our guts are in terrible shape from eating twice the calories we need, twice the protein we need, five times the fat we need, 125 pounds of sugars we don't need at all, refined, nutrition-less food, chemicals, preservatives, colorings and additives, God knows how much alcohol and coffee and the other wonderful things we do to ourselves. Take a good brand of acidophilus and keep it refrigerated (along with the flax oil) with 3 billion units. Find FOS aka fructooligosaccharides aka inulin to help the acidophilus. Two X 750 mg is good. Now take two grams of L-glutamine a day which will also raise your growth hormone level. Forget those megadoses of niacin and niacinamide which unbalance your system. Most of all forget those very expensive, dangerous, toxic and not very effective statin drugs you see advertised on TV all the time. Anyone on statin drugs pushed the self destruct button a long time ago.

Remember Nathan Pritikin? He did more to cure heart disease than anyone in history. His son Robert did a fine job of continuing the tradition. Their books are readily available. It comes down to a low fat diet and walking. That's it. Add the supplements we have talked about and you'll see miracles in no time. Eat less fat especially animal fat which is saturated. Walk, swim, play tennis, join a gym, play golf without a cart, or anything else you enjoy. Yes, I developed a product called "Better Cholesterol". No, you are not going to enhance my financial status by buying a bottle. No one else on this planet puts beta-sitosterol 300 mg and guggul gum 1000 mg into one product. I am writing a booklet on cholesterol and it will be ready this spring.

We only get one shot at life folks. Why not make it as long, healthy, happy, fun, fulfilling, enjoyable and exuberant as possible? Health is wealth and money simply cannot buy good health.