Cholesterol IS Longevity I -Roger Mason

If you read a review of international cholesterol studies in the Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 90, 1979) you'll see an impressive compilation of the major studies on cholesterol and heart disease from around the world. This included the classic Framingham Study. We have previously covered the critical important of total cholesterol levels in this column, and how to lower them naturally, safely, effectively and inexpensively. Please read my book Lower Cholesterol Without Drugs. 
 
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. 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 the false ideal for European people in the top 12 industrialized countries of the world. You know, those white folks who scarf down a 40% plus fat diet of saturated animal fats. Even if you keep your cholesterol level at 200 or less you will still be ahead of the game for the most part. Your triglycerides should be under 100. 
 
The problem is that Americans over the age of 40 have cholesterol levels of about 240, and heart/artery disease of all kinds is epidemic. No one is asking you to live off carrot sticks, tofu, and bean sprouts. Yes, you can lower your cholesterol levels somewhat without any diet or exercise changes at all. Common sense, however, tells you that DIET, lifestyle, and exercise are the real keys to good health and long life, and not just popping Magic Cholesterol Supplements. Meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy are the main concerns here. Cut down on red meat and quit eating one pound slabs of it at dinner. If you feel you must eat meat, at least choose lean cuts. Limit this to one four ounce lean portion daily with stir fry vegetables like the Asians do. Eat more vegetables. Try various beans and legumes, and quit thinking of them as food for welfare recipients. Stop eating cholesterol laden eggs for breakfast. Try soy milk and soy cheese (in cheddar, monterey, mozzarella, and other flavors) instead of dairy foods. Stop eating all dairy products no matter how "low fat" they are. No adult of any race can digest the lactose in them. It isn't just the fat content but also the lactose and casein 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. Asian cooking in general emphasizes wonderful flavors without using fats. 
 
What supplements do you need? 300 mg of beta sitosterol. You can take 600 mg the first year.  Temporarily (six months) take 25 mg of guggul sterones (10% of 250 mg for example). Guggul gum is Commiphora extract, an ancient Ayurvedic herb.  Soy isoflavones with about 40 mg of genestein and daidzein. You will never eat enough soy foods to do this. 200 mg of beta glucan  will not only lower your cholesterol ,but is the most powerful immune stimulant known to science. You can take 400 mg the first year. You can also take 3 grams of plain citrus pectin in tablets or (tasteless) powder for one year. Do not use the "modified" pectin as it is a fraudulent, overpriced scam. You should be taking 200 - 400 IU of natural mixed tocopherol vitamin E. 10,000 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. We are all mineral deficient no matter how well we eat. All Your Minerals® is the only real mineral supplement in the world that has 20 elements in the amounts you need. Our Natural Cholesterol contains 300 mg of mixed beta sitosterols. Our Better Cholesterol® contains  beta-sitosterol, beta glucan, and soy isoflavones all together in one capsule. 
 
Intestinal health is very important as our guts are in terrible shape. We eat twice the calories we need, twice the protein we need, five times the fat we need, 160 pounds of various sugars we don't need at all, nutritionless food, refined grains, chemicals, preservatives, colorings and additives, God knows how much alcohol, tobacco, coffee, recreational drugs, prescription drugs, and other destructive things we do to ourselves. Take a good brand of acidophilus with 3 billion units and keep it refrigerated (along with the flax oil). Take 750 mg of FOS (aka fructooligosaccharides aka inulin) to help the acidophilus. Add two grams of L-glutamine a day, which will also spike your growth hormone level. Forget those megadoses of niacin and niacinamide as these 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. They do  not lengthen lifespan whatsoever, and they ruin your health. Statins do not extend your life, but they will

turn your liver into pudding and ruin your health. Natural hormone balance affects your cholesterol level very much since cholesterol is the basic hormone we have in our bodies. Anyone over the age of 40 should do their best to test and balance their basic hormone levels. All this is discussed in Lower Cholesterol Without Drugs. 
 
Remember Nathan Pritikin? Decades ago he did more to cure heart disease than anyone in history. He did this with just a low fat diet and walking. That was all. Imagine what he could do today with proven supplements and natural hormone balance. Exercise is vital here. Walk, swim, play tennis, join a gym, play golf without a cart, or anything else you enjoy.  Anyone who tells you, "cholesterol doesn't matter" is obviously a moron. People who tell you, "low cholesterol is dangerous" should be in an institution.

 
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. Heart disease is THE number one killer. Cholesterol, triglycerides, CRP, and homocysteine are the four major CHD health indicators. Keep your cholesterol and triglycerides low.