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Lower Cholesterol Without Drugs
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Chapter 13: Tough Cases ____________________________________________________
There are a good number of people with genetically high cholesterol over the 300 level, as well as triglycerides also over 300. Such people are at severe risk for all forms of coronary and artery disease and premature death. Obviously they need to do more to lower their blood fats. Here diet is no longer an option, better food choices have to be made, supplements and hormones are needed, as well as regular exercise.
Let’s remember that there is no cholesterol in any plant; cholesterol is only found in animals and animal products. People who eat a pure vegetarian diet (no eggs or dairy) consume no cholesterol at all. Such people generally have levels of about 150 mg/dl and every milligram of this is manufactured by their livers from the plant foods they eat. Genetically high cases must stop eating all beef, pork, lamb, poultry, eggs, milk, and dairy products. Seafood can be eaten in moderation as a four-ounce daily portion. Fatty fish like salmon, swordfish, mackerel, tuna and catfish (yes, catfish is about 30% fat calories) should be avoided. Low fat fish such as flounder, grouper, sole, trout, mahi, wahoo, cod and others are good choices. Shellfish such as crab, scallops, shrimp and lobster do not raise cholesterol when eaten in moderation.
Vegetable oils contain no cholesterol, but these should be very restricted as well. Vegetable oils also are generally high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids, which is another reason to use as little as possible of these. Americans eat fat too many omega-6 fatty acids and far too few omega-3s. Omega-3 fatty acids are not abundant in common foods, so there are no specific vegetables to recommend to get a good balance of omega-6 versus omega-3. Flax is the best known source and taking two grams of flax oil is recommended. This is a better source than fish oil for a variety of reasons.
Milk and dairy products should be avoided entirely and that includes the low fat and no fat varieties like lactose free, skim milk and no fat yogurt. There are a variety of very good tasting soy, rice, almond and oat products to replace them.
It is very important that people with very high blood fats take all five of the “cornerstone supplements”- beta-sitosterol, guggul gum, flax oil, beta glucan and soy isoflavones. It would also be a good idea to double the amount of beta-sitosterol to 600 mg, double the amount of flax oil to 2,000 mg, and double the amount of beta glucan to 200 mg. The guggul gum and soy isoflavones should remain at 250 mg (10% sterones) and 40 mg respectively.
Many of the other supplements discussed should also be included in your program. This would include acidophilus, beta carotene, curcumin, vitamin E, FOS, garlic, L-glutamine, guar gum, lecithin, pectin and the full complement of minerals that were mentioned. These supplements are inexpensive and generally good for your health in many other ways and not just for lowering your cholesterol.
Hormone balancing in cases like this is no longer an option either. As we discuss in a later chapter, you must test your basic levels by either using saliva test kits or seeing your doctor and having your blood serum levels checked. DHEA and testosterone are the first ones to measure. Do not take these unless you are proven to be low. Melatonin should be used and that can be tested at 3:00 AM with saliva. Transdermal progesterone can be used by both men and women only in different amounts. Pregnenolone should be taken by anyone over the age of forty. If estradiol or estrone levels are too high then changes in diet and lifestyle can lower them. T3 and T4 should be tested. GH can be used by anyone over the age of 50. This is the only book to talk about the effects of our hormones on our cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Doctors are completely unaware of this and don’t test hormone levels for people with severely high blood fats as they should.
Exercise is not an option for such people either. You must get some exercise daily even if it is just briskly walking a half hour a day. This goes hand in hand with weight loss as people with severely high cholesterol levels need to get down to a normal weight. Fasting one day a week on water is a great help here.
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