Oh delicious sugar, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways… If we’re counting the ways, we may need to make a separate list for the health evils that sugar consumption induces.  The latest?  Sugar has been linked to increased cholesterol levels.  A new study analyzed data from 6,113 respondents in the long-term National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999 to 2006) and found that people who reported eating lots of “processed foods with added sugar” were 200% more likely to have high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, 20% more likely to have high triglycerides and 60% more likely to have a high ratio of triglycerides to HDL (good) cholesterol, which is believed to be a key indicator of cardiac risk. That’s quite an ugly list.

Miriam Vos, MD, who conducted the study with her colleagues at Emory University (Atlanta), stated that this was the first one to look specifically at the effect of added sugars on cholesterol. Their reason for focusing specifically on processed foods and drinks is that these products contain substantially more sugar than the few teaspoons that most people sprinkle into their coffee.  And, it appears, the amounts are enough to substantially raise cholesterol levels.

It’s important to point out that there are some limitations to the study. For instance, Dr. Vos says researchers did not evaluate any particular types of sugar separately (most in the study were beet or cane sugar or high-fructose corn syrup) but simply counted all caloric sweeteners added to packaged/processed foods. Also, processed foods may have other additives that weren’t accounted for and may play a role in raising cholesterol and blood fats.

Trading One Evil for Another…

Ironically, the public’s anxiety about fat is one reason that sugar levels are now so high, manufacturers of many processed foods reduced their fat content and made up for the lost flavor by dumping in more sugar.  If you’re thinking, “Oh, I don’t eat all that much sugar” because you don’t eat many sweets, do try this at home: For several days, keep track of the sugar content in all of the foods you eat. You may be in for a surprise. Many of the cholesterol increasing foods are ones in which you wouldn’t anticipate finding sugar.  They include bread, spaghetti sauce, soups, low-fat salad dressings, restaurant Chinese food, lunch meats and hot dogs. Americans eat an astonishing amount of these sugared-up items; would you believe nearly 16% of our total caloric intake? This percentage translates to almost 22 teaspoons of sugar a day from processed foods, with the biggest consumers of sugar ingesting a ridiculous 46 teaspoons a day! It’s incredibly easy to surpass the American Heart Association’s recommended daily maximum of 100 sugar calories (six teaspoons) for women and 150 (nine teaspoons) for men.

Acknowledging that many people find it difficult to make sweeping alterations to their diets, Dr. Vos suggests starting with easy changes that she calls “high-yield.” First on her list is to drink more water and put aside the soft drinks and sweetened ready-made teas.  She also encourages noshing on fruit when you want something sweet. Best of all is to choose whole, fresh foods that have nothing added to them. “One-ingredient food is the way to go,” says Dr. Vos, and that, of course, describes food the way nature makes it. More processing means more additives and far less nutritional value.

Source(s):

Miriam Vos, MD, pediatric gastroenterologist and assistant professor of pediatrics, Emory University, Atlanta, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She is author of The No-Diet Obesity Solution for Kids (AGA Institute).

Reprinted with the permission of:
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It would seem that there are infinitely many ways leading to dementia; the latest, according to new research, is elevated levels of cholesterol earlier in life. It’s not only bad for your heart but also for your brain. So, what does this mean for those of us who didn’t take steps to bring down — or didn’t even know about – our high cholesterol when we were younger?

How High is Too High?

At Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, Rachel Whitmer, PhD, and her colleagues analyzed the records of 9,844 patients who completed health evaluations as part of a preventive screening program in the 1960s and 1970s.   All patients were  between 40 and 45 years old. Decades later (when the participants were 61 to 88 years old), 596 of them had been diagnosed with either Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia, which is the second most common type of dementia.

Dr. Whitmer looked back at all participants’ cholesterol levels, and found that those who had had high total cholesterol (240 mg/dL or higher) when screened in their 40s had a 57% higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s and a 26% higher risk for vascular dementia. Participants whose cholesterol had been borderline-high (200 mg/dL to 239 mg/dL) when screened showed a 23% higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s and a 50% higher risk for vascular dementia than those with cholesterol under 200 mg/dL.

The study had some limitations, including a lack of information about whether participants had cholesterol-lowering therapy and no differentiation among types of cholesterol, which we now know is an important health factor. Additional research is needed to answer some key questions, including why high cholesterol raises dementia risk. Findings were published in the August 2009 issue of Dementia & Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

For a Long, Happy, Healthy Life…

It’s fair to say, however, that these results suggest that high levels of cholesterol early in life are associated with the development of dementia later in life.   Study coauthor Alina Solomon, MD, PhD, of the department of neurology at the University of Kuopio in Finland, told me that this doesn’t mean that people with elevated cholesterol should automatically begin taking statin drugs; we’ve pointed out before that they have potentially serious side effects. Consult with your doctor, suggests Dr. Solomon.  If appropriate, look first at making lifestyle changes, which will have a positive effect on your cholesterol and your brain. Though you may not be able to control such risk factors as age and genetics, you can help prevent age-related diseases by eating well, exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and controlling stress. Not only are these measures key to living a good, long life but also, it seems, to being able to enjoy it.

Source(s):

Alina Solomon, MD, PhD, department of neurology, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland.

Rachel Whitmer, PhD, research scientist, division of research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California.

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Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com

Worried about your LDL cholesterol levels? Many are and many more are getting the wrong information. Discover the importance of cholesterol, but in moderation of course.

Avoid bad cholesterol and improve your health.

LDL cholesterol is known far and wide as the “bad” cholesterol, but in fact that’s a bad rap. The truth is we need cholesterol, including the LDL kind. But when free radicals in the body oxidize LDL cholesterol it does indeed turn from friend to foe, building up in artery walls — it is one of the substances that lay the foundation for dangerous plaque.

Recently an Italian study demonstrated that one way to reduce oxidized LDL levels is by supplementation with the amino acid derivative L-carnitine. Researchers randomly assigned 81 patients with diabetes (who are prone to cholesterol problems) to one of two treatment groups. One group received placebo and the other received 2 g of L-carnitine once daily. At the end of three months, the L-carnitine-treated patients showed a decrease of oxidized LDL levels compared with the placebo group. This was just the latest study on L-carnitine.

THE MANY USES OF L-CARNITINE

According to Mark Stengler, ND, regular contributor to Daily Health News, L-carnitine helps with various health problems and its benefits are not limited to people with diabetes. When I spoke with Dr. Stengler, he rattled off an impressive list of benefits, noting that L-carnitine — or carnitine as it is also called — helps get energy to the heart muscles and is therefore beneficial to a number of cardiac conditions (angina, ischemia-induced arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure). It has also been used as therapy for myocardial infarction to help minimize muscle damage as a result of the oxygen reduction… it is helpful for chronic fatigue syndrome and kidney and liver disease… and there’s yet more. Studies have shown that carnitine (in the form known as acetyl-l-carnitine) may help ease the discomfort of peripheral neuropathy, a condition often triggered by diabetes or chemotherapy drugs that causes nerves in the feet and sometimes the hands to develop painful burning and stinging sensations. It appears that carnitine may even help peripheral nerves regenerate, though this is a preliminary finding. A variety of small studies have looked at the possibility that carnitine also boosts athletic performance given its role in energy production, but thus far none has shown any positive effect. However, Dr. Stengler told me that several of his patients who engage in endurance sports such as long-distance running seem to benefit from it. Dr. Stengler says people with elevated LDL but who do not have diabetes can also benefit from taking carnitine to help them prevent LDL oxidation from taking place.

HOW TO GET CARNITINE INTO YOUR BODY

Carnitine is naturally produced in the body by the liver and kidneys and is stored in the skeletal muscles, brain and heart, but, as is so often the case, production diminishes with advancing age. You can obtain carnitine through food, in particular red meat. Steak or hamburger has three times the amount of carnitine as does pork, another high source. Lesser dietary sources include dairy products, chicken, fish and avocado. It may be a good idea for vegetarians and vegans to consider carnitine supplementation. Additionally, Dr. Stengler says people who suffer from muscle fatigue and cramps may possibly have a carnitine deficiency. For such complaints, he orders a blood test to measure carnitine levels in the tissue and red blood cells, weighs this data against patient reporting, and treats accordingly.

CARNITINE SUPPLEMENTATION

For adult patients who have chronic fatigue, congestive heart failure or angina, Dr. Stengler often prescribes dosages of 1,000 mg, taken two or three times daily. Higher dosages of up to 2,000 mg a day may even be a good idea for people with high LDL levels, he says, but the body can’t absorb any more than this at a time. A reported side effect is occasional digestive upset. Carnitine is considered quite safe. Dr. Stengler decreases the dosage or directs the carnitine to be taken with meals for those who find this to be a problem. As always, if you are interested in taking carnitine and most especially if you take any drugs or supplements, be sure to discuss this with your doctor before you start.

Source(s):

Mark Stengler, ND, a naturopathic physician and leading authority on the practice of alternative and integrated medicine. He is author of Bottom Line/Natural Healingnewsletter, author of The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies (Bottom Line Books), director of the La Jolla Whole Health Clinic in La Jolla, California, and adjunct associate clinical professor at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. To learn more about his work, visit www.drstengler.com.

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Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com

When you are told that you have a high cholesterol level you are right away going to have to find a way to lower your cholesterol level. Having high cholesterol can be quite damaging to your health and if nothing is done about it because some massive health ailments in the future.

For those that can’t determine whether or not you have a high cholesterol you may want to get into your doctor or physician right away. They can quickly help you determine if you have a problem and help you get control of the situation now.

Lower your cholesterol for a healthy life

Having high cholesterol can be quite dangerous for any person at any age. There are many ways you can avoid increasing it and to start making some changes to your diet is important. If you regularly consume foods that have lots of cholesterol within them you will want to cut these out.

Your daily eating habits can play a major role in your life and how healthy you are. If you are someone that does not generally pay attention to what you eat, you may want to start. Developing a weekly meal plan can be very beneficial for you. This will allow you to know what you are going to be eating and not find yourself feeling stressed trying to think of what to eat, causing you to waiver to fast, simple and unhealthy foods.

There are many changes that you can make to your diet that can improve your health greatly. The following article is just some of the many diet food options available that can help you diminish the amount of cholesterol you consume daily.

Top Five Diet Foods – displays the top five diet food options that are healthy for you and your regular eating habits.

You should want to put the effort in to make changes to your diet now. If you are worried you are not going to be able to do it consider opting into one of the many Medifast Diet Plans that are available. To have a better understanding of the Medifast Diet Plans read the following:

Starting on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan – this article displays how easy the dieting plans can be and how you can easily work it into your life.

There are a variety of options available for your meals and next week we are going to take you through some of our most popular meal plans. So watch for these all next week.

A Medifast Diet Plan is a great option for everyone so why not get involved and start lowering your cholesterol now. All the Medifast meals are low in calories, carbohydrates and cholesterol making it a great choice for you.

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