There are many myths and misunderstandings surrounding the subject of high cholesterol. Here you will learn the truth about cholesterol. Let's start by correcting the myths and misunderstandings.
All Cholesterol Is Bad
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Your body could not produce hormones or new cells without cholesterol. Low cholesterol is just unhealthy as high cholesterol. In fact, severely low cholesterol can be deadly. The key to good health is balance.
When it comes to your health and your cholesterol levels, balance refers to the amount of "good" HDL particles as compared to the amount of "bad" LDL particles. Ideally, your LDL count should be under 100mg/dl and your HDL should be higher than 50mg/dl. Here's another myth.
Cholesterol Causes Heart Disease
Cholesterol does not cause heart disease. LDL particles can become oxidized or hardened on the inner walls of the coronary arteries. The result can be hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. In that case, the arteries become less flexible. Your blood pressure increases. Your heart has to work harder. That is how heart disease begins.
In some cases, the hardened plaques clog the arteries to the point that very little blood can get through. If that happens, a bypass is necessary to restore the blood flow. Otherwise, clogged arteries are a death threat.
In other cases, the hardened plaques fall off of the walls and become deadly by creating a clot. A clot in the heart will cause a heart attack. A heart in the brain will cause a stroke.
So, those are the problems that can be caused by high levels of LDL particles. Conversely, HDL particles help to keep the arteries clean. They scavenge the LDL particles and return them to the liver for reprocessing or to be dumped from the body.
Cholesterol does not cause heart disease. High LDL levels are accompanied by an increased risk of heart disease. That's why we worry about it. Here's another mistaken belief.
Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Are Good and Should Be Taken By Everyone
The drug companies would like for you to believe that cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins are good for your health. The drug reps are pushing doctors to prescribe statins at an earlier and earlier age. Teenagers and children with weight problems are now taking the drugs.
Statins are actually bad for your health. They interfere with the body's natural processes. They disrupt the production of the antioxidant coenzyme Q10. (Remember that LDL particles are only dangerous when they become oxidized…antioxidants can help prevent the oxidation!)
The disruption of coenzyme Q10 production is a serious health threat that is known to accompany statin usage, but the drug companies did not even inform the doctors about the risk. The researchers told the drug companies and suggested that co-therapy with coenzyme Q10 was needed, but no one told the doctors. So, people are taking the statins without taking COQ10. The result of coenzyme Q10 depletion is muscle death. Muscles anywhere in the body, including the heart can be affected.
The only proven benefit of statin drugs is for people who have known heart disease and then only in the late stages of the disease. There are no proven benefits for young people or people without heart disease.
Statin drugs are not good and they probably shouldn't be taken by anybody!
Here's another myth.
Lowering Cholesterol Naturally Is Not Always Possible
There is a very rare condition called familial hypercholesterolemia in which the body produces too much cholesterol. The condition results in cholesterol deposits on the face, at the ankles and at various parts of the body. Depending on where the deposits are located, they may cause pain.
To repeat, familial hypercholesterolemia is extremely rare. Drug company advertisements would have you believe otherwise.
In the vast majority of cases, it is possible to balance cholesterol levels naturally and prevent the oxidation of existing LDL particles. Here are the six steps necessary to make that happen.
Let me tell you how those things are accomplished, in reverse order.
Positive Dietary Changes
Only about 20% of the cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream comes from your diet. The rest is produced by your liver. For many years, doctors recommended cholesterol-free egg substitutes, but recent research has shown that people who eat eggs regularly actually have better balanced cholesterol levels.
According to a vast majority of evidence, two of the dietary issues that contribute to heart disease have little to do with dietary cholesterol. The problems are excess intake of high fructose corn syrup and trans-fat.
High fructose corn syrup is found in an amazing number of processed foods, even in foods that are not particularly sweet. There is an ad campaign going on right now attempting to convince folks that high fructose corn syrup is just like cane sugar. It is not.
High fructose corn syrup is digested too quickly. It causes spikes in blood sugar levels, which can lead to chronic inflammation, the production of toxic byproducts called AGEs, type II diabetes, heart disease, cancer . . . suffice to say, it would be a good idea to avoid high fructose corn syrup.
Trans-fats are man-made. Food manufacturers have been required to add labels to packaging to reveal the amount of trans-fat in each serving.
But, if there is less than a gram of trans-fat per serving, the manufacturer can use the label "No Trans-fat". The only way to get the truth about trans-fat is to read the label of ingredients. If you see, partially hydrogenated vegetable (soy, corn, etc.) oil, the product contains trans-fat.
Because trans-fat is man-made, your body does not know what to do with it. It stays in the bloodstream longer, which means it is more likely to become oxidized. So, people who eat a lot of trans-fats are more likely to have atherosclerosis.
On the other hand, people who eat a lot of good omega-3 fats are less likely to have heart disease of all kinds. Olive oil and some types of fatty fish are good sources of omega-3s. Fish oil supplements are another alternative. Now, let's get to the rest of that list.
Reduce Cholesterol Oxidation
In order to reduce cholesterol oxidation, you need to increase your intake of antioxidants. You can do that by eating more antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables or by taking a good supplement. Just remember that most of the multi-vitamin supplements on the market contain artificial ingredients that are not good for your health.
Some of the most potent antioxidants according to researchers are theaflavins. They are found in some varieties of tea. Not only do they have potent antioxidant activity, theaflavins have proven to be beneficial for raising HDL cholesterol levels and lowering LDL levels at the same time.
Assist Your Body's Natural Ability to Excrete Excess Cholesterol
There are several natural compounds that convert cholesterol particles to bile acids, which are easily and quickly excreted by the body. Lecithin, a nutrient found in soy and other plant foods, is one of them. Rice bran oil or oryzanol is another. In order to get the best results, it is necessary to take the nutrients in supplement form. The concentration found in foods is too low to be effective.
Address the Issue of Total Circulating Fats and Dissolve Some of the Particles
D-limonene is a non-toxic component of citrus rind that has proven to be effective for dissolving gallstones composed of cholesterol. It also acts to reduce the body's production of cholesterol and helps to dissolve buildup in the liver. D-limonene is found in some of the better cholesterol-lowering health supplements.
Reduce Your Digestive System's Absorption of Cholesterol
As already mentioned, cholesterol particles are made by your liver and are absorbed from the foods that you eat. Particles that are meant to be disposed of can be re-absorbed. The process can occur over and over again.
In addition to assisting with the excretion of excess cholesterol; lecithin inhibits this absorption and re-absorption, but you might need more help. Phytosterols provide the extra help you need.
Phytosterols are found in plants. They are very similar in structure to cholesterol. When molecules are similar, they compete for absorption in your digestive tract. In supplement form, Phytosterols have been shown to reduce circulating cholesterol particles, presumably by inhibiting the absorption and re-absorption of those particles.
Reduce Your Body's Production of Cholesterol
There are many plant foods that work to produce your body's production of cholesterol. In fact, the structure of synthetic statin drugs was patterned after compounds found in a certain kind of Japanese mushroom.
Eating more mushrooms is not a bad idea. But, you should avoid cholesterol-lowering supplements that contain the natural statin-like compound found in the mushrooms. They are accompanied by the same side effects as statin drugs. They often cause nausea and vomiting. The FDA has worked to have the supplements removed from the market, but they are still available over the internet.
A safe alternative is policosanol. Policosanol is derived from sugar cane, rice bran or bee's wax. It has proven to be effective for inhibiting cholesterol production, without interfering with CoQ10 production.
Several studies have shown it to be as effective as statin drugs, but it is complete safe. It is also beneficial for removing plaques that already exist in the arteries.
So, you're probably wondering where you find all of these nutrients. Is it necessary to take five or six different supplements?
Actually, it's not even a good idea to take five or six different supplements, because they could interact with each other if the amounts are not carefully measured. One supplement might interfere with the ability of another to provide benefits.
That's why the better supplement manufacturers have R&D departments. The departments carefully measure the ingredients to be sure that the formula works as it is designed to.
Xtendlife is likely the best supplement manufacturer. Their R&D department includes chemists, doctors and other scientists. Their products are designed to be the best on the market.
Xtendlife's Cholest-Natural contains all of the ingredients mentioned above in exactly the right quantities. Customer testimonials show that the supplement is effective for balancing unhealthy cholesterol levels. All you have to do is look at the numbers.
From personal experience, I can say that Xtendlife products work. Many of my friends and family members have been able to avoid the use of statin drugs by taking Cholest-Natural.
If you want to have healthier cholesterol levels, you should give Cholest-Natural a try. There's no risk, because the supplements are completely safe and because Xtendlife guarantees your satisfaction!
© Healthy Supplements Team All Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy | Site Disclaimer | Disclaimer