How to Reduce Your Cholesterol...Without Meds

There was an interesting article in the latest UC Berkeley Wellness Letter (Aug 2009) on how to lower your cholesterol without medication. Or at least, which myths about lowering your cholesterol are actually true?

Niacin: Niacin is actually a drug and is sold by prescription as well as over the counter. "It's a proven way to lower LDL by up to 30%, and unlike statins, it also substantially boosts HDL ("good") cholesterol and reduces triglycerides (fats in the blood). Be careful: Niacin products can increase the risk of liver damage. Begin niacin therapy only under a doctor's supervision.

Sterols or Stanols: These are plant compounds which interfere with the absorption of dietary cholesterol. It's seems worth trying, as the FDA has allowed its sale and the claim that the dose will reduce the risk of heart disease if they supply at least 400 milligrams of sterols per serving, for a daily dose of 800 mg.

Soluble Fiber Supplements: Everyone knows that fruit, vegetables and grains rich in soluble fiber is good for lowering cholesterol. Psyllium is part of this, a seed grain sold as a laxative and fiber supplement, and can lower LDL by 5 to 15%. However, it takes high doses to get that kind of response, and such doses can cause gas and bloating - so start with a low dose.

Red Yeast Rice Extract: This extract is made by fermenting red yeast on rice, and it's long been used in Asia as a heart treatment. It actually contains a statin compound, lovastatin, and is sold over the counter as brand name Mevacor. It may be effective, but it's safer to take prescription quality statin under a physician's care.

Fish Oil Supplements: The omega-3 fats in fish have a lot of potential cardiovascular benefits, but they are not known for lowering cholesterol.

Garlic: Inconsistent results on garlic studies. Eat garlic if you like it, but not to lower cholesterol.

Guggul Extract (Guggulipid): Guggul is a gummy resin from a tree in India. Extract guggulipid is approved as a drug to lower cholesterol and triglycerides. However, two well-designed studies found no lowering of LDL, but did not frequent side effects. Not recommended.

Policosanol: Policosanol is usually derived from sugar cane or beeswax. Policosanol is made in Cuba, and most of the studies have been conducted there. Independent studies apart from the Cuban ones have found it ineffective. The supplement is usually combined with other ingredients, making it unsafe.

Artichoke Leaf Extract: A recent review by the Cochrane Collaboration states that results aren't convincing. Not recommended.

Death Rates from Cancer Continue to Decline

From the University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter (August 2009):

"The American Cancer Society's latest annual report shows that between 1990 and 2005, mortality rates decreased by 19% among men and 11% among women. If these rates had not improved, an additional 650,000 cancer deaths would have occurred in the U.S. during those 15 years. The decline is attributable to a reduction in smoking rates, increased screening (especially for colon cancer), and improved treatments."

Lee National Denim Day

Mark it on your calendars: October 2nd is Lee National Denim Day. The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) will receive 100 percent of all Denim Day proceeds, up to $250,000.

Wear your favorite jeans on that day, and find out more about Denim Day at www.StopBreastCancer.org/denimday.

Also, tonight I'm going to hear the author of "The Adventures of Cancer Bitch," S.L. Wisenberg, speak at the Women's Cancer Resource Center. It's 6:30pm at the WCRC, which is on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland.

Meal Planning

I had a recent class at Lifelong Medical, my clinic, about putting together meals at home. Most of what I remember about the class was taking little plastic renditions of food -- like corn, or a steak, or fruit -- and positioning them on my plate. One-third was fruit or nonstarchy vegetables, one-third was protein (like fish or steak), one-third was breads or grains or starch (like potato or corn). I found it quite enlightening.

I just got a little booklet that I ordered through one of my Diabetes magazines. It's called Meal Planning for People with Diabetes. And it's quite helpful. Yes, it gives me the calories for, say, a small apple, but what's more important is that it gives me what a portion size is for each of these choices. One-third of a cup of baked beans is 80 calories. One four-ounce apple is 60. 17 grapes, or 3 ounces, is 60 calories. In fact, all of their fruit choices are 60 calories because they tell us how much will make 60: 1/2 a banana, 3/4 cup of blueberries, etc. Very useful. If I think I can eat a whole bag of cherries in one sitting.... well, the book tells me that I can have 12 cherries. That's one serving.

And there's a visual to help me. A closed fist is equivalent to 1 cup. The palm of my hand is 3 ounces. What fits inside my closed palm, palm side up, is 1 ounce.

WCRC Cooking Classes

The Women's Cancer Resource Center (located on Telegraph in Oakland) is having some cooking classes this summer 2009 and beyond:

Cooking Club
With Sandy Der, Chef and Certified Nutrition Consultant

Register with margo@wcrc.org or call 510-601-4040 x111.

Wednesday, July 15, 6-8 PM
Sprouting & Krauting - Learn about the benefits of fermented foods and how to make them - pickles, sauerkraut, kombuchas & more.

Wednesday, August 19, 6-8 PM
Foods of West Africa!

Wednesday, September 16, 6-8 PM
Noodles from around the worlds. Will include some gluten-free noodle dishes.

Wednesday, October 21, 6-8 PM
All About Beans.

Wednesday, November 18, 6-8 PM
Fun with Winter Squash.

The Scare of a Lifetime

The older we get, the more health scares we are bound to receive. It's better than the alternative, especially if it wakes you up.

I had one two weeks ago, and I'm determined to take action this time around.

The Scare: I had two weeks of horrible bronchitis, and just had to get through it, as there was nothing the doctor could do for me. However, because of my health issues, with the fact that I was wheezing, she ordered a chest x-ray. The tech reading the x-ray told me I didn't have pneumonia, just bronchitis, but there was something else they found on the x-ray. I had an enlarged heart.

An enlarged heart is a problem for all kinds of issues, but mostly it can't do the job it's supposed to do, pump blood out in an efficient manner. The finding may also indicate that there are weak areas in the heart, like a valve. The next step is to have the echocardiogram, which I had today, and to stop whatever was causing the heart to enlarge in the first place. Control your blood pressure, for one. Reduce your weight, and continue with an exercise program.

The tech today told me that, in his experience and unofficially, I do not have an enlarged heart. (Yeah, whew.) However, one of the valves had an issue of some sort, perhaps the source of that heart murmur I knew I had. It would bear watching, he said.

So I'm getting serious, more serious about my weight and eating. Eating is a big issue for me, and I couldn't even tell you why. I eat the wrong things, in the wrong proportion, and I'm mainly going for the sugar rush at the end of the day.

So, in one week, I've lost 5 pounds. A good trend.

But one of the big reasons I am convinced I have to lose weight has little to do with this health scare. Well, a little but not a lot. My weight is preventing me from being diagnosed correctly.

One possible reason for the enlarged heart x-ray reading was the bronchitis coupled with my size. Also, getting a baseline on a treadmill stress test I attempted to take two years ago was halted because of my weight. I'm overjoyed, really, that the cardiac tech today was able to read the sonar pulses, that my size and underlying fat didn't prevent him from getting true readings.

Hey, any motivation works, right? Besides, every doctor I ever see mentions it repetitively. That gets so old.