Q: What would you suggest for helping to lower cholesterol before resorting to statins?

A: Last month we looked at the difference between cholesterol and fat – and that is important because we know that only about 20% of cholesterol comes from your diet and your liver produces the other 80%. Your body needs cholesterol and so does your brain because it helps to release neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) like serotonin, a feel-good neurotransmitter. As with anything in Nature you don’t want too much cholesterol, but it is also just as bad to have too little. Ideally your total cholesterol should be lower than 5 and a value between 4 – 5 is ideal. Statins can take cholesterol levels to as low as 3 and it is thought that a level lower than 4 can increase the risk of depression and even suicide. 

 

So what can you do to help yourself? You are aiming to do three things: 

 

• Firstly, to alter the type of cholesterol you produce, so you are increasing HDL (the ‘good’ cholesterol). You do this by increasing exercise, reducing stress and introducing foods containing garlic, soya and Omega 3 essential fatty acids – such as oily fish and linseeds (flaxseeds). 
• Secondly, to remove excess cholesterol from your body. Do this by increasing the amount of soluble fibre (found in oats, beans, fruits and vegetables), which binds to the cholesterol and stops it being re-absorbed.
• Thirdly, to remove foods that may interfere with the production of cholesterol – e.g. alcohol, caffeine and added sugar. Alcohol because it stresses the liver, which is where cholesterol is produced. Caffeine and added sugar because they are stimulants that encourage the over production of stress hormones, which are made from cholesterol.  So the more stress hormones your body has to produce, the more cholesterol it has to produce because the stress hormones are made from cholesterol.

To make the process faster, as well as addressing what you eat and drink, add in a few supplements over three months and then get your cholesterol checked again. Add in garlic (preferably Aged Garlic), Omega 3 fish oils, plant sterols (e.g. Lestrin) and granules of lecithin (which help to lower cholesterol and raise HDL, good cholesterol). If you need help getting these supplements then go to the Resources Page.

Mackerel is classed as an oily fish, along with other fish such as salmon, herrings, tuna etc. Oily fish provide us with important Omega 3 oils, which can help to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, soften the skin, increase immune function, increase metabolic rate, improve energy, help with arthritis (as they have an anti-inflammatory effect) and help with skin problems such as eczema. 100g of mackerel can provide 1000mg of Omega 3 fatty acids, while the same size piece of cod can contain only 300mg.

Mackerel not only contains these Omega 3 fats but is also a good source of selenium, vitamins B3, B6 and B12 and also vitamin D.

 

The Department of Health recommends that we should double our intake of Omega 3 oils by eating oily fish two to three times a week. But concerns have been raised about mercury intake from oily fish. The research has shown that the health benefits from eating oily fish definitely outweigh the risks. And that in fact we are not eating enough fish in general. The Harvard School of Public Health has shown that eating about six ounces of mackerel each week can reduce the risk of death from heart disease by a third.

A study conducted by a team from the Jichi Medical University in Japan, and reported in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, concluded that elderly people sleeping for less than 7.5 hours a night increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 27 per cent. The study was conducted on 1255 participants with an average age of 70 over 23 months and whilst the scientists have indicated that the results may not apply to younger people, another study conducted at Warwick University in 2008 concluded that more than 7 hours sleep a night can reduce heart attack risk. However, they also concluded sleeping more than 8 hours a night doubled the risk of dying from all causes. 7.5 hours looks like the right answer … so set those alarm clocks!!!!