Today, I am going to tell you how to lower your heart
disease risk using a comprehensive dietary and lifestyle
approach.
==> Dietary Recommendations: The first step in preventing
heart disease is to eat a healthy diet. First, eat more
whole foods rich in phytonutrients, plant molecules that
give your body the nutrients it needs.
Here are some tips:
1. To avoid blood sugar imbalances that increase
heart-disease risk, eat protein with every meal, even at
breakfast.
2. Use lean animal protein like fish, turkey, chicken,
lamb, and vegetable protein like nuts, beans, and tofu.
3. Combine protein, fat, and carbohydrates in every meal.
4. Avoid white flour and sugar.
5. Eat at least 50 grams of fiber daily. Beans, whole
grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruit all contain
fiber.
6. Avoid processed junk food, including soda and juice.
7. Increase omega-3 fatty acids by eating wild salmon,
sardines, herring, flaxseeds, and seaweed.
8. Reduce saturated fat and use more grass-fed or organic
animal products, which contain less saturated fat.
9. Eliminate hydrogenated fat, found in margarine,
shortening, processed oils, baked goods, and processed
foods.
10. Use healthy oils, like olive, cold pressed sesame, and
other nut oils.
11. Avoid alcohol, which increases triglycerides and fat in
the liver and creates blood sugar imbalances.
12. Eat every three to four hours to keep your insulin and
blood sugar normal.
13. Don't eat three hours before bed.
14. Have a protein breakfast every day.
15. Eat two to four tablespoons of ground flaxseeds every
day in salads or whole grain cereal. This can lower
cholesterol by 18 percent.
16. Drink green tea.
17. Use soy foods, which can help lower cholesterol by 10
percent.
18. Eat at least eight to ten servings of colorful fruits
and vegetables a day.
==> Supplements Along with a healthy diet and exercise
program, supplements can dramatically affect your risk of
cardiovascular disease:
1. Take a good multivitamin/mineral, plus a purified fish
oil supplement containing 1,000 to 2,000 grams a day of
EPA/DHA.
2. Try policosanol (10 mg to 20 mg twice a day).
3. Red rice yeast (two 600-mg capsules twice a day).
4. Plant sterols (2 grams a day).
5. Soy protein isolate shakes.
6. Fiber supplements such as PGX (Konjac fiber) -- 4 before
each meal with a glass of water.
==> Lifestyle and Exercise Get 30 to 45 minutes of
cardiovascular exercise at least six times a week.
You may try interval training (described in
"UltraMetabolism") if you are feeling stronger. I also
encourage strength training to build muscle and reduce body
fat composition.
==> Stress Reduction Stress alone can cause a heart
attack. It also contributes to heart disease by creating
inflammation, raising your cholesterol and blood sugar,
causing high blood pressure and increasing blood clotting.
Reduce stress by doing regular relaxation exercises.
==> Medications Many of my patients can lower their
cholesterol over 100 points by following the comprehensive
program I outline above. Occasionally I recommend
medications if I feel that my patient is swimming upstream
genetically, or if there is significant heart disease
present already.
When I do need to use medications, here are the ones I have
to choose from:
==> Statins These block the production of cholesterol in
the liver, lower inflammation, and may even reverse plaque
in the arteries.
Statins deplete the body's stores of the vital component
Coenzyme Q10. If you're on statins, take at least 100 mg of
CoQ10 a day.
Statins can also cause muscle pain and aching and require
regular liver function tests.
==> Niacin Very high doses (1000 to 3000 mg a day) of
niacin can raise good cholesterol (HDL) and lower high
triglycerides.
The major side effect is flushing, which you can prevent by
taking a baby aspirin (81 mg) half an hour before your take
the niacin.
I usually recommend long-acting Niaspan and build up slowly
over the course of 2 to 6 weeks to the desired dose of
1,500 to 2,000 mg daily.
==> Ezetimbe (Zetia) Zetia prevents absorption of
cholesterol from the intestine. It can interact with
statins to increase the risk of liver toxicity.
==> Fibrates These medications include fenofibrate
(Tricor) and gemfibrozil (Lopid), which help to lower
triglycerides and raise HDL.
The verdict is still out on their effectiveness and safety.
I prefer to use niacin, which achieves the same results,
at lower cost with less risk.
==> Bile Acid Binding Agents Drugs like Questran and
WellChol bind up bile in the gut and promote the
elimination of cholesterol from the body. Bile is
comprised of cholesterol among other things, and getting
rid of bile helps lower your cholesterol.
==> Summary Remember, cholesterol is only one of many
factors that lead to cardiovascular disease.
Diet, supplements, exercise, and other lifestyle approaches
can have dramatic effects on cholesterol, lowering it by
100 points or more within a few months of comprehensive
therapy.
Medications are a last resort. I never start them without
trying an integrated approach to cholesterol management.
If you are willing to make the changes in diet and
lifestyle and take a few supplements, your numbers will
change dramatically -- and so will your life.
----------------------------------------------------
Mark Hyman, MD is a pioneer in functional medicine,
practicing physician and best-selling author. A sneak
preview of his book "The UltraSimple Diet" is available.
See The UltraWellness Blog for more on Testing for Insulin
Resistance:
http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/insulin-resistance
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