Guest guest Posted November 12, 2003 Report Share Posted November 12, 2003 " Food Your Miracle Medicine " Some components of cholesterol are dangerous to arteries, while others are beneficial. Furthermore, what you eat may actually detoxify detrimental cholesterol so it cannot harm arteries. Regardless of cholesterol's complexities, one thing is undeniable: What you eat can put a striking dent in dangerous cholesterol and more spectacularly, according to new findings,changes its character so its not so deadly! This radical way of controlling cholesterol by *detoxifying* it, according to new research, promises to dramatically slow the progression of atherosclerosis by 50 to 70 percent and even help reverse existing artery clogging by shrinking the clumps of plaque on artery walls, says leading researcher Daniel Steinberg, M.D., at the University of California School of Medicine in San Diego. " We can now attack the disease at the artery wall as well by simply lowering LDL cholesterol. It's very exciting, " he says. HOW YOU CAN USE FOOD TO CONTROL CHOLESTEROL Essentially, you should eat in a way to lower one type of cholesterol, called LDL (low-density lipoprotein), and boost another type, known as HDL (high density lipoprotein). That's because the LDLs are " bad-guys " that serve as raw material to clog arteries. In contrast, the good-guy HDLs eat up the LDL " villains " and cart them to the liver, where they are annihilated! Obviously, the more HDL -- and the less LDL you have in your blood, the safer your arteries become. Certain foods help bring this about by destroying detrimental LDLs and creating beneficial HDLs. Now enters an exciting new theory that promises to make it possible to control cholesterol with food in ways unimagined even a few years ago. According to that new theory put forth by Dr. Steinberg and many others, here's how arteries get clogged: Special forms of oxygen known as *free radicals* in the blood collide with fatty *LDL* cholesterol molecules, *oxidizing* them. The LDL then turns rancid, much as unrefrigerated butter does. In this altered form it is quickly gobbled up by cells called macrophages. Stuffed with fat globules, the macrophages enlarge into dreaded " foam cells " which insinuate themselves *into* artery walls, triggering artery destruction! If you can prevent this toxic transformation, your LDL cholesterol may remain relatively harmless. So the issue is not just how much LDL cholesterol your blood contains, but how much of it is " Toxic Oxidized LDL, " capable of clogging your arteries. Dr. Steinberg and many others now believe that LDL cholesterol is not so dangerous unless it is converted into a toxic form by oxygenated " free radicals " in your blood. That's where diet can be a powerful " weapon " . Mounting evidence shows you can block LDLs *toxic* transformation, and thus its awesome hazards, by eating foods packed with protective antioxidants. This means you may intervene at the very " genesis of atherosclerosis " at every stage, blocking the cascade of arterial events that create clogged arteries, heart attacks and strokes. It is a thrilling prospect. Bottom Line: To combat hazardous blood cholesterol, reduce bad LDL cholesterol, boost good HDL cholesterol, and keep as much as possible of your LDL from becoming toxic to your arteries. Here are some foods that enable you to do this with your diet. Foods that Raise *Good* (HDL)Cholesterol: Extra Virgin Olive Oil Garlic (fresh is best) Alaskan Salmon, sardines (in water), tuna (no sodium) and fatty dark fish (do not use farmed-fish) Grape Seed Oil Almonds Macademia Nuts Avocadoes Onions, raw Leeks,Scallions Vitamin C rich foods (bell peppers, broccoli, oranges) Beta-carotene-rich foods (carrots, spinach, broccoli) Red Wine in moderation Caution: Diets containing refined, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils and fats *depress* the beneficial " Good " Cholesterol (HDL)s. " Food your Miracle Medicine " (How Food can Prevent and Cure Over 100 Symptoms and Problems) by Jean Carper _________________ JoAnn Guest mrsjoguest DietaryTipsForHBP http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/AIM.html http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/CholesterolFacts.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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