Supporting High Cholesterol and Triglycerides through Diet, and Lifestyle Changes for Heart Health

High cholesterol is often associated with an increased risk towards coronary artery disease, heart disease, and stroke.  The World Health Organization estimates that almost 20% of all strokes and over 50% of all heart attacks can be linked to high cholesterol, with these numbers rising every year.  There are also estimates that over 50% of all Americans have cholesterol levels above the suggested limit.

Conventional medicine recommends and incorporates the use of statin drugs in order to lower elevated cholesterol levels. For many people, it is difficult to lower their cholesterol through diet and exercise alone, and they resort to these medications.  Unfortunately, statin drugs are often accompanied by a variety of side effects that many patients wish to avoid.  Side effects of statin drug use typically include: headaches, muscle pains, diarrhea, fatigue, and weakness.  In rare occasions, more severe side effects include neurological degeneration, depression, weight gain, liver stress, and memory loss to name a few.

In 1953, Dr. Ancel Keys published a paper titled “Atherosclerosis, a Problem in Newer Public Health” where he hypothesized that there was a correlation between high dietary fat intake and death rates from cardiovascular disease based on the data he accumulated from seven countries. Keys's studies were later criticized for excluding data from any countries that did not support his theories. There was data available for 22 countries, and when the full picture was looked at, there was found to be no relationship between dietary fat consumption, high cholesterol levels and heart disease.

According to Harvard School of Public Health, in the 1960s, fats and oils supplied Americans with about 45 percent of their calories; about 13 percent of us were obese and under 1 percent had type 2 diabetes. Today, Americans take in less fat, getting about 33 percent of calories from fats and oils; yet 34 percent of us are obese and 8 percent have diabetes, most with type 2 diabetes.

Most people that experience high cholesterol, attempt to alter their diet by reducing their dietary fat consumption.  Research from both Dr. Keys poorly formed study and current research from Harvard indicate that the removal of dietary fats will not lower the elevated cholesterol levels. 

In most cases, high cholesterol is a result of elevated triglycerides that come from high glycemic diets.  Elevated triglyceride levels, rather than high cholesterol, have demonstrated a more consistent correlation between heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular disease.

Dietary sugars that are not used shortly after ingestion are converted to triglycerides inside of our body, and stored within the fat cells of our body.  Avoiding simple sugars, breads, pastas, sodas, and other sugary sources can decrease triglyceride levels, and in turn lower the total cholesterol levels.  When evaluating triglyceride levels on blood tests, the normally accepted reference range is a triglyceride levels is less than 150 mg/dL when fasting.  From a nutritional approach, a triglyceride level of 75-90 mg/dL when fasting will frequently demonstrate a substantial change in total cholesterol levels, without the use of statin drugs, or their side effects.

For additional information, visit www.HaydenInstitute.com or contact Dr. Chase Hayden

Breast Cancer Screening, Prevention, and Alternative Approaches in the Modern World

 

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S. It accounts for nearly 32 percent of all female cancers.  Based on rates from 2005 to 2007, the National Cancer Institute reports that 1 out of every 8 women born today will be diagnosed with cancer of the breast at some time during their lifetime. As a woman ages, her chances of developing breast cancer dramatically increase, with approximately 77 percent of the cases occurring in women over the age of 50. Caucasian, Hawaiian, and African American women have the greatest incidence of invasive breast cancer, and statistics show that these women are nearly four times higher than the lowest group including Korean, American Indian and Vietnamese women.

Breast cancers, as well as other cancers, develop at a cellular level over a period of many years or decades before the cancer is large enough to be identified using modern imaging techniques.  Research indicates that breast cancer can be affected by lifestyle changes even though genetic markers BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been implicated in three to five percent of breast cancers. 

Researchers suggest that increased abdominal body fat distributions, hormonal disruptors from our environment, and increased weight at the age of 30 are contributing factors to breast cancer.  These three factors have lead a change in the onset of menstruation from 16.5 years old in 1842 to 13 years in 1995 and to 11 or 12 years in the year 2003 which parallels an increase in breast cancer onset later in life.

Breast cancer rates show a strong correlation between the urinary ratio of 2-hydroxy (E1-Estrone +E2-Estradiol + E3-Estriol) to 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone. This noninvasive urine test identifies the 2/16 ratio that is used to estimate the risk of developing breast cancers later in life. Considerable evidence indicates that this ratio is relevant as a risk factor for estrogen-sensitive diseases such as breast and cervical cancers, osteoporosis, and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

Simple steps can be taken to help prevent breast cancer.  First, evaluating the 2/16 urinary ratio indicates the developmental risk of breast cancer.  Second, a gentle exercise program during a woman’s adolescent and adult years can reduce the incidence of breast cancer by nearly 40% according to the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study. Third, eliminating estrogen hormone disruptors from both synthetic and natural sources will decrease the accumulation of estrogenic toxins that disrupt liver detoxification pathways.  Estrogenic hormone disruptors include plastics, dioxins, PCBs, DDT, and soy to name a few. Fourth, maintaining a healthy weight and body mass index will decrease abdominal fat distribution, which leads to increased estrogen activity. Fifth, consuming cruciferous vegetables daily have been shown to increase Phase I and Phase II liver detoxification pathways, and help to improve the 2/16 ratio which has been shown to decrease the risk of breast cancer.

To evaluate you 2/16 ratio, or to talk to Dr. Chase Hayden about the complementary and alternative approaches you can take to support your body nutritionally, please visit www.HaydenInstitute.com or contact our office.

Organic or Not? A Quick Reference Guide For Buying Produce

The “Dirty Dozen”

and the “Clean Fifteen”

A new report published by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has provided a great “go to” list when it comes to choosing which produce to by organically, and which ones to buy conventionally. The group's annual "dirty dozen" list of fruits and vegetables is based off of the highest levels of ingestible pesticide residues.  The EWG uses compiled data from the USDA in order to publish these findings.

When purchasing your produce, fresh, raw, organic foods are always best, but not everyone is in a position to purchase food in this manner.  Please use the following list when purchasing fruits and vegetables if you do not already purchase 100% organic produce.

Dirty Dozen 2011

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes (imported)
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries (domestic)
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/collard green

Clean Fifteen 2011

1. Onions
2. Sweet corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet peas
7. Mangoes
8. Eggplants
9. Cantaloupe (domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms

The EWG claims that if consumers eat the five recommended servings of fruit and vegetables from the least contaminated list over five from the dirty dozen, they would reduce the amount of pesticides ingested by 92%.

Conventional, non-organic farmers use a variety of pesticides to protect their crops from insects, bacteria, rodents, molds, and fungi. These substances can end up in the food supply. Washing and peeling fruit and vegetables can lower pesticide residues, but these practices do not guarantee absolute removal.  When the USDA tests for pesticides, they wash and peel fruit the same way a typical consumer would and then evaluate the residue content.

For more information on ways to improve your health, and wellness, please visit our webpage: www.HaydenInstitute.com