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Good Heart Health can slow the the leading cause of death in America. Thanks to advances in medical sciences, Americans have been living longer with each successive generation.  Despite our increasing longevity, the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women is cardiovascular disease. 1  The most common type of cardiovascular disease is coronary artery disease. 2  Coronary artery disease is a condition in which the blood supply to the heart is completely or partially blocked.    Coronary artery disease is almost always due to the buildup of cholesterol and other fatty materials (called atheromas or atherosclerotic plaques) in the wall of a coronary artery. 3  Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of myocardial ischemia or “Heart Attack”.  On average, men develop it about 10 years earlier than women, because until menopause, women are protected from the disease by high levels of estrogen. 4  There are several things you can do to decrease your risk of heart attack from coronary artery disease. FATS AND CHOLESTEROL Cholesterol is a “special” type fat that is crucial to many metabolic functions and is an essential part of all the body's cell membranes.  You actually do need a certain amount of cholesterol and fat to live.  It comes from fats in our diet and is produced in the liver. There are two types of blood cholesterol. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL cholesterol is known as the “BAD” cholesterol because it can lead to plaque forming on arteries but HDL cholesterol, known as the “GOOD” cholesterol helps the body to remove LDL cholesterol from the body and makes it harder for plaque to form in the arteries. Other types of “regular” fat are important to heart health as well because they can contribute to blocking arteries directly and indirectly by contributing to cholesterol. There are three types of “regular” fats: Saturated, Monounsaturated, and Polyunsaturated. Saturation involves the number of hydrogen atoms on the fat.  The more hydrogens, the more the saturation and the more solid the product.  Butter is solid at room temperature because of its saturation. Trans fats are formed when monounsaturated or polyunsaturated vegetable oils are hydrogenated and hardened to form margarines.   Saturated fats (Many Hydrogens) are found in animals products like meats, non-skim dairy products like butter and cream, artificially hydrogenated vegetable oils  and processed foods like pastries and biscuits. Saturated and related trans fats increase blood LDL cholesterol, and heart attack rates.   Trans fats also tend to increase the LDL cholesterol.  A diet high in saturated fats and Trans fats is known to promote coronary artery disease by heart attack. Monounsaturated fats (One Hydrogen) are found in olive oil and canola oil. Monounsaturated fats lower the risk of heart attack Polyunsaturated fats (Few Hydrogens) include omega-3 fats, contained in deep-sea fatty fish (such as mackerel. salmon, and tuna), and contained in vegetable oils. Polyunsaturated fats lower the risk of heart attacks. A Diet limiting the amount of fat to no more than 25 to 35% of daily calories is recommended to promote good health. However, some experts believe that fat must be limited to 10% of daily calories to reduce the risk.  Further, you should diminish saturated fat and increase Mono and Polyunsaturated fat. Cholesterol Affecting Agent Isoflavones Soy products such as soy milk, soy nuts, tempeh, tofu. Acts like human estrogen hormone; can lower LDL and raise HDL cholesterol Soluble Fiber Apples, Beans, Broccoli, Citrus, Oat Bran, Peas, Popcorn, Psyllium Seed.  Soluble fiber entraps bile acids in your intestines and carries them out of the body. In turn, cholesterol is removed from your blood to replace the lost bile acids. This in turn lowers LDL cholesterol. Monounsaturated Fats Avocados, Nuts, Olive Oil, Peanut Butter.  Replaces saturated fat (which can raise LDL and lower HDL cholesterol) with a more cholesterol healthy alternative Omega-3 Fatty Acids Canola oil, Flax Seed Oil, Salmon, Tuna, Mackerel.  Helps lower LDL cholesterol and maintain normal heart function FOODS THAT LOWER CHOLESTOROL It's simple common sense that foods that lower cholesterol are also those that do not contain high amount of saturated fat: Oat cereal, Cereals containing flaxseed or psyllium, Whole grain cereals All types of fruits, especially currants, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, citrus fruits, apples. Pecan nuts, walnuts, olives, soy nuts Dried or canned beans, peas and lentils Corn, fresh, frozen or canned Soybean products Whole wheat bread All vegetables, especially onion, watercress, leeks, spinach, carrots, artichokes, avocado, broccoli, kale Brussels sprouts and cauliflower Lean meats and chicken. Salmon, swordfish, tuna and trout Canola and olive oils and margarines made from these oils Herbs that lower cholesterol Fresh Garlic Try Chinese Red Yeast Rice. Known as the dietary supplement Cholestin, the extract of Chinese red yeast rice is as successful in lowering cholesterol as commercial Statins. Consider Fenugreek. While additional studies are needed, it appears the legume fenugreek decreases cholesterol levels as well as triglycerides. Explore Guggal Gum. Widely used in India, guggal gum (gugulipid) lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels similar to Statin drugs Oolong tea may inhibit cholesterol absorption due to the phenols that it contains. But more is not better. Limit yourself to a couple cups a day. ALCOHOL The best-known effect of alcohol is a small increase in HDL cholesterol. Alcohol or some substances such as resveratrol (res-VAIR'ah-trol) found in alcoholic beverages may prevent platelets in the blood from sticking.  Moderate alcohol consumption may he beneficial in preventing coronary events, It should be noted that there is a J-shaped relationship between alcohol consumption and mortality, with minimal mortality being in the range of 1 to 2 drinks a day. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. This means an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. (A drink is one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz of wine, 1.5 oz. of 100-proof spirits, or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.) Researchers have suggested that the benefit may be due to wine, especially red wine. Others are examining the potential benefits of components in red wine such as fiavonoids (FLAV'oh-noidz) and other antioxidants Some of these components may be found in other foods such as grapes or red grape juice.

Cholesterol

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