When asked to rate the cholesterol-lowering potential of various plans, Liebman says that as long as they're followed carefully, the Mediterranean, South Beach and TLC diets would probably do the best job. She says the South Beach diet may make "the most sense" because it's relatively easy to follow. (One big problem with any diet is being able to stick with it.) Liebman liked the South Beach diet because it's realistic to follow and also lowers cholesterol levels.
Here's a quick review of several popular plans and their likely impact on cholesterol levels:
Diet: Very low fat (including Ornish and Pritikin)
What it entails: These type of diet plans are very low in total fat and sodium and rich in whole-grain carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables and legumes.
The Ornish diet allows unlimited amounts of fruit, grains and vegetables, and moderate amounts of nonfat dairy products. Meats of all kinds, oils, nuts and sugar are prohibited.
The Pritikin diet plan includes lots of complex carbohydrates (oats, brown rice), starchy vegetables (potatoes, yams) and limited refined grains (pasta, white bread). This plan also emphasizes raw and cooked vegetables and calcium-rich foods (nonfat milk or yogurt), but permits no more than one serving of meat or fish daily.
Nutritionist's take: These regimens are low in saturated fat, which is good for cholesterol levels. But their low-protein content is problematic, because the dieter must consume more carbohydrates to compensate. This leads to a rise in triglycerides, a type of cholesterol that binds to protein in the blood to form the "bad cholesterol."
"There seems to be a problem with carbs and triglycerides," says Liebman, noting that "there's no simple explanation why. Even the American Heart Association [has] urged people not to follow a low-fat diet for [too] long for that reason."
Diet: Vegetarian
What it entails: Vegetarianism can cause confusion because of its distinctions. A vegan or total vegetarian eats only plant-derived foods, such as vegetables, grains or legumes (dried beans and peas). A lacto-vegetarian also eats cheese and other dairy, and an ovo-vegetarian adds eggs to the mix. A semi-vegetarian doesn't eat red meat, but consumes fish and chicken along with plant foods, dairy products and eggs.
Nutritionist's take: "I don't think I can say how this affects cholesterol," says Liebman, "because it depends on what's in someone's diet. If it's loaded with eggs, cheese and milk, it won't lower cholesterol at all.
"If they choose low-fat versions of these foods, they will experience a drop in LDL levels ["bad cholesterol"], but [it] may raise their triglycerides," she adds. "Most vegetarians do eat a healthy diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, but there's no guarantee."
Diet: Mediterranean
What it entails: Named for the traditional diet of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, this plan includes lots of fruits and vegetables, healthy unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, although canola oil can also be used. This diet features small portions of nuts and regular servings of oily fish, such as tuna, salmon and mackerel. Red meat and other sources of saturated fat, such as butter are avoided.
Nutritionist's take: "This is good for cholesterol," Liebman says, "as long as people don't think that what they eat in their favorite Italian restaurant is the classic Mediterranean diet." Fatty fish, olive oil and canola oil are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help lower "bad cholesterol," but Liebman cautions against overdoing even healthy fats because fat is dense in calories.
Diet: Carb-cutting (including Carb-Buster, Atkins, South Beach and Zone)
What it entails: Low-carb diets are controversial because they center on consuming lots of protein, including red meats, which are high in saturated fat and can raise cholesterol levels.
The first two regimens (Carb-Buster and Atkins) avoid carbohydrates in any form, either simple (processed breads, white rice, cake, cookies) or complex (grains, some fruit and vegetables) carbs. The South Beach and Zone diets emphasize protein, but tolerate small amounts of complex carbs.
Nutritionist's take: "As long as you're losing weight, even a diet high in saturated fat probably won't raise your cholesterol," says Liebman. "But the diet that seems to make the most sense is South Beach, which has the advantage of allowing low carbs without raising cholesterol. Replacing carbs with unsaturated fat and protein may be the best plan to prevent heart disease."
Diet: Dietary guideline based (including Food Pyramid and TLC)
What it entails: Plans based on a dietary guideline include the Food Pyramid plan, which utilizes the MyPyramid guidelines introduced by the U.S. government in 2005 to replace the iconic Food Guide Pyramid. This plan lets dieters pick from five main food groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meats and beans. Reducing total calorie intake and increasing exercise levels are also strongly emphasized on this plan. The government website provides a database where individuals can enter their gender, age and activity levels for a personalized eating plan.
The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet is recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program to specifically help lower cholesterol for those who have a cardiovascular disease or associated significant risk factors including high cholesterol levels. The TLC diet promotes up to 5 ounces per day of lean meat, poultry or fish, and plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains and low-fat dairy products, while limiting cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg per day (for example, one egg yolk has about 213 mg).
Nutritionist's take: The Food Pyramid diet is "a bit too vague and doesn't make enough of a distinction between good carbs and bad [carbs]," says Liebman. "TLC is a little more precise. It lowers saturated fats and trans fats," which would both fuel a rise in cholesterol levels.
Sources:
Liebman, Bonnie, Director of Nutrition, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Telephone interview. 5 Mar. 2008.
Zeratsky, Katherine. "Vegetarian Diet: Will It Help Me Lose Weight?" MayoClinic.com. 11 Apr. 2007. The Mayo Clinic. 3 Mar. 2008 <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/AN01580>.
"Mediterranean Diet for Heart Health." MayoClinic.com. 21 Jun. 2006. The Mayo Clinic. 3 Mar. 2008 <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mediterranean-diet/CL00011>.
"Weight-loss Options: 6 Common Diet Plans." MayoClinic.com. 23 Jun 2006. The Mayo Clinic. 3 Mar. 2008 <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/NU00616>.
"Food Pyramid: An Option for Better Eating." MayoClinic.com. 14 Feb. 2008. The Mayo Clinic. 3 Mar. 2008 <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/NU00190>.
"Lowering Cholesterol: Could Your Diet Use Some TLC?" MayoClinic.com. 26 Jun. 2006. The Mayo Clinic. 3 Mar. 2008 <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lowering-cholesterol/CL00014>.
Abel, Barbara. "Popular Diets Rarely Offer Long-Term Success." HealthLink. 12 Feb. 2007. Medical College of Wisconsin. 3 Mar 2008 <http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002722.html>.
LifeWire, a part of The New York Times Company, provides original and syndicated online lifestyle content. Maureen Salamon is a freelance writer who has written for newspapers, websites and hospitals. A graduate of Penn State University with a journalism degree, her work also appears in the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series and she is co-authoring the memoir of the pediatrician who discovered AIDS in children.
http://www.advancedbionutritionals.com/Products/Advanced-Cholesterol-Formula.htm
Policosanol
policosanol is an all-natural vegetable wax found in the tropical sugar cane plant. This extract is not technically a sugar — it contains no sugar and has no extra calories. So even though it's from a sugar cane plant, it won't have any adverse effect on our blood sugar level. What makes policosanol so remarkable is that it literally unclogs our arteries with its unique artery-scrubbing power!
Policosanol gives us more critical circulatory and heart support — four kinds — than we'll ever get from any other cholesterol therapy. For starters…
#1. Policosanol lowers our total cholesterol faster to get us to a safe zone.
As we may know, our total cholesterol is made up of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, and HDL, the "good" cholesterol. Our body needs some cholesterol to survive and thrive and knows how to make just the right amount of each kind to keep your heart and arteries healthy. But if we have too much LDL and not enough HDL, that's when our total cholesterol numbers get too high.
Here's how policosanol comes to the rescue: Because of its remarkable power to get your HDL and LDL into the correct proportions it can lower your TOTAL cholesterol fast. Over 14 clinical trials have shown excellent results in a short amount of time. And results in every study show that participants lowered their total cholesterol by a hefty 16 percent. Some people reported an even greater drop in their total cholesterol level. This means that…
- If your total cholesterol is 260, now you can drop it to a healthier 218!
- If your total cholesterol is 240, now you can drop it to a safer 201!
- If your total cholesterol is 220, now you can drop it to a phenomenal 185!
Bottom line is policosanol can help your numbers really MOVE. And not only can policosanol lower total cholesterol…
#2. Policosanol gets rid of MORE "bad" LDL cholesterol.
LDL, the so-called "bad" cholesterol, is only bad when you have too much of it. High LDL levels cause our body to produce excessive amounts of free radicals. Some of them stick to our artery walls and become plaque. This can narrow our vessels and reduce blood flow. Or even worse, the plaque breaks off and "shoots" straight into the arteries of our heart or brain!
Policosanol gets our liver to metabolize — or BURN UP — that extra "bad" LDL cholesterol. In one important large-scale study, just 5mg of policosanol twice daily lowered "bad" LDL numbers by an astounding 22 percent.
And here's even better news: Policosanol helps limit your body's ability to make more LDL! It keeps fat cells from oxidizing for healthier blood vessels. It also helps keep artery walls from thickening and reduces deadly blood clots and arterial inflammation.
But it doesn't stop there…
#3. Policosanol helps your body make MORE "good" HDL cholesterol.
HDL, the "good" cholesterol, has the most important job — sweeping your arteries clean by carrying away the dangerous plaque that can clog them. As you know, this is a leading cause of heart attack and stroke. So the higher your HDL, the better.
But unlike other cholesterol solutions, policosanol raises your HDL "good" levels while it reduces your levels of LDL "bad" cholesterol. In fact, studies prove that just a tiny amount of this nutrient can boost "good" HDL cholesterol as much as 14 percent!
Plus, policosanol delivers another unexpected benefit to guard your cardiovascular health…
#4. Policosanol LOWERS triglycerides-the dangerous blood fats.
Most people are so worried about their cholesterol they don't realize triglycerides are just as important. Triglycerides are another type of blood fat that's very dangerous. They are fatty particles that come mostly from sugars, carbohydrates and alcohol in your diet and hidden away as stored body fat.
Triglycerides are often linked to low HDL levels, so the more triglycerides you have, the more fat there is in your system to plug up your blood vessels. Simply put - higher triglycerides mean higher health risk.
But a double-blind study showed policosanol lowered serum triglycerides by 16%. That can mean all the difference on your cardiovascular report card.
Plant Sterols.
Found in many fruits, vegetables, nuts and cereals, they were first discovered back in 1922.
Plant sterols are structurally similar to the cholesterol found in meat, but with a BIG difference: they're helpful to our system, not harmful. In fact, what they do is quite remarkable.
Plant sterols fool our body into thinking they are harmful cholesterol. Then, they BLOCK the bad cholesterol in our diet from being absorbed into our digestive tract.
As a result, they can lower the amount of dangerous
LDL cholesterol in the blood dramatically
LDL cholesterol in the blood dramatically
- They can reduce levels of "bad" cholesterol up to 18 percent: A study conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture showed that people who took plant sterols for two weeks saw LDL levels drop by ten percent to as much as 18 percent.
- They can decrease our risk of heart problems by more than 30%. Researchers at Tufts University say that not only can plant sterols lower "bad" LDL, they can also reduce our total cholesterol by 10 percent. This doesn't sound like a lot, but it's enough to slash our risk of cholesterol problems by nearly one-third.
- Plus, the higher our cholesterol level, the better the results! Scientists at Washington University were astonished to find that not only did plant sterols reduce cholesterol in all study participants, those with the unhealthiest LDL levels saw an even bigger drop-a whopping 30 percent.
Plus, plant sterols are completely safe, inexpensive, and work fast. In most studies, cholesterol-lowering benefits were seen in as little as two weeks. But, there's a catch:
The FDA says, "Foods containing at least 0.65 grams per serving of plant sterol esters, eaten twice a day with meals for a daily total intake of at least 1.3 grams, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease."
This means you would have to eat several pounds of fruits and nuts, or as many as 100 small potatoes every single day to notice any cholesterol-lowering benefits.
While some margarines, cereals and snack bars are fortified with plant sterols, the easiest and best way to get enough of the plant sterols you need is in supplement form. So I added plant sterols to Advanced Cholesterol Formula.
Two capsules of Advanced Cholesterol Formula twice a day provide a full 1.5 grams of plant sterols. That's even more than the daily amount suggested by the FDA - as well as the level shown in studies to deliver the most benefits for your heart and circulatory system.
As potent as policosanol and plant sterols are for heart health, I wanted to make Advanced Cholesterol Formula even more effective. That's why I added another one of nature's best nutrients for supporting healthy cholesterol on multiple levels. It actually has the ability to…
Scrub away decades of artery abuse
Green tea contains powerful antioxidants called polyphenols. Polyphenols are 40 times stronger than both Vitamin C and Vitamin E in their ability to mop up dangerous free radicals that can damage your heart. The polyphenols in green tea fortify your heart cells so they keep on producing maximum energy and BURN UP the extra-oxidized LDL cholesterol that sticks to your artery walls like glue.
Not only can green tea help scrub our arteries clean, it also helps dissolve any new blockages that may occur. In fact, researchers at UCLA and Cedars Sinai Medical Center found that green tea polyphenols can prevent up to 73% of high cholesterol buildup and new blockages in arteries. And if that's not enough…
Green tea improves triglycerides and total cholesterol numbers, too.
According to a University of Connecticut study, the compounds in green tea help block bad cholesterol from being absorbed in the blood and digestive tract and helps excrete it from the body. Another study conducted by the prestigious Vanderbilt University Medical Center found that patients taking green tea extracts saw their levels of "bad" LDL levels and total cholesterol plummet an average of 11 percent. Plus, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition says that green tea can reduce triglycerides as much as 20%.
