Did you know that your liver will actually produce much more
cholesterol than what you can eat in a day? In fact, cholesterol is the
backbone for most of your hormones, including estrogen and
testosterone. There is still a lot of hype about cholesterol with a
push for more and more cholesterol lowering medications. It is
important to understand the difference between the good and the bad
cholesterol.
We get into a lot of problems when
our body is under a lot of oxidative stress. When our body is under
oxidative stress, there is an increased amount of free radicals that are
formed. This creates a hazardous cycle that leads to the metabolic
changes that are associated with the development of heart disease. This
oxidized cholesterol that gets really sticky and will adhere to the
blood vessel walls, create an obstruction in the vessel and eventually
lead to clogging of the arteries. The end result can be a heart attack
or a stroke. One of the most important tests or parameters to seek is
your blood level of high sensitivity C Reactive Protein (link to Dr. Haendiges' informational PDF report) and your
triglyceride to HDL ratio. This in reality is a much more informative
test than your total cholesterol.
So how do you
prevent oxidative stress? Free radicals can be the result of stress or
exposure to toxins in our environment, including charred meat and
cigarette smoking. Poor dietary choices such as refined foods and foods
loaded with high fructose corn syrup. We have to have plenty of fresh,
whole foods that are rich in anti-oxidants such as spinach, green
vegetables and richly colored fresh vegetables.
When
we are under a lot of stress, we get a significant increase in
cholesterol. We do this because cholesterol is the backbone of cortisol
also. Cortisol is our fight or flight hormone. Low thyroid will also
cause this problem. We can actually fight this oxidative stress that is
inevitable by taking a few key anti-oxidants. This is where the CoEnzyme
Q 10 comes in to play.
There are certain times
that we really do need the statin drugs such as Lipitor or Zocor. I
realize that this medication can help to save lives and in those
instances, I am all for it. However, these medications cause a
drastic depletion in an essential antioxidant called CoQ10. This
nutrient is very critical to the heart. It will decrease the oxidative
damage that occurs in the heart. Your body will actually produce CoQ10
in adequate levels if all systems are performing optimally. Now, how
often does that happen?
Tomorrow, I will continue a
little more on heart health. For today, I would suggest that you take a
quality supplement for heart health. Especially, if you are on a
cholesterol lowering medication.
To your health,
Dr.
Haendiges
