To Lower Cholesterol and Lose Weight, Go Macadamia Nuts

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To Lower Cholesterol and Lose Weight, Go Macadamia Nuts

No food is a better source of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) than macadamia nuts. Every 100 g of macadamias contains 60 g of MUFAs. These beneficial fats are known to reduce LDL cholesterol levels without reducing HDL cholesterol levels, and to reduce the body's need for antioxidants. Macadamias also contain a little more than 0.1 percent plant sterols, the compounds added to "smart" margarines used to lower cholesterol.

For these reasons, eating macadamias lowers total cholesterol and LDL and raises HDL, even though they are a high-fat food. Australian researchers Manohar Garg, Robert Blake, and Ron Wills recruited seventeen middle-aged men with total cholesterol levels of 237 to 300 mg/dl. They instructed them to maintain their diet and lifestyle but also to eat 40 to 90 g (1-1/2 to about 3 oz) of macadamias every day, the men who ordinarily consumed the most calories given the most nuts. At the end of four weeks, the men's average total cholesterol had been lowered by 3.0 percent. LDL cholesterol was down 5.3 percent, and HDL cholesterol was up 7.9 percent.

Eating macadamias also slightly lowered concentrations of n-6 fatty acids (which the body uses to make hormones that raise blood pressure) and slightly raised concentrations of n-3 fatty acids (which the body uses to make hormones that lower blood pressure). Triglycerides and homocysteine were unaffected. Despite increasing their total daily food consumption by about 160 calories and increasing the percentage of fat in their diet from 31 percent to 37 percent, the men lost weight, an average of 0.54 kg (a little more than a pound), and their body mass indices (BMIs) also were reduced.

The Australian researchers explained these results by the unusual combination of beneficial nutrients in the nuts. Cholesterol-lowering margarines are made with 1000 times more sterols than occur naturally in macadamias, but the combination of MUFAs, sterols, and other fats in the nuts makes them as beneficial as artificial margarine-with the added benefit of lowering weight.

Read about Diet & High Cholesterol. Robert Rister is the author or co-author of nine books on natural health.

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Lower Cholesterol Level

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Normal Cholesterol Readings - What's Healthy and What's Not

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Normal Cholesterol Readings - What's Healthy and What's Not
By Gloria Gangi

You can be fit as a fiddle and still have cholesterol. Cholesterol is necessary for the growth of a human body, in today's society cholesterol is generally misunderstood and the impacts of it are underestimated. Cholesterol can lead to disturbing health problems if it is not controlled correctly.

It is imperative, when selecting a diet or making lifestyle choices, to distinguish between the various kinds of cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is generally thought to be the superior type of cholesterol. It is accountable for many significant physical functions as well as the preservation of cell walls.

LDL cholesterol, or low-density, is the bad type of cholesterol. An excess of LDL cholesterol in the human body can bring about cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and even stroke. If your family has a history of heart problems, it's imperative not only to supervise your cholesterol intake, but also to get regular cholesterol readings from your healthcare professional.

What Are Normal Cholesterol Readings

Cholesterol readings normally comprise of an LDL cholesterol reading, an HDL cholesterol reading and a total cholesterol reading. You might impulsively be inclined to get a whole cholesterol reading, but it actually isn't the most significant number. Be sure to keep your eyes on the whole picture.

In general, you want your whole cholesterol to stay under 200. A borderline analysis may be as high as the 230s, but anything above 240 should indicate some grave red flags. LDL cholesterol ought to if possible remain below 130. If it strays into the 160s, you'll want to begin making some fairly major nutritional changes. Lastly, HDL cholesterol should stay above 45. Anything below 40 should give you concern.

As a precaution normal cholesterol readings should be performed regularly by your doctor. In between visits to your healthcare professional, there are a number of things that you can do yourself to keep bad cholesterol at bay. Choose a balanced diet that includes a good amount of protein, in the form of fish and dark meat, and be sure to get four to six servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Keep away from foods that have a lot of fat, as they are inclined to raise blood cholesterol levels.

When all is said and done, cholesterol is nothing to get panicked about. The best solution for high cholesterol truly is common sense. Be reasonable in the foods you eat, and you'll most likely never have to worry about it.

For more details on how to control your cholesterol please visit: http://www.yourcholesteroldiet.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gloria_Gangi




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The Cholesterol Lowering Benefits of Acai Berry

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The Cholesterol Lowering Benefits of Acai Berry

Up until about 6 years ago, the Acai (pronounced ah-sa-yee) Berry was one of the best-kept secrets of the Amazon rain forest. Many of the fruits of this luscious rainforest are thought to hold magical healing properties for many of our modern world's illnesses. Legend has it that the native people of the Amazon have been aware of the powerful health-enhancing benefits of Acai for thousands of years, and that this miraculous berry has always been a part of their traditional diet.

In recent years, Acai has become very popular among health food circles because of the unbelievable number of health benefits it offers. As more and more people become interested in natural alternatives to staying healthy, consumption levels of Acai in the Western world are sure to increase. The deep purple Acai berries grow wildly on the palm trees in Brazil and the Amazon basin, and local farmers harvest them and turn them into a fruity pulp. The fruity pulp is then frozen in order to preserve the valuable nutrients of the berry and is shipped to destinations worldwide.

Acai contains a fantastic range of vitamins, nutrients, and amino acids that help fight off many health problems that are associated with the process of aging. But it also contains another special ingredient that many people have overlooked in the past: cholesterol combating fatty acids. Acai is rich in Omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids, which are the same healthy fatty acids contained in olive oil. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated essential fatty acids that work to lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or bad cholesterol) and increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL or good cholesterol) in the bloodstream. Omega-9 is a monounsaturated essential fatty acid that likewise lowers LDL and maintains HDL levels in our bodies.

Lowering the level of LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream is important if you want to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. When too much LDL circulates in your bloodstream, it will build up along the inner walls of our arteries. This, in turn, eventually causes a narrowing of the arteries that severely restricts the flow of blood. If left untreated over the longer term, this condition can lead to the formation of arterial clots, which could result in a heart attack or a stroke.

HDL cholesterol, on the other hand, can work to protect a person against heart attacks. HDL carries the bad cholesterol out of the arteries and into the liver, where it is then excreted from the body. It slows down the build-up of fat deposits along the inner walls of the arteries and improves the flow of blood.

In addition to its cholesterol reducing properties, Acai also comes with a number of other health benefits. It's an energy booster, an anti-aging superfood, and a rich source of calcium. It strengthens our bones and makes us less prone to fractures. It prevents gum disease and keeps our teeth healthy. It even contains antioxidants which destroy cancer cells. Best of all, Acai Berry is 100% natural. Isn't it amazing what this little purple berry can do?

If you found this article helpful and would like to learn more about the Acai Berry, please visit Free Acai Berry Trial where you can get a FREE TRIAL bottle of ACAI BERRY SELECT.

About The Author:
Michael Guzman is an expert Internet home business builder providing one-on-one guidance to individuals who are starting their own Internet home business.

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HDL Cholesterol is not good enough

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HDL Cholesterol is not good enough

For so many years, High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) has been seen as the good cholesterol that can help us reduce the bad cholesterol level or Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), therefore we’ve been encourage to raise the Good cholesterol, the more HDL in the blood level would be the better. However the new study publish in the December 2008 issue of The FASEB Journal said a different thing.

Researchers from University of Chicago, shows that the good cholesterol (HDL) itself has a different level in quality and a bad quality of HDL can actually bad for you.

The researcher found that people with chronic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, kidney disease and diabetes, have a different HDL compare to the HDL from the healthy people, even when their blood level of HDL are comparable. The HDL from the healthy people can reduce inflammation while the HDL from the people with chronic disease cannot.

This is might can explain that why some people can still develop cardiovascular disease while they have perfect cholesterol levels. Therefore it become a subject that for some people with high HDL blood level are not necessarily protected from the heart disease problem, they should ask their doctor to find out if their high HDL is a good one or a bad one.

So if you think that your high HDL Cholesterol Level is good, you might want to think again.. what do you say??


Article source:
http://www.fasebj.org/Press_Room/December_2008_Press_Release.shtml



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Green Tea and High Cholesterol

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Green Tea and High Cholesterol

To be honest, I've become kind of burned out by all the hype about the health benefits of green tea. Recently, however, I came across a study of green for cholesterol in kids, however, that's really worth passing on.

Nowadays there is pretty general acceptance of the idea that green tea has remarkable health benefits, and there is growing evidence that it is an essential element in the best diets for high cholesterol, notably for children with high cholesterol.

A team of medical researchers at the Nippon Medical School in Chiba (Japan) gave 40 volunteers either 500 milligrams of green tea catechins (that's the equivalent of drinking 6 or 7 cups of green tea a day) or a placebo for four months . The scientists found that in the green tea group at the end of the twenty-four week trial:

* Total cholesterol was essentially unchanged,
* Triglycerides also were unchanged,
* LDL cholesterol stayed the same, but

The fraction of LDL particles that had been attacked by free radicals and oxidized into a form that cause plaques in the lining of arteries fell nearly 18 per cent. Since it is oxidized LDL cholesterol that actually clogs arteries, green tea is more effective in heart health than beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, or vitamin E.

Green tea may also help children with high cholesterol. The journal Obesity reports that Japanese children who were given a drink containing 576 milligrams of green tea catechins once a day for six months lowered LDL and blood pressure and enjoyed slimmer waistlines while continuing normal bone and muscle growth.

And if that is not enough, there is evidence that for people who eat a high-fat diet, green tea acts as a cholesterol-blocker. Green tea attacks the very causes of high cholesterol, keeping cholesterol from ever entering circulation. The catechins in green tea mix with the cholesterol so that it clumps and is excreted rather than absorbed. They do not interact with essential n-3 fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. Good fats in, bad fats out.

The easiest way to get your catechins is to take a supplement, but many people prefer to brew their own green tea. Here's what you need to know to brew a heart-healthy green tea:

Green tea develops a full flavor and releases the most catechins if it is brewed at about 140 degrees F (80 degrees C). Black tea, in contrast, is usually brewed in water that is almost boiling. You make the catechins unavailable if you add milk to hot green tea (although green tea ice cream typically has a high catechin content). Loose green tea has a higher catechin content than bagged green tea.

Most of the complaints about green tea center on its taste, or lack thereof, but you can be creative. In addition to the well-known green tea ice cream (which is not really on any list of heart-healthy foods), it is possible to add anywhere from a pinch to a teaspoon of loose green tea to burgers, omelets, salads, smoothies, soups, sauces, oatmeal, and even burritos. The benefits of green tea start at about four cups a day, so start there!

About the Author:
Robert Rister is the author or co-author of nine books on natural health and has also written about the real story on Eggs and Cholesterol

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Rister

Lower Cholesterol Level