New England Health Advisory

By Inger Pols

Today I’m going to cover a topic of concern for most men: prostate health. But this topic is important for female readers too, as this information will likely be helpful to someone you love who does have a prostate and you’ll also find much of this information applies to breast or uterine health. Many scientists consider prostate cancer in men to be the equivalent of breast cancer in women because it is brought about by the same conditions, factors and imbalances that simply manifest in different sexual organs because of gender.

What is the Prostate and How Does it Work?

The prostate is a small gland about the size of a walnut just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate wraps around the urethra, a tube that takes urine from the bladder out through the penis. The prostate makes the milky fluid that carries the sperm, which is made in the testicles, out through the penis during ejaculation.

As men get older, enlargement of the prostate is a common concern, affecting more than half of men by age 60 and an estimated 80% by age 80. As the prostate enlarges, it presses against the bladder, resulting in a disruption of the flow of urine, causing frequent urination, difficulty urinating, a weak urine stream or a feeling that the bladder has not fully emptied.

Looking at those statistics, it may seem that prostate challenges are inevitable. But research shows there is much we can do to prevent these problems. However, the conditions we create in our bodies do not appear magically overnight; they are the result of the many small choices we make each day. There are no quick fixes for good health, but the recommendations below can have a positive effect over time.

Achieving and Maintaining a Healthy Prostate

Here are some of the things you can do to enhance prostate health (and if you are a woman, think breast health instead):

Eat a healthy balanced whole-food diet: Ensure you are consuming all the vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and phytonutrients your body needs. Take a whole-food supplement to cover any gaps. Eat more fiber, especially from vegetables, as vegetable fiber is shown to help with blood sugar and reduce the risk of prostate problems. Reduce or eliminate white sugars and flours from your diet and choose foods lower on the glycemic index that are rich in fiber and healthy fats.

Hormonal balance is important and I’m going to talk about balancing our sex hormones shortly. But you cannot balance your secondary (sex) hormones (i.e., testosterone and estrogen, which are very important to prostate health) when your primary hormones, like insulin, are out of balance. Balance your primary hormones by making sure that your blood sugar is regulated so that insulin is not a concern.

Reduce internal inflammation: It’s directly connected to prostate problems and tied to many cancers including prostate and breast. Johns Hopkins research shows that early stages of prostate cancer go hand in hand with chronic inflammation and that an anti-inflammatory diet can help correct this. Pay attention to high cholesterol not because cholesterol is bad; cholesterol is part of your body’s natural healing process. Rather, high cholesterol is an indication that inflammation is occurring in the body. Ubiquinol can help prevent the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation that causes inflammation in the arteries. Omega 3 can help reduce inflammation already present.

Cholesterol levels are important for another reason: Higher cholesterol typically indicates higher levels of estrogen in the body. (Estrogen levels are also usually higher in obese men.) Higher estrogen levels are shown to double the risk of stroke, significantly increase the risk of heart disease and increase thickening of the arteries. High estrogen levels are tied to prostate cancer as well, though some scientists think it hasn’t been studied enough because many men with high estrogen levels succumb to other diseases long before prostate concerns manifest.

Hormones are always about balance and our sex hormones are no different. When estrogen levels increase, it means that relatively speaking, there is less testosterone. (Or in women, less progesterone.) Testosterone is required to maintain a healthy prostate and men with higher levels of testosterone are better able to prevent prostate problems. Because it’s about balance, we either need to raise testosterone levels or eliminate the excess estrogen. Increasing testosterone can only be done effectively through a prescription medication that comes with a host of side effects.

But there are a number of ways to avoid excess estrogen, including reducing your meat and dairy intake. Humans are the only species on the planet whose adults drink milk (or consume large amounts through cheese, ice cream and other dairy products). Milk from perennially pregnant cows is, not surprisingly, laden with hormones such as estrogen.

In addition, we are daily bombarded with estrogenic compounds called xenoestrogens. These compounds can mimic estrogen and take up estrogen receptor sites, leaving the body’s estrogen to wander looking for an available receptor site. This excess estrogen imbalances our normal hormone ratios. Xenoestrogens are found in petroleum-based products, plastics, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. They are in car emissions, paint, nail polish, soap, lotion, food, water and the air. Xenoestrogens result in an increase in belly fat or breast development in men as well as weight gain, allergies, sinus infections, fatigue, mood swings and the onset of andropause, the male equivalent of menopause. Andropause can result in impotence, low sex drive, low sperm count, low absorption of zinc, increased risk of heart disease, and not surprisingly, urination and prostate problems.

While we can reduce meat and dairy and improve our diets, we cannot control all the elements in our environment. This is where the supplement DIM (or diindolylmethane) that I spoke about in the last newsletter can help. DIM is a phytonutrient that occurs naturally in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. It was discovered about 10 years ago, but its benefits are only just now being understood.

Taking DIM has the equivalent effect of eating three pounds of broccoli a day. DIM is a natural estrogen balancer in women and men. It can promote healthy estrogen metabolism and prevent estrogen dominance, and is also shown to protect against cancer, heart disease and to support healthy prostate tissue and prevent prostate enlargement.

The plant indoles in cruciferous vegetables have been shown to regulate hormone metabolism and not only manage estrogen in men, they have also been shown to support a more desirable testosterone function. DIM can help estrogen break down into its “good” metabolites, which are responsible for the positive things we hear about estrogen: protection of heart and brain activity.

Slow estrogen metabolism can result in too much active estrogen, or estradiol, in the body, which causes problems like weight gain, diminished sex drive, male pattern baldness and prostate enlargement. DIM increases the “good” estrogen metabolites, which serve as antioxidants in the body and simultaneously decreases the “bad” metabolites, which are not antioxidants and can cause cancer in the body.

I don’t normally recommend specific supplements, but many of us (male and female) are estrogen dominant as a result of our diets and our environment and thus have hormonal imbalance issues. For anyone concerned about estrogen metabolism or hormonal imbalance, or dealing with the physical manifestations of such, I recommend the BioResponse form of DIM, as it is a naturally occurring phytonutrient that is microencapsulated to ensure absorption.

Other Ways to Support Prostate Health

Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity is tied to many health issues including heart attacks, diabetes and prostate problems. Excess weight around the mid-section is a particular concern, as it’s far more detrimental to our health than weight gain anywhere else in the body. Gaining weight or enlargement of the breasts is also a concern as it reflects excess estrogen.

Exercise for physical health and to reduce stress. Research shows that as little as 15 minutes of exercise a day reduced the mortality rate of men with prostate cancer. As exercise intensity levels and frequency increased, so did survival rates. Men who exercised three or more hours a week (moderate to intense exercise like jogging, cycling, tennis or swimming) reduced mortality rates by 35%. Men who walked four or more hours a week reduced mortality by 23% while men who walked 90 or more minutes at a brisk pace had a 51% less risk of death than those who walked less than 90 minutes at a slower easier pace. Those who engaged in vigorous physical activity for five or more hours a week showed a significant reduction in mortality.

Engage in frequent sexual activity or masturbation. Studies show that carcinogens pool in seminal fluid and that releasing the toxins from your prostate regularly improves prostate health. It’s the ejaculation process that is beneficial. Improvements are shown at two times a week, with additional protection afforded at three or more times a week. (And Dr. Oz just said the average American has sex once a week, but that increasing it to twice a week can add three years to your life.)

Release any buried anger and resentment. Holding onto it doesn’t serve you in any way and keeping negative emotions inside the body has a physical effect on our cells. Anger and resentment have long been correlated to cancerous cell growth in energy medicine and this idea is now being proven in research as well.  Negative feelings increase the stress level cortisol, a hormone that has been consistently found to repress the function of the immune system. When the immune system is not at the top of its game, the cancer cells that are present in every body have a better environment in which to multiply and can form tumor sites.

Suppression of anger, hate, grief or resentment can also the damage the emotional reflex center in the brain. Over time, this will result in a breakdown that will result in wrong messages being sent to the organ it controls, creating deformed or cancerous cell growth. Numerous studies of cancer patients have identified an unresolved conflict, or suppressed and unexpressed emotion, usually occurring several years before cancer emerged.

And when adrenaline is low, the environment is better for cancerous cell growth. High stress levels will deplete your adrenaline reserves enabling a cancerous environment. Let your feelings out and release stress in other ways such as meditation, deep breathing, journaling, music, and laughter. Laughter is a powerful stress reliever, so when you’ve had a bad day, find some friends you can laugh about it with, or watch a favorite funny movie and laugh out loud.

Research shows that vitamin D helps prevent a variety of cancers, including prostate and breast. In one study, supplementation was shown to reduce the PSA (prostate specific antigen) levels in men with prostate cancer. Another study revealed that men with high vitamin D levels were half as likely to develop aggressive forms of prostate cancer as men with lower levels, so get outside and get your daily dose of sunshine.

As for specific supplements or foods to enhance prostate health, there are many. There are a number of food studies that indicate the benefits of certain foods such as garlic, scallions, pomegranate, walnuts (for the omega 3s and gamma tocopherol, a form of vitamin E), coffee (for the antioxidants), cooked tomatoes (for the lycopene), bee pollen (for the zinc) and it never hurts to add more healthy foods to our diets.

There are also nutrient studies touting saw palmetto, zinc, boron, K2 and selenium but there are also risks of taking too much of these in supplement form. Generally speaking, taking any supplement in isolation limits its effectiveness. When you eat the foods themselves, or the food sources of the minerals and phytonutrients, it’s hard to overdose and they can offer great prostate health benefits.

By eating a balanced whole food diet and taking a whole-food supplement, you will be getting all the vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and phytonutrients you need together to absorb and fully utilize the benefits. That makes good sense for overall wellness as well as prostate health.

To your health!

Inger Pols
Editor of New England Health Advisory

By Al Sears. M.D.

With a simple test I can tell you if you’re likely to have a heart attack or stroke.

I can also give you a remedy to help make sure you never do – no matter how high your risk is…

The test checks for levels of homocysteine. It’s your number one indicator of heart disease.

The big drug makers play down the importance of this critical factor. They haven’t figured out a way to make any money from it, so they try to convince you that it doesn’t matter.

Turns out knowing your homocysteine level is even more useful than we thought. Homocysteine can foretell a host of other diseases as well.

And here’s the good news: It’s easy to keep your level low.

Homocysteine is a naturally occurring amino acid. But too much of it irritates the lining of your blood vessels and prevents them from dilating. This increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.

One study found that levels of homocysteine were dramatically higher in men who died from heart attacks. They discovered that men with high levels were four times more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack than those with lower levels.1

In Norway, doctors studied men with heart disease for six years. Again, they found that those with high levels of homocysteine suffered the highest number of heart attacks. The higher their levels, the lower their chances of surviving.2

But their most startling discovery is that homocysteine levels are your strongest predictor of death. More so than any other measured factor, including cholesterol.

High levels of homocysteine can also alert you to other problems and potential diseases including:

• Kidney disease
• Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Depression
• HIV/AIDS
• Psoriasis
• Hypothroidism
• Gout
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, (SLE)
• Cancer

As you can see, many of these conditions don’t have a direct link to heart disease or stroke. Yet my own experience backs up the evidence.

The connection between high homocysteine and an underactive thyroid is also critical. Many times doctors fail to recognize thyroid problems. The result can leave patients with fatigue, migraines and depression.

The irony is that you can easily manage your homocysteine. A simple blood test will tell you if you have high homocysteine levels. I like to keep my patients’ levels at 7 or below.

I have not had a single case of elevated homocysteine that couldn’t be corrected with the right combination of natural supplements.

Here’s what I use with my patients. (Amounts are daily.) You can find these at your local health-food store:
•    Vitamin B12 – 500 mcg
•    Folic acid (B9) – 800 mcg
•    Vitamin B6 – 25 mg
•    Riboflavin (B2) – 25 mg
•    TMG (Trimethylglycine) – 500 mg

To your good health,

Al Sears, M.D.
Bibliography:

1.    Wald NJ, et al. Homocysteine and ischemic heart disease: results of a prospective study with implications regarding prevention. Arch Intern Med. 1998; 158:862-7.
2.    Nygard O, et al. Plasma homocysteine levels and mortality in patients with coronary artery disease. New England Journal of  Medicine, 1997, 337:230-6.

By Andrew Palmer

Some people say that the new form of CoQ10, called ubiquinol, is equivalent to the fountain of youth—giving you renewed energy and promoting improved metabolism, weight loss, cell protection and better cardiovascular health.

I think that’s a bit of a stretch—after all, the fountain of youth is mythological.

But I believe in ubiquinol enough to take the supplement Accel everyday.  Accel consists of pure ubiquinol–CoQ10 in its reduced form.

What makes it so special?

Ubiquinol is eight times more potent than regular CoQ10 and promotes all the processes that keep the body young and beautiful. Studies show that ubiquinol slows aging by as much as 51%. This is remarkable by any possible standard.

It’s not easy to cope with aging. Ubiquinol can help many of the problems that come from aging. It promotes normal cholesterol levels, encourages healthy triglyceride levels, boosts vision and eye health, improves gum health and supports tissue healing.

It specifically works well for people who are over age 45, since the first signs of aging normally appear around that time. But the people who will benefit most from ubiquinol are over 55 years of age, as this amazing compound is able to start to reverse the harm that aging has caused. Ubiquinol’s many health benefits include increased energy, improved metabolism, weight loss, cell protection and better cardiovascular health. In fact, research shows that ubiquinol may promote neurological health as well.

Earlier in the week New England Health Advisory Editor Inger Pols wrote this about ubiquinol:

“Ubiquinol is important to many key processes in the body because it supports basic cellular level functions, so the benefits are likely far beyond what can be cited through the limited research available now. Whether heart health or anti-aging is a concern, the research that does exist now is compelling enough to recommend this supplement.”

Getting old doesn’t have to mean getting slow, weak and feeble—you can maintain the mental and physical powers you’ve enjoyed all your life.

Please click here to learn how ubiquinol can change your life by igniting the power source inside every one of your body’s trillion cells.

Yours for health and wellness,

Andrew Palmer
Publisher
New England Health Advisory

P.S. I take Accel (ubiquinol 50mg) daily and think every adult should take it as well. Give it a try, and if for any reason (or for no reason at all) you do not want to continue taking Accel, just return it in 60 days for a full refund.  This is a completely risk free offer.

Now you can feel like a teenager well into your 60s and 70s. What are you waiting for? Click here to get started!

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By Inger Pols

This is part three of a five-part series on the five supplements I think every adult should take. Earlier this week, I sent you parts one and two, which focused on whole-food based multivitamins and ubiquinol. You can read them by clicking here.

Fiber is commonly known for keeping people regular, but did you know that it also helps prevent heart disease and Type 2 diabetes? Fiber is best delivered naturally by eating plant foods, grains and legumes, but most of us don’t eat enough fiber and are deficient in this vital nutrient. It’s not only important to eat enough fiber, but to eat it at the right time as well.

Fiber is a carbohydrate that our body does not digest or absorb. Fat, protein and other types of carbohydrates are broken down and then absorbed, fiber passes through your stomach, small intestine, colon and ultimately out of your body, intact. There are two kinds of fiber necessary for healthy digestion: Soluble, which means it dissolves at least partially in water, and insoluble, which does not dissolve in water.

Insoluble fiber helps with movement through the digestive system. It also increases stool bulk and can assist with regularity. Wheat bran, nuts, vegetables and whole-wheat flour are some sources of insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves into a gel-like material and helps to lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Carrots, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, oats, barley and psyllium are examples of soluble fiber sources.

Fiber helps with regular bowel movements and in maintaining bowel health. Some evidence suggests that a high fiber diet can lower the risk of developing hemorrhoids and diverticular disease (when small pouches develop in your colon).

But fiber does more than just keep us regular, it also helps with weight loss and weight maintenance. It slows the absorption of sugar, which helps control blood sugar levels for those with diabetes and has been shown to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Fiber also helps with heart health by lowering cholesterol levels, reducing inflammation and lowering blood pressure.

With all these great benefits, fiber is definitely something we should get more of. But many experts say we are a fiber-deprived nation. According to the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, men under age 50 need at least 38 grams of fiber a day and women of the same age need at least 25 grams. Men over age 50 need at least 30 grams a day, and women need 21. It’s important to note that recommendations are tied to overall caloric intake, so if your daily calorie intake is higher, you need more fiber. And overall, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, more fiber is better.

The typical American consumes 15 grams of fiber a day or less, so most of us have some catching up to do on our fiber consumption. Fiber levels vary significantly by food source, so it’s important to look at what you’re eating to assess how much more fiber you need to consume. Refined or processed foods have little fiber content because the process of grain refinement strips the outer coat or the bran from the grain. Taking the skin off fruits or vegetables will also yield less fiber.

Studies show that whole-grain cereal fibers such as wheat and oat bran have good amounts of fiber, but there’s less research seen on vegetables because it’s easier to brand an oatmeal product than a banana. We often think of bread or whole wheat as a good fiber source, but one slice of whole-wheat/whole-grain bread has only 1.9 grams of fiber, while whole-wheat spaghetti brings in 6.2 grams per cup.

A medium banana or orange yields about 3 grams of fiber, while a cup of raspberries contains 8 grams. A medium carrot contains 1.7 grams and an ounce of almonds (about 23 nuts) contains 3.5 grams. But the real bounty lies in vegetables and beans. A cup of peas comes in at 8.8 grams, a medium artichoke at 10.3 grams, a cup of black beans has 15 grams, lentils 15.6 grams and a cup of split peas packs 16.3 grams of fiber.

In addition to making sure you’re getting the correct overall level of fiber, it’s important to consume fiber with every meal to balance blood sugar levels and to inhibit weight gain. This occurs in several ways: Fibrous foods take more time to chew and so allow time for the signal to reach your brain indicating you are full and should stop eating. Fiber rich foods also tend to make you feel fuller longer, so you eat less.

Fibrous foods tend to have fewer calories by volume than non-fiber rich foods, so eating the same portion size of a food rich in fiber will likely mean you’re eating fewer calories than in a low fiber food. Any time you eat food with high sugar content in isolation, it’s more likely to be stored directly as fat than if it is eaten in the context of a balanced meal. If you eat on the run a lot and find it hard to eat fresh vegetables or beans with your meal, keep a fiber supplement handy and take it with your meal.

It’s important to keep in mind that some of the fiber sources listed above are also high in sugar content. Bread and pasta—even whole-wheat versions—are higher on the glycemic index, as are many fruits and even a few vegetables, meaning they will raise blood sugar level. While they are certainly better than empty calorie processed foods, it’s better to focus more on beans and vegetables, particularly green vegetables, as fiber sources. If you do eat a lot of bread or fruit, try consuming them in combination with vegetables, beans or a fiber supplement.

In America, we often drink our meals, whether it’s a smoothie, a rich coffee drink or alcohol, all of which are high in sugar content. If you’re having a liquid meal or drinking anything with high sugar content without an accompanying meal rich in fiber, you should take a fiber supplement along with your beverage to mitigate blood sugar spikes and to inhibit that sugar from being stored in your body as fat.

Every time I eat a meal or snack, or drink anything with sugar, I either eat or take in supplement form a small amount of protein, fiber and healthy fat, like omega-3s. I also keep extra fiber handy to supplement anytime I eat something not fiber rich. Ensuring that my body has that healthy combination of protein, fat and fiber helps manage blood sugar, keep hormones balanced, and maintain my weight, even if I indulge.

When possible, try to eat a diet rich in fiber from a variety of sources. We tend to eat the same foods over and over again—our go-to favorites—but variety in type and source of fiber, as with all nutrients, is important. So mix it up, but also supplement as needed with capsules or powder containing both soluble and insoluble fiber to ensure your meals and snacks are balanced.

Fiber pills are handy to take when away from home and easy to swallow along with whatever liquid you are consuming. I prefer fiber in pill form, as I can take my base dose in the morning with my other supplements and have additional pills on hand for any time my meal or snack is imbalanced.

Powder forms are another option, as they are readily available, inexpensive and they work fine when you mix them into a smoothie or a liquid you are already drinking.

One caveat: When increasing fiber consumption, do so gradually over the course of several weeks as overloading your body too rapidly can cause gastrointestinal distress. And to be most effective, fiber needs water, so be sure you adequately hydrate as you increase your fiber intake.

To your health!

Inger Pols
Editor of New England Health Advisory

An estimated 102.2 million Americans have cholesterol levels above 200, which is considered borderline high, according to the American Heart Association. About one-third of those have cholesterol levels over 240, which is considered by today’s test standard to be in the high-risk zone. And a new study just released showed 41% of Canadians have high cholesterol levels.

We have been told that high cholesterol is bad, that it causes heart disease (the leading cause of death in the U.S.), that we should all be tested for it, and that high levels must be treated, usually with statin drugs. With those assumptions and statistics, the problem would seem epidemic.

But today I’m going to shatter five myths about cholesterol and hopefully change the way you think about it forever.

Myth #1: Cholesterol is Bad for You

Cholesterol plays several key roles in a healthy functional body. It keeps cell membranes from falling apart and plays an integral part in cellular repair. Cholesterol is also a vital pre-cursor to many major hormones including testosterone, progesterone, estrogen, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and is required for synthesis of vitamin D.

The body manufactures about 75% of the cholesterol it needs. The rest we must take in from foods. Without adequate dietary cholesterol, the body may divert cholesterol to where it is needed most: cellular repair and healthy function in key areas, especially the brain. When this happens, there may not be enough left for use in hormone synthesis, which can cause hormonal imbalance.

This is why some women (especially those going through perimenopause) who do not eat enough cholesterol may experience more severe hormonal reactions and symptoms.

In fact, the body has a built-in mechanism to increase its cholesterol production to override a severe shortage. In extreme cases, when cholesterol is not being consumed in appropriate levels, the liver will step in and actually overproduce cholesterol. If you were to be tested at that time, your cholesterol levels could be considered high, even though you would actually be cholesterol deficient.

But that’s not the case for most of us. So for those of us eating healthy diets with moderate amounts of fat, how concerned should we be about cholesterol in food?

Myth #2: High Cholesterol Comes from Eating Foods High in Cholesterol

Despite popular belief that it’s the cholesterol in your food that influences cholesterol in the bloodstream, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, it’s actually the mix of fats in your diet that’s important.

Saturated and trans fats (often called “bad” fats) increase the risk for certain diseases while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (often called “good” fats), do the opposite—they are good for the body and heart, and cells need them to help manage what goes in and out of cell membranes.

Cells need fat and cholesterol to function, but fat and cholesterol can’t readily travel through the blood. So the body combines them with protein-covered particles called lipoproteins. Lipoproteins can carry a good amount of fat and travel easily through the blood. There are three types of these particles that are important: low-density lipoproteins (LDL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and triglycerides.

Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL)

LDL is responsible for taking the cholesterol from the liver to the body’s cells. Once the lipoprotein reaches the cell, the cell attaches to it and extracts the fat and cholesterol it needs.

High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL)

HDL then takes over and plays clean up, collecting cholesterol from the bloodstream, LDL and artery walls, and transporting it back to the liver to be recycled, an equally important role in healthy cholesterol function.

Triglycerides

Triglycerides are the body’s main method of transporting fat to cells. They make up most of the fats you eat and that your cells use. They are an important part of healthy body function, but in excess they can cause problems. If your triglycerides are high, you have a lot of fat in your bloodstream, which means you are either making too much or are unable to burn it.

Myth #3: There is Good Cholesterol and Bad Cholesterol

Despite needing LDL, it has been argued that when there is an excess of it, particles can be deposited in the walls of the arteries of the heart and elsewhere, limiting blood flow. The deposits, known as plaque, can break apart and cause a heart attack or stroke. Because of this, LDL has been called the “bad” cholesterol.

The truth is, there is no good and bad cholesterol. There is only one cholesterol: LDL and HDL are lipoprotein cholesterol carriers and they are both equally necessary for survival and wellness.

While LDL has been labeled bad because it can cause plaque development, we now know that there are many types of LDL. In fact, if we want to create labels for good and bad, we could argue there is good LDL and bad LDL. Research has shown that LDL particles come in different sizes and that the large LDL particles cause no problem. The small, dense LDL particles can be troublesome, as they are tiny enough to squeeze through the lining of the arteries.

If they oxidize, or turn rancid, they can cause inflammation, which can lead to many if not all of our chronic conditions. C-reactive protein tests measure general levels of inflammation and can be an early warning sign to take action. Inflammation can be reduced through dietary changes such as increased consumption of vitamin E and fish oil.

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Breaking News: Does Your CoQ10 Really Work?

If You’re Taking the Wrong Kind You May Be Wasting Your Money!

The many health benefits of taking Coenzyme Q10 are already well established. Yet many patients I talk to in my practice tell me they don’t feel any different after they start taking CoQ10.

When they show me the bottle, I immediately know why.

As it happens, most of the CoQ10 they are taking never makes it to their cells where it can do the most good.

In fact, most people over 50 have a hard time converting CoQ10 into its usable form. The lion’s share of the valuable CoQ10 enzyme disappears—making it impossible to give your cells the protection and nourishment they need.

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Myth #4: Cholesterol Causes Heart Disease

We have known for a while that there is a correlation between cholesterol and heart attacks, but is it causal?

Research now shows that damage to the lining of arteries (such as what can occur when small dense LDL squeeze through and oxidize) causes the coronary heart disease associated with heart attacks.  The damage causes inflammation and it’s the inflammation that leads to the heart attacks.

How does this happen? Let’s look briefly at the inflammatory process.

When you cut yourself, the damaged tissue releases chemicals to start inflammation. Blood vessels constrict to slow down bleeding. Blood thickens so it can clot and cells multiply to repair damage and facilitate healing while the immune system calls on cells and chemicals to protect against viruses and bacteria from attacking the cut.

This is very similar to what occurs within the arteries. As damage occurs, chemicals are released to begin the inflammatory process. Arteries constrict, blood begins to clot, the immune system sends help, and nearby cells are told to multiply. As this process occurs over and over again in the artery lining, scars called plaque form. Over time, blood thickening and artery constriction combine to make a heart attack or high blood pressure more likely.

So remember the first step after trauma: Chemicals are released to begin inflammation and start the healing process. Enter cholesterol, whose primary function is cell repair. Cholesterol is sent to help repair the damaged tissue in the artery linings and elsewhere: it is actually helping your body heal to keep you alive.

Now if this process is occurring repeatedly, cholesterol is continually being manufactured or recycled in order to facilitate the healing process. When tested, your cholesterol levels will seem high.

Because your body needs cholesterol to heal, what effect will lower levels have on the body?

Instead of trying to deal with the symptom, the high cholesterol, we need to look at the cause: The inflammation that is being caused by excessive and/or repetitive damage, particularly from small dense LDL particle oxidation.

Pomegranate has also been shown to be highly effective as an LDL anti-oxidation agent. Subjects taking pomegranate supplements in a clinical study were able to reduce artery thickness by 35%, increase blood flow by 45% and improve markers related to LDL oxidation by up to 130%.

As you can see, the connection between cholesterol and heart attacks is correlated but not causal. High cholesterol may not be anything to worry about; it may in fact be an important component of your body’s healing mechanism. The real focus should be on reducing high LDL levels and preventing its oxidation.

If you decide that you must take action to lower your cholesterol, there are two ways to do so: Change your diet and/or take statins.

Myth #5: Statins are a Safe and Effective way to Lower Cholesterol

A January 2008 cover story in Business Week concluded that there isn’t much evidence to support taking statins.

Upon review of statin data, a leading physician and professor at the University of British Columbia found there is no benefit in people over age 65 no matter how much their cholesterol declines and that there was no benefit to women at any age. Middle-aged men who took statins saw a small reduction in heart attacks, but no overall reduction in deaths or illnesses requiring hospitalization even though their “bad” LDL cholesterol went down.

The only time the drugs were seen as effective was with patients who had already had one heart attack, as it reduced the likelihood of having another. He concluded, “Most people are taking something with no chance of benefit and a risk of harm.”

But what about the marketing hype the pharmaceutical companies put out? Let’s read the small print on Lipitor’s claim that it reduces the risk of heart attack by 36% … in patients with multiple risk factors for heart disease. It says, “That means in a large clinical study, 3% of patients taking a sugar pill or placebo had a heart attack compared to 2% of patients taking Lipitor.”

In other words, out of every 100 people, three on placebos and two on Lipitor had heart attacks. That means that to spare one person a heart attack, 100 people had to take Lipitor for more than three years while the other 99 got no benefit. A useful statistic known as the NNT, or number needed to treat, means the number needed to treat in this case for one person to have any benefit is 100. Several recent studies have shown that the NNT for statins may be even higher: 250 or more for lower risk patients.

Dr. Jerome R. Hoffman, professor of clinical medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles, put it this way: “What if you put 250 people in a room and told them they would each pay $1,000 a year for a drug they would have to take every day, that many would get diarrhea and muscle pain, and that 249 would have no benefit? And that they could do just as well by exercising? How many would take that?”

It’s true that statins can lower cholesterol levels by (guess what?) reducing inflammation! Statins might be acceptable solutions if they were shown to be completely safe, but they are not. Statins have common side effects including muscle pain, cognitive impairments and sexual dysfunction and have been shown to increase cancer risk in rodents.

The Business Week article posed this question: What would work better?

Prescription: Change Your Diet

The answer, not surprisingly, according to Dr. Jerome R. Hoffman, professor of clinical medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles, is not a pill but rather diet and lifestyle changes. Several studies have shown that lifestyle changes, such as switching to the Mediterranean diet and eating more fish, brought greater declines in heart attacks than statins.

If you still want to lower your cholesterol levels, in addition to fish and omega-3s, walnuts and soluble fiber like oatmeal have been shown to be effective cholesterol reducers and most of us need more fiber in our diets anyway. Niacin (or vitamin B3) also lowers cholesterol and triglycerides and it recently outperformed Merck’s drug Zetia in arterial plaque prevention (resulting in Merck canceling the study.)

Physical fitness also plays a role with exercise and lifestyle changes such as stress reduction, diet changes and weight reduction.

Keep in mind that your doctor had little, if any, nutrition training in medical school and may not be comfortable guiding you in this regard. In addition, some physician friends tell me they are reluctant to suggest dietary changes because they find that people don’t always stick to them. So you may have to take the initiative with your physician to get the right plan in place for you.

Studies prove that the anti-inflammatory aspects of the Mediterranean diet and fish or fish oil, combined with a healthy lifestyle and reduced stress, are the most effective prescription for wellness, in the arteries as well as in the rest of the body.

To your health!

Inger Pols
Editor of New England Health Advisory

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