Tag Archives: LDL cholesterol

Health Advantages of Mediterranean Diets

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Although the cases of heart disease in the United States were staggering during the early 1960s, heart disease rates from people in Greece were some of the lowest in the world.
But what was most remarkable about this fact was that they were enjoying this excellent health, although their diet contained nearly 40% of its calories of fat. In addition, they had one or two glasses of wine with their meal.

Scientists discovered while searching along the Mediterranean Sea that not only the Greece people enjoyed a long life, but also neighboring countries, like France, Italy and Spain.

Christopher Gardner, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention research Center in Stanford, California stated:
“For one thing, the traditional Mediterranean diet includes a lot of
vegetables and legumes, along with fruits, fresh whole-grain breads, dates and nuts.
Meats like lamb and chicken were consumed sometimes and in small portions, and the main source of fat in their diet is monounsaturated fat from olives and olive oil, rather than the saturated fats from animal food. In addition, physical activity plays a big part in their daily routine”, he adds.

But how healthy is the traditional Mediterranean diet ? you may ask.
In one study, French researchers looked at 600 men who recently had a heart attack. They gave half of the men a traditional Mediterranean diet and half of them a low-fat, low cholesterol diet that was usually advised to people with heart disease to follow. Those who followed the traditional Mediterranean diet had a 70% lower rate off recurring heart problems than those who followed the prudent low-fat diet.

Similar results were found with other studies. After examining the diets and disease rates of people in seven different countries, researchers found that, taking in account the 46% of death rates of middle- aged men in America, only 4% of men on Creta, had similar problems. In fact, the death rate from all causes on Creta during this 15 year study was lower than that of the other countries.

Researchers in 2006 reviewed 35 experimental studies of the Mediterranean diet and found that the diet had a positive effect on cholesterol and insulin resistance. They also found that the diet lowers the risk of metabolic syndrome, heart attack and heart disease. And also the risk of cancer in obese patients who have had a heart attack.

The Fat Factor
Olive oil is the most important factor in the Mediterranean diet.
The total fat intake is 25% to 35% of total calories. Although people in Mediterranean countries eat as much fat as we do (or more), they eat relatively little meat. They eat red meat only a few times a month, but fish and poultry are eaten every week.

As a result they consume only very small amounts of artery-clogging saturated fat. “The big difference comes from limiting saturated fat and replacing it with monounsaturated fat, like olive oil.” Dr. Gardner says. Besides the fact that olive oil is a monounsaturated fat, it also contains antioxidants compounds that help prevent chemical changes in the body that can cause the law-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to stick to the lining of artery walls. Sweet desserts made with sugar and saturated fat are consumed only a few times a week.

Nuts and seeds are the second-most common source of fats in the Mediterranean diet. Nuts contain alpha-linolenic acid, which is converted by the body to the same kind of heart-healthy fats we find in fish (which is also part of the Mediterranean diet). Studies have proved that people who eat the most of these fatty acids are the ones least likely to get heart disease.

The omega-3 fatty acids in fish that people in the Mediterranean countries eat have proved to reduce clotting and inflammation of the arteries, which decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Following reports from the American Heart Association, clinical trials have shown that cases of cardiovascular disease decreases, when people consume omega-3 fatty acids, especially when it comes
from fish and plant foods, rather than from supplements.

Physical Activity
People in Mediterranean countries also take plenty of exercise, in the form of walking, hard physical labor, and stay active in general. They usually keep their weight under control, although they take in a lot of calories.

Five-a-Day Protection
The people at the American Heart Association would be happy if they could get us to eat the five servings of fruits and vegetables that people in the Mediterranean countries eat every day.
The Mediterranean diet prefers seasonally fresh and locally grown fruits and vegetables rather than highly processed foods that don’t contain as many micro nutrients and antioxidants.
Studies have shown that people who eat the most fruit and vegetables have lower rates of heat disease.

Also, fruits, vegetables and beans, which are a part of the Mediterranean diet, are one of the best sources of folate, a B vitamin that plays a big part in the prevention of heart disease.
Folate helps decrease the levels of amino acid called homosysteine. There is a link between too much homosysteine and heart disease. According to research, healthy people with high levels of homosysteine increase their change of getting heart disease about 14 times.

High Fiber
To add to all this is the fact that the Mediterranean diet is very high in fiber.High-fiber foods not only assist you by keeping your weight down by making you feel full without to much fat and calories, they also help
by blocking the absorption of certain fats and cholesterol. In other words, some of these harmful substances are flushed away before they can reach the bloodstream.
The powerful effects of fiber are shown by a study of almost 44,000 men, aged between 40 and 75 years, who added only 10 grams of fiber a day to their diet and lowered their risk of heart disease by almost 30%.

A Healthy Drink
The fact that wine, and especially red wine, is also included in the typical Mediterranean diet, also contribute to a healthy heart. Wine contains compounds, called phenols, that help prevent LDL cholesterol from sticking to artery walls It also keeps platelets in blood from sticking together and causing clots.
“In moderation, wine can be a nice addition to a healthy diet,’ says Robert M. Russell, MD, director and senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in
Boston.

Final Thoughts
Although the Mediterranean diet is most renowned for the fact that it helps to keep your heart healthy, it also appears to lower the risks of other health threats, like breast- and colon cancer. Studies showed
that compared with women elsewhere in the world, women in Mediterranean countries have less than half the risk of getting breast cancer. The reason for this could be the low intake of saturated fat and high intake of monounsaturated fat in fruits and vegetables.

“The message here is simple,” says Dr. Gardner, “For optimal health, choose a plant-based diet, which is naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.”

Cantaloupe – a sweet fruit that protect our sight.

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Cantaloupe is a strange word for a fruit, but when we consider that cantaloupe was first cultivated in the Italian village Cantalupo, around AD 1200, it makes more sense.

This fruit, with his bright colors, belongs to the same family as the cucumber, squash, pumpkin, and gourd . It contains strong compounds that not only helps to protect your sight, but also controls your blood pressure. lowers your cholesterol level, keeps your blood running smoothly, and protect you against cancer.

“Cantaloupe is one of the few fruits or vegetables which are rich both in vitamin C and beta-carotene,” says John Erdman, PhD, professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Illinois in Urbana.
These antioxidant compounds have been shown to protect against cancer, heart disease and other age-related health problems, such as cataracts.

Cantaloupes are loaded with carotenoids, the pigments that give fruits and vegetables their bright colors and provide strong health protection. A study in the Netherlands found, that eating carotenoid-rich fruits caused a 35% less risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of irreversible blindness in developed countries.

Cantaloupe gives also protection for another aspect of sight problems: cataracts. Another study found that women who got the most vitamin A through their diet had a 39% reduced risk of developing cataracts. Once beta-carotene is inside the body, it is converted to vitamin A. Another study found that people whose diets included the most vitamin A, cut their risk of cataract surgery in half.

Cantaloupe is a rich source of two potent antioxidants: vitamin C and beta-carotene. As I wrote before, antioxidants are compounds that neutralize free radicals, which can cause cellular changes that can lead to heart disease, cancer and cataracts.

Vitamin C, like potassium, helps to keep the arteries clear and blood moving smoothly by preventing bad LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and clogging the artery walls. Vitamin C is also used by our body to produce collagen, a protein that makes up skin and connective tissue.

Cantaloupe is an excellent source of vitamin C and beta-carotene. One cup contains 68 mg vitamin C, which is 113% of the Daily Value for this vitamin. Half a cantaloupe provides 5 mg beta-carotene, which is about half of the daily amount recommended by most experts.

Important Tips
Cutting cantaloupe under water keeps it longer fresh. Scientists from the USDA found that when you cut cantaloupe under water, it short-circuits the signals plant cells send to each other when they detect an injury, like being sliced.

Buy them ripe.
The riper the cantaloupe, the more beta-carotene it contains. The challenge is that melons are often picked while they are still unripe so that they can make it through the shipping process undamaged. To check for ripeness, tap the melon and listen for a hollow sound. Then lift the fruit to make sure that it’s heavy for its size. Finally, smell the fruit to make sure that it exudes a sweet, musky odor. (The smell shouldn’t be too strong; an excessively strong smell indicates an overripe fruit.) If there is no smell, put it down and try another one.

There should be no stem.
Mature cantaloupes will only have a smooth, symmetrical basin where the stem once was and flesh that yields slightly to pressure.

Leave a firm cantaloupe at room temperature for several days to allow it to become softer and juicier. Once’s it’s ripe, put it in the fridge.

Eat it straight away.
When exposed to air, vitamin C degrades quickly. So it’s important to eat cantaloupe fairly soon after cutting, says Dr. Erdman. This is particular necessary when the fruit is cut into small pieces, which significantly increases the amount of air to which it’s exposed. Research found that cantaloupe cubes lost 25% of their vitamin C content and 10-15% of their carotenoids after being exposed to air for 6 days.


Protection against Cancer with Olive Oil

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When researchers started studying Greeks living on the island of Crete more than 40 years ago, they were amazed to find that although the traditional Greek diet is very high in fat, people had exceptional low rates of heart disease.
Olive oil plays a critical part in their diet and we would do well if we follow their example. Olive oil, which is made of crushed olives, not only appears to lower the risk of heart disease, it may reduce the risk of various forms of cancer as well.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), long-known for its heart health benefits, has now been identified for its rapid destruction of cancer cells. While scientists have proven that the oleocanthal compound found in EVOO causes cell death in cancer cells, they have been unable to provide an explanation for this phenomenon until now. Paul Breslin, David Foster, and Onica LeGendre offer answers in their paper “(-)-Oleocanthal Rapidly and Selectively Induces Cancer Cell Death Via Lysosomal Membrane Permeabilization (LMP),” published in Molecular & Cellular Oncology.

In their recent study, the researchers discovered that the key to understanding the toxic effect of oleocantha in cancerous cells lies in its reaction with the lysosomes of the cell, where the cells store waste: the oleocantha ruptures the cancer cell lysosomes causing cell death within 30 minutes to an hour while leaving un-cancerous cells unharmed. This suggests that the lysosomal membranes of cancerous cells are weaker than those of uncancerous cells. Because of oleocantha’s targeted damage to cancer cells, it may prove an ideal option for therapeutic cancer treatment. Paul Breslin, co-author of the study, said “The mechanism of killing cancer cells and sparing healthy cells, lysosomal membrane permeabilization, has been hypothesized as a possible mechanism of effectively killing cancer cells and sparing healthy tissues but has never been realized before. Our realization of this makes this paper of particular therapeutic interest for cancer treatment.”

The study’s focus on the effect of oleocantha on cancerous and un-cancerous cells leads to larger implications about the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in EVOO. Breslin stated, “the Mediterranean diet is known to be associated with a reduced risk of many different kinds of cancer. Whereas the entire diet likely has many benefits, this study points directly to the olive oil phenolic, oleocanthal, as playing an especially important role in these observations. As more people turn to the Mediterranean diet as a healthy life option, oleocanthal is growing in its significance as a key active component of this diet.”

All fats, from butter and margarine to olive oil, contain almost the same number of calories. But they behave quite differently inside the body. Saturated fats, for example, which are found mainly in meats and dairy foods, are incredibly destructive, because the body can’t rid itself easily of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. The kind that blocks arteries and raises the risk of heart disease.

Olive oil. However, is a monounsaturated fat, with no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. Olive oil is recommended by the American Heart Association for your food preparation. When you replace saturated fats in your diet with olive oil lowers LDL cholesterol while leaving the beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol alone.
Compared with butter, olive oil also gives us a feeling of being more satisfied. The olive oil-loving Greeks eat very little butter or margarine. Additionally, their main meals usually consists of vegetables and legumes instead of meats.
So even though they use a lot of olive oil, they get very little saturated fat. Olive oil helps to prevent many cancers by protecting the cells in your body from oxidation.

Extra-virgin olive oil may also help lower the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, according to a Greek study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Experts believe extra-virgin olive oil reduces the risk of rheumatoid arthritis because of its anti-inflammatory effects. One study found that olive oil is similar to ibuprofen in reducing inflammation.
Besides the monounsaturated fat in olive oil , it also contains other disease-fighting compounds that can prevent damage in the arteries before it starts.

Several of the compounds in olive oil , like polyphenols, are powerful antioxidants. This means that they are able to destroy free radicals before they can do damage.This results in keeping your arteries clear when you use olive oil.
Although olive oil is best known for protecting the heart, research suggests that it may also protect the breasts as well . In a study involving more than 2,300 women, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Greece found that women who used olive oil more than once a day, had 25% lower risk of breast cancer compared with those who use it less often.
As a matter of fact, Greece women are much less likely to die from breast cancer than are American women.

Olive oil is rich in vitamin E, which has proved to stop cellular damage that can lead to cancer.And of course, the same polyphenols that help prevent free radicals from damaging the heart may play a role in preventing cancer as well. All types of olive oils are rich in monounsaturated fats, but not all have equal amounts of disease fighting polyphenols.
Some olive oils are quite rare and exquisitely flavored and priced. Others are much more affordable. Many cooks keep two (or more) kinds of olive oil in the kitchen – a gourmet oil for drizzling on salads or pastas and a heartier oil to use for cooking.

Extra-virgin is the Cadillac of olive oils. It’s usually used as a flavoring oil and not for cooking. When you buy extra-virgin olive oil, look at the color. The deeper the color, the more intense the flavor. This type of oil is made from the first pressing of perfectly ripe olives, which leaves the polyphenols in and the bitter acids out.
Although it’s a little bit more expensive, studies have shown that it’s worth your money to buy extra-virgin olive oil. Researchers in Spain asked 24 men to use refined olive oil for 3 months and extra-virgin olive oil for 3 months.
They found that the antioxidants in extra-virgin olive oil kept their LDL or bad cholesterol from oxidizing and slowed the
formation of plaque in the arteries, but the refined oil didn’t offer this protection.
Pure (also called virgin) olive oil is paler than extra-virgin and has a milder flavor. It’s usually used for low- to medium heat frying.

Light olive oil is often used by people who wants the heart-healthy benefits of mono- unsaturated fats but don’t want the strong olive taste. It endures heat well, so you can use it for high-heat frying.

Store it cool.
If you don’t use a lot of olive oil, it tends to go bad on the shelf. It gives up both its good taste and also its protective compounds. To keep olive oil fresh, store it in the refrigerator or another dark, cool place. When you bring it back to room temperature, it will quickly restore it’s nature. Or look for an olive oil that comes in a dark bottle to keep the light from damaging it’s benefits. And buy only what you need within 2 months to prevent the oil of deterioration and tasting stale.

Cholesterol Control

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High Cholesterol levels is the cause of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.
Almost 100 million Americans have cholesterol levels over 200, of these about 34.5 million
have cholesterol levels of 240 or above.

But there is good news for these people. You can control the risk for heart disease by eating foods that contain less saturated fat and cholesterol. This is an efficient way to reduce the amount of cholesterol in your blood.

Facts about Cholesterol
People in general think that cholesterol is bad for you. But as a matter of fact, your body need cholesterol, which is produced in the liver to make cell membranes, sex hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D. You couldn’t live without it. Cholesterol is found in animal foods such as meats, milk, eggs and butter. But if you get too much of it, it becomes dangerous.

This is particularly true for the type of cholesterol called low-density lipoprotein (LDL).When LDL cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream, it undergoes a process called oxidation. In other words, it spoils and becomes rancid. Your immune system react to it as it would to any other invader. Immune cells gobble up the cholesterol molecules. Once engorged, they
stick to the walls of arteries, and hardening into a dense, fatty layer called plaque.When a lot of plaque accumulates, there is less room for blood to flow. Eventually blood flow may slow down and could even stop. When this happens in the arteries that supply the heart, the result is a heart attack. When it happens in the arteries supplying the brain, the result is
a stroke.

Your body has a mechanism for dealing with this threat. Another form of cholesterol, called high-density lipoprotein, (HDL), transports the dangerous type of cholesterol out of the blood and into the liver for disposal. Normally, it does a good job One study found that every one-point rise in HDL cholesterol protects the heart at least as much as a point drop in LDL
cholesterol, reducing risk of a fatal heart attack by 2%. But when cholesterol levels get too high, the HDL cholesterol can’t keep up, and LDL gradually rises to dangerous levels.

Ideally, you want to have high levels of HDL cholesterol and low levels of the dangerous LDL. The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends keeping total cholesterol below 200 milligrams per deciliter of blood. Actually, LDL should be below 130, and HDL should be above 40. An HDL above 60 would be even better to protect against disease.

A good way to keep your blood cholesterol level within healthy limits is to eat no more than 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol a day (a little more than the amount in 11/2 egg yorks). But because the body itself makes cholesterol, limiting the amount of cholesterol in your diet is only part of the solution.

Saturated and Monounsaturated Fat
“The component in food that has the most effect on blood cholesterol levels is saturated fat”, says Mark Kentor, PhD, of the University of Maryland, College Park. Saturated fats, which are found mostly in animal foods such as red meats, milk, egg yolks, butter and cheese, can increase the amount of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the bloodstream as well as the total amount of cholesterol.

Every day, the Average American eats the fat equivalent of a full stick of butter. Experts strongly recommend to decrease the amount of fat in your diet.

But there is one time of fat you can eat moderate amounts of and that is monounsaturated fat, which you find in avocados, olive oil and canola oil. It can lower levels of bad LDL cholesterol, while leaving the beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) untouched.

Researchers have known for a long time that people in Mediterranian countries where olive oil is consumed every day, have some of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world, even when their cholesterol levels are fairly high.

But we can’t give all the credit to olive oil for all the benefits. People in the Mediterranian region also eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, plus they walk more than Americans and are less likely to be overweight.If you decide to add more olive ol to your diet, use it in moderation, and cut back on all fats.

Health benefits of Nuts
One of the many health benefits of nuts is their ability to reduce the level of LDL cholesterol.an Scientists at the USDA found that nuts contain significant levels of nutrients called plant sterols. These nutrients can lower LDL cholesterol, possibly by keeping your digestive system from absuntorbing the cholesterol in the foods you eat. Researchers in Canada found that when people with high cholesterol levels in their blood, ate 1.8 grams of plant sterols a day, their cholesterol levels dropped by 8%.

You can find sterols in sesame seeds, 144 mg, sunflower seeds, 104 mg and pistachios, 83 mg. in 1/4 cup. Coconut got a bad reputation because it contains more saturated fat than butter, however, more than half of the saturated fat in coconuts is lauric acid. Research discovered that even though lauric acid raises LDL cholesterol, it boosts HDL cholesterol even more.the al So in the long run, this is good for your overall cholesterol profile.

An even more favorable nut than the coconut is the almond. Researchers at Tufts University found that the skin of almonds are rich in antioxidants that help to remove LDL cholesterol. They found that extract of almond skin flavonoids reduced LDL oxidation by 18 % in hamsters.

Eat one to two fistfuls of almonds per day. This amount – 1 to 2 ounces – or raw, unblanchedalmonds each day gives a significant reduction of cholesterol in a University of Toronto study. Even better: the addition of this amount of almonds to the diet didn’t result in any weight gain.

Fiber Support
Besides eating whole grains, beans and fresh fruits to help keep your digestive system in top shape, you will also reduce your cholesterol level by eating these foods. They are filled with soluble fiber, a substance that forms a gummy gel in the digestive tract, which helps lower cholesterol levels.

Researchers from the USDA put 25 people on heart-healthy diets for 5 weeks.
They gave some of the people 3 grams of soluble fiber each day from barley – about the amount in a half-cup. When compared with the other people, who didn’t get the barley, their total cholesterol level dropped by 9%.

The Daily Value of fiber is 25 grams. This is equivalent to eating 2 to 4 servings of fruits, 3 to 5 servings of vegetables and 6 to 11 servings of breads, cereals and grains each day. Eating oatmeal or oat bran cereal several times a week will add even more soluble fiber to your diet. Other good sources of soluble fiber include pinto beans, red kidney beans, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes.

Benefits from milk and wine.
These two very different beverages may help improve cholesterol levels. Fat free or low-fat milk is best. According to a research, after 4 weeks of consuming 1,060 mg of calcium, 490 mg of phosphorus ( a combination found in dairy products) in supplement form, the cholesterol levels of healthy people were reduced by 6%, compared with people who didn’t get the supplements. One 8-ounce glass of milk contains about a third of the amounts taken in the study.

Another study, conducted in Boston, found that drinking an average of 5 wine drinks a week cut the risk of having dangerously low HDL levels by a whopping 78%. It’s important to keep in mind that drinking more heavily can raise blood pressure, which is another risk factor for heart disease, and can have other damaging effects on your health.

Asian Super food
Asian people eat soybeans and other soy products like tofu, which contain a compound called phytostrogens, which lowers total cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol levels. These compounds help to transport LDL cholesterol from the blood stream to the liver, where it’s broken down and excreted. They also may prevent LDL from oxidizing, which helps to avoid clogging of coronary arteries. To get the benefits of lowering cholesterol levels you have to eat two or three servings of soy foods per day.

Marine Support
Besides watching your cholesterol levels, there is another factor to watch: your level of blood fats called triglycerides. People with high levels of triglycerides are more likely to have low levels of protective HDL. Conversely, lowering your level of triglycerides can help decrease your risk of heart disease.

Salmon, tuna, mackerel and other oily fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which have proved to lower triglycerides. Omega-3 may raise levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol as well.Fish is also low in calories and saturated fat. To get the maximum benefits from omega-3s, plan on eating 3 to 4 ounces of fish two times a week.

The Many Health Benefits of Flaxseed

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Flaxseed has been used for many years for making linen. It’s also known as linseed, one
of the ingredients in paint. The closest it came to being food was its use for livestock feed.
It’s only about a decade ago that science discovered the many health benefits of flaxseed.

Flaxseed is a rich plant source of omega-3 fatty acids. Apart from supporting good vision,
omega-3 also fight weight gain by increasing metabolic rate and they protect against
cancer growth. Flaxseed contains a different type of omega-3 than fish. This type reduces
the incidence of blood clotting, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
In addition, the omega-3 also appears to help prevent atherosclerosis, increase good HDL
cholesterol, lower levels of dangerous LDL cholesterol, and reduce inflammation.
They may also help to reduce depression.

Apart from omega-3, flaxseed is also a rich source of compounds called lignans.
While many plant foods contain lignans, flaxseed contains by far the most, at least 75 times
more than any other plant food. For example, you have to eat 60 cups of fresh broccoli
or 100 slices of whole-wheat bread to get the same amount of lignans in ¼ cup of flaxseed.
Lignans are important because of their powerful antioxidant properties to help blocking the cell-damaging effects of free radicals.
Food rich in lignans can lower the risk of heart disease. A Finnish study of almost 2,000 men found that those men with the highest lignan intake were significantly less likely to die from heart disease than those with the lowest intake.

Flaxseed also shows some potential of reversing kidney damage caused by lupus.
A condition by which the immune system produces harmful substances that attack and
damage healthy tissues.
When researchers at the University of Western Ontario gave flaxseed to nine people with
lupus related kidney disease, they discovered that several kidney functions, including
the ability to filter waste, quickly improved. The researchers believe that the lignans and
omega-3 in flaxseed fight inflammation in the tiny, very fragile arteries that supply blood
to the kidneys, helping reduce the artery-clogging process that can lead to kidney damage.

Apart from the health benefits of the lignans in flaxseeds to protect your heart, they also
fight cancer in your body. Lignans subdue cancerous changes once’s they have occurred,making them less likely to run out of control and develop into full-blown cancer.
Studies at the University of Toronto shows some promise for battling certain types of
cancer, in particular preventing typical female cancers, like breast- and ovarian cancer.

Two additional properties of the omega-3 in flaxseed, apart from its cancer-fighting power,
is the ability of limiting the body’s production of chemicals called prostaglandins.
The importance of prostaglandins is that they speed up tumor growth in large amounts.

To top it all up, flaxseed is also very high in fiber. Three table spoons of seeds contains
three grams of fiber, which is about twelve percent of the Daily Value.
The important role of fiber in your diet is the ability to block the harmful effects of
compounds that over time may cause changes in the intestine that can lead to cancer.

Whole flaxseed provide little benefit. Flaxseed is the one food that provide more
nutritional benefits when processed. So instead, buy the cracked or milled forms, which
readily give up the nutritious goodness packed inside.
Don’t buy the oil. Most of the lignans in flaxseed are found in the non-oil part of the seed.
While the oil may contain some lignans, it doesn’t provide as much as the other healthful
compounds found in the seeds, such as fiber, protein and minerals.

Healthy for Life with a Healthy Heart

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Only about 50 years ago, doctors didn’t know what was good for our hearts.
Little attention was paid to diet and even smoking was acceptable by some.

But after almost 50 years, scientists came up with some simple and straight forward answers. Regular exercise is important, of course, and so is staying away from cigarettes.

But by far the most important factor is to have a healthy diet. Eating the right foods is
the most effective way to lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, two of the biggest enemies against a healthy heart.

The Bad Fats
Often we take the wrong foods, in particular fats. There are good fats and bad fats.
The bad fats are saturated fats, found in red meat, and butter, It’s incredible dangerous
for the heart. Study after study has shown that the more saturated fat people eat,
the higher their risks for heart disease.
Foods high in saturated fat raise levels of artery-clogging low-density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol. Foods high in saturated fat are often high in cholesterol as well.

The American Heart Foundation recommends that we limit our intake of saturated fat
to less than 7% of our calories each day. For example, if you get 2,000 calories a day,
your upper daily limit for saturated fat is 14 grams.
That means: in addition to eating fruits, vegetables, and other low-fat foods, you could have 3 ounces of extra-lean ground beef which contains 5 grams of saturated fat), a serving
of macaroni and cheese (6 grams), and a half-cup of low-fat frozen yogurt (3 grams).

Another problem fat, called trans fatty acids, has been shown to dramatically increase
the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream. Trans fatty acids are made when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oils to turn the liquid oils into solid fats like margarine and shortening. Ironically, they meant to be a healthy alternative to the saturated fat in butter.
But it appears that trans fatty acids may be even more harmful than saturated fats.
Trans fats raise the bad (LDL) cholesterol and lower the good (HDL) cholesterol,
increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke.

It’s not only margarine and fried foods that may be a problem. Many cookies, cakes, and
other snack foods contain “partially hydrogenated oil,” which is also high in trans fatty acids.
Because of the health risk, the American Heart Association recommends you limit your
daily intake to less than 1% of your total calories.

Some Better Fats
Some fats are relatively healthful. You can easily recognize them by looking at the “un”
as in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. While theses type of fats are still high in
calories, in small amounts, they play several beneficial roles.
Polyunsaturated fats (found in soy, corn, safflower, sesame, and sunflower oils, as well as
nuts and seeds ) help your body to get rid of newly formed cholesterol, therefore, they
keep cholesterol levels down and reduce cholesterol deposits on artery walls.

Monounsaturated fats also appear to help lower cholesterol levels as long as the rest of
the diet is very low in saturated fats. Although they are a good substitute for saturated fats,
both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats should be used in moderation, because
their high calorie counts can lead to weight gain. No more than 30% of your calories
should come from fat.

Nuts are particularly good sources of these healthful fats. In a study of Seventh-Day
Adventists, researchers found that those who consumed nuts at least four times a week
had almost half the risk of fatal heart attacks of those who rately ate them.

Although the American Heart Association recommends less than 30% of calories from fat,
many health-care professionals, recommend even less.
They tell people to aim for getting about 20 to 25% of total calories from fat, most of which
should be in the form of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat.

There is yet another kind of healthy fat, perhaps the king of healthy fats, called omega-3
fatty acids. This is found in most fish (but in particularly in oily, cold-water fish) and also
in flaxseed and certain dark greens. Omega-3 can help to prevent clots from forming in the
arteries. In addition, they help lower triglycerides, a type of blood fat that, in large amounts, may raise the risk for heart disease.

Studies show that eating fish twice a week, in particularly salmon, because it contains
high levels of omega-3, can help to keep your arteries clear and your heart working well.
In a stuy done at the Harvard School of Public Health, scientists found that the death rate
from heart disease was 36% lower among people who ate fish twice a week compared
with people who ate little or no seafood. The study, which was published in the American
Medical Association, also showed that overall mortality was 17% lower omong the regular
seafood eaters.