Guest Contributor: David FitzPatrick, MD
February is American Heart Month! This month is dedicated to raising the level of awareness about heart disease across the country.
This is the second of three parts on managing cholesterol. I am happy to say that my “research assistant” for this column was David FitzPatrick, MD, and we gathered our data at State Street Grill in Clarks Summit, PA while dining in good health: drinking red wine (pinot noir), and eating ahi tuna. During this meeting, Dr. FitzPatrick said that I may also enjoy the sweet potato fries on occasion and not feel guilty.
As discussed in last week’s column, Dr. FitzPatrick feels strongly that those with genetically high cholesterol should use exercise and diet to maintain health, but will still most likely need to take a statin in order to manage cholesterol effectively.
Education – Know your numbers. Learn the difference between unsaturated and saturated fats. Make yourself a student of healthy living through diet and exercise. Avoid fads, and focus your effort on scientifically proven methods.
Statin Drugs - There are many methods to lower your LDL (bad cholesterol). However, no method has been proven more successful than statin drugs. Multiple landmark studies confirm that for those individuals needing statin drugs to control their cholesterol, the benefits far outweigh the risks.
By inhibiting an enzyme in the liver, statin drugs limit the liver’s ability to produce cholesterol thereby significantly lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides and modestly increasing HDL (good cholesterol). As a result, their unique benefits include preventing and reducing plaque in arteries, stabilizing existing plaque, reducing inflammation of the arterial wall, and improving overall vascular function. Statin Drugs Include: Lipitor (atorvastatin); Lescol (fluvastatin); Mevacor (lovastatin); Pravachol (pravastatin); Zocor (simvastatin); Crestor (rosuvastatin).
Clinical studies that have shown that statin drugs significantly reduce the risk of heart attack and death in patients with proven coronary artery disease (CAD), and can also reduce cardiac events in patients with high cholesterol levels who are at increased risk for heart disease. And although statins are best known for lowering cholesterol, they may also have several other benefits: they may prevent Alzheimer’s disease, and they may also have a positive impact on diabetes and blood pressure.
Exercise – Second only to statin drugs, no other method of the prevention of CAD has proven more effective than exercise, specifically aerobic exercise. It is well documented that physically active people have a lower incidence of CAD than sedentary people. For the prevention of CAD, the following exercises are defined as aerobic: High Amount/High Intensity – a caloric equivalent of jogging 20 miles per week at 65 -80 percent intensity, Low Amount/High Intensity – a caloric equivalent of jogging 12 miles per week at 65 to 80 percent intensity, Low Amount/Moderate Intensity – a caloric equivalent of walking 12 miles per week at 40 to 55 percent intensity.
Exercise is a valuable prevention tool on many levels: it reduces weight, LDL, and blood pressure, and it increases HDL. Research has found that the amount of exercise matters more than the intensity. For example, those exercising 5 or more days per week benefited more than those exercising less often. However, it is important to remember that ALL exercise groups showed improvement.
Diet – Following a Mediterranean diet is one way you can reduce CAD and cut your risks for other diseases. While no Mediterranean diet has more value than another, the following equation highlights the factors that make a Mediterranean diet so valuable. First, eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds, with olive oil as an important source of fat. Then, add moderate amounts of fish, poultry and fresh dairy. Finally, subtract red meat from your diet, or at least limit your consumption.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is the American version of the Mediterranean diet and has been found to reduce blood pressure and LDL levels. It is rich in fruits and vegetables, moderate in low-fat dairy, and low in animal protein. It promotes the use of legumes and nuts as plant sources of protein.
Along with increasing your plant-based foods and decreasing your consumption of red meat, you may also want to replace some of the carbohydrates in your diet with proteins or monounsaturated fats. This switch can improve lipid levels.
Fiber, Nuts, Tea, and Alcohol – Dietary soluble fibers such as pectin, wheat dextrin, and oat products will reduce LDL. Some suggest that a combination of soluble fiber with plant sterols many have be beneficial. Walnuts, high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, have been shown to positively impact serum lipid levels. Almonds, pistachios and other nuts have shown similar results. Those consuming nuts more than four times per week showed the most significant improvement. Also, those with moderately high LDL who drank green tea once to twice per day while following a low-fat diet found more improvement in LDL reduction than they did with a placebo. Moderate alcohol consumption (1-2 drinks per day) has been shown to improve HDL levels. Red wine, in particular, has the added antioxidant benefit even in its non-alcohol form.
Weight Loss – David FitzPatrick, MD, states unequivocally, “Adipose tissue (excess body fat) is the enemy for the average person with high cholesterol!” Fat cells secrete chemicals that negatively affect lipid metabolism. “Maintaining a body that is slim and trim with consistent exercise and a low calorie diet limited in saturated fats is the key”
Supplements – While the internet is littered with information on thousands of supplements claiming to lower cholesterol and provide other life enhancing outcomes, few are proven effective. Of these, only fish oil, taken in concentrated high doses (> 6g/day) has been proven to lower triglycerides and LDL.
Multivitamins, soy proteins, and other grain products, while not cholesterol reducing, are valuable to many. But when it comes to reducing cholesterol, garlic, policosanol, Vitamin E, and isoflavone supplements have failed the scrutiny of scientific research. Plant sterols such as BenecolR sisosterol and campesterol, found in Promise activTM, have been shown to slightly reduce serum cholesterol levels; however, no studies have actually demonstrated their ability to lower the incidence of CAD. In fact, the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association has suggested that the general population not use these products until further studies determine their safety and efficacy, due in part to potential side effects.
NOTE: While Current HDL Raising Medicines Are Relatively Weak, More Potent HDL-Raising Medicines Are On The Horizon.
Sources: WebMD
Guest Contributor: David FitzPatrick, MD, cardiologist, Great Valley Cardiology, Scranton, PA.
Read Dr. Paul J. Mackarey “Health & Exercise Forum!” Next Monday Read Part III of Cholesterol – The Truth
