Posts Tagged ‘High-density lipoprotein’
Nuts Complement Senior Health.
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Everyone has heard the warnings about eating too many fatty foods, because it can lead to obesity. Some folks think that they should not eat nuts, because they do contain more fat than say fruits and vegetables. There is some good news for seniors who want to receive information about preemptive anti-aging steps that they can take to foster their senior health. It turns out that nuts which are often complimentary in bars and restaurants are actually complimentary to our health needs. For example, a grand analysis of over 24 clinical trials demonstrated that folks who regularly consumed nuts had improved blood lipids meaning improved triglycerides and LDL/HDL cholesterol ratings. This is very good news for seniors who are concerned about fostering their cardiovascular health.
Additional benefits of eating nuts include reduction of hypertension, reduction of the risk of heart disease for women suffering from diabetes, and improved blood sugar control when nuts are consumed with carbohydrates. For all of these reasons it would be a good idea to include nuts as part of one’s daily diet. The preferred type of nuts are those that are raw or dry roasted. Consuming about 1/4 cup every day is a good general rule, because eating more than that quantity will supply too many calories.
How Sugar Shocks Your Heart!
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Despite all the glitzy commercial advertising about the many products that contain refined sugar, the cat is finally our of the bag. A leading US medical research publication reported that consuming sugar may actually be bad for your heart. For seniors who want to find preemptive aging information, in order to foster their senior health, this information about the dangers of sugar to the cardiovascular health of seniors are clear. Sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has come under a lot of criticism from the folks in the healthy dieting community, but it is not the only sugar that is causing major problems in the US population. Some of the alternatives that have been recommended are honey, raw sugar, and molasses, but they all drive up blood sugar and insulin.
In our bodies all the sugars are broken down into equal parts of fructose and glucose. It turns out that fructose in small quantities such as are found in a piece of fruit are good for us. The massive amounts of fructose that are contained in carbonated drinks, sweetened drinks, and desserts pump too much fructose into our bodies. Consuming this high level of fructose results in raising folks triglycerides, lowering the good HDL cholesterol, and speeding folks on the road to cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. The bottom line for seniors who are concerned about their cardiovascular health is to limit their consumption of drinks and foods that contain sugar in any form.
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Control Cholesterol for Cardiovascular Health
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As one show business performer was once quoted, “You are what your eat.” It turns out that what you eat does have a lot to do with your cholesterol levels that need to be balanced in the proper ratio in order to enjoy cardiovascular health. Blood tests give accurate readings of both the high-density lipoproteins (HDL) know as the “good” cholesterol and the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) called the “bad’ cholesterol. To complete the picture another blood test measures the triglycerides which are a blood fat. In the event that a senior’s triglycerides are higher than the healthy level it usually means that the seniors is consuming too many calories and needs to lose weight. Excessive sugar and alcohol consumption may also be the cause of the high triglycerides. To lower high triglycerides seniors need to eat foods with complex carbohydrates such as whole grains instead of white flour which is a refined carbohydrate. Taking fish oil supplements would also help.
It turns out that taking fish oil supplements will also help reduce unhealthy low levels of the HDLs, but eating fatty fish like salmon and mackeral will also help. Besides eating the fatty fish that are high in HDL friendly omega-3 fatty acid, seniors need to reduce their sedentary life style and engage in a moderate exercise program. The main cause of unhealthy high levels of the LDLs is eating foods that are high in saturated fats and trans fats. The solution for folks concerned about their senior health is to limit their intake of saturated fats and trans fats and increase their intake of foods that are high in soluble fiber such as apples, oatmeal, and kidney beans.
This is good news for seniors who are looking for reliable information to guide them to choose the preemptive aging steps that lead to cardiovascular health.
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Reduce Your Cardiac Risk Factors
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The leading cause of death in the Western world is atherosclerosis. As we age seniors low density lipoproteins (LDLs) become oxidized, which results in the oxidized LDLs accumulating on arterial walls. This accumulation of oxidized LDLs on the arterial walls causes hardening of the arteries. Recent research has shown that in seniors the high density lipoproteins (HDLs) that normally prevent the LDLs from becoming oxidized are not able to perform this function. The researchers suspect that as we age one of the HDL’s helper enzymes, known as paraoxynase (PON-1), drops to a lower level in the blood. PON-1 is produced in the liver and after it is released into the blood it attaches to the HDL, in order to assist the HDL to inhibit the buildup of lipoperoxides in LDL cholesterol.
The researchers have demonstrated that there is a correlation between folks with low blood levels of PON-1 and cardiovascular disease risk. Seniors need to counter the age related drop in PON-1 levels in the blood by raising their PON-1 levels. It turns out that there are several substances that have been found to boost PON-1 levels. Pomegranate and its extracts have shown to increase the PON-1 levels in the blood by a large amount. Two other potential PON-1 boosters have been identified as quercetin and resveratrol. This is good news for seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive aging steps to support their cardiovascular health by reducing their cardiac risk.
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Long Term Supplement Users Are Healthier
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Recently some encouraging news surfaced in regard to long-term use of multiple dietary supplements. In a journal that specializes in nutrition it was reported that folks who had used long-term multiple dietary supplements were less likely to have diabetes or elevated blood pressure. The researchers gathered their information from over 270 folks in regard to multiple dietary supplement use patterns, nutrition and health. The participants filled out questionnaires and took physical examinations as part of the study, in order to give the researchers a baseline for comparison with non supplement users and those who took a single multivitamin/mineral supplement.
The researchers used all the information gathered from the 270 folks and compared their data with that gathered from over 759 folks who did not use dietary supplements or who only used a single multivitamin/mineral supplement. What they found was the 270 users of multiple dietary supplements were less likely to suffer from diabetes and hypertension. They were more likely to have low levels of the typical disease related biomarkers such as C-reactive protein that is associated with chronic inflammation. Their homocysteine levels which are linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke were also lower. In addition the multiple supplement users were more likely to register optimum levels of the beneficail high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides.
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Why Is Oatmeal So Good for Your Heart?
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Over ten years ago the FDA affirmed that consuming oatmeal may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, but recent research confirms that conclusion and actually amplifies it. The health benefits of consuming wholegrain oats are even greater than originally discovered. In a recent article researchers point out that in the years since the FDA granted a ‘heart healthy’ claim for oats, new research has shown that consuming oats and oat-based products reduces total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Consumption of oats does not produce adverse effects on the high density lipoprotein (HDL) or on the triglycerides.
When consumption of oats and oat-based products is combined with a healthy lifestyle-management program the results in terms of health benefits can extend beyond just reducing total cholesterol and LDL. These extended benefits may include a reduced risk of diabetes, a decreased trend to obesity, and a reduced risk of atherosclerosis. The way that oats might reduce the risk of atherosclerosis would be by favorably modifying the subclass and particle number of LDL. This is excellent news for seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive aging steps against age-related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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Preemptive Steps Against Cardiovascular Disease
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The modern drugs that are used to treat cardiovascular disease are well known, but the modern nutritional approach to preempt cardiovascular disease is not as well known. The term cardiovascular disease is a very general term used to cover a set of conditions that are ultimately caused by atherosclerosis. Until recently atherosclerosis was simply known as “hardening of the arteries” that appeared in folks who ate too much fat and got too little exercise. Today it is known that one of the earliest triggers for artherosclerosis is oxidant damage to fat molecules. This damage alerts the immune system that swings into action, but one of the results is inflammation. These are the initial steps in a cascade of events that produce the deadly final stage of cardiovascular disease.
The medical countermeasures against cardiovascular disease are aimed at establishing the proper balance between the levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and the low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Typically this means increasing the HDLs and decreasing the LDLs and triglycerides. It turns out that recent medical research has discovered a “third great wave” of cardiovascular disease prevention in terms of anti-inflammatory agents and antioxidants. This new approach offers the same benefits as the earlier approaches, but with far fewer side effects which is good news for promoting senior health against cardiovascular disease.
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Thwart 2 Allies of Cardiovascular Disease!
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Today among Americans coronary heart disease is a leading cause of death due to heart attacks. The key contributor to coronary heart disease is the development of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis develops in the arteries when there is an imbalance of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) compared with the high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Both types need to be properly balanced in the optimum ratio required for managing cholesterol in our arteries. If too much LDL is present and not enough HDL is present, then the path to atherosclerosis is wide open. As the level of LDL increases the risk of heart disease increases. High levels of LDL are an ally of cardiovascular disease.
Oxidized LDL is a second ally of cardiovascular disease. Oxidized LDL starts inflammatory processes that lead to the process that clogs arteries. Additionally oxidized LDL interferes with white blood cells resulting in a continuous build up of oxidized LDL in the artherosclerotic plaque. Fortunately for seniors there are steps that can be taken to thwart the allies of atherosclerosis that foster cardiovascular disease. A form of CoQ10 has been shown to protect against LDL oxidation provided it is in the form of ubiquinol CoQ10. The nutrient that has demonstrated the best anti-LDL oxidation effects is none other than pomegranate. In terms of choosing a means to achieve preemptive aging against atherosclerosis pomegranate stands in first place.
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Super Foods for Seniors
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The latest word on super foods with hidden benefits for senior health includes preliminary results that identify celery as a possible blood pressure reducer. The compounds in celery that are suspected of contributing to lower blood pressure are the phytochemicals called phthalides. The good news about crisp, crunchy celery is that it is very filling, it has almost no calories, and it does have a hidden health benefit. The phthalides are the cause of this health benefit, because they relax muscle tissue in artery walls and help increase bloodflow.
Amazing though it may sound the dark meat of turkey or chicken is also super food, because of the type of fats that it contains. Two thirds of the fats in dark meat are the heart healthy unsaturated fats. Over 85% of the saturated fat in dark meat has no impact on cholesterol level or it actually raises the level of the good (HDL) more than the level of the bad (LDL) cholesterol. The bottom line is that the dark meat actually lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. Finally in terms of calories compared with white meat dark meat provides only 8 additional calories per ounce.
Lentils are the third super food on our list. They always come recommended, because they are healthy for folks, but we need to know why these hearty legumes are so healthy for us. First of all cooked lentils provide 25% more folate per cup compared with spinach. Secondly boiled lentils provide more than 15 grams of fiber per cup. Consuming colored lentils such as red, orange, or black lentils will provide additional health benefits including strong antioxidant compounds that are found in the seed hulls. They are a great substitute for rice or pasta.
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Dynamic Combo Defeats Atherosclerosis
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The nutrition health literature is full of reports about the health benefits of drinking green tea. The polyphenols in green tea are known to contribute to cardiovascular health. Olive oil which is used in the Mediterranean diet is known to contribute to preventing cardiovascular disease. In a recent study olive oil and green tea polyphenols were used in lab tests to study the heart healthy effects of olive oil versus the effects of combining olive oil with green tea polyphenols. Earlier research had shown that consuming extra-virgin olive oil raised the level of the beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) which benefits cardiovascular health by removing potentially harmful cholesterol from the bloodstream. Olive oil is known to produce a second heart healthy effect which is the reduction of lipid peroxidation.
In the study olive oil increased the removal of cholesterol by more than 40%. When the extra-virgin olive oil was combined with the green tea polyphenols the cholesterol removal was increased by more than 135% compared with a placebo. In terms of reducing atheriosclerosis, olive oil by itself reduced the size of the atherioschlerotic lesions by more than 10% and the dynamic combo of olive oil and green tea polyphenols achieved a 20% reduction.
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