Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

To better understand about prevention of cardiovascular disease, it is important to understand some basic facts about cholesterol. Your body has two sources of cholesterol-that which you manufacturer (mostly in your liver) and that which comes from the food that you eat. Cholesterol performs three major functions in the body:

1. It makes up the outer coating of cells.
2. It is used in the production of vitamin D and other hormones such as estrogen and testosterone.
3. It makes up bile acids which helps digest food.

Unfortunately, if you have too much cholesterol it can cause cardiovascular disease.
Basic cholesterol testing generally includes LDL and HDL cholesterol along with triglycerides. LDL cholesterol is often referred to as “bad” cholesterol because this is the cholesterol that tends to clog arteries and cause heart disease. HDL is also known as “good” cholesterol because it helps sweep the bad cholesterol out of your arteries. Triglycerides are fats that are carried in your bloodstream that come from the foods that you eat. Excess calories, sugar and alcohol are converted into triglycerides and stored as fat cells in the body. Elevated triglycerides are another risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

These days we are suggesting more sophisticated cardiovascular testing for our patients to better assess cardiac risk. Since around 50% of heart attack victims and over 80% of those with coronary artery disease have normal cholesterol, it is clear that a simple cholesterol test does not tell the entire story. Genova lab offers a reasonably priced lab called CV Health Plus Genomics™ which uses a simple blood test to measure many independent risk factors other than cholesterol to evaluate cardiovascular risk. Through this testing, we are finding that many of our patients with “normal” cholesterol levels actually have a number of risk factors for heart disease that have not been previously identified. Using this information, we have been able to develop customized programs to help patients reduce their risk factors.

For heart disease prevention, the general recommendation is a diet that is low in saturated fat and high in fiber. This usually means moving toward a more plant based diet featuring abundant fruits, vegetables and legumes. Well known heart healthy foods include almonds, walnuts, garlic, beans, berries, oily fish like salmon, and olive oil. We suggest that you get at least 30 grams of fiber per day. If you are unable to get this much fiber from your diet, we suggest adding a daily fiber supplement.
Some of our favorite supplements for heart health are:

Medi Foods Ultra Fiber Plus: Each pleasant tasting scoop contains 8 grams of fiber which helps control cholesterol and prevent constipation. This product is suitable for those with wheat and gluten allergies.

BioGenesis UltraCoQ-10: CoQ10 is an antioxidant that is important for overall cardiovascular and neurological health. It is also helpful in correcting
CoQ10 deficiencies that can result in those on cholesterol-lowering medications (statins). CoQ10 inhibits the oxidation of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol which reduces the risk of atherosclerotic plaque formation. CoQ10 levels decrease with aging. A suggested dosage would be at least 100 mg per day.

Pharmax Finest Fish Oil: There are a number of studies dating back many years that show omega 3 fish oil to be helpful in preventing cardiovascular disease, largely through reducing inflammation. We like this fish oil because it has a pleasant orange taste and it is highly condensed. One teaspoonful contains 2 grams of fish oil. It often takes many fish oil capsules to achieve this dosage. Fish oil greatly reduces triglyceride levels.

Endurance Products Enduracin: Niacin has been well studied as an effective an rapid way to lower cholesterol. Niacin tends to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol while raising HDL (good) cholesterol. Niacin is not as good at lowering “bad” cholesterol as statins, so it is often used as a secondary drug. Some people are unable to tolerate niacin because it can cause flushing. For this reason, we generally recommend taking slow release niacin at bedtime along with a baby aspirin to reduce the flushing effect.

Endurance Products Phytosterols: Phytosterols are cholesterol like compounds found in plants which help reduce cholesterol levels in humans. Studies have shown that phytosterols have great ability to lower LDL cholesterol.

Thorne Choleast: Red yeast rice is the key ingredient in Choleast . Red yeast rice has been well studied for its ability to normalize cholesterol levels. As an added plus, this product also contains a small about of CoQ10.

BioGenesis BioLipitrol: This product contains a combination of nutrients that have been shown to be helpful for normalizing elevated lipids and promoting healthy cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism. Nutrients include red yeast rice, policosanol, guggul gum extract and inositol hexanicotinate.

This list is just a sampling of the products that we carry at NaturoMedica which are aimed at improving cardiovascular health. As always, we suggest that you consult with a physician before taking any supplement.