Today I read 2 interesting expert articles about cholesterol and learned some new information about the whys of how good nutrition and exercise effect cholesterol levels.
A few in our family struggle w/ high cholesterol, likely genetic, and recently one was started on statins by their physician, despite having seen great success from simply changing nutrition and adding a daily evening walk. Unfortunately, the constant pull towards eating unhealthy foods instead of more vegetables and fruits, and not wanting to take the time to go for a daily walk can be much harder to fight the older one is - habits are challenging to change, and the more ingrained, or the longer practiced, perhaps the more difficult. :(
The article starts by explaining what cholesterol is and the difference between LDL (which adds plaque to arterial walls) and HDL (which cleans off the plaque).
It has several helpful, practical tips for lowering cholesterol naturally:
1) Reducing the amount of cholesterol in your food - particularly animal products like meat, eggs, and dairy.
2) Making legumes, vegetables, fruits, and grains the foundation of daily nutrition - they contain soluble fiber, which helps to lower cholesterol due to the fiber binding to an enzyme the body makes from cholesterol meaning the body has to produce more enzymes and use more cholesterol in the process.
3) Exercising daily, most especially strength training combined w/ cardio, which has more of a benefit than cardio alone. Exercise helps lower cholesterol by stimulating the increase of hormones, many of which which are built using cholesterol.
It ends w/ an encouragement to try nutrition and exercise first and to use medications only as a last resort since they can cause liver damage and other side effects, and many do not change the HDL:LDL ratio, which is more important than lowering total cholesterol levels. And even if one has to take medication b/c nutrition and exercise didn't make enough of a change, it is still very important to make the nutritional and exercise changes recommended b/c they reap benefits not only for changing cholesterol, but for many other areas of life as well.
The article on insoluble fiber vs. soluble fiber highlights the differences between the two types of fiber.
Insoluble fiber helps clean impurities from the digestive tract and also helps lower LDL cholesterol and the risk of some cancers b/c there is less time for toxins to hang out.
Soluble fiber dissolves and turns gooey, binding to things and lowering cholesterol levels as well as improving the amount of good bacteria in the digestive tract. It also helps moderate blood sugar levels.
The article then lists the best sources of insoluble fiber - the skins of fruits, leafy greens, beans, bran, nuts, and seeds are all a good source of insoluble fiber. Interestingly, the article doesn't list any specific sources of soluble fiber.
I shared this info w/ the family, and hope it helps encourage the one on statins to consider re-implementing these simple nutritional changes and daily exercise, which had been remarkably successful prior to going on statins, since they ceased to aim for eating healthy or exercising regularly after going on statins.
As Plato said, we are what we eat, and food can be our medicine. While lifestyle changes alone may not be enough to overcome a health issue for some, good nutrition and daily movement/exercise are definitely beneficial for all of us, regardless.
What expert article did you read today? Did you learn anything new?
2 Week Daily Expert Article Challenge - Check-in
Today I read 2 interesting expert articles about cholesterol and learned some new information about the whys of how good nutrition and exercise effect cholesterol levels.
1) Ways to Lower Cholesterol Naturally; What Doctors don't Tell You - https://www.fitnessblender.com/articles/ways-to-lower-cholesterol-naturally-what-doctors-dont-tell-you
and its companion article:
2) Insoluble Fiber Foods List: Best Sources of Insoluble Fiber - https://www.fitnessblender.com/articles/insoluble-fiber-foods-list-best-sources-of-insoluble-fiber
A few in our family struggle w/ high cholesterol, likely genetic, and recently one was started on statins by their physician, despite having seen great success from simply changing nutrition and adding a daily evening walk. Unfortunately, the constant pull towards eating unhealthy foods instead of more vegetables and fruits, and not wanting to take the time to go for a daily walk can be much harder to fight the older one is - habits are challenging to change, and the more ingrained, or the longer practiced, perhaps the more difficult. :(
The article starts by explaining what cholesterol is and the difference between LDL (which adds plaque to arterial walls) and HDL (which cleans off the plaque).
It has several helpful, practical tips for lowering cholesterol naturally:
1) Reducing the amount of cholesterol in your food - particularly animal products like meat, eggs, and dairy.
2) Making legumes, vegetables, fruits, and grains the foundation of daily nutrition - they contain soluble fiber, which helps to lower cholesterol due to the fiber binding to an enzyme the body makes from cholesterol meaning the body has to produce more enzymes and use more cholesterol in the process.
3) Exercising daily, most especially strength training combined w/ cardio, which has more of a benefit than cardio alone. Exercise helps lower cholesterol by stimulating the increase of hormones, many of which which are built using cholesterol.
It ends w/ an encouragement to try nutrition and exercise first and to use medications only as a last resort since they can cause liver damage and other side effects, and many do not change the HDL:LDL ratio, which is more important than lowering total cholesterol levels. And even if one has to take medication b/c nutrition and exercise didn't make enough of a change, it is still very important to make the nutritional and exercise changes recommended b/c they reap benefits not only for changing cholesterol, but for many other areas of life as well.
The article on insoluble fiber vs. soluble fiber highlights the differences between the two types of fiber.
Insoluble fiber helps clean impurities from the digestive tract and also helps lower LDL cholesterol and the risk of some cancers b/c there is less time for toxins to hang out.
Soluble fiber dissolves and turns gooey, binding to things and lowering cholesterol levels as well as improving the amount of good bacteria in the digestive tract. It also helps moderate blood sugar levels.
The article then lists the best sources of insoluble fiber - the skins of fruits, leafy greens, beans, bran, nuts, and seeds are all a good source of insoluble fiber. Interestingly, the article doesn't list any specific sources of soluble fiber.
I shared this info w/ the family, and hope it helps encourage the one on statins to consider re-implementing these simple nutritional changes and daily exercise, which had been remarkably successful prior to going on statins, since they ceased to aim for eating healthy or exercising regularly after going on statins.
As Plato said, we are what we eat, and food can be our medicine. While lifestyle changes alone may not be enough to overcome a health issue for some, good nutrition and daily movement/exercise are definitely beneficial for all of us, regardless.
What expert article did you read today? Did you learn anything new?