Research reveals that over 50% of heart attack patients have normal cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is not the culprit behind heart disease, Inflammation of blood vessels is. Guess what significantly reduces or eliminates inflammation of blood vessels entirely? you got it Nutritional supplements.
Rather than concentrating on lowering your cholesterol you need to understand the necessary steps in reducing inflammation in your arteries.
In the late 70's there was a study done in Framingham, Ma called the Framingham studies. It followed a large population of patients who lived in Framingham. Scientists noted in these studies that as the cholesterol levels increased, so did the frequency of heart attacks. Following this research cholesterol levels greater than 200 were considered abnormal and a cholesterol level greater than 240 placed a patient at HIGH risk for developing a heart attack. Before this a cholesterol level of 320 was considered normal.
It was in the early 80's that physicians learned that not all cholesterol was bad. God didn't make a mistake when he created it. The cholesterol the body makes is good. In fact it is essential for building good cell membranes, other cell parts and many different hormones that our bodies need. We could not live without it, So when we do not get enough from our diet our bodies create it.
Problems begin to occur when free radicals change or oxidize cholesterol making it "BAD".
In a 1989 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr Daniel Steinberg stated that if patients had adequate antioxidant intake it would stop the oxidation and the cholesterol would not become "BAD".
Since this claim hundreds of studies have been done to prove or disprove this theory.
In 1997 researcher Dr Marco Diaz made an impressive review of all the studies. Diaz concluded that patients with the highest levels of antioxidants in their bodies had the least amount of
coronary artery disease. Animal studies done at this time also concluded that "Antioxidants and their supporting nutrients have become the New hope in the war against the number 1 killer: Heart Disease.
LDL cholesterol isn't the only instigator behind inflammation of blood vessels. Other main causes include something called, Homocysteine and the free radicals that cigarette smoking, hypertension, fatty foods and diabetes cause.
The important this is that antioxidants and their supporting nutrients can eliminate or at least significantly reduce ALL of the causes of inflammation in the arteries. Let's take a look at each.
Vitamin E is the most important when it comes to hindering the process of hardening of the arteries.
Vitamin C has been proven effective in protecting the LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized. Another benefit of Vitamin C is its ability to regenerate Vitamin E and intracellular glutathione so they can be used again and again.
Glutathione: Patients with known coronary artery disease have lower levels of glutathione within their cells than people with healthy arteries. When you take the nutrients needed for the cell to make more glutathione(selenium, B2, niacin, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine), you are improving the body's overall antioxidant defense system.
Bioflavanoids exist within our fruits and vegetables. These extremely potent antioxidants have some antiallergen and anti-inflammatory properties. Red wine and grape juice have a product called
polyphenols which have been shown to decrease the formation of oxidized LDL cholesterol.
It is important to note that ALL these nutrients work together to either eliminate or decrease the inflammation of the arteries. Don't decide to just drink wine or grape juice. You need all of these nutrients at optimal levels not RDA levels. This is why
Cellular Nutrition is so important. It's not enough to take one or the other we need a combination of vitamins and minerals working together to keep us healthy.
