Sara
Ducey, M.S., C.N.S.
Assistant Professor of Nutrition
Montgomery College at Rockville,
(301) 738-1709
sducey@mc.cc.md.us
www.saraducey.com
Cholesterol: Sorting
Out the Confusion
MetroTalk
with Jerry Phillips
Sunday,
October 15, 2000
You've
been told that cholesterol is bad. In the diet, cholesterol is not bad. It is a vital nutrient which your body uses
for a multitude of uses:
·
Makes bile to help digest fats
·
Used to manufacture sex hormones, adrenal
hormones, and vitamin D
·
An important part of your skin and body
·
Strengthens cell membranes
The fats in the diet that cause the greatest harm are
processed fats -- typically liquid vegetable oils that were
converted into hard margarines and shortenings. It is the process of making these hydrogenated or partially
hydrogenated fats that damages the food fats, which in turn damages your
body. This processing requires the
addition of hydrogen atoms to the oils under high temperatures, high pressures
and with metal catalysts, like nickel -- which remain in the fat.
When
these compounds are only partially hardened -- we call that partial
hydrogenation -- trans shaped
molecules are formed. Those unnatural
structures are extremely harmful. They
actually increase your blood cholesterol.
See the handout on the Health
Risks of Consumimg trans Fats.
So if
you are concerned about your blood cholesterol levels, you need to decrease the
processed fats in your diet, and increase natural and minimally processed
fats. I recommend that you choose foods
that are not processed, and include both animal and vegetable sources of
natural fats, oils, cholesterol and phospholipids.
How
do you know if you have high blood cholesterol?
a)
Talk to your doctor and ask to have a blood lipid
profile done;
b)
Fast for 12-14 hours before having the blood
sample taken;
c)
Check with your doctor to see what your numbers
are -- don't just let her say they are "O.K." You need to know the numbers;
d)
Compare your numbers to the guidelines set by the
NIH/NHLBI (below)
Blood
Cholesterol Levels[1]:
|
BLOOD
LIPID |
Desirable |
Borderline
High Risk |
High
Risk |
Very
High Risk |
|
Total
Cholesterol |
<200
mg/dL |
200-239
mg/dL |
>240
mg/dL |
|
|
Good
Cholesterol = HDL |
>60 mg/dL reduces risk |
|
<35
mg/dL |
|
|
Bad
Cholesterol = LDL |
<130
mg/dL |
130-159
mg/dL |
>160
mg/dL |
>220
mg/dL |
Review the list of risk factors below to see if
you are at increased risk for Coronary Heart Disease (CHD):
·
Cigarette Smoking
·
Obesity
·
Diabetes Mellitus
·
Hypertension
·
Family History
·
Age (men > 45 years; women > 55 years)
·
High Total Cholesterol (>240 mg/dL)
·
Low Levels of Good (HDL) Cholesterol (35 mg/dL)
·
High Levels of Bad (LDL) Cholesterol (>160
mg/dl)
High
blood cholesterol (and high triglycerides) are bad
because they make the heart work much harder to pump the thicker blood.
© October 2000,
All rights reserved, Sara Ducey, Bethesda, MD.
We now believe that you can reduce your risk for CHD if you can increase your
Good Cholesterol. To Increase Your Good
(HDL) Cholesterol:
·
Eat good quality polyunsaturates, especially omega
3 from fatty fish, flax and walnuts and other nuts and seeds
·
Eat more monounsaturates -- virgin olive oil,
peanuts and peanut oil, avocados
·
Eat naturally saturated fats like butter,
lard, coconut oil and palm kernel oil
·
Minimize your consumption of processed fats:
·
No margarine
·
No vegetable shortening
·
No partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated fats
·
Avoid sugars and minimize the refined starches
·
Eat three balanced meals each day
·
Drink moderate amounts of red wine and
unpastuerized beers
·
Increase your consumption of foods rich in soluble
fibers, such as legumes: beans, peas
and lentils and cereals like oats.
Also:
·
Exercise
·
Lose weight
·
Stop smoking
© October 2000,
All rights reserved, Sara Ducey, Bethesda, MD.
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS AND RELATED FATTY ACIDS
Structure |
Name |
Sources |
|
Omega-3 |
Essential Linolenic Acid
(LNA) |
Flax, Hemp,
Leafy greens, walnuts |
|
|
Docosahexaenoic
Acid (DHA) |
Herring, tuna,
oysters, wild salmon; and algae |
|
|
Eicosapentaenoic
Acid EPA) Fish oils |
Mackerel, tuna,
herring, sardines, anchovies, salmon, bluefish, seafoods, seaweeds, algae |
|
Omega-6 |
Essential Linoleic Acid
(LA) |
Safflower,
corn, soybean oils |
|
|
Arachadonic
Acid* (AA) |
Meats and organ
meats |
*Some researchers suggest that arachadonic
acid should also be considered essential.
It
has been suggested that in they typical diet of humans (over the eons) provided
a 1 to 1 ratio of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats. Now, for most Americans, this balance is about 25:1. In short, we are out of balance. We need to eat both 3s and 6s. They are both essential. But in our current diet, the omega-3s have
been overwhelmed. The goal is to
restore some balance between these essential fats. To accomplish this, choose more foods with omega-3s and work to
avoid the omega-6s. When you do have
omega-6s -- make sure they are fresh, high quality oils.
© October 2000, All rights reserved, Sara Ducey, Bethesda, MD.
