Health Habits

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Posts Tagged ‘inflammation’

OxyCholesterol…the most serious cardiovascular health threat of all?

August 31st, 2009

Researchers have found that a (virtually unknown to the public) form of cholesterol called oxycholesterol may be your most serious cardiovascular health threat.

“Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and the heart-healthy high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) are still important health issues,” says study leader Zhen-Yu Chen, Ph.D., of Chinese University of Hong Kong. “But the public should recognize that oxycholesterol is also important and cannot be ignored.

Our work demonstrated that oxycholesterol boosts total cholesterol levels and promotes atherosclerosis ["hardening of the arteries"] more than non-oxidized cholesterol.”

Q. So, how do we get this oxidized cholesterol – oxycholesterol?

A. Fried food, processed food, junk food…basically all of the food that makes you fat also has high levels of oxycholesterol. Quel surprise.

Scientists have known for years that a reaction between fats and oxygen, a process termed oxidation, produces oxycholesterol in the body.

Oxidation occurs, for instance, when fat-containing foods are heated, as in frying chicken or grilling burgers or steaks.

Food manufacturers produce oxycholesterol intentionally in the form of oxidized oils such as trans-fatty acids and partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils. When added to processed foods, those substances improve texture, taste and stability.

Until now, however, much of the research focused on oxycholesterol’s effects in damaging cells, DNA, and its biochemical effects in contributing to atherosclerosis. Dr. Chen believes this is one of the first studies on oxycholesterol’s effects in raising blood cholesterol levels compared to non-oxidized cholesterol.

In the new study, researchers compared the effects of a oxycholesterol rich diet to a diet rich in regular non-oxidized cholesterol.

The oxycholesterol group showed greater deposition of cholesterol in the lining of their arteries and a tendency to develop larger deposits of cholesterol. These fatty deposits, called atherosclerotic plaques, increase the risk for heart attack and stroke.

More importantly, oxycholesterol had undesirable effects on “artery function.”

Oxycholesterol reduced the elasticity of arteries, impairing their ability to expand and carry more blood.

In a healthy, elastic artery, expansion allows for more blood to flow through arteries that are partially blocked by plaques, potentially reducing the risk that a clot will form and cause a heart attack or stroke.

Luckily, a healthy diet rich in antioxidants can counter these effects, Chen said, noting that these substances may block the oxidation process that forms oxycholesterol.

Scientists do not know whether the popular anti-cholesterol drugs called statins lower oxycholesterol.

And how do we get a diet rich in antioxidants?

Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices….aka real food.

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Reference

Science Daily

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Posted in Diet/Nutrition, Research, fitness, health, healthy recipes, nutrition

Tags: cholesterol diet Diet/Nutrition fitness food health heart heart disease inflammation nutrition nutritious oxidation oxycholesterol

Spice Month Round Up

August 29th, 2009

For those of you who are regular followers of the site, now you will no doubt be experts in using spices from that infamous spice rack in your kitchen. For the entire month of August I gave you guys recipes containing the most popular spices requested. What I’ve decided to do today is give a run down of what we made as well as highlight some other recipes that I’ve used containing your requests. Now it’s time to tuck into that rack (that didn’t sound so good, did it?) and get cookin’!

We kicked off the proceedings with one of my faves….
Allspice. I did a Jerk seasoned trio of recipes with this bad boy just so everyone could try it out with no excuses! Tell me, who made the jerk sauce? I also busted out a Banana Buckwheat Muffin recipe using allspice for all my baking buddies. Now, these were the business even though I’m not renowned as a ‘Pat the Baker’.
Other GM (Gavan Murphy) allspice recipes:
Healthy fresh baked apple tart
Homemade ketchup
Lamb Burgers

Next up was a bit of a surprise but Dried Thyme got the nod here. I had had a request for a healthy chowder recipe so being all about giving, as I am (by my own admission) that’s what I did. This is my no dairy/no butter version which turned out really well. I must prefer to use fresh thyme over dried since nearly all of my recipes call for fresh. Not to worry, remember our conversion? (If not, click chowder link to refresh your memory).

The one spice I thought would come in first place (I guess isn’t as hard for people) was Turmeric. By the way, is there a reason why we pronounce it TOO-Mer-ic? I really enjoyed working with it and figured since turmeric is a Middle Eastern spice, making an Indian dish was the best way to go. I made a Spiced Bindi (Okra) (Above) dish as well as Turmeric roasted mini potatoes with Arugula (or Rocket known across the pond–that one’s for you Eske). Because I was into using this so much I popped out a third recipe, Moroccan Quinoa Salad. This is gooood and a great healthy grain to boot. Still looking for help on my sad little Tikka Salmon, though…any takers?

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Posted in Diet/Nutrition, Recipe, fitness, health, healthy recipes, nutrition, obesity, weight loss

Tags: curcumin diet Diet/Nutrition fat fat loss fitness food Gavan Murphy health healthy cooking healthy food healthy recipe Indian food inflammation Irish Irish chef los angeles low-fat cooking Moroccan food nutrition nutritional nutritious obese obesity protein Spice month The healthy Irishman turmeric weight loss

Vitamin C Puts Out the Fire of Inflammation

November 17th, 2008

A new study researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, shows that vitamin C can lower your levels of C-reactive protein (CRP).

C-reactive protein is a central biomarker of inflammation that has been shown to be a powerful predictor of heart disease and diabetes. This TIME magazine article provides a good overview.

The U of C-B study, which will be published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, shows that for healthy, non-smoking adults with an elevated level of CRP, a daily dose of vitamin C lowered levels of the inflammation biomarker after two months compared with those who took a placebo.

The researchers said that for people with elevated CRP levels, the amount of CRP reduction achieved by taking vitamin C supplements in this study is comparable to that in many other studies of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins.

They noted that several larger statin trials lowered CRP levels by about 0.2 milligrams per liter; in this latest study, vitamin C lowered CRP by 0.25 milligrams per liter.

“This finding of an effect of vitamin C is important because it shows in a carefully conducted randomized, controlled trial that for people with moderately elevated levels of inflammation, vitamin C may be able to reduce CRP as much as statins have done in other studies.”

Vitamin C / CRP / Inflammation & Obesity

This study also found a strong link between obesity and elevated levels of CRP.

The researchers found that elevated levels of CRP were found in:

25% of the normal-weight people test subjects
50% of the overweight subjects, and
A whopping 75% of the obese test subjects participants.

“The low-grade inflammation that characterizes obesity is believed to contribute to a number of disorders, including atherosclerosis and insulin resistance,” said Nina Holland, co-investigator on the study.

And it’s not just the scientists expressing concern over CRP.

The American Heart Association and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that clinicians measure CRP levels in patients who have a moderately elevated risk of cardiovascular problems, as determined by other established risk factors such as high cholesterol levels and smoking.

“Major studies have found that the level of CRP in the body predicts future risk of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction, stroke and peripheral artery disease, as well as diabetes. Some believe CRP to be as important a predictor of future heart problems as high levels of LDL and low levels of HDL cholesterol.”

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What To Do If You’re Worried

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Obviously, talk to your doctor.

But keep in mind that your doctor may not want to test for CRP. Most still just want to look at your levels of cholesterol. But it is possible to have high CRP and normal levels of cholesterol.

I would suggest that you print out this article and bring it along to your appointment, but somehow I don’t see many medical professionals listening to little ole’ me.

Instead, print out this Q & A about CRP that the Cleveland Clinic put together.

Here is a more clinical look at the CRP test itself.

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How To Prevent / Reduce CRP & Inflammation

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According to the Cleveland Clinic:

Inflammation should be treated by lifestyle change, such as:

losing weight,
exercising,
controlling diabetes,
stopping smoking,
controlling high blood pressure, and
reducing alcohol intake.

Antithrombotic medications such as aspirin or clopidogrel may provide protection.
Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs and ACE inhibitors may also reduce CRP.

Your doctor will prescribe the correct medications and dosage to treat your condition.

And if you don’t want to wait for your doctor to prescribe the correct medications, you can investigate dietary solutions such as:

Omega 3 fatty acids
Ginger
Tumeric
Holy Basil
Green tea
Rosemary
Oregano
Medicinal Mushrooms

And of course Vitamin C

For even more info on natural solutions to inflammation / CRP, take a look at some of the work done by Dr. James Duke. His book, “Beyond Aspirin” is a good place to start.

You may also want to take a look at the new book by Dr. Barry Sears – Toxic Fat

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Why are Omega 3s Better than Statins?

September 11th, 2008

Picture this:

You have just left the hospital.

You have just left the hospital where a loved one lies in a hospital bed after suffering his third heart attack. The first two were minor, but this one, this one almost took him away from you.

But, you have left the hospital knowing that he is safe for the moment.

The doctors were able to stabilize him, and now they have started him on a drug therapy that they swear is the best treatment for chronic heart failure.

Medical science at it’s very best.

You leave the hospital knowing that the statin drugs coursing through his system give him the very best chance of survival.

Right?

Not according to these two nested studies, presented at the 2008 European Society of Cardiology Congress and published in the Lancet.

According to these studies, “Omega-3 fatty-acid supplementation improves morbidity and mortality in symptomatic heart-failure patients, while statins failed to have any beneficial effect in the same group of patients.”

Statins failed to have any beneficial effect on the heart-failure patients, while…

Omega-3 fatty acids improved morbidity and mortality.

So What Are Omega-3 Fatty Acids?

Omega-3 Fatty Acids are a group of fats found in cold water oily fish (sardines, salmon, herring), flax seed, krill, some algae and most recently being added in supplement form to numerous consumer products such as eggs, orange juice and bread.

What Can Omega-3s Do For Me?

When we discuss Omega-3s, we are usually discussing two specific Omega-3s:

EPA or eicosapentaenoic acid, and
DHA or docosahexaenoic acid

On September 8, 2004, the FDA gave “qualified health claim” status to EPA and DHA, stating that “supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease“.

So, according to the FDA, Omega-3s may help you avoid a heart attack.

Let’s see what some others have to say about Omega-3s:

Are Omega-3s Better than Statins?

I am not sure that we should be looking at this question as an either / or proposition, but the results of this latest study show that:

After 3.9 years of follow-up, treatment with the omega-3 fatty acids reduced the risk of mortality by 9% and mortality and admission to the hospital for cardiovascular causes by 8%

After 3.9 years, the patients being treated with statins (rosuvastatin 10 mg) saw no reduction in the risk of morbidity or admission to hospital. On the good side, there was a 27% decrease in LDL cholesterol after 3 years. This decrease, however, didn’t keep people out of the hospital.

At the end of the day, the Omega-3s did a better job than the statins. Period.

So what does medical science have to say about these test results?

The Chair of the study, Dr. Luigi Tavazzi said ‘the advantage of Omega-3s is that they appear to have a beneficial effect on the mechanisms leading to the progression of heart failure.

Translation: They keep you from suffering heart failure.

Although the exact reasons are unknown, omega-3 fatty acids could possibly exert favorable effects on inflammatory processes, such as reductions in endothelial activation and cytokine production, as well as influence platelet aggregation, blood pressure, heart rate, ventricular function, and autonomic tone.

Translation: They are anti-inflammatory.

Another researcher, Dr. Gregg Fonarow said that while “questions remain about the mechanism of action, optimum dosing, and formulation, supplementation with Omega-3 fatty acids should join the short list of evidence-based life-prolonging therapies for heart failure.”

In regards to the performance of the statin drug rosuvastatin, researcher Dr. Poole-Wilson said that “this study is likely to generate disappointment among clinicians, as the results of the study, in light of observational and meta-analyses data, were expected to be positive.

When the trial was designed, some even expressed concern that it was unethical to randomize heart-failure patients to placebo because they were so confident of the benefit of statin therapy in this patient population.

The results, he said, ultimately should humble researchers, especially as they serve as reminder that medical decisions should be guided “science, and not strongly held opinion.”

In terms of why the study failed to show a beneficial effect on clinical outcomes, the researchers note that treatment with rosuvastatin reduced LDL cholesterol as well as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.

“These effects might no longer affect the progression of coronary artery disease in patients with ischemic heart failure, perhaps because their effect is attenuated by a biological milieu not favoring the progression of coronary artery disease“.

Translating this into something resembling English, Dr. Fonarow said “that once heart failure is established, statins may not allow patients to escape the underlying heart-disease process”.

Conclusion

According to this pair of studies:

Omega-3 Fatty Acids are better than Statins at keeping your heart beating.