We all hear about how bad cholesterol is and how we shouldn’t eat foods that are too high in them. Well this is true and not true. The foods we eat do contain a lot of cholesterol but not all the cholesterol we have in our bodies is bad for us. Our bodies make cholesterol naturally, about seventy five percent of the cholesterol we have in our bodies now is natural cholesterol our bodies have made.

The problem comes when we begin to get to much bad cholesterol in our bodies that make it hard for the good cholesterol to do its job properly. If you keep your bad cholesterol down you will be at less risk of a heart attack, you will have more energy, and you’ll be able to benefit by prolonging your life. Let’s get into some of the good, the bad and the sometimes ugly facts about cholesterol.

Most cholesterol comes from our bodies and this is good cholesterol:

The majority of the cholesterol we have in our bodies serves a purpose; the purpose is for it to move a lot of the bad cholesterol out of our bodies so that it doesn’t clog up our systems. When we eat foods that contain high levels of cholesterol like eggs and heavy meats we rapidly increase the cholesterol in our bodies. Increasing the bad cholesterol will make the good cholesterol struggle to remove it from our systems. This is when our arteries will get clogged up and we will run the risk of a heart attack or other organ problems.  It is recommended that we not get more then 300mg of cholesterol a day in our system, anymore than that and we are running the risk of suffering from a heart attack.

Some people suffer because of hereditary problems:

Some people who make large amounts of cholesterol in their bodies do it through no fault of their own. High cholesterol can be hereditary. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing either. You just have to make sure you don’t consume too much cholesterol by means of other foods. If you have hereditary cholesterol problems you may also have hereditary heart problems associated with it. This means you will have to be sure to keep track of your good cholesterol versus your bad cholesterol. Your good cholesterol will help protect you from the bad cholesterol.

When cholesterol goes unchecked it can lead to heart problems that may only be cured through the use of surgery or cholesterol drugs. Hopefully it would not have to come to this point. If your arteries become too clogged with bad cholesterol it will affect your movement, you will not be able to eat certain foods because they may trigger a heart attack.  You will have to end up being put on cholesterol drugs you may find unpleasant or that cause other health problems. Take care to check your good cholesterol versus you bad cholesterol so you can avoid potential heart problems down the line.

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Acidic reflux can be traced to the foods that cause heartburn and are best avoided to cure the irritating problem faced by one in three Americans. Although the foods are not a one-size-fits-all that causes heartburn, there are some foods that are responsible for heartburns in most people.

Foods high in acidic content like tomatoes and citrus fruits are bad for heartburn. But then again, some may not be affected by citrus fruits, but spicy and fried foods can be harmful to them.

Many Americans have reported getting heartburns after tucking in a Mexican or Italian meal.

Most medical practitioners caution against stuffing up your stomach with food. It is better to leave your stomach partly full instead of wolfing down food during every mealtime.

With a full stomach the acid in the stomach has more of a chance to do a reverse journey up the esophagus or your throat. It is when you get a burning sensation that can get irritating.

Smaller meals taken several times a day does not only prevent heartburns, but keeps you fit and does not allow fat to pile up.

Beverages like tea and coffee trigger acid reflux if taken frequently. Foods that cause heartburn could be carbonated and citrus drinks for some people. Alcohol is a common drink that causes heartburn if you are a regular binge drinker.

Chocolate and drinks flavored with chocolates can also be the causes of heartburn for many. Avoiding these types of food can prevent heartburn and also if you are suffering from heartburn symptoms. Eating should be done slowly and not quickly.

Smoking has been cited as one of the major reasons for heartburn in many patients who also take irregular meals and do late nights. Regular acid reflux can damage the esophagus lining and foods that cause heartburn are best avoided.

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            When most people think of what kind of diet causes heart disease, they often think of fatty, greasy foods, and this may certainly be true for some people at risk. However, the term processed foods doesn’t just include lunch meats and sausages: the majority of processed food is from carbohydrates (sugars).  There may very well be more heart disease caused by consuming excess carbohydrates than excess fat. Why would this be true? In order to understand why, we need to understand how fats and sugars are broken down in the body and used for energy.

           Sugar is digested mainly in the mouth and the intestines, where it is then taken to the liver, often processed further, before entering the bloodstream. It is there that the important hormone insulin is released in order to send a signal for the body’s cells to take up the sugar from the bloodstream. The sugar is then broken down (metabolized) to completion, generating energy and heat. The body prefers to break down sugars first, followed by fats, and then proteins last. If sugar intake is at most moderate, the system usually works well, because almost all of the sugar will be burned for energy and heat, and then the remaining fat will then be broken down. The problem is when sugar intake is too much for the body to metabolize at one time. Normally, there is a modest level of fat breakdown going on in the body all the time. Unfortunately, when too much sugar is taken in, fat burning ends up slowing down while the body tries to get rid of the excess carbohydrates (1). Contrary to popular belief, excess sugar is not automatically converted to fat—it stays in the bloodstream until it is finally taken up by the body’s cells. In time, sugars can corrode the lining of the bloodstream (the arteries), contributing to heart disease.

            As was mentioned above, the hormone insulin is released in response to more sugar entering the bloodstream after a high-carbohydrate meal. The more sugar enters the bloodstream, the more insulin is released to help shuttle it into the cells. In theory, this is a good thing, but over time, the reality is much different. Excess insulin in the bloodstream does a number of destructive things to the body. These include: thickening the arteries, lowering the heart-friendly minerals potassium and magnesium, stimulating fibrous tissue in the artery linings that can form plaques, stimulating blood clot formation, and promoting increased oxidation of fats in the bloodstream (2). Equally bad is when insulin levels stay high in the bloodstream for long periods of time. The body’s insulin receptors try to adapt by becoming less responsive to insulin, a phenomenon known as insulin resistance. There is evidence that insulin resistance itself can be a major factor in the progression of heart disease (3).

            So far, we have only discussed the ways that excess sugar can cause heart disease. On the surface, it can sound strange that sugars can cause as much heart disease (or more), as fats do. If you are skeptical about the correlation between sugar intake and heart disease, take a look at the following statistics: in the 19th century, sugar consumption in America rose from 15 lbs per person per year to 85 lbs per person per year. As of 1993, sugar consumption averaged a whopping 135 lbs per person per year (4) (that’s almost six ounces of sugar per person per day, which is about 670 calories worth of simple carbohydrates). What about the rates of cardiovascular disease? In 1800, death from cardiovascular disease was uncommon enough to not be included in mortality statistics. In 1900, one in seven Americans died from this disease. By the 1990’s, a staggering one person in three died from cardiovascular disease (4).

            So, what about fat intake compared to sugar intake for causing heart disease? It is true that one of the risk factors for heart disease is excessive intake of the heavier meats, including beef and pork. However, not all meat is created equal. The average meat circulating around the country has hormones and antibiotics injected into the animal, along with both restricted movement of the animal combined with low-quality cheap feed. Health-conscious food stores usually carry range fed, hormone and antibiotic-free meat. This higher-quality meat is lower in an important inflammatory hormone called Arachidonic Acid (AA). Some people are very sensitive to the hormone AA, especially if they have allergies and/or asthma. If a person is still sensitive to the higher-quality range-fed meat, they can try soaking the meat in red wine overnight—the acidic properties of the wine will leach out much of the AA. Unfortunately, beef and other “heavier” meats are not the only source of AA—your body also makes it as well. Excess sugar intake ends up increasing your own AA production, and AA is a known contributor to heart disease (5).

            There is some evidence that some people are more genetically prone to either heart disease or diabetes—in other words, excess sugar intake may cause one person to develop heart disease, and the other diabetes. This means that different people handle sugar intake differently inside them. The factors mentioned above can make it very confusing and frustrating for a person to decide both what to eat and how much to eat. Many people reading this may have already tried many different diets, as well as clinical consultations. If the underlying diet-related problems are persisting, it would be a good idea to contact a nutritional consultant.

References: 

1.        Greenspan, F., & Gardner, D., p. 716. Basic & Clinical Endocrinology, 6th Ed. New York, NY: Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division, 2001. 

2.         Kristal, H., & Haig, J., p. 102-105. The Nutrition Solution. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2002.

3.         Eades, M., & Eades, M., p. 34-35. The Protein Power Life Plan. New York, NY: Warner Books, 2000.

4.         Erasmus, U., p. 405. Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, 14th Ed. Burnaby, BC (Canada): Alive Books, 1993.Sears, B., p. 137. The Zone. New York, NY: Regan Books / HarperCollins Publishers, 1995.

5.         Sears, B., p. 137. The Zone. New York, NY: Regan Books / HarperCollins Publishers, 1995.

Dr. Jensen is both a consultant and author in the BioMedical and Nutrition fields. He has previously written a book on both topics, The Failures of American Medicine, published in 2002. Dr. Jensen has also written a doctoral dissertation on how Vitamin C can reduce stress and allergies via its antihistamine effect. He has worked in a broad range of BioMedical fields, such as gene regulation, cancer research, and HIV vaccine development. However, Dr. Jensen eventually decided that helping people more directly would be more rewarding for everyone involved. He has since helped clients with dozens of different ailments. Dr. Jensen is a practitioner in the field of Metabolic Typing, which characterizes different biochemistries among people based on certain physical and behavioral traits they have.

You can contact Dr. Jensen at 1-800-390-5365, or mail him at drjensen@individualizednutrition.com.

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