Cholesterol and Cardiovascular Health, A Naturopathic Perspective

There is more to cardiovascular health than your total Cholesterol number. Holistic approaches to cardiovascular health may prove to be more effective than taking cholesterol lowering drugs.

Heart disease is the number one killer in our country. The main treatments for cardiovascular disease have focused on cholesterol lowering drugs and coronary bypass surgery. Despite these treatments the rates of cardiovascular disease are not decreasing.

For a long time we have been focusing our treatment on lowering cholesterol, thinking that this is the main issue to reverse the process. However, cholesterol levels don’t always predict a person’s risk. Some people with low cholesterol still have cardiovascular disease and some people with high cholesterol don’t.

So what are we missing? Why haven’t we been able to change the rates of these diseases? Perhaps it is because we are not focusing on the underlying issue - oxidative damage. A good analogy would be the rusting of water pipes. Oxidation of the cholesterol is what causes hardening of the arteries. If this continues, arteries harden and narrow, blood pressure rises and heart disease begins. Eventually the person may succumb to heart attacks, congestive heart failure, or strokes.

What causes oxidative damage to our vessels? High levels of LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol and low levels of HDL (high density lipoprotein) increase the opportunity for oxidative damage to occur, but this is not the direct cause. Oxidative damage occurs specifically from things such as smoking, high sugar diets, lack of exercise, high stress, and elevated homocysteine. These factors can be addressed with diet, supplements and lifestyle.

A diet comprised of whole foods is essential: this includes green leafy vegetables, lean meats such as poultry, cold-water fish and whole grains. Processed foods and refined carbohydrates should be avoided as much as possible. Limiting cholesterol in the diet does not necessarily decrease cholesterol levels since our liver manufactures the majority (~80%) of the cholesterol in our body. Don’t be fooled by “Fat Free” and “Cholesterol Free” packaged foods. Some of these foods contain lots of sugars and are not necessarily healthy – read the label.

High fiber helps to decrease excess cholesterol and fats in the body. Fiber binds excess fatty compounds and limits absorption into the blood stream. Fiber supports digestion and elimination, which is essential for overall health.

Controlling blood sugar levels is important for cardiovascular health. Diabetes is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The above-prescribed diet will help regulate blood sugar levels.

Vitamin B6, B12, and Folic Acid help to decrease oxidative damage by decreasing homocysteine. Elevated homocysteine can cause oxidative damage in the vessels. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) helps to lower this compound, too.

Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oils and flax seed oil help to decrease inflammation in the body and helps increase HDL (good) cholesterol. Fish oil supplements should be tested to assure no heavy metal, PCB or Dioxin contamination.

Moderate exercise strengthens the heart and increases blood flow. Exercise has also been showed to increase HDL cholesterol and lower overall cholesterol. Plus exercise is fun! Exercise is one of the most important things we can do to bolster our overall health.

It is estimated that 1 out of 5 US citizens have one form of cardiovascular disease. This is alarming, especially when we realize that many of the risk factors for these diseases are in our control. Through diet, lifestyle and exercise we can all lower our risks of cardiovascular disease.