Heart Health/Cholesterol

Everyone age 20 and older should have his or her cholesterol measured at least once every 5 years. It is best to have a blood test called a “lipoprotein profile” or “lipid profile” to find out your cholesterol numbers. This blood test is done after a 12 hour fast (water only) and gives detailed information about your cholesterol including:

• Total Cholesterol

• HDL (good) cholesterol – High density lipoprotein, or HDL, can be referred to as “highly desirable.” Helps to clean out the arteries and keep bad cholesterol from building up.

• LDL (bad) cholesterol – Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, can be referred to as “least desirable.” The main source of bad cholesterol buildup and blockage in the arteries.

• Triglycerides – another form of fat in your blood

Cholesterol Level Guidelines

*Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood.

Dietary Tips for Heart Health
(adapted from the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Dietary Handbook. Author: Cheryl Marco, RD, CDE, Division of Endocrinology, Thomas Jefferson University)

Fat Facts—the Bad and the Good. The type of fat you eat does make a difference!
While all fats have the same number of calories, some raise your blood cholesterol levels and others lower your blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol-raising fats include: Saturated Fats & Trans Fatty Acids. Cholesterol-lowering fats include: Monounsaturated Fats & Polyunsaturated Fats.

The Bad Fats: Of all the types of fat, saturated fat is the most dangerous for your blood cholesterol level. This type of fat is found in animal or vegetable foods and is hard or solid at room temperature. If you were to leave a well-marbled steak on the counter at room temperature, would the fat become liquid? No! It would remain solid; therefore it is a saturated fat. Saturated fat is found mostly in meat products, dairy products, tropical oils (palm and coconut), and processed baked goods. It is important to remember that even if these foods contain no cholesterol, they will still raise your blood cholesterol level because they contain saturated fat.

Trans Fatty Acids are produced when liquid oil is hydrogenated, meaning it is chemically changed from a liquid to a solid. The reason that food manufacturers use this process is to lengthen the shelf life and to provide flavor stability. Trans fatty acids will increase the level of cholesterol in your blood even though a particular food may be low in saturated fat and contain no cholesterol. Look on food labels for the ingredient list. The words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” determine the presence of trans fatty acids in a certain food. If these words are near the top of the ingredient list, then this food is high in trans fatty acids even through it may be low in saturated fat and/or cholesterol free. You are most likely to find trans fats in commercial baked goods such as crackers, cookies or bakery products.

The Good Fats: Monounsaturated Fats—These are the fats that lower your blood cholesterol level without lowering your HDL-C (the good cholesterol.) People that eat a diet rich in monounsaturated fats usually have low levels of coronary heart disease. Monounsaturated fats are found in olive oil, canola oil, nuts, olives and avocados.

Polyunsaturated fats are often considered neutral in their effect on blood cholesterol levels. They help lower LDL-C (the bad cholesterol), however, they can also cause small reductions in the HDL-C. Polyunsaturated fats are found in liquid vegetable oils including corn, cottonseed, safflower, sesame seed, soybean, and sunflower seed oils. (This information adapted from “Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Dietary Handbook”—a resource used in cholesterol related studies at Diablo Clinical Research. Author: Cheryl Marco, RD, CDE )

(For more on information on fat facts see Advancing Health Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1, February 05.)

Ten Strategies for Healthy and Happy Living
by Diablo Clinical Research Cardiac specialist: Lambert Chee MD FACC

1. A walk a day will keep the doctor away.
More and more studies have shown that exercise such as walking leads to a better sense of well being, better self-esteem, less illness, and longer life. If you walk far enough, you may live to be 100!

2. You are what you eat.
If you eat more fruits and vegetables, your cholesterol level will be lower, your bowels will be cleaner, and you are likely to live longer. The more fat that you eat, the more likely that it will end up around your middle. Remember that fat contains 9 calories per gram; whereas carbohydrate and protein, only 4 calories per gram. Each 3,500 calories in excess means an extra pound around your middle (or your behind.)

3. Take your medications-they are the vitamins of life.
If you need medications for your blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, gout, or any medical condition, take them on a regular basis—not just when you feel like it. The rates of stroke, heart attacks, kidney failure, and peptic ulcers have dropped dramatically because of highly effective medications taken on a regular basis.

4. Don’t smoke.
Even tobacco companies now admit that cigarette smoking is harmful to your health. Cigarette smoke contains 4,000 byproducts, including over 30 radioactive ones. You have only one set of air filters, your lungs, and unfortunately, they are very difficult to replace. So stay away from cigarettes and cigarette smoke.

5. Share yourself.
Spend time with your family, your friends, and members of the community. By listening to their stories, you can learn from their experiences and benefit from them. When we gather together to share stories and listen to each other, the sense of community and the recognition of shared experiences can be profoundly healing: you will feel better, your immune system will be improved, your endorphin levels will be increased, and your aches and pains will be less bothersome.

6. Let go of useless baggage.
All of us carry around burdens from the past that weigh us down and hinder our progress in the journey of life. Anger and resentment from events of the past are carried around with us like treasured jewels, when in reality they do us more harm than good. Ann Landers said it best: Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head. Remember MIND OVER MATTER; WHAT YOU DON’T MIND, DOESN’T MATTER!

7. Open your mind, and your feet will follow.
I see clients in the office (and in the hospital) who tell me, “I can’t do it.” Right away I know there is more work to be done. Remember ATTITUDE is everything. Many of us go through life telling ourselves, “I can’t do this” or “I can’t do that.” Do you know the story of Col. Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame? His recipe for fried chicken was rejected by over 1,000 different restaurants before someone gave him the opportunity to try it out. Up until 1954, people thought that it was impossible to run the mile under four minutes, because no one had done it. Roger Bannister, however, did not believe that, and he became the first person to break the four-minute mile.

8. Be present at the moment.
In today’s world we often don’t have “time”. There is always work, dirty laundry, dishes, yard work, vacuuming, whatever. But by being present at the moment, that is, realizing that you are here, alive, feeling, breathing, seeing, touching, hearing, you are being present at the moment. These are the moments that define the experience and etch your memory banks. In whatever you do, take a moment to be present, so that your senses can accompany you in full harmony.

9. Laughter is the best medicine.
Norman Cousins, a famous writer, developed a form of rheumatoid arthritis in his 50’s. Despite the best of medical treatments, his condition became progressively worse. As a last ditch effort he rented hundreds of comedy movies, and watched them many hours a day, laughing along the way. Miraculously, his arthritis was healed, and he credited laughter as the cure. It has been postulated that laughter brings out endorphins, which are the natural painkillers that our bodies put out from time to time.

10. Just do it.
If it is not immoral, illegal, or unethical, just do it. Take 6 months off; if not, take 6 pounds off. Call your friend from elementary school. Get a massage. Walk around the Lafayette Reservoir. Visit the Museum of Modern Art. Hike into Kalaulau Valley. Hug someone. Write a book. Read “Love and Survival” by Dean Ornish MD. Share your stories. What are you waiting for?

Do You Have Metabolic Syndrome?

Metabolic Syndrome has become increasingly common in the United States. It’s estimated that about 47 million adults in the US have it. The syndrome is closely associated with a generalized metabolic disorder called insulin resistance, in which the body can’t use insulin efficiently. This is why metabolic syndrome is also called the insulin resistance syndrome.

There are no well-accepted criteria for diagnosing metabolic syndrome. The criteria below, as proposed by the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) are the most current and widely used. According to the ATP III criteria, metabolic syndrome is identified by the presence of 3 or more of these 5 components listed below:

Metabolic Syndrome

Some people are genetically predisposed to insulin resistance. Acquired factors, such as excess body fat and physical inactivity, can elicit insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Most people with insulin resistance have central obesity. (They carry their excess weight around the waist or abdomen.)