We need some cholesterol but too much is harmful. Statin drugs prevent the liver from making so much LDL (bad cholesterol), and have saved millions of lives. However, some people don’t tolerate them and others prefer not to take pharmaceuticals. Today’s column is taken from a booklet recently published by Dr. Michael Greger (nutritionfact.org) titled “Lower LDL Cholesterol Naturally with Food.”
Three factors raise LDL, so avoiding these things lowers it:
- Saturated fat causes our livers to make more LDL. It is present in meat including poultry, and dairy products including cow’s milk, cheese, and yogurt. Palm and coconut products are two plant products that contain saturated fat and raise cholesterol. Oils contain saturated fat as well — canola oil has the lowest amount at 7 percent, olive oil 14 percent, and coconut oil around 90 percent.
- Trans fat in the form of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil was removed from the U.S. food supply a few years ago. However, it occurs naturally in in meat including poultry, and in seafood. Dairy, including cheese and cow’s milk-based yogurt, also contain trans fats. As Dr. Greger says, the only safe intake of trans fats is zero.
- Dietary cholesterol also contributes to high cholesterol, in spite of what Big Food would like us to believe. The current U.S. Dietary Guidelines advise Americans to “eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible.” Dairy products including cheese contain cholesterol. One egg yolk has the whole daily allowance of cholesterol. But the greatest contribution to dietary cholesterol in the American diet is meat including poultry, and fish.
Consume the four factors that lower LDL cholesterol — known as the portfolio diet, a plant-based unprocessed food diet that emphasizes the following:
- Nuts
- Plant protein, particularly legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas, soy)
- Viscus fiber: foods with sticky (some might say slimy) fiber like oats, okra, eggplant, barley, flax meal
- Daily plant sterols, found in a variety of nuts, grains, legumes, and sesame seeds
Herbs and spices that lower cholesterol if taken daily (can be found at Natural Grocers or on the internet)
- Psyllium seed husk 1 tablespoon mixed with lots of water
- Bergamot 500 milligrams a (can interfere with metabolism of certain drugs so check with your pharmacist if you’re on medications.
- Artichoke hearts half a cup of frozen with no added salt, available in many grocery stores
- Barberries (dried) 2 tablespoons found in Middle Eastern stores or online (can affect drug metabolism so check with your pharmacist if you’re on meds)
- Amla powder (Indian gooseberry) ½ teaspoon
- Sumac berry powder ½ teaspoon
- Black cumin seed (grind to a powder in a coffee grinder) ¼ teaspoon
- Garlic powder 1/10th teaspoon
- Summer savory 1/3rd teaspoon
- Ground brown flaxseed meal 3 tablespoons, available in most grocery stores
Caveats
- Avoid supplement forms of these herbs and spices due to lack of control over what’s in them (likely isn’t what it says on the label) and the possibility of harmful impurities.
- Stick to the recommended does of the aforementioned herbs and spices—higher doses could be harmful.
- Avoid red yeast rice supplements, which contain a natural statin which lowers cholesterol. However, supplements often contain potentially harmful impurities.
Dr. Greg Feinsinger is a retired family physician who started the non-profit Center For Prevention and Treatment of Disease Through Nutrition. For questions or to schedule a free consultation about nutrition or heart attack prevention contact him at gfmd41@gmail.com or 970-379-5718.