Special Power Report

Cholesterol:
Cholesterol:
Cut
Your
Level
By 100
Points
In Just
21 Days!
m
52 10 Power Reports www.menshealth.com
Cut Your Cholesterol
Lower your levels and improve your life
T
oday your doctor handed you a brochure titled So You Have High Cho-
lesterol. While its not the best news that youve ever gotten, theres no
need to panic. In fact, you possess three powerful weapons that can turn that
news around: your knife, your fork, and your feet. Get ready to take action!
Your Game Plan
Theres compelling evidence that diet and exercise have the potential to
significantly lower cholesterol levelsand, consequently, lower heart dis-
ease rates, confirms John C. LaRosa, M.D., president of SUNY Downstate
Medical Center in Brooklyn.
Heres how to start on the road to lower cholesterol: Begin by studying
the cholesterol-busting eating plans listed below. These low-fat, plant-based
diets can lower your cholesterol 10 to 40 percent in just 3 weeksstudies
prove it. Based on an average total cholesterol of 250, that can work out to
between 25 and 100 points!
1. The Vegetarian Diet
Lower your cholesterol by as much as 40 percent in 21 days
The Science: Vegetarians have lower cholesterol levels and lower rates
of heart disease than meat eaters. Whats more, meat eaters who go low-
fat vegetarian often see their blood cholesterol levels plummet dramati-
cally.
Part of the vegetarian diets cholesterol-shrinking power comes from fiber.
The average vegetarian gets 50 to 100% more fiber and up to 50% less
dietary cholesterol than meat eaters. A vegetarian diet is also brimming with
vitamins C and E and beta-carotene, and phytochemicals such as flavonoids,
all of which help keep cholesterol from stopping up your arteries, says Dean
Ornish, M.D., president and director of the Preventive Medicine Research
Institute in Sausalito, CA.
The Plan: Aim for six or more servings of whole grains; three or more
servings of dark, leafy greens; two to four servings of dark yellow and citrus
fruits; two to four servings of beans, peas, or egg whites; and one or two
servings of nonfat milk, cheese, or yogurt each day, advises Dr. Ornish.
He also advocates reducing dietary fat to 10% of total caloriesa recom-
mendation thats a bit harsh for a lot of guys. Shoot for 25%, then see how
you respond. If your cholesterol comes down sufficiently, that may be all
you need to do. Keep in mind, though, that to get your cholesterol down
100 points, youll probably need to hit that 10% mark, not just come close.
Dr. Ornishs program is so effective that even by coming close, youll still
lower your cholesteroljust not as much.
Most people are surprised to learn that vegetarians consume as much or
more iron than meat eaters. The catch is that the iron in plants is less well
absorbed than that in meat. To make sure that you get enough, eat high-iron
foods such as legumes along with vitamin C, which helps the body absorb
iron. Vegan dietsno meat, eggs, or dairyare low in vitamin B
12
however,
so talk to your doctor about whether you need to take a daily supplement
or eat a bowl of Total cereal (which contains 100% of your Daily Value [DV]
for B
12
).
The Food: Think of the produce section as home plate. Along with every-
day favorites such as tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, and potatoes, treat yourself
to jicama, mango, mustard and other greens, and portobello and shiitake
mushrooms. Stock up on canned and dried beans, from adzukis to white;
condiments such as flavored vinegars, mustards, curry pastes, and chutneys;
and hearty whole grains such as quinoa, bulgur, cracked wheat, and buck-
wheat (kasha).
2. The Asian Diet
Lower your cholesterol by as much as 40 percent in 21 days
The Science: The Asian dietshorthand for the traditional diets of China,
Japan, and neighboring South Korea, India, Thailand, and other Pacific Rim
countrieshas been called the healthiest in the world. And no wonder:
Research on 6,500 people in rural mainland China shows that they consume
half as much fat and three times as much fiber, and that their meat con-
sumption is
1
10 that of the US.
Not surprisingly, their mean cholesterol level is 127 milligrams per
deciliter (mg/dl), compared to our 203 mg/dl. The kicker: Compared to the
US, their rates of death from heart disease are almost 17 times less for men
and 6 times less for women.
Chapter Title 53
Double Your Drop
Its long been known that exercise helps boost levels of the good HDL cho-
lesterol, while chasing the bad LDL out of your bloodstream. But heres a new
reason to work out regularly: Teaming exercise with a low-fat diet can double
LDL reduction, according to a recent study.
Researchers at Stanford University randomly assigned 370 people to four
groups. The first group exercised, the second consumed a low-fat diet, the
third consumed a low-fat diet and exercised, and the fourth did nothing at all.
After 1 year, the diet/exercise group had lowered their LDL cholesterol about
twice as much as the group who only cut fat15 points compared to 7 for
women, and 20 points compared to 11 for men.
Aim for 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least three times a week, which
is the same amount as the people in the study, says John C. LaRosa, M.D.,
president of SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. Or walk 2 miles
a day.
Cholesterol: Cut Your Level By 100 Points In Just 21 Days! 53
If all Americans ate like this, we could prevent 80 to 90 percent of all
chronic degenerative diseases, including heart disease, says T. Colin Camp-
bell, Ph.D., professor of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University in
Ithaca, NY, who has done extensive studies on the Asian diet.
The Plan: Load your plate with rice, whole grains, noodles, and flat-
breads. Top them with vegetablesbok choy, bean sprouts, black beans,
bamboo shootsand fish. Milk and milk products arent part of the tradi-
tional Asian diet; use low-fat varieties sparingly. You can also have 4 ounces
of lean meat once a week. Since youll have little milk in this diet, take a
supplement with calcium and vitamin D.
The Food: Fill your kitchen with brown rice, whole grains, noodles, veg-
etables, and fish. Stock up on standard Asian condiments such as low-
sodium soy sauce, ginger, and chiles. More exotic Asian flavorings include
lemongrass, tamarind, and turmeric, available in upscale grocery stores or
Asian food stores. Theyll add flavor without fat or calories.
3. The Low-Glycemic Diet
Raise your good cholesterol by as much as 20 percent in 21 days
The Science: Although we need more research to confirm this, a recent
study in London analyzed the diets of 1,420 people and found that those
who ate the most foods with a low glycemic indexthat is, foods that pro-
mote a slow, steady rise in blood sugar after a meal, rather than a rapid
spikehad much higher levels of HDL, the good cholesterol. In fact,
women in the study who ate the most low-glycemic foods had high enough
HDL levels to lower their risk of heart disease by 29 percent. Another bonus:
This study and others demonstrate that such diets also lower total choles-
terol and blood fats called triglycerides, another risk factor for heart disease.
The Plan: Highly refined foods have a high glycemic index, while fiber-
rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains tend to have
lower values. So ditch the refined foods and load your plate with natural
grains and produce.
The Food: Start with the basics: coarse whole grain wheat, sprouted
wheat, or whole grain rye bread; high-bran cereals such as All-Bran or
Fiber One; whole grains such as bulgur and barley (not usually available
as a whole grain but still chock-full of fiber); and fruits and vegetables.
Avoid products made with refined grains, such as white bread or bagels,
sugary desserts (even low-fat selections), rice cakes, and puffed or flaked
cerealsall of which are rapidly converted to glucose. A few fruits and
vegetablespineapple, raisins and other dried fruits, watermelon, carrots,
baked potatoes, and winter squashare high-glycemic foods. We dont
recommend cutting them completely out of your diet, however. With this
eating plan, no fruit or vegetable is off-limits unless you eat too much of it.
54 10 Power Reports www.menshealth.com
Natural Cholesterol Busters That Work
We live in the age of statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs such as fluvastatin
(Lescol), lovastatin (Mevacor), and simvastatin (Zocor) that are proven to
reduce blood cholesterol by 25 to 40 percent. But before you ask for a pre-
scription, ask your doctor whether the following products and supplements
could do just as well for you:

Margarine. Lowering your cholesterol may now be as easy as eating your

morning toast, when you use margarines that can drop your bad blood fats
by as much as 14 percent. One, Benecol, lowered total cholesterol by 10 per-
cent and bad LDL cholesterol by 14 percent in clinical studies. Participants
ate just 1
1
2 teaspoons three times a day. Another cholesterol-busting mar-
garine, Take Control, was found to help lower LDL levels by an average of 7
to 10 percent.

Cholestin. This Chinese red yeast contains a family of compounds that

inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, the enzyme that produces cholesterol in the
body. The first US study to test cholestin involved 83 people with high choles-
terol. The 42 who took cholestin for 12 weeks lowered their total cholesterol
an average of 16 percent. For a total cholesterol level of 250, thats a drop of
40 points. Cholestin also contains unsaturated fatty acids that appear to
lower triglycerides, blood fats linked to heart disease. At the same time, it
appears to increase good HDL cholesterol. Available over-the-counter,
cholestin, like its statin cousins, can cause liver damage. So talk to your doc-
tor about regular liver testing.

LipoGuard. In a month-long study of this combination of fish oil and garlic,

40 people with cholesterol levels higher than 200 saw their total number drop
an average of 11 percent and their LDL drop 10 percent-thats roughly 25
points for someone with a total cholesterol level of 250. If you have a bleeding
disorder such as hemophilia or are taking other medications such as aspirin
or even lots of vitamin E (800 international units [IU] or greater daily), consult
your doctor before using this product.

Niacin. Also known as nicotinic acid or vitamin B

3
, niacin has been shown
to reduce LDL levels by 10 to 20 percent, while raising HDL by 15 to 35 per-
cent. Take niacin only under a doctors supervision. The required dose of 2 to
3 grams (g) can have rare but serious side effects.

Soluble fiber. About 15 g of soluble fiber a day lowers LDL cholesterol 5 to

10 percent by binding cholesterol-containing bile acids in the intestine and
excreting them. Cant stomach that much fiber? Take soluble fiber supple-
ments with mealsalong with plenty of liquid. One supplement, Fiber Plan,
lowered LDL by 10.5 percent in 6 months.
Cholesterol: Cut Your Level By 100 Points In Just 21 Days! 55