LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Cholesterol

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO PREPARE COFFEE TO MAINTAIN THE BALANCE OF THE DRINK? – (02-25-08)

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Coffee drinking induces incorporation of phenolic acids into LDL and increases the resistance of LDL to ex vivo oxidation in humans

While there is no shortage of controversy about whether lowering cholesterol has any real effect on cardiovascular risk, there is much evidence to support the concept that LDL cholesterol does not do damage to us until it gets damaged itself. This damaged particle is then referred to as an oxidized LDL (oxLDL).

So in this study, the authors found that coffee drinking was shown to protect these LDL molecules from becoming damaged. The problem with coffee today is that we load it up with sugar, artificial sweeteners, whip cream and creamers, all of which drastically effects the health balance of the drink.

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RISK OF HEART DISEASE INCREASES EVEN AFTER CHECKING CHOLESTEROL – (03-17-08)

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Apolipoprotein A-II Is Inversely Associated With Risk of Future Coronary Artery Disease

There are many patients running around who have experienced heart attacks or blocked coronary vessels that were told that there were no reasons why this happened to them. What they usually mean is that their total and LDL cholesterol levels were not elevated and they had no high blood pressure. However, The reality of CVD risk factors runs so much broader than that. I truly believe that all patients with heart disease have some type of well established risk factor; the problem is that their cardiologist may not have known where to look.

This study just adds more information to the picture of heart disease, and again establishes the fact that just checking for total, HDL and LDL cholesterol is very outdated and will miss many patients with developing CVD.

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IS THE ASSOCIATION THIN IN LINKS BETWEEN LDL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS AND HEART DISEASE? – (08-25-08)

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Influence of oxLDL on the Viability of Osteoblastic Cells

While much hoopla has been generated about the links between LDL cholesterol levels and heart disease, in reality the association is thin. However, once LDL gets damaged and becomes oxidized (oxLDL), the links to heart disease now become much stronger. Of course, much like every other chronic disease, there are many metabolic abnormalities in common between disease states. If you’re at risk for one, you’re at risk for them all. Great news, huh?

In this study, researchers found an association between oxLDL levels and the health of the cells that create bone, thus connecting one link between CVD and osteoporosis. Again makes you question the logic of using a single drug to impact one single pathway of a chronic disease (i.e. anti-resporptive agents for osteoprosis, statins for cholesterol).

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FAVORABLE EFFECT OF BERRY CONSUMPTION – (08-25-08)

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Favorable Effect of Berry Consumption on Platelet Function, Blood Pressure and HDL Cholesterol

When is comes to high phytonutrient value and protection of mitochondria, berries definitely are found high on the list. And, when you think about it, increasing your intake of berries is not exactly painful. A cup of wild blueberries daily can go a long way.

In this particular study, we found increases in HDL levels with berry intake. Interestingly, there are not many direct pathways I can think of that would increase HDL levels with increasing polyphenol intake from berries. Which brings to mind the subject of surrogate endpoints. Recently, human clinical trials of a drug designed to raise HDL levels was canceled when patients in the study were dying on the drug, despite higher HDL levels.

The use of surrogate end markers (instead of looking at death, we look at lab values that are linking to higher death rates, such as HDL cholesterol in this case). The trial was not the first to find that a drug designed specifically to affect surrogate endpoints has resulted in higher death rates. So maybe, just maybe, the fact that higher HDL levels seem to protect against heart disease is because HDL levels are merely a reflection of the health of the entire patient, and when they are healthy, HDL levels go up–rather then being healthy because HDL levels are elevated.

So, back to this study, maybe the HDL levels have gone up because the polyphenols from the berries are improving the entire health of the patient, resulting in the by-product of higher HDL levels.

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SKIP THE AHA DIET AND ADOPT THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET – (11-17-08)

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Daily Consumption of a Dark Chocolate Containing Flavanols and Added Sterol Esters Affects Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Normotensive Population with Elevated Cholesterol

A few comments on this study. At first glance, it’s wonderful to see components of dark chocolate and plant sterols (found in things like rice and soy) help lower cholesterol and blood pressure as effectively as many medications.

Looking deeper into the study, we find that these patients were all put on an AHA style diet in addition to the nutrient bar containing the flavanols and sterols. Regular readers of updates will know I am not in favor of the AHA guidelines and that they fall short of benefits obtained with a Mediterranean type diet. So why not skip the bars and the AHA diet and adopt the Mediterranean diet in the first place??

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PREGNANCY BLOOD PRESSURE AND DIABETES – CAUSE FOR MASSIVE CONCERN

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Every pregnant woman knows she needs to watch her blood pressure and sugar levels during pregnancy. It’s not too uncommon for a pregnant patient to come into my office and state that she had blood pressure or sugar problems.  Or for a patient to have experienced these while pregnant in the past. They make changes and the problem goes away.  Or so we think…

I have found that patients are not fully educated on just how much these two conditions during pregnancy actually affect their risk for diabetes later in life. Many are told that they need to be careful and the discussion ends there.

However, we already know that, in the presence of obesity during pregnancy and a diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GDM), the chance of developing diabetes later in life goes beyond massive to almost a sure thing. A 3 pack a day cigarette smoker is less likely to develop lung cancer and heart disease than this pregnant woman developing diabetes. To be exact, this obese, pregnant patient diagnosed with GDM has a 4700% chance of becoming diabetic later in life.

This particular article looks at the relationship between high blood pressure during pregnancy and later development of diabetes and finds the connections just as disturbing. In pregnant women who had experienced hypertension during their pregnancy, the later risk of developing diabetes was 508% higher.  Interestingly, when they looked at the combination of hypertension, elevated cholesterol and obesity, the risk for progression to diabetes was again staggering–3950% higher risk. Maybe not as high as the previously mentioned study, but lets face it–anything over DOUBLE (200%) is bad enough.

When it comes to diabetes, nothing is set in stone, but clearly in these situations pretty dramatic lifestyle changes are required. Without these changes, diabetes is imminent.  If you had problems during your pregnancy, you will need to forever be vigilant with your lifestyle to avoid the development of diabetes.

TRENDS IN THE PREVALENCE OF CHRONIC MEDICATION USE – (09-01-09)

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Trends in the Prevalence of Chronic Medication Use in Children: 2002-2005

If this does not become a wake up call, then our country is missing a pulse. The REAL, REAL scary aspect is that there is likely some type of epigenetic, in uteru IRREVERSIBLE changes that occur as a result of poor nutrition, forced fertilization coupled with environmental toxicants. That means we really haven’t even seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to diseases in children. But where are the parents??? Have we so blindly accepted the wisdom of mainstream medicine that we will put our children on drugs for hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol without making lifestyle changes. I would venture so far as to say that almost ANY child can improve their physiologies with the correct recommendations for lifestyle changes. So why are we doing it????????? Can pediatricians really think this is the best approach?

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STEAM COOKING SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES IN VITRO BILE ACID (02-23-09)

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Steam cooking significantly improves in vitro bile acid binding of collard greens, kale, mustard greens, broccoli, green bell pepper, and cabbage

This is an interesting study that look at how steam cooking effects the ability of certain foods to bind to bile acids. Remember that bile acids are produced by the liver from cholesterol and stored in the gallbladder until needed. When our body needs to make more bile acids, we use cholesterol from the liver, essentially lowering it’s potential circulation in the serum.

So, not only would the binding to bile acids remove this cholesterol from circulation, but these bile acids, if left alone in the GI tract, are irritating to the lining of the GI tract and can increase the risk of certain GI cancers (that’s one of those little gems they NEVER seem to tell patients who have their gallbladders removed…). So, these vegetables, when steamed, actually had a greater ability to bind the bile acids and have the dual effect on circulating cholesterol as well as protecting the GI tract.

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