Hypercholestrolemia - Remedies

As discussed earlier about high blood cholesterol levels in blood and how it is harmful for your heart health, now we will discuss about how these cholesterol level can be controlled.

Blood cholesterol levels can be maintained in the following simple ways:

• Choose oil instead of ghee in your daily cooking. Restrict fat consumption to 3 tsp per day.
• Choose cholesterol cutting food items to include in your diet.
• Choose whole grains like whole wheat flour, oats, bajra, jowar etc. over refined cereals like maida, semolina etc. as the former binds with fibre and helps to decrease blood cholesterol levels.
• Replace full fat dairy products with their low fat counterparts.
• Indulge in an exercise programme regularly. It helps improve blood circulation and also destroys the excess bad cholesterol.

Power foods to aid in controlling high cholesterol levels:

Here are a few remedies for controlling high cholesterol levels:

Food item	Effects	Recipe
Coriander Seeds	Coriander seeds help lower the levels of total cholesterol, LDL (the ‘bad’ cholesterol), and triglycerides. Coriander seeds also have hypoglycemic effects and can be useful in diabetes management. Coriander seeds powder can be made by simply dry roasting the coriander seeds and grind them to make the powder.	1.       Add two teaspoons of coriander seed powder to one cup of water. 2.       Boil the mixture and then strain it. 3.       Drink this once or twice a day. You can add milk, sugar, and cardamom to it and use it as a replacement for your regular tea.
Onions	Red onions are beneficial in dealing with high cholesterol. They help reduce bad cholesterol and elevate good cholesterol levels. This, in turn, lowers the risk of developing heart disease.	1.       Mix one teaspoon each of onion juice and honey. Drink it once daily. 2.       Add one finely chopped onion and one-quarter teaspoon of pepper to one cup of buttermilk. Consume it on a regular basis.
Indian Gooseberry	Indian gooseberry, or amla, acts as a natural hypolipidemic agent, which means that it promotes the reduction of lipid concentrations in the serum. This fruit has antihyperlipidemic, anti-atherogenic, and hypolipidemic effects.	1.       Mix one teaspoon of Indian gooseberry powder, or dried and powdered Indian gooseberries, in a glass of warm water. 2.       Drink it daily in the morning on an empty stomach.
Apple Cider Vinegar	Apple cider vinegar helps lower your total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. In addition, it is a great home remedy for a number of ailments including acid reflux, high blood pressure, gout, upper respiratory infections, and others.	1.       Mix one teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. 2.       Drink this two or three times a day at least for a month. You can gradually increase the amount of apple cider vinegar to two tablespoons per glass.
Orange Juice	Drinking three cups of fresh orange juice daily can be a great help in reducing blood cholesterol levels naturally because it is rich in vitamin C, folate, and flavonoids.	Drinking 750 mL of pure orange juice daily can increase HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and decrease the LDL/HDL ratio in hypercholesterolemic patients. Orange juice fortified with sterols is even better.
Coconut Oil	Though counterintuitive, coconut oil is considered a beneficial home remedy for high cholesterol, even though it is a saturated fat. Coconut oil contains lauric acid that helps increase HDL (the ‘good’ cholesterol) and improves the LDL/HDL ratio.	Add moderate amounts of organic coconut oil to your diet. You can have one to two tablespoons of this oil daily. Do not use refined or processed coconut oil.
Oatmeal	Enjoying a bowl of oatmeal is an easy yet effective way to reduce your cholesterol levels. It is full of soluble fiber and reduces the absorption of cholesterol and lowers bad cholesterol levels.	One and one-half cups of cooked oatmeal or one cup of oat bran contain approximately three grams of soluble fiber, beta-glucan. You can also add fruits and nuts such as apples, bananas, strawberries, and walnuts to your oatmeal for added health benefits.
Fish Oil	Fish oils and fatty fish such as mackerel, tuna, trout, herring, salmon, bluefish, sardines, and the like are packed with omega-3 fatty acids. They help lower triglycerides (fats in the blood) and prevent heart disease.	Consume about one to four grams of fish oil per day. If you have adopted a vegan or vegetarian diet, then include ground flaxseeds, which are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, in your diet.
Red Yeast Rice	Red yeast rice contains compounds known as monacolins that inhibit cholesterol synthesis and hence help lower cholesterol. Simply put, it is rice fermented by red yeast (monascus purpureus). Besides, some red yeast rice products may contain lovastatin and other chemicals that may cause side effects. It is best to consult your doctor before you start taking them. Do not take these supplements during pregnancy, breastfeeding or when suffering from liver problems.	You can get red yeast rice tablets from pharmacies or health food stores. For high cholesterol, take 1200 to 2400 mg of the supplement once or twice daily.
Nuts	Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans, and other nuts and seeds are useful in controlling high cholesterol because they are rich in plant sterols and fiber. Walnuts, in particular, have been found to help lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.	Enjoy a handful (one and one-half ounces) of delicious roasted nuts regularly; but do not overdo it. Also, increase your consumption of whole grains and other high-fiber foods.
Garlic	1 to 3 cloves of garlic has been proven to reduce the cholesterol levels in the blood thereby preventing the hardening of arteries.	Garlic chutney
Fibre rich fruits and vegetables	Fruits and vegetables like orange, guava, cluster beans, green peas, unpeeled carrot etc. help to keep the blood cholesterol levels at bay due to their high fibre content.	Fruit salads and vegetable salads, vegetable preparations

Post by Faiz Lahori

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is the major cause of all cardiovascular diseases. It is the hardening of the inner walls of the arteries resulting in a loss of elasticity. It is also known as Arteriosclerotic Vascular Disease or ASVD. Fat including cholesterol deposits in the arteries and the walls become narrower to disturb the blood flow. A complete blockage leads to heart attack. The arterial lesion of atherosclerosis is characterized by patchy thickening of fat and layers of collagen like fibers. There is a gradual build up of plaque or thickening of the walls of the artery causing decreased blood flow and oxygen supply to the vital organs and extremities. A heart attack may occur if oxygenated blood flow is reduced to the heart. A stroke may occur if the oxygenated blood is cut off to the brain. Gangrene may occur if the oxygenated blood supply is reduced to the arms and legs.

The following diagram shows how a plaque is formed.

The goals of Nutritional management are to reduce weight in overweight or obese patients; reduce total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol; provide medications to control or lower lipid levels and BP and bring about lifestyle changes such as increase physical activity, moderate alcohol intake and cessation of smoking.

The dietary modification for atherosclerosis will include calories to maintain Ideal Body Weight i.e. Low-moderate calories, Low fat, Low cholesterol, Moderate Carbohydrates and normal protein diet. Vitamin and mineral requirements remain the same. Sodium is restricted in cases of hypertension.

The dietary treatment for atherosclerosis requires that the patient should maintain slightly lower than the standard body weight. The diet should be rich in fibre by including foods like raw salads, fruits, green leafy vegetables and whole grains. Five servings of fruit and vegetables should be included in the diet not only to meet the nutritional requirement but also to meet anti-oxidants and fibre requirements.

Inclusion of fish in the diet is beneficial as they contain omega-3-fatty acids. 

Vegetable oils rich in PUFA like sunflower oil should be included in the diet. Concentrated foods like sweets, chocolates, cakes, pastries, ice creams and fried foods should be restricted or preferably avoided. Foods giving only empty calories like carbonated beverages, alcohol, sugar and sago are totally avoided. Small quantities of almonds can be consumed to bring down the cholesterol levels. High amounts of nuts and oil seeds increase the calories and fat content in the diet.  

Egg yolk contains cholesterol, hence egg white is preferable. Cholesterol containing foods should be limited in the diet. Coconut should be avoided in the diet as it contains high amount of saturated fatty acids and it is a concentrated source of energy.

Coffee and tea can be taken in moderation as excess amount of caffeine increases the heart rate. To restrict sugar intake, artificial sweetener can included in the diet.

Animal foods like meat and pork which contain high amount of saturated fat should be avoided. Shrimps and crabs have less amount of fat and can be included in the diet. All the sea foods are rich in sodium; hence hypertensive patients should avoid these foods.

Constipation should be avoided by including plenty of water and fibre in the diet. Foods that have hypocholesteromic effects like soya bean, fenugreek, garlic, onion and turmeric should be included in the diet.

Read more about Fats in the Nutri-knowhow column.

Post by Faiz Lahori