The combination approach of nine foods plus exercise in the Cholesterol Down Plan develop out of my own approach to naturally reducing my LDL cholesterol. My success with the plan, as well as my patients' success, provided proof that the complementary, combined effect of several simple diet and lifestyle manipulations is extremely effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels - far more than a single food or exercise. This is because each component lowers LDL to a different degree, and each involves a somewhat different mechanism of action.
Origin of natural combination therapy: portfolio diet
In 2002, a group of Canadian scientists at the University of Toronto originated the concept of combining several previously established solitary LDL - lowering dietary strategies into a single treatment, which they called the Dietary Portfolio Approach to Cholesterol Reduction. The scientists tested this novel protocol for the first time in people with high cholesterol and achieved miraculous results - a 29 percent drop in LDL levels. Volunteers in the Canadian study were placed on the combination Portfolio diet containing soy foods, plant sterols (plant chemicals that block cholesterol absorption), soluble fiber (from oats, barley, legumes, egg-plant, okra, and Metamucil), and almonds. After four weeks, LDL cholesterol fell an astounding 29 percent in the Portfolio diet group, the same LDL reduction observed in the subjects adhering to a standard low-fat diet and taking the statin drug Mevacor. The researchers concluded that the observed 29 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol from the Portfolio diet was comparable to the LDL - lowering results seen with starting doses of older statin drugs such as Mevacor.
Diet works as well as statins in lowering LDL cholesterol
Would the LDL - lowering power of the Portfolio diet rival that of a starting dose of a cholesterol - lowering statin drug? The answer is a resounding yes. The same Canadian researchers who originated the Portfolio diet perfomed a study directly comparing the Portfolio diet with a statin drug in subjects with high LDL cholesterol. After just four weeks, both groups lowered their LDL to the same extent, by approximately 30 percent. This exciting discovery demonstrates that the simple daily combination of foods with known cholesterol - lowering effects can be just as powerful as a starting dose of a statin drug in reducing the level of "bad" cholesterol.
Additional scientific support for the efficacy of natural combination therapy
Another study investigating the synergy of two dietary steps together found that a daily combination of oats and plant strerols exhibits a powerful cholesterol - lowering effect. A 2003 study published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that a daily combination of 2.8 grams of beta-glucan (primarily from oats) and 1.8 grams of phytosterols (concurrent with a low-fat NCEP Step 1 diet) was able to reduce LDL cholesterol by an additional 8 percent over the negligible 1 percent drop seen with the traditional Step 1 diet alone. New findings out of Stanford University provide added support for the notion that combining several foods has a dramatic impact on LDL cholesterol. Researchers compared the LDL - reducing power of a traditional low-fat diet with a plant-based low-fat diet. Adding in a daily dose of soy protein (16 grams) and garlic (1½ cloves) to the plant-based low-fat diet rich in whole grains, beans, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds lowered subjects LDL cholesterol by approximately 9 percent in just four weeks. That amount was more than double the conventional low-fat diet's LDL cholesterol - lowering potential.
Live longer and prevent heart problems: The European "polymeal" strategy
There's no shortage of proof that natural combination therapy - the safe, non-pharmacological alternative for slashing cholesterol - works. Another combination strategy of special heart - healthy foods, this time concocted by European scientists whose findings are published in the prestigious British Medical Journal, is called the "polymeal." The daily polymeal diet includes seven foods:
• Red wine (5 ounces, or 150 milliliters)
• Fish (4 ounces, or 114 grams)
• Dark chocolate (3.5 ounces, or 100 grams)
• Fruits and vegetables (14 ounces, or 400 grams)
• Garlic (0.1 ounce, or 2.7 grams)
• Almonds (2.4 ounces, or 68 grams)
The scientists calculated that eating a daily combination of all these foods could theoretically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by a spectacular 76 percent. Life expectancy could be prolonged 4.8 years in women and 6.6 years in men, and heart problems delayed 8.1 years in women and 9 years in men.
The cholesterol down plan
These other diets laid the foundation for the potent combination therapy model I used to develop the Cholesterol Down Plan. Cholesterol Down takes nine individually active cholesterol - lowering food ingredients - all scientifically shown to independently reduce LDL cholesterol - and combines them on a daily basis with a scientifically proven. LDL lowering exercise program. In effect, the simple concept of combining all these proven cholesterol - lowering foods with an exercise routine is as effective as combining several types of cholesterol - lowering drugs. All the ingredients are available at your local supermarket and are no more dangerous or expensive than almonds, oatmeal, or walking. The result is a highly effective, easy-to-follow plan that reduces LDL cholesterol as much as cholesterol - lowering prescription drugs, but without the side effects.
Each of the steps of the Cholesterol Down Plan lowers "bad" cholesterol in a slightly different way. In this manner, the combination approach provides substantially more cholesterol - lowering strength than a single therapeutic treatment. Plant sterols, for example, work through a different mechanism than soy protein. Whereas sterols lower cholesterol by blocking absorption from the intestine, soy protein lowers cholesterol by increasing LDL receptors on the liver, resulting in increased LDL cholesterol removal from the bloodstream. Daily doses of both soy and plant sterols work jointly to cut cholesterol much more than either in isolation. This approach is similar to combining a statin drug (which reduces cholesterol production in the liver and increases LDL clearance from the blood) with another drug such as Zetia (which blocks cholesterol absorption from the intestine). In this way, all ten steps of the Cholesterol Down Plan work together to pack a very powerful punch in lowering LDL levels by up to 47 percent, comparable to the effectiveness of statin drugs but without the side effects.
Daily checklist makes plan easy to follow
Remember ... the more steps you take today, the more potent the LDL cholesterol - lowering effect!
Twice a day
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Once a day |
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• • Plant sterols/stanols
(Margarine or other phytosterol - containing food
at two meals or 3 capsules at two meals)
• • Soy protein (10 grams twice a day)
• • Garlic (1 clove fresh garlic at one meal plus
take 1 Kyolic garlic capsule p.m.)
• • Psyllium husk (Metamucil)
(work up to ~ 3 grams a.m. and 3 grams p.m.) |
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• Oatmeal (1 bowl with added oat bran)
• Flaxseeds ( 2 tablespoons ground)
• Apple (one)
• Beans, peas, lentils (½ cup serving)
• Almonds (handful)
• Walking (30 minutes, fast) |
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Plant sterols/stanols: Eat 2-3 grams/day, at two meals, taken mainly in margarine, other food, and/or capsules (Cholest-Off).
Soy protein: Eat 20-25 grams per day; aim for at least two servings of soy products per day.
Garlic: Eat 1 clove of fresh garlic and take 1 Kyolic One Per Day 1,000 mg capsule daily.
Metamucil: Eat 3-10 grams psyllium (either 6-18 capsules or 1-2 tablespoons powder) per day.
Oatmeal: Eat 1 cup of oatmeal or barley per day (3 grams of beta-glucan).
Flaxseeds: Eat 1-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds every day.
Apple: Eat one apple every day.
Beans: Eat a half a cup of some type of beans, peas, or lentils every day.
Almonds:: Eat 1-1½ ounces of almonds or walnuts every day or 2-3 tablespoons of almond butter.
Walking: Walk 30 minutes every day (preferably at a fast pace). |
Think of all ten steps in Sitemap 4 as the equivalent to the daily statin dose - it's therefore essential to get them all in. The next Sitemap 4 provide a set of simple, healthful food and exercise prescriptions that give safe and measurable cholesterol - lowering results in as little as four weeks' time. Read on to begin with Step 1 of the daily checklist, and start to get your cholesterol down!
Source: Cholesterol Down, Foreword by Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D. |
