Cholesteroll


.Fibre,CoQ10
.& Fatty Acids




Ian Lloyd
Pharmacist
Peoples Pharmacy

.....High cholesterol is bad, right? It is one of the major risk factors for developing heart disease; along with increased age, being male, high blood pressure and genetics. Don’t forget that there are two kinds of cholesterol, good and bad. The good cholesterol (HDL) removes cholesterol from the body and bad cholesterol (LDL) deposits cholesterol in your arteries. So what raises your cholesterol and what lowers it. The answers will surprise you. They sure surprised me.
.....I feel that increased dietary fibre is one of the most overlooked options to help lower cholesterol. One study found that 3.4 g of psyllium, taken three times a day, lowered LDL by 20%. Fibre works due to its ability to bind to cholesterol in the gut, correct? Not necessarily. There is evidence that the metabolism of fibre may lead to the byproducts, propionate (a short-chain fatty acid) and alpha-tocotrienol (similar to vitamin E), that can prevent your body from making cholesterol.
.....Taking a lot of extra fibre can cause stomach related side effects such as gas, bloating and indigestion. If you wish to increase your intake of fibre, start with a small amount and work your way up from there. Lots of fibre can also

interfere with the absorption of certain medications, ask your Peoples Pharmacist for more information.
.....Another great source of fiber and omega 3 fatty acids is flaxseeds. That is ground flaxseeds, not flax seed oils. It has been shown that consuming 40 to 50 grams of flaxseed per day can reduce
your total cholesterol by 5-9%. 50grams of flaxseeds is about 7 tablespoons, which is not that much. You don’t have to eat it raw; it can be sprinkled on cereal, baked into bread or muffins. Flaxseeds are also a great source of alpha-linolenic acid; an essential fatty acid. But this does not seem to be responsible for its ability to reduce cholesterol (more on this later – its part of the surprise). Its cholesterol reducing ability appears to be attributed to flaxseed’s high fibre content.
.....Another way fibre can lower your

 cholesterol is by binding to the bile acid in the stomach, and removing them from the body. This leads to an increase in bile acid production and the main ingredient present in bile acid is cholesterol.
.....The next supplement is called Co-Q10. It is also known as ubiquinone, the name comes from the word ubiquitous, which means “found everywhere”. Your body makes its own supply of CoQ10 and it is found in every cell of your body. It plays a vital role in producing the energy which your cells need to function. It has been shown to be effective in treating congestive heart failure, HIV/AIDS, and migraines.
Co Q10 is able to lower cholesterol, but its affects are not very significant. It can lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. It has been shown to raise HDL by 0.14 mmol/L, but how it does this is not clear. An HDL cholesterol level of less than 0.9 mmol/L means you're at higher risk for heart disease. This supplement can also lower your blood pressure; doses of 120mm-200mg per day are needed.
I think another interesting fact about Co Q10, is the number of prescription medications that reduce its quantity in
 

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