While it has always been assumed that lowering your LDL (think of the “L” as “lousy”) cholesterol would help your overall health, twenty-five years of research at the University of Minnesota has definitively proven this theory. Through the long-term research headed by Henry Buchwald, M.D., Ph.D., bariatric surgeon at the University of Minnesota Medical School, a randomized control study conducted between 1975 and 2000 shows the life-sustaining benefits of lowering cholesterol.
Cholesterol is a waxy-fat type substance that is produced naturally by your body. It helps protect nerves, make cell tissues, and produce certain hormones. But when there is too much cholesterol in the blood, the excess builds up on the walls of the arteries, causing them to narrow and harden. Large deposits of cholesterol can completely block an artery.
The Program on Surgical Control of the Hyperlipidemias (POSCH) randomized controlled trial followed 838 heart attack survivors between the ages of 38 and 60 who had received a bypass in the ileum where cholesterol is absorbed, along with diet instructions. This type of bypass surgery is rare and utilized only when high-risk heart attack patients cannot tolerate any kind of cholesterol-reducing medication. The bypass group lived one year longer than their counterpart who received diet instruction alone.
Typical patients with high cholesterol can rely on a class of medication called statins. Statins are known for being one of the most effective classes of drugs in reducing elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol. Statins are for use by people who cannot lower bad cholesterol to a healthy level with diet and exercise alone. Typical brands are Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor, and Pravachol.
Statins lower cholesterol by blocking an enzyme in the liver that is used to make cholesterol. When less cholesterol is produced, the liver uses more of it from the blood, which results in a lower cholesterol level. Statins can also lower triglycerides (a type of fat found in the blood) and raise HDL (good) cholesterol.
Diet can also play an important role in keeping LDL cholesterol low. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed the findings of eight previous studies on fats and came to the conclusion that reducing the amount of saturated fats—those from items such as butter/dairy, meat, egg yolks—and replacing them with polyunsaturated fats—those that are liquid at room temperature—increases good cholesterol and improves your chances of staving off heart disease.
So what type of fats should you be using? Steer clear of unsaturated and trans fats (often found in processed foods). Instead, look for polyunsatured fats (also known as Omega-6 fatty acids) and monounsaturated fats. They are found in vegetable oils, fish, bananas, avocados, nuts and sunflower seeds, among others.
