Cholesterol Archives - Dan Hammer Health LTD

Eliminating Heart Disease Naturally Thru Nitric Oxide Therapy

Archive for Cholesterol

Top 5 Health Benefits of Pistachios

Posted by Dan Hammer //

03/22/2021

Of all the consumable nuts available, my favorite is pistachios. Because of this I thought I would examine the top 5 health benefits of pistachios.

Ancient history records the consumption of pistachios as far back as 7,000 BC. Both the Queen of Sheba and Nebuchadnessar, the king of ancient Babylon, considered this nut a royal food. And when you examine its nutritional profile you can see why.

(If you would prefer to view this information in a video format, then please click on my YouTube video below:)

One ounce of pistachios contains the following:

159 Calories
8 grams of Carbohydrate
3 grams of Fiber
6 grams of Protein
13 grams of Fat of which 90% are unsaturated
6% of the RDA for Potassium
28% of the RDA for Vitamin B6
21% of the RDA for Thiamine or Vitamin B1
41% of the RDA for Copper

This nutritional profile fuels the following 5 health benefits of pistachios. Read More →

Statin Drugs and CoQ10

Posted by Dan Hammer //

09/22/2020

If you are on cholesterol lowering medication, then you need to know about statin drugs and CoQ10. Statin drugs are designed to interfere with the liver’s production of cholesterol. This interference can significantly reduce the cholesterol levels in your blood stream.

Statin drugs also have some significant side effects like fatigue and muscle pain.

But what usually gets overlooked is that statins deplete CoQ10 from your body. The same pathway that produces cholesterol in the liver also produces CoQ10.

CoQ10 is a needed energy source for multiple organ system. Two of which are your heart and kidneys.

As you age your body’s ability to naturally produce CoQ10 declines with age. For example, on average CoQ10 levels decrease by the following percentage when compared to age 20:

For Your Kidneys: 27% reduction by age 40 and a 35% reduction by age 80.
For Your Heart: 32% reduction by age 40 and a 57% reduction by age 80.

If your physician has you on a statin drug, then this can drive your CoQ10 levels even lower.

To help you better understand this decrease, there is a 2004 study that looked at the effects statin drugs had on CoQ10 blood levels. The average age of the study participants was 70 years old. At the start of the study the baseline levels of blood CoQ10 was 1.26 mcg/mL.

After 14 days on a statin drug the CoQ10 blood levels dropped to .67 mcg/mL. And at the 30 day mark they were down to .62 mcg/mL.

This was a 49% reduction. And most of this reduction occurred in the first two weeks.

Optimal blood levels of CoQ10 for normal people without heart disease should be between 2 – 3 mcg/mL. And for heart failure patients, it is recommended that their CoQ10 blood levels be around 4 mcg/mL or higher.

As you can clearly see by this study, statin drugs lowered blood CoQ10 to dangerously low levels.

This is why statin drugs and CoQ10 is a very serious matter.

Additionally, statin drugs also interfere with the synthesis of vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 is needed to regulate calcium levels in the blood stream.

It does this by keeping calcium in the bones where is belongs.

Without proper vitamin K2 levels, calcium can enter epithelial cells causing hardening of arteries, heart, and kidneys.

All of these statin effects can lead to other health issues like muscle pain, cramps, weakness, and a feeling of tiredness.

In a 2018 meta-analysis of 12 randomized, controlled trials two key observations were noted: Read More →

Beta Glucans and Your Immune System

Posted by Dan Hammer //

08/22/2020

Today we’re going to look at beta glucans and your immune system. If you’re interested in optimal health, then you need to supplement your diet with beta glucans.

But before we talk about beta glucans and your immune system, you need to understand that your body does not produce this natural compound. It can only be attained through diet or supplementation. If you choose to use diet as your source for beta glucans, then the following are your best choices:

Baker’s yeast
Mushrooms such as Maitake and Reishi
Cereal Grains such as Oats, Bran, Wheat, and Barley

Beta glucans are natural polysaccharides that are also soluble fibers. As a soluble fiber it aids in slowing down digestion while helping to regulate blood sugar levels.

There are excellent research studies slowing how beta glucans benefit heart health. One such study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland, showed how a diet rich in beta glucans can significantly lower total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol).

This is significant because oxidized LDL cholesterol causes vascular inflammation that leads to plaque formation and atherosclerosis.

But since this article is about beta glucans and your immune system let’s focus on this area of improving your health.

When it comes to your immune system, beta glucans are classified as Immuno-Modulators. This means that beta glucans help to make positive improvements in your immune system.

Specifically, they stimulate the activity of macrophages. Macrophages are immune cells that ingest and help destroy invading pathogens. Macrophages also stimulate other components of your immune system, which aid in attacking these disease causing pathogens. Read More →

Bergamot Extract Lowers Cholesterol

Posted by Dan Hammer //

12/08/2019

Today I want to introduce you to a natural way to address cholesterol concerns by highlighting how bergamot extract lowers cholesterol. And without side effects.

In most cases the medical community will recommend taking a statin drug to lower a person’s cholesterol. And while statin drugs are very effective in doing this, they can have some significant side effects such as:

Statins reduce CoQ10, which is needed for energy production in every cell, especially the heart. There is a direct link to an increase in congestive heart failure with the increase use of statins.
Statins reduce vitamin K2, which your body uses to regulate calcium levels in the vascular system. As vitamin K2 decreases the potential for vascular calcification increases.
Statins reduce ketone production, which can then accelerate the aging process.
Increased risk for cancer: Breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.
Increased risk for diabetes.
Muscular issues like pain and muscle wasting.
Increased risk for cataracts.

In today’s medical world cholesterol has become the enemy. Yet healthy cholesterol levels are key to good health.

Why?

Because cholesterol is need for proper cell membrane integrity. In fact, without cholesterol you would just be a pool of living matter, instead of an upright thinking human being.

Cholesterol is also essential for your brain, which contains about 25 percent of the cholesterol in your body. It’s critical for synapse formation, i.e. the connections between your neurons, which allow you to think, learn new things, and form memories. So perhaps it’s not surprising that memory loss is widely reported in association with statin use. Read More →

Avocados Lower Bad Cholesterol

Posted by Dan Hammer //

11/08/2019

The recent headline about how avocados lower bad cholesterol caught my attention. And the reason why is that the key to vascular health is addressing inflammation.

Vascular inflammation typically leads to plaque formation. This can significantly increase your potential for a heart attack or stroke.

Anything you can do to prevent vascular inflammation can help to reduce your risk for strokes and heart attacks.

One of the key contributors to vascular inflammation is bad cholesterol, which the medical community labels as LDL or Low Density Lipoprotein.

But the real cause of vascular inflammation is not LDL but oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and small, dense LDL particles.

By itself LDL does not damage the lining of your vascular system. What is call the endothelium.

Unfortunately, dietary choices create the environment for what are called free radicals. These are unstable molecules that are missing an electron in their outer orbit. To stabilize themselves they steal an electron from another molecule.

This process than creates another free radical, which continues this process until eventually damage is done to your cellular tissues. The result is inflammation.

In a recent 2015 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the participants who ate one avocado per day, while following a moderate-fat diet, had an average 13.5 mg/dl drop in bad or LDL cholesterol.

Avocados Lower Bad Cholesterol

Penn State University just released information to support how avocados lower bad cholesterol. Read More →

Health Benefits of Fiber

Posted by Dan Hammer //

04/08/2019

Earlier this year the health benefits of fiber became more than just a talking point when the results of the World Health Organization (WHO) released their study in The Lancet.

This study was a meta-analysis of 40 years’ worth of research on the health benefits of fiber. Specifically it was an attempt to determine the ideal amount of fiber you need to consume daily to prevent chronic disease and premature death.

The chronic diseases were:

Cardiovascular Disease

Cancer

Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Diabetes

This study included 185 observational studies that accounted for 135 million person-years as well as 58 clinical trials that recruited over 4600 people. And the result was this:

Daily Intake of 25 – 29 Grams of Fiber is Ideal

The researchers found the following statistical advantage to those who consumed this level of fiber on a daily basis:

15 – 30% less likely to die prematurely from any cause or a cardiovascular condition
16 – 24% lower incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer.

So how does this ideal daily intake of 25 -29 grams of fiber compare to the average American adult?

Well, here in America the average adult consumes 15 grams of fiber daily. This is about 40 to 48% less than the ideal about of fiber.

Professor Jim Mann, the lead author of the study, made this comment,

“Our findings provide convincing evidence for nutrition guidelines to focus on increasing dietary fiber and on replacing refined grains with whole grains. This reduces incidence risk and mortality from a broad range of important diseases.”

Health Benefits of Fiber – The Basics

Dietary fiber is found only in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads and cereals, nuts, and legumes (dried beans, lentils and peas). Although there are several forms of fiber, they are usually classified into two groups:

Soluble fiber can dissolve in water to form a gel-like substance in the digestive tract. This soluble fiber is beneficial in lowering the “BAD” cholesterol. Clinical studies have shown that diets containing 10 to 25 grams of soluble fiber per day can lower LDL cholesterol by 18%. Sources of good soluble fiber include oats, peas, beans, apples, and citrus fruits. Typically one serving of any of these foods will provide about one to three grams of soluble fiber.
Insoluble fiber cannot dissolve in water so it passes through the digestive tract relatively unchanged. This insoluble fiber helps to make your stools softer and bulkier and speeds elimination. Sources of insoluble fiber would include whole-grain foods, wheat bran, most vegetables and fruit with skin.

Typically, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables contain just as much fiber as raw ones. However, some types of refining processes may reduce the fiber content.

Current food labeling requires the amount of dietary fiber to be listed. It’s listed just below the “Total Carbohydrate” portion of the Nutrition Facts section of the product label. For a manufacturer to make fiber claims it must meet the following guidelines:

High Fiber: 5 grams or more per serving

Good Source of Fiber: 2.5 – 4.9 grams per serving

More or Added Fiber: At least 2.5 grams more per serving than the reference food

Health Benefits of Fiber – According to the Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic has a healthy amount of material as it regards the health benefits of fiber. Here is their list:

Normalizes Bowel Movements
Helps Maintain Bowel Health
Lowers Cholesterol Levels
Helps Control Blood Sugar Levels
Aids in Achieving Healthy Weight
Helps You Live Longer

They especially note that increasing your dietary fiber intake “is associated with a reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and all cancers.”

Now if you want to take steps to increase your fiber intake, then I would suggest reading my blog post titled “Fiber Intake and Cholesterol Reduction Part 2” as it contains 3 simple steps to increasing your fiber intake.

Your goal is to make sure you’re consuming 25 – 29 grams of fiber each day. If you do, then you can enjoy the health benefits of fiber while decreasing your risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Do You Know Your Oxidized LDL Number?

Posted by Dan Hammer //

01/08/2019

When it comes to cardiovascular health there is an important number you need to know. It’s your oxidized LDL number.

Never heard of it.

Well, it’s time you did.

As you can see by the image I used for this blog post, in 1984 Time magazine ran an article titled “Cholesterol And Now the Bad News.” Fifteen year later in 1999 they ran another article on cholesterol but this time the title was “Cholesterol The Good News.”

The year of this blog post is 2019 and maybe some day Time magazine will run a cover story title,

“Do You Know Your Oxidized LDL Number?”

Because that’s the real issue when it come to cardiovascular disease!

Now before I help you understand what oxidized LDL is, and how it can be measured by your doctor, let me share some sobering statistics (brought to you by the ClevelandHeartLab: Read More →

CoQ10 Benefits Go Beyond Heart Health

Posted by Dan Hammer //

01/01/2019

Most people understand that CoQ10 benefits heart health. Even the pharmaceutical industry understands this especially as it applies to the effects of statin drugs in interfering with your liver’s ability to naturally produce CoQ10.

For example, the 1989 patent application by pharmaceutical giant Merck revealed the need for CoQ10 since statin drugs deplete this needed energy compound in your body. Here’s a quote from part of their patent application:

“Since CoQ10 is of benefit in congestive heart failure patients, the combination with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) should be of value in such patients who also have the added risk of high cholesterol levels.”

Most statins effectively interfere with your liver’s ability to create cholesterol. Unfortunately they also interfere with your liver’s ability to create CoQ10, which is a needed coenzyme for proper energy production.

Why Merck, and other pharmaceutical companies, didn’t create a drug that combined a statin with CoQ10 is a mystery.

And, as statins were promoted by the pharmaceutical industry for the control of cholesterol, little was done to counter the side effects caused by these statin drugs.

Fortunately physicians are finally acknowledging this need for CoQ10. It’s reported that approximately 70% of cardiologists will prescribe CoQ10 for their heart disease patients.

But the purpose of this post is to help you understand that CoQ10 benefits go beyond heart health.

Why?

Because CoQ10 is a coenzyme that helps facilitate the creation of energy for all cells. And current research is revealing that CoQ10 can benefit brain, bone, and metabolic health while also reducing mortality. Read More →

Reduce Arterial Plaque Naturally

Posted by Dan Hammer //

11/08/2018

The number one killer of men and women is cardiovascular disease. And the number one cause of most cardiovascular health issues is atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a build up of plaque inside the blood vessel. Typically in the coronary and carotid arteries but also in the arteries of the leg.

As this arterial plaque ages it can be involved in triggering a heart attack or stroke. Usually without any warnings or prior symptoms.

If you read mainstream medical websites they will state that once you have arterial plaque accumulation or atherosclerosis, then you are stuck with it. That it can’t be reversed.

So when I saw an article from Life Extension Magazine that made this statement:

“Two plant extracts can reduce arterial plaque progression by 95% while promoting plaque stability to lessen the risk of acute arterial occlusion”

I had to read their article “Inhibit Arterial Plaque” to see what they know that mainstream medicine either doesn’t know or doesn’t want to acknowledge.

Click here for a direct link to their article.

Or read the rest of this post as a “Cliff Notes” version of what they shared. Read More →

Are You Bifidobacteria Rich?

Posted by Dan Hammer //

04/08/2018

You may have a hard time answering the question, are you bifidobacteria rich since most people have never heard this word before.

Well my suggestion is to learn how to help your gut microbiome become rich in bifidobacteria as they are key to your health.

Your gut microbiome is home to trillions of microorganisms that play a significant role regulating your immune system, endocrine system, digestive system, and your overall metabolism. Plus your gut microbiome is linked to cardiovascular health, cognitive function, mood, and your ability to fight disease.

One of the most important and beneficial bacteria of your entire gut microbiome is a group called bifidobacteria. And the rest of this blog post will help you understand why they’re important to your health. As well as how you can take dietary steps to make sure they dominate your abdominal microbiome.

Archive for Cholesterol

Avocados Lower Bad Cholesterol

Health Benefits of Fiber – The Basics

Health Benefits of Fiber – According to the Mayo Clinic

What are Bifidobacteria?