Sat Nov 21 2009
Q: Will red yeast rice lower my LDLs naturally? -- Kat, Kailua, Hawaii
A: Nobody eats red yeast rice to lower cholesterol. They take red yeast rice supplements, which have a lot in common with the popular cholesterol-lowering statin drug Mevacor. Both are monacolins that prevent your liver from making LDL cholesterol. And both lower lousy LDL cholesterol. But you get more bang for your supplement buck if you help red yeast rice along with a lifestyle makeover.
In one study, people with high LDL cholesterol levels who took red yeast rice supplements, exercised regularly and ate whole grains, no red meat, a truckload of vegetables and fruit daily and mostly monounsaturated fats saw LDL plummet by 42 percent in just 10 weeks. Similar folks who were taking a prescription statin and just got handouts on diet and exercise also saw their LDL drop, though not quite as much (39 percent). The red yeast rice group also lost more weight.
Though red yeast rice is "all natural" (so is poison ivy), it acts exactly like a statin, so you have to take the same precautions: Have your liver enzymes checked every six months; report any muscle pain to your doctor; take co-enzyme Q10 (like statins, red yeast rice lowers cellular levels of this); and avoid grapefruit, which can increase its effect.
Q: My total cholesterol is 208, my HDL is 60, and my LDL 89, but my triglycerides are 298. Any recommendations? -- Jane, Pensacola, Fla.
A: Usually, high levels of the blood fats called triglycerides (TGs) are accompanied by high levels of lousy LDL and low levels of healthy HDL. But you're clearly the exception. Your cholesterol counts are primo. This means you may have a disorder in which your liver is simply producing too many TGs. Your TG count should be 100; yours is almost three times higher. High TGs jump your risk of heart attack, stroke, impotence, memory loss and skin aging.
To bring them down, your doctor may prescribe a fibrate drug, or high doses of fish oil, or niacin (a B vitamin). But you also should get the same advice as someone who's eaten their way to high TGs:
Step out. Physical activity slows TG production at the source, that is your liver. In one study, people who walked 5,000 extra steps daily lowered their TGs by 19 percent in six weeks.
Drop 5. Or 10. Losing just 5 to 10 percent of excess poundage can lower your TGs by as much as 72 points.
Avoid the big Cs. That's cake, cookies, crackers, chips, cola and other sugary, refined carbohydrates. Your body turns calories it doesn't need into triglycerides and stores them for later. These foods can turn your bloodstream into an overstocked triglyceride pantry.
Look for something fishy. Omega-3 fatty acids can lower TGs dramatically. Have two servings of fatty fish twice a week (salmon or trout are good), or get omega-3s from fish oil capsules (2 grams a day) or from the algae fish feed on (600 milligrams of algae-based DHA pills every day).
Get a few more tests. High triglycerides are also linked to a couple common conditions: thyroid disease and diabetes. When you get your TGs checked again, ask your doc for fasting blood glucose and TSH tests, too.
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