Cholesterol Lie Q & A

Dear Dr. Jonny,

Following your suggestion, I just finished reading "The Great Cholesterol Lie"! What an eye-opener.

But I recently read in the mainstream media about a study called the JUPITER Study that showed the benefit of statin drugs even for people with normal cholesterol! How can this be?

Well, I can certainly see why my reader was confused. So let's try to sort it out.

In the JUPITER study, people with normal cholesterol were given statin drugs. But these people didn't just have normal cholesterol- they also had elevated levels of a blood protein called C-reactive Protein (CRP).

When this group of people took statin drugs (specifically Crestor), their risk factors did indeed improve.

The question is, "Why?"

Here's the answer- and it's not nearly as confusing as the results might seem at first.

Statin drugs are mildly anti-inflammatory. I believe- and I'm quite sure Dr. Lundell would agree with me- that any good that statin drugs do is solely because of their ability to reduce inflammation. In the JUPITER Study, statins lowered CRP, which is- guess what- a measure of systemic inflammation!

And here's what backfired for the pharmaceutical company. This study confirmed the fact that cholesterol is largely irrelevant. The patients in the JUPITER Study were at risk not because their cholesterol was high (it wasn't) but because they had high levels of inflammation.

The statin drug lowered their inflammation, and any lowering of inflammation improves risk factors for heart disease, not to mention overall health. Let's not forget those nasty side effects of painful muscle cramping and recent studies that show extreme cognitive dysfunction from statins.

Wouldn't an aspirin be better? And better yet, Omega-3?

Statins are the "Frankenstein" medication of our time. And Dr. Lundell exposes the reasons why in his excellent book.

The bottom line is that Inflammation is a very, very serious thing—it's a silent killer.

Cholesterol is not. My advice? Take Omega-3 fish oil, the most anti-inflammatory compound on the planet and one that has exactly zero side effects. With fish oil available, why in the world would someone choose a statin as their anti-inflammatory drug of choice?

The simple steps to begin healing your heart outlined in Dr. Lundell's book, "The Great Cholesterol Lie" will absolutely astonish you.

Go here now and silence that deadly killer - inflammation.

Fish Oil Rivals Antidepressants in Clinical Trial

by Craig Weatherby

The results of the largest-ever clinical trial found that omega-3 fish oil may significantly benefit half of all people diagnosed with depression.

Specifically, fish oil seemed to help the 50 percent of depression patients who are free from diagnosed anxiety disorders.

Fish oil appeared to help these people about as much as the leading class of antidepressant drugs ... that is, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac and Paxil.

Participants for the trial were people diagnosed with moderate to severe unipolar (i.e., not bipolar) major depression who were unable to tolerate antidepressants, who refused them despite a physician's recommendation, or who were not helped by the drugs.

More than 430 patients with an episode of major depression were assigned to take either with omega-3 EPA from fish oil (1,050mg per day) for two months or an identical-looking placebo pill masked with fish odor.

Fish oil did not perform better than placebo, for the patients diagnosed with anxiety as well as depression.

More than 430 patients with an episode of major depression were assigned to take either with omega-3 EPA from fish oil (1,050mg per day) for two months or an identical-looking placebo pill masked with fish odor.

Omega-3 EPA from fish oil did not perform better than placebo among the patients diagnosed with anxiety as well as depression.

But among those diagnosed with major depression - but not anxiety - the patients who took omega-3 EPA had significantly better scores than the placebo group.

As lead author Francois Lesperance, M.D., told Medscape Psychiatry. "... the level of improvement we saw in this subgroup is on a par with what has typically been reported with pharmacologic treatments." (Stein J 2009)

Findings apply to the half of all depression patients not usually studied.

These findings are important because they carry implications for about one-half of all depressed patients ... those who do not also display anxiety disorders.

And these people are often excluded from placebo-controlled studies of antidepressant drugs.

Dr. Lesperance made a key point: "Many depressed patients prefer to avoid drug treatment because of the stigma associated with such therapy, not to mention potential treatment-related side effects, and thus it's nice to be able to offer patients an alternative treatment that is similarly effective but without the risks." (Stein J 2009)

Most population studies show links between higher levels of omega-3's and reduced depression risk, and/or link low levels of omega-3's - or an excess of omega-6's versus omega-3's - to higher levels of depression.

Besides supporting normal mood, research shows that omega-3's - and higher than average omega-3/omega-6 intake ratios - likely benefit cardiovascular, brain, bone, and metabolic health.

Note from Dr. Jonny:

My favorite sources of Omega-3's are:

• The Vital Choice brand of salmon is the ONLY fish I have discovered, via independent lab testing, to be free of harmful mercury and other toxins. Save 10% at Vital Choice when you use with the coupon code: DRJONNY
  
• High Potency Fresh Catch Fish Oil by Barlean's contains one of the highest amounts of EPA and DHA in a two capsule serving: 783 EPA and 400 DHA plus another 1/3 gram of other omega-3's. It's pharmaceutical grade and one of the purest products I know of.
  
• Omega Swirl by Barlean's looks and tastes like a smoothie but contains optimal levels of EPA/DHA. Your kids will have no idea they are eating a big dose of fish oil!
  

Sources

*Lesperance F et al. The efficacy of eicosapentaenoic acid for major depression: Results of the OMEGA-3D trial. 9th World Congress of Biological Psychiatry: Abstract FC-25-005. Presented July 1, 2009. Accessed at http://www.wfsbp-congress.org/fileadmin/user_upload/WFSBP_Final_Programme_090625.pdf

*Stein J. WCBP 2009: Omega-3 Supplements Provide Mixed Results as Antidepressant. Medscape Medical News, July 4, 20009. Accessed at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/705508

Vegetables and Fruits Stave Off Alzheimer's?

Chemicals in fruit and vegetables, as well as tea and red wine, could help to protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease, according to information to be presented at the British Pharmacological Society's summer meeting in Edinburgh.

The chemicals in question are plant compounds known as flavonoids, which have long been studied for their beneficial effects on people's health. There is mounting evidence that certain flavonoids might help Alzheimer's patients.

Dr Robert Williams, a biochemist at King's College London, said: "There have been some intriguing epidemiological studies that the consumption of flavonoid-rich vegetables, fruit juices and red wine delays the onset of [Alzheimer's]."

"These reports, while not as powerful as controlled, randomized, clinical trials, have encouraged a number of research groups, including our own, to investigate the biology of flavonoids in more detail."

Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants - compounds capable of protecting body cells from damage - known to benefit the heart and possibly reduce the risk of cancer. But there is a question mark over their influence on the brain. Dr Williams said the lack of research and clinical trial results meant research into flavonoids had suffered from a lack of scientific credibility.

He said there was also skepticism because flavonoids were known antioxidants, yet clinical trials with other antioxidants, such as vitamin E, showed no benefit on symptoms or disease progression in dementia.

However, Dr Williams said an idea was emerging that flavonoids did not act simply as antioxidants, they exerted their biological effects through other mechanisms.

Recent studies have found green tea flavonoids or grape flavonoids could help the brain and improve mental skills. Dr Williams and colleagues have focused on the flavonoid epicatechin, which is abundant in foods, including cocoa.

He said: "We have found that epicatechin protects brain cells from damage, but through a mechanism unrelated to its antioxidant activity, and have shown in laboratory tests that it can also reduce some aspects of Alzheimer's disease pathology.

"This is interesting because epicatechin and its breakdown products are measurable in the bloodstream of humans for a number of hours after ingestion, and it is one of the few flavonoids known to access the brain, suggesting it has the potential to be bioactive in humans."

Alzheimer's development is linked to beta-amyloid peptide - a substance that is normally produced in the brain, but in Alzheimer's is deposited abnormally as amyloid plaques, leading to dementia.

Dr Williams has shown that flavonoids can protect brain cells against the toxic actions of beta-amyloid.

Though this has not been investigated yet, one mechanism by which flavonoids and other plant chemicals might have a role in the prevention or delay of Alzheimer's is through their anti-inflammatory activities. Inflammation is a major component of every degenerative disease, from dementia and Alzheimer's to diabetes and obesity. In my judgment, inflammation is way more important than cholesterol, and eating a diet high in anti-inflammatory compounds could be one of the best overall disease-prevention strategies on the planet.

Fish oil is one of the most anti-inflammatory substances on the planet, one of the countless reasons it's so important for human health. Quercetin, a flavonoid found in apples and onions, is also highly anti-inflammatory and seems to have some anti-cancer activity as well.

Omega-3's and Obesity

I've been preaching about the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids for so long I'm hoarse. But up to now, there hasn't been much research on omega-3's and obesity. We know for a fact that omega 3's benefit the heart and the brain. But might they also be helpful in a weight loss program?

Off the record, a number of top trainers and nutritionists have been recommending omega-3's for their overweight clients for years. Why? Every overweight person has some degree of inflammation and omega-3's are anti-inflammatory. Many health professionals suspect that lowering inflammation may make weight loss easier- they just haven't been able to prove it yet in a study.

Now new research seems to confirm what we've long suspected. Spanish researchers found that animals fed omega-3s deposited significantly less fat in their fat tissue and livers, and had much lower production of inflammatory substances. This suggests that increased consumption of omega-3s by obese humans might discourage fat gain and promote healthier fat tissue and liver metabolism.

Another study from Spain, Ireland and Iceland found that higher omega-3 intakes by obese individuals on a weight-loss diet might help control their appetite and satiety, promote weight loss and reduce the likelihood of developing insulin resistance.

Fish oil is the second most important supplement besides a good multi-vitamin. Everyone should be taking it! If fish oil is not already part of your daily routine I recommend Barlean's High Potency Fresh Catch Fish Oil.

Omega Swirl is Finally Here (Save 25%)!

A few weeks ago I told you that one of my favorite companies had sent me some prototypes of a fish oil that knocked my socks off. It tastes like lemon custard. I'm not kidding. I also told you I couldn't wait to tell you about it, but it wasn't on the market yet.

Now it is.

It's Barlean's Omega Swirl "Lemon Zest" Fish Oil. I haven't made up my mind yet whether it tastes more like lemon frosting or lemon pudding, but one thing it does not taste like in any manner shape or form is fish oil! Yet this incredible product- which I keep running out of in my house because everyone takes it- is the highest quality, highest potency fish oil.

See the good thing about taking either fish oil or flaxseed oil in the actual liquid (oil) form is that you can get so much of a bigger dosage- so much more nutritional bang for the buck. You'd have to take about 10 gels to get the amount in one tablespoon of the oil. The only thing that stops people from taking the oil right off the spoon is the taste.

At least until now.

If you've been put off to the idea of taking fish oil either because you can't stand the taste, don't like to take capsules, or if you have kids who won't do either, this new product is the answer to your prayers. I'm not kidding. It's really that good.

There's also a flaxseed version- Omega Swirl "Strawberry Banana" Flax Oil.

But don't take my word for it. Barlean's and their new Omega Swirl product have recently won these health foods industry awards:

• Best Product of the Year- Vitamin Retailer magazine


• Best New Product of the Year- Better Nutrition magazine


• Natural Choice Award- Whole Foods magazine


• #1 Rated Health Food Store Brand- Consumer Lab

For the month of March, you can try it for 25% off the price if you add it to any vitamin store order of over $49.

Save $6 on "Lemon Zest" Fish Oil With any vitamin store order of $49.

Save $5 on "Strawberry Banana" Flax Oil With any vitamin store order of $49.

So stock up on a few things, and try this product at the same time.

I was right about the CoComunne bars, wasn't I? Trust me!

Nutrient Combining: Eat This with That!

The thing about nutrients is that they're like a great rock and roll band.

Just as most great bands play better as a group than they do as soloists, most nutrients rely on supporting nutrients to give you all the health benefits they're capable of delivering.

This may be one reason why so many (badly designed) studies have shown disappointing results when investigating the health benefits of a specific nutrient (like for example vitamin E or beta carotene).

But I digress.

The point is that whole foods often deliver combinations of nutrients that work best synergistically, and combinations of whole foods often turbo charge that health benefit many times over.

Take tomatoes and broccoli. According to University of Illinois researchers, these two foods together have even more powerful cancer-fighting power when eaten at the same time than they do when they're eaten alone. And the valuable carotenoids in foods like spinach and tomatoes aren't well absorbed unless they're eaten with some fat.

"It's not that one nutrient doesn't work", says Elaine Magee, author of Food Synergy, it's that two or three work better". Kind of like a one-plus-one equals four effect.

That's one reason a "no-fat" salad is a silly idea. Important nutrients like the lutein in green peppers, the cancer-fighting lycopene in tomatoes, the capsanthin in red peppers, all need fat to be best absorbed by the body. (I even add a spoonful of Barleans flaxseed oil to my fresh vegetable and fruit juices for just that reason. Fish oil would work very well also, but it's harder to disguise the taste.) When making a salad, dump the fat-free dressing (which is usually loaded with sugar and chemicals anyway) and use some olive oil! Or combine spinach with eggs (complete with egg yolks) or with some avocado or nuts. That fat will make the powerful nutrients in the greens a lot more bioavailable.

And it's not just nutrients that benefit from pairing. Adding vinegar to sushi rice knocks the glycemic index of the rice down by as much as 35%.

Here are some combinations that work particularly well. Remember, this list is by no means complete!

• Broccoli and Tomatoes: According to Professor John Erdman of the University of Illinois, the combo may provide more powerful cancer protection than just eating either vegetable by itself, maybe because "different bioactive compounds in each food work on different anti-cancer pathways". (Pasta primavera with broccoli and tomato sauce does the trick. Just go easy on the pasta and use a whole-grain kind, cooked al dente!)
  
• Vitamin C and Iron: Vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron, so throw mix some high vitamin C fruits (like mandarin oranges) with some high-iron greens (like spinach or kale)
  
• Grass-fed Meat with Herbs and Spices. Studies show that marinating in high-antioxidant mixes of spices and herbs can significantly lower the levels of any carcinogenic compounds caused by grilling. (And for added protection, don't grill on a super-high flame. Slow cooking is best!)

Triglycerides: What you Need to Know

As I get older, I find myself becoming scarily more like my parents, who were known to roll their eyes each time I would finally "discover" something that they had been telling me for years-- as if to silently say, "so you finally figured it out!"

Of course, in my version, it's me rolling my eyes every time the medical profession "discovers" something nutritionists have been saying for years. In this case, they're finally getting wise to the fact that triglycerides are an important risk factor for heart disease. Possibly- gasp- even more than cholesterol.

And the best news is, you can lower triglycerides without any expensive drugs.

Triglycerides are in the news a lot these days because recent 30-year analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HANES) data by the National Lipid Association shows that the percentage of adults with high triglycerides has doubled. The study also showed an alarming increase among people over 60.

Why should we care? "Studies have shown that unhealthy levels of triglycerides and HDL can lead to heart attack and stroke", said Jerome Cohen, MD, professor emeritus of internal medicine and cardiology at the St. Louis University School of Medicine.

Increased risk of heart disease and stroke seems like a good reason to pay attention. (In my not-so-humble opinion, I'd worry way more about high triglycerides than I would high cholesterol.)

So if you've got high triglycerides, what can you do about it? Simple. Eat a low-carb diet.

Triglycerides are the most common l form of fat found in your both food and in your body. They're in your bloodstream, your diet and your tissues and organs. Most of what you don't like about the way you look in jeans is adipose tissue (fat cells) filled with, yup, triglycerides. When your doctor gives you a blood test, the test invariably measures triglycerides in the blood. (The National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines for normal triglycerides are under 150, though most cutting edge docs and nutritionists would prefer to see a more optimal level like under 100.)

High triglycerides are a strong independent risk factor for heart disease, and they also correlate with obesity, and with low levels of HDL (the so-called "good cholesterol"). High triglycerides are also one of the five signs of Metabolic Syndrome, (also called pre-diabetes), a major risk factor for heart disease.

A low-carb diet will bring triglycerides down 100 per cent of the time (and that's regardless of whether or not you lose much weight on the diet). You read that right. Not 90 percent, not 95%, but 100 percent of the time. There are very, very few strategies in nutrition that have 100 percent success rate, but when it comes to lowering triglycerides, low-carb diets do in fact have that enviable track record.

Conversely, when you replace fat in your diet with carbohydrates- especially the kind that do not come from vegetables and fruits- your triglycerides go up!(3,4,5) So a low-fat diet is not necessarily the answer to high triglycerides.

In fact, one particular form of fat- omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil and flaxseed- have been shown to help lower triglycerides, particularly in combination with vitamin C!
Obviously, you're going to get better overall results if you couple that low-carb diet with exercise and a few other healthy habits, but low-carb is a great beginning.

One reason low-carb works so well to lower triglycerides is that the liver manufactures triglycerides out of fat and excess sugar. The more sugar in your diet the more the liver converts that sugar into the little packages we call triglycerides. Give the body less sugar- (and less processed carbs that convert quickly to sugar in the body)- and guess what? Triglycerides return to a nice, healthy, (low) level.

The best prescription for high triglycerides is a very moderate calorie diet of whole foods with plenty of healthy protein and fat, no sugar, a ton of vegetables, some fruit and nuts and very limited starchy carbs (or not- you can leave out the starchy carbs if you like).

For reducing triglycerides, that diet will work as well as any drug, and has no side effects to boot-- (unless you call weight loss a side-effect).

And that's a very good reason to get the extraneous carbs- white bread, desserts, sugar, soda- out of your diet for good.