Reducing blood pressure and LDL cholesterol

Cholesterol, as you probably know, is composed primarily of two major components: HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL, which is the stuff you don't want. When LDL becomes oxidised, it sticks to the walls of your arteries and becomes problematic.  Thus 'free radicals'- unpaired electrons- are a culprit, because their unpaired electrons bind onto the LDL and oxidise it.

CoQ10 is an interesting supplement, because it has many useful effects. For a start, statin use depletes CoQ10 anyway, so taking 100 mg twice daily is a sensible precaution. CoQ10 is an energy fuel for the heart, and reduces blood pressure. It is a powerful anti-oxidant too, and inhibits the oxidative damage to LDL. It works better with a daily intake of 200 iu's of Vitamin E.

Niacin effectively lowers LDL cholesterol, by 10-20%, and raises HDL. You shouldn't take more than 3 g daily as it can be very taxing on the liver if taken in large amounts, particularly if time relase niacin is used. Thus you should take non-sustained release niacin, or nicotinic acid, In divided doses of 100 mg, and work your way up slowly to a larger dose.

You might be glad to know that resveratol, which lowers blood pressure and oxidises LDL, is a strong anti-oxidant that is found in red wine. A good daily dose is between 30-200 mg.

For me, CoQ10 and Vit E sound like a good combination, one I can understand and that comes with little risk. Niacin/nicotinic acid sounds pretty heavy duty, and frankly I would rather save my liver for drinking red wine, which also will lower my blood pressure and oxidise LDL!

If you are concerned about  reducing your LDL levels, other dietary changes you might like to make are:

1) eat berries and cherries three or more times a week

2) eat 1 oz of nuts five times a week

3) eat beans or lentils four times weekly

4) use the least processed olive oil you can find, i.e. Extra virgin

5) eat plenty of garlic, crushed and added to your meal at the end of the cooking process.

6) eat turmeric and pomegranate juice on a regular basis. Turmeric is highly anti-inflammatory, and reduces oxidised LDL.

It's much more effective to take your anti-oxidants via food than supplements - see my other blog on anti-oxidants at:-

http://www.elaineatwalkerandwood.blogspot.co.uk/2012_03_01_archive.html

If you need more information on cholesterol and heart disease, feel free to borrow the book I found this information in. It's called 'The great cholesterol myth', by Bowden and Sinatra, published in 2012. It's an easy read, and has far more in it that I have written about here. There's a lot of research on the dangers of chronic inflammation in terms of heart disease, so I will try to get my head around what that is, what it means and how to treat it - and then I will blog it for you!