Beyond Cholesterol


Book Description

"The information you need to determine how healthy your heart is: c-reactive protein, fibrinogen, homocysteine, fasting insulin, ferritin, lipoprotein (a), calcium heart scan"--Cover




Cholesterol and Beyond


Book Description

“Only once in a great while does a book come along that really does the job in addressing a major medical issue. When this happens, all can be joyful... Readers will find ALL their favorite dietary puzzlements dealt with... With consummate scholarship, clarity and brevity, Truswell sifts out the chaff and identifies the critical questions, the responsible investigators, and the key studies.” So says Emeritus Professor Henry Blackburn from the University of Minnesota in the foreword to this remarkable concise book on the history of research on diet and heart disease. This was a theme of scientific, medical and public interest in the 20th Century, a century marked by the rise and fall of coronary heart disease as the major cause of death in the first world, followed by the rise of this cause of death in the developing world. There is obviously much to learn, and this book is an excellent starting point, tracing dietary factors and their role in heart disease one by one: fats, sugar, salt, alcohol, coffee, trans-fats, etc. Without an understanding of the role of diet and the changes that have been seen in the North American and NW European diet, the story of the decline in the heart disease death rate may have been very different.




Eat for Life


Book Description

Results from the National Research Council's (NRC) landmark study Diet and health are readily accessible to nonscientists in this friendly, easy-to-read guide. Readers will find the heart of the book in the first chapter: the Food and Nutrition Board's nine-point dietary plan to reduce the risk of diet-related chronic illness. The nine points are presented as sensible guidelines that are easy to follow on a daily basis, without complicated measuring or calculatingâ€"and without sacrificing favorite foods. Eat for Life gives practical recommendations on foods to eat and in a "how-to" section provides tips on shopping (how to read food labels), cooking (how to turn a high-fat dish into a low-fat one), and eating out (how to read a menu with nutrition in mind). The volume explains what protein, fiber, cholesterol, and fats are and what foods contain them, and tells readers how to reduce their risk of chronic disease by modifying the types of food they eat. Each chronic disease is clearly defined, with information provided on its prevalence in the United States. Written for everyone concerned about how they can influence their health by what they eat, Eat for Life offers potentially lifesaving information in an understandable and persuasive way. Alternative Selection, Quality Paperback Book Club




Beyond Cholesterol


Book Description







The Great Cholesterol Myth, Revised and Expanded


Book Description

The best-selling book on heart disease, updated with the latest research and clinical findings on high-fat/ketogenic diets, sugar, genetics, and other factors. Heart disease is the #1 killer. However, traditional heart disease protocols—with their emphasis on lowering cholesterol—have it all wrong. Emerging science is showing that cholesterol levels are a poor predictor of heart disease and that standard prescriptions for lowering it, such as ineffective low-fat/high-carb diets and serious, side-effect-causing statin drugs, obscure the real causes of heart disease. Even doctors at leading institutions have been misled for years based on creative reporting of research results from pharmaceutical companies intent on supporting the $31-billion-a-year cholesterol-lowering drug industry. The Great Cholesterol Myth reveals the real culprits of heart disease, including: inflammation, fibrinogen, triglycerides, homocysteine, belly fat, triglyceride to HDL ratios, and high glycemic levels. Best-selling health authors Jonny Bowden, PhD, and Stephen Sinatra, MD, give readers a four-part strategy based on the latest studies and clinical findings for effectively preventing, managing, and reversing heart disease, focusing on diet, exercise, supplements, and stress and anger management. Myths vs. Facts Myth: High cholesterol is the cause of heart disease. Fact: Cholesterol is only a minor player in the cascade of inflammation which is a cause of heart disease. Myth: Saturated fat is dangerous. Fact: Saturated fats are not dangerous. The killer fats are the transfats from partially hydrogenated oils. â?? Myth: The higher the cholesterol, the shorter the lifespan. Fact: Higher cholesterol protects you from gastrointestinal disease, pulmonary disease, and hemorrhagic stroke. Myth: High cholesterol is a predictor of heart attack. Fact: There is no correlation between cholesterol and heart attacks. Myth: Lowering cholesterol with statin drugs will prolong your life. Fact: There is no data to show that statins have a significant impact on longevity. Myth: Statin drugs are safe. Fact: Statin drugs can be extremely toxic including causing death. Myth: Statin drugs are useful in men, women, and the elderly. Fact: Statin drugs do the best job in middle-aged men with coronary disease. Myth: Statin drugs are useful in middle-aged men with coronary artery disease because of its impact on cholesterol. Fact: Statin drugs reduce inflammation and improve blood viscosity (thinning blood). Statins are extremely helpful in men with low HDL and coronary artery disease.




The Great Cholesterol Con


Book Description

Statins are widely prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels and claim to offer unparalleled protection against heart disease. Believed to be completely safe and capable of preventing a whole series of other conditions, they are the most profitable drug in the history of medicine. In this groundbreaking book, GP Malcolm Kendrick exposes the truth behind the hype. He will change the way we think about cholesterol forever. Rubbishing the diet-heart hypothesis, in which clinical trials 'prove' that high cholesterol causes heart disease and a high-fat diet leads to heart disease, Kendrick lambastes a powerful pharmaceutical industry and unquestioning medical profession, who, he claims, perpetuate the madcap concepts of 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol and cholesterol levels to convince millions of people to unnecessarily spend billions of pounds on statins. Clearly and comprehensively debunking assumptions on what constitute a healthy lifestyle and diet, "The Great Cholesterol Con" is the accessible, indispensable and absorbing case against statins and for a more common-sense approach to heart disease and general wellbeing. No more over-hyped miracle drugs; no more garlic, red wine, anti-oxidants, fruit or vegetables; even a vegetarian diet is rejected in this controversial yet authoritative critique of how we have been mislead over how food and drugs affect our coronary health. Here, for the first time, is the invaluable guide for anyone who though there was a miracle cure for heart disease, "The Great Cholesterol Con" is a fascinating breakthrough that will set dynamite under the whole area.




Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease


Book Description

The New York Times bestselling guide to the lifesaving diet that can both prevent and help reverse the effects of heart disease Based on the groundbreaking results of his twenty-year nutritional study, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn illustrates that a plant-based, oil-free diet can not only prevent the progression of heart disease but can also reverse its effects. Dr. Esselstyn is an internationally known surgeon, researcher and former clinician at the Cleveland Clinic and a featured expert in the acclaimed documentary Forks Over Knives. Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease has helped thousands across the country, and is the book behind Bill Clinton’s life-changing vegan diet. The proof lies in the incredible outcomes for patients who have followed Dr. Esselstyn's program, including a number of patients in his original study who had been told by their cardiologists that they had less than a year to live. Within months of starting the program, all Dr. Esselstyn’s patients began to improve dramatically, and twenty years later, they remain free of symptoms. Complete with more than 150 delicious recipes perfect for a plant-based diet, the national bestseller Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease explains the science behind the simple plan that has drastically changed the lives of heart disease patients forever. It will empower readers and give them the tools to take control of their heart health.




The Cholesterol Delusion


Book Description

Approximately one-half of the adult population of the United States are being told that they harbor within their bodies a silent killer. This "killer" is cholesterol. Millions are prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs making these pills the most prescribed (and most profitable) medications in the history of American medicine. They are told that these drugs will protect them from the ravages of heart disease. This is patently untrue and can be easily demonstrated by critical analysis of the data presented in the very medical studies that purport to show their benefit. The cholesterol mania that has gripped the country and dominated mainstream medical thought for the past 40 years is based on widespread acceptance of a set of closely related theories variously called the Cholesterol Theory, the Lipid Hypothesis, or the Diet-Heart Theory. The Cholesterol Delusion systematically refutes these prevailing theories that link diet and blood cholesterol levels to coronary heart disease and heart attacks. The Cholesterol Delusion traces the development of these theories from their origins and shows that each step in their evolution was based on faulty evidence and unscientific reasoning. The book then takes it one step further and attacks the very foundation of the "risk factor" paradigm that has dominated cardiovascular research in particular and much of medical research in general for the past 50 years. Written in plain language for the intelligent layman, the arguments are presented in a way that can be easily understood by readers with a limited medical or technical background. The Cholesterol Delusion is must reading for anyone that has been told they have elevated cholesterol levels and/or must take medication to lower them.




Beyond Pritikin


Book Description

The proven natural way to a healthier, slimmer life! Americans have never been more health- and diet-conscious, yet the percentage of overweight Americans is greater than ever before. Could the fat-free diet often promoted for weight loss and health actually be causing sugar cravings, weight gain, fatigue, and other serious problems? Based on a revolutionary dietary model using healthful essential fats and lower carbohydrate intake, Beyond Pritikin is a complete lifestyle regimen for health, weight loss, and longevity. In this updated program, informed by the latest scientific research, Ann Louise Gittleman, former director of nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center, tells you how to lower cholesterol, revitalize your immune system, control weight, and slow the aging process—the major health concerns of our time. Beyond Pritikin includes: • The compete guide to the essential fats: how they work, and what foods and dietary supplements contain them • How carbohydrates, when not balanced in the diet by sufficient protein and fat, stimulate insulin production—which promotes the storage of body fat • Fat-burning nutrients—natural substances that boost the body’s ability to burn fat • The original two-week “fat flush” to help detoxify your body and jump-start weight loss • A 21-day eating program for natural weight loss—including balanced meal plans and delicious recipes to satisfy every taste • Advice on how to purchase, store, and prepare foods on the Beyond Pritikin Diet Plan • Plus vital information on the benefits of foods once considered “bad,” the dangers of some “heart-healthy” foods, and much more!