Beating cholesterol naturally

By Herbert Vego

IN this month of January, medical laboratories enjoy unusually high number of patients seeking blood tests for different reasons, one of which is to determine cholesterol levels. The higher the count – no thanks to meaty Christmas and New Year celebrations — the higher the risk of catching heart diseases.

The last time I had a blood test, my total cholesterol count had diminished from a previously high 6.46 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) to a healthy 4.67 mmol/L.  My doctor, Dr. Mechelle Salazar, congratulated me for that “feat”. Why?

It’s because a total cholesterol level of less than 5.17 mmol/L is normal, far below the high level of 6.21 mmol/L.

As to what I did to conquer cholesterol, I shied away – most of the time, I mean — from my favorite beef and pork dishes, preferring fish instead. Unlike pork and beef, fish has no bad cholesterol that could clog the arteries and trigger stroke or heart attack.”

In a previous article, incidentally, I said I had junked “statin” drugs because of their high cost and side effects, notably muscle pain.  I wrote of shifting to near-vegetarian, influenced by my Google readings.

Studies in the 1970s showed that Greenland Eskimos had a lower rate of heart disease than did other individuals living in Greenland at the same time. Analysis of dietary differences between the groups showed that the Eskimos ate less saturated fat and more omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, whale and seal meat.

Research since that time has supported the heart-healthy benefits of eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as mackerel, tuna and salmon. Nutritionists recommend at least two weekly servings of fish.

I used to ignore oatmeal until my x-ray showed “atherosclerosis of the aorta.”  Which meant that fatty plaque had partially blocked the flow of blood in the major artery emanating from my heart. Since then, oatmeal has become my favorite breakfast stuff, along with fresh fruits. Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol. Soluble fiber — which is also found in such foods as kidney beans, mongo sprouts, apples, pears and prunes — appears to reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines.

Eating nuts for snack – peanuts and cashew nuts, among the locally available ones — is good for the heart because they contain unsaturated fatty acids and plant sterol, a substance that can help lower cholesterol. But since they’re high in calories, the overweight should limit its consumption.

Long thought to have cholesterol-lowering effects, soy is a good source of fiber and is also a low-fat alternative source of protein.

To summarize, the first step for a heart-healthy diet is to reduce your intake of bad fats. The second is to eat a combination of cholesterol-lowering foods.

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GOOD NEWS FROM MORE POWER

KUDOS to MORE Power for kicking off the year 2022 with good news to its customers.

During a chat with MORE spokesman Jonathan Cabrera – who is also a candidate for vice-governor of Aklan – I learned that the company is extending by 30 days the deadline for payment of power bills for the months of December 2021 and January 2022.

The bills are for power consumed from December 18 to February 14.

Based on the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers, consumers have only 10 days within which to pay, counting from the date of receipt of each bill. But because of the 30-day extension, they now have 40 days.

No surcharge will be applied to the extension period. It will only be applied to whatever unpaid balance accrues outside of the 30-day extension; and also, to overdue accounts before the December 2021 billing month.

The aforesaid payment extension is in line with MORE Power’s corporate social responsibility in the wake of typhoon Odette, and in response to a directive from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

Siempre, all that is also through the initiative of MORE Power’s visionary president and chief operating officer, Sir Roel Z. Castro.

More power to MORE Power!