In this exclusive interview with iFitandHealthy.com, Dr. Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN, author of Cholesterol Down: Ten Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol in Four Weeks – Without Prescription Drugs, spoke to us about all things cholesterol.
It’s one of those interviews you just don’t want to miss!
What has inspired you to write Cholesterol Down?
I am a professional nutritionist specializing in cardiovascular disease prevention, health and fitness. I began to notice a pattern of anecdotal reports among my patients.
Many had high cholesterol and were either unwilling to begin taking a “lifetime” medication or else had tried various statin cholesterol-lowering drugs and were unable to tolerate the debilitating side effects.
They asked me if there was a “natural” alternative to lowering their “bad” cholesterol. However, what really peaked my interest in “natural combination therapy” is more of a personal story. My own father had his first heart attack at age 45 (a major risk factor for me). He died of a heart attack several years later.
Naturally I became concerned when a couple years ago my own “bad” cholesterol reading was abnormally high (which was unbelievable to me as I am a marathon runner who has been a semi-vegetarian for decades).
At this same time there happened to be some new cutting edge scientific research that involved combining several foods (all scientifically proven to lower cholesterol individually) together on a daily basis.
The combination of the foods magnifies the cholesterol-lowering effect such that it equates with the cholesterol-lowering effect of stain medication, only without the side effects! I formulated my own plan using 10 steps in conjunction with a Mediterranean-style of eating.
The LDL-lowering results were simply miraculous both in myself and with my patients. I decided to write the book to help others benefit from my Cholesterol Down Plan and hopefully to help people prevent cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in men and women in this country and the western world.
If you could change only one thing in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, what would it be?
The guidelines themselves are exactly what the public needs to hear and are absolutely on track. However, I would change the method of delivery, because I have found that it is much more helpful to give people specific advice.
People want to know “what should I eat and how much or what’s the best kind of exercise?” I have put together a food and exercise graphic that has helped many of my patients to visualize what healthy eating and exercise is all about (see this PDF document).
What do you hope people will get out of Cholesterol Down?
I hope they will understand the importance of taking responsibility for their own health and that cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes-the nations leading cause of death in men and women) can be almost entirely prevented through healthy lifestyle changes.
Step one in preventing heart disease/strokes is to know and track the most significant risk factor, namely your “bad” LDL cholesterol. Most otherwise healthy Americans should aim for an LDL cholesterol of under 100 mg/dL.
High risk individuals should aim for an even lower LDL value of less than 70 mg/dL. This goal can be accomplished through a few simple lifestyle changes that are no more dangerous or expensive than eating an apple or a bowl of oatmeal.
Some experts seem to suggest that fast-food companies are responsible for unhealthy cholesterol levels in American population. What do you think?
Sadly, the typical American diet and lifestyle is too high in saturated fat, cholesterol and calories and lacking in physical activity. This cultural phenomenon is what leads to unhealthy cholesterol levels. It is unfortunate that fast-food companies do not routinely serve heart-healthy foods. However, the blame for this high cholesterol can not be placed all on the fast-food companies as they are part of our culture.
Just like with cigarette smoking decades ago, education of Americans about the health dangers of living this lifestyle will ultimately create a backlash and the public will demand healthier foods and communities geared more towards an active lifestyle.
The bottom line though is that it is ultimately each and every individual American’s responsibility to take charge of their own health by eating healthy foods (frequenting fast-food establishments less) and exercising more.
Will your Ten-Step Cholesterol Down Plan work for everyone?
All Americans are at risk for heart attacks and stroke, so everyone, young and old, should be eating heart-healthy foods and exercising. My Cholesterol Down Plan was written like a “diet” book.
If you follow the plan, you will see results in 4 weeks, namely, your LDL cholesterol will decrease significantly. There are 3 main groups of people that will benefit the most from following my plan:
1. Those otherwise healthy Americans with high LDL cholesterol that are unwilling to begin taking prescription cholesterol-lowering medication (for a lifetime) to treat their high cholesterol.
2. Those individuals with high LDL cholesterol that have tried taking physician-prescribed statin medication but simply can not tolerate the side effects.
3. Those individuals already taking prescription cholesterol-lowering medication that have not reached their LDL goal and are concerned about increasing the dosage (the risk of significant side effects increases at higher dosages). Combining my Cholesterol Down Plan with prescription medication will boost statin success.
In your research, which finding was the most surprising of all?
I was quite taken by the powerful effect that simple foods and light exercise can have on preventing disease. In the wise words of Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine (460-377 BC), “Let food be thy medicine and let thy medicine be thy food.”
Do people have high cholesterol levels all over the world, or is it a uniquely American phenomenon?
Heat attack and stroke kills approximately 17 million people worldwide (approximately one third of all deaths globally). According to the World Health Organization, high cholesterol is a global problem that is responsible for the epidemic of cardiovascular disease seen all over the world.
What was the most challenging aspect of writing Cholesterol Down?
I have three children, a husband and a dog plus I work both inside and outside the home. The most difficult aspect of writing this book was trying to juggle all these areas of my life and still have the time to do a good job writing and researching the book (and making that editorial deadline!).
There are so many cholesterol-lowering supplements available today, but you recommend Wakunaga’s Kyolic aged garlic extract. Are the rest of them completely useless?
I also recommend plant sterol (phytosterol) supplements such as Cholest-off and psyllium seed husk supplements (such as Metamucil). These are the only ingredients in supplements on the market today that have enough scientific evidence to support their use in lowering cholesterol.
Note that omega-3 fatty acid “fish pills” are effective for reducing elevated triglyceride levels but are NOT effective at lowering LDL cholesterol!
The garlic extract supplement that I included (which is quite controversial these days in terms of its cholesterol-lowering ability), is simply to aid individuals in getting in a higher concentration of garlic than would be possible if one were to rely on the raw garlic alone (which would cause too much GI distress if eaten in excess).
The higher concentration has been shown to be most effective for promoting heart health. Whether or not garlic is extremely effective at lowering cholesterol needs much more research.
But, in the meantime, as a main component of the heart-healthy Mediterranean pattern of eating and because of garlic’s other proven cardioprotective effects regarding arterial health, I stand by my recommendation.
Is there a clear connection between being overweight and high levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol?
Yes, overweight, especially around the middle, is a contributing factor to high blood cholesterol. The type of fat that collects around the midsection is very mobile and overloads the liver, resulting in an increased production of cholesterol. Regular aerobic exercise is the most effective means of targeting dangerous “belly fat.”
Isn’t all this “high cholesterol is bad” talk just hype, as some diet gurus seem to suggest?
Absolutely not! The scientific evidence is rock solid showing that a high level of “bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood promotes the process of atherosclerosis (plaque buildup). Furthermore, we have learned from the most recent large-scale statin studies that lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol saves lives and for high risk individuals, “lower is better.”
Your book focuses on lowering cholesterol with food, not pills. But are there cases when a person should consider using prescription drugs to lower cholesterol?
Without question, high risk individuals should be taking cholesterol-lowering medication under their personal physician’s supervision (always listen to your doctor’s advice). The question, however, is not a healthy lifestyle OR drugs but should always be a healthy lifestyle in addition to drugs for the best prevention of cardiovascular disease.
What is the best tip that you have left out of Cholesterol Down?
I didn’t leave this tip out but I would like to reinforce the notion that heart attack and strokes are almost entirely preventable through healthy lifestyle changes. Take responsibility for your health, know your LDL number and if it’s too high, get your Cholesterol Down!
Are you planning to write another book on the same subject?
I am thinking of partnering with some local South Florida chefs and perhaps putting together a heart-healthy recipe book with delicious Mediterranean-inspired dishes (that contain the recommended foods in my Cholesterol Down Plan).
More recipes tasty recipes would help people to follow the plan and teach them how to incorporate these heart-healthy foods into their diet.