Poor cholesterol - so misunderstood

...cholesterol is innocent until corrupted by refined carbohydrate....

All animal cells require cholesterol for proper structure and function. The vast majority of cholesterol in the body does not come directly from foods like eggs and meat, but from the liver, which can make cholesterol out of anything we eat. So, if cholesterol-rich foods don’t cause high cholesterol, what does?

WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?

Most people have no idea what cholesterol actually is.

Life without cholesterol would be impossible. Cell membranes, which wrap around and protect the inner contents of all cells, must contain cholesterol in order to function properly. Cholesterol contributes firmness to membranes and keeps them from falling apart. But wait, there’s more!

All of the following critical body components are made from cholesterol:

• Estrogen
• Testosterone
• Progesterone
• Cortisol (anti-inflammatory stress hormone)
• Aldosterone (regulates salt balance)
• Vitamin D
• Bile (required for fat and vitamin absorption)
• Brain synapses (neurotransmitter exchange)
• Myelin sheath (insulates nerve cells)

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAT AND CHOLESTEROL?

Cholesterol is made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, just like fat is, but it is not fatty; it is a hard, waxy substance that contains no fat. A molecule of fat looks like this:

whereas a molecule of cholesterol looks like this:

As you may be able to appreciate just by looking at them, they are very different from each other.

Fat is a simple long chain, whereas cholesterol is mainly a complicated combination of rings - 3 hexagons plus a pentagon; in medical school we affectionately called it “three rooms and a bath.” Fat is relatively easy to build (11 chemical steps from acetyl-coA to triacylglycerol), whereas cholesterol is hard to construct - more than 30 chemical steps are required to build one molecule of cholesterol (from acetyl-coA to cholesterol). The body would not go to the trouble of making it for no reason. Especially since, as it turns out, once it’s built, it’s impossible for the body to break it down - we do not have any way to take apart its complex ringed structure.

CHOLESTEROL IN FOODS

How much cholesterol do we need to eat?

NONE.

Cholesterol is so important that the body can make cholesterol out of ANYTHING - fats, carbohydrates, or proteins. You don’t have to eat cholesterol to make cholesterol. Even if you eat a completely cholesterol-free diet, as vegans do, your body will still make cholesterol. Type “vegans with high cholesterol” into your search engine and you will find plenty of accounts of vegans whose cholesterol is too high - despite the fact that they eat ZERO grams of cholesterol.

Which foods contain cholesterol?

Since every single animal cell contains cholesterol, all animal foods contain cholesterol.
Many people don’t realize that all muscle meats (chicken, fish, beef, pork, etc.) contain about the same amount of cholesterol per serving.
Certain animal foods—liver, egg yolk, dairy fats, glandular organ meats, and brain— are especially high in cholesterol.  Why is that?  Liver is where the body manufactures cholesterol. Egg yolks contain concentrated cholesterol because the growing baby chick needs it to build new cells. Milk fat contains lots of cholesterol because the growing baby calf needs it to build new cells. Glandular organ meats (pancreas, kidney, etc.) contain more cholesterol because glands make hormones, and hormones are made from cholesterol. Brain contains very high amounts of cholesterol in its myelin sheaths, which insulate its electrical circuits.
All plant foods are considered “cholesterol-free.” Well, it would be more accurate to say that plant foods do not contain any animal cholesterol. Plants contain their own special forms of cholesterol called “phytosterols”, but phytosterols are toxic to human cells, so our intestines wisely refuse to absorb them.
So, in most cases, animal foods contain some cholesterol that the body can absorb and use, and all plant foods contain cholesterol that our body cannot absorb. The only exceptions I know of to these rules are shellfish.

There are two types of shellfish: crustaceans (lobsters, shrimp, crabs, etc.) and mollusks (clams, oysters, mussels, etc.). Crustaceans—giant sea insects who hunt for their food—contain animal cholesterols that can be absorbed by the body, but mollusks—who gather nutrients by filtering seawater—contain a different type of cholesterol that we can’t absorb.
In fact, plant cholesterols and mollusk cholesterols are not only rejected by our intestinal cells, they actually interfere with the absorption of animal cholesterols. This is how margarines such as Benecol® work. The manufacturer has added a chemically altered form of plant cholesterol to the spread, which interferes with the absorption of animal cholesterol.

WILL EATING CHOLESTEROL RAISE MY CHOLESTEROL?

Yes, but only if your body needs more cholesterol.
The cells lining the small intestine each contain transporter molecules (NPC1L1) that absorb cholesterol. [The cholesterol-lowering drug Zetia® works by blocking NPC1L1 yet does not reduce risk of heart disease]. However, if the body doesn’t need any more cholesterol, there are other molecules (ABCG5/8 transporters) that pump the cholesterol right back out into the intestines to be eliminated from the body. This is one reason why it is virtually impossible for cholesterol from food to cause “high cholesterol.” The intestinal cells know exactly how much is needed and will not allow extra to be absorbed.

This is brilliant when you think about it (the body is so smart)—it is impossible for the body to break down the complex structure of the cholesterol molecule, so it would make no sense to absorb too much—once it’s inside the body there’s only one way to get rid of it, and that is to excrete it in the bile. Why take in more than necessary, if it’s just going to have to be eliminated?

However, if your body cholesterol levels are low, the intestinal cells will not kick it out, and it will make it into your bloodstream—because you need it.

What’s more, cholesterol is recycled very efficiently by our bodies, because it is so hard to make. Why make more from scratch if you don’t have to? Remember that it’s also impossible for the body to break down cholesterol, so the only way to get rid of it is to excrete it. The liver gets rid of any excess by excreting free cholesterol into the intestines along with bile. This free form of cholesterol is the only form that intestinal cells are able to absorb. Most of the cholesterol molecules in food (85 to 90% of them) are not free; they are in the form of “cholesterol esters.” [Cholesterol esters are just cholesterol molecules with a fatty acid attached]. Intestinal cells are incapable of absorbing cholesterol ester, which is the major form of cholesterol in food. Therefore, if the intestinal cells sense that the body needs more cholesterol, it will typically reabsorb most of what the body needs from the bile, not from food.

To summarize the relationship between food cholesterol and blood cholesterol:

1. Most cholesterol from foods does not get absorbed unless body levels are low.
2. The amount of cholesterol you eat has almost no effect on your cholesterol levels.
3. The vast majority of cholesterol in your body is made by your body’s own cells. Remember that creepy line from the movie When a Stranger Calls? “The call is coming from inside the house.” The excess cholesterol is coming from inside your body, not from the food you eat.

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How does the body make cholesterol?

All cells can make their own cholesterol, but liver cells are especially good at it. Only liver cells are capable of making more than they need for themselves - and shipping it out to other parts of the body.

Remember how it takes more than 30 chemical reactions to build one molecule of cholesterol? The most important of all of these steps is step #3. In this step, a critical enzyme called “HMG-CoA reductase” converts a molecule called HMG-CoA into another molecule called mevalonate. Once this step occurs, there’s no turning back, so it’s a big commitment. This reaction is the one that determines whether or not cholesterol gets made. Therefore, the enzyme that runs this reaction, HMG-CoA reductase, is very important—it’s like the foreman in charge of the cholesterol assembly line. This enzyme needs to be carefully controlled, because we don’t want cells wasting their time and energy building expensive cholesterol molecules willy-nilly.

The activity of this critical enzyme HMG-CoA reductase is controlled primarily by two things:

1) cholesterol levels inside the cell

2) insulin levels in the blood.

This is where things get really interesting. It makes sense that HMG-CoA reductase would respond to the cell’s cholesterol levels—if the cell’s levels are low, you want to turn that enzyme on, so you can make more cholesterol, and if the cell has enough cholesterol, you want to turn that enzyme off and stop making cholesterol. But what is insulin doing in the mix?
We think of insulin as a blood sugar regulator, but its real job is to be a GROWTH HORMONE. Insulin is supposed to turn on when we need to grow. What do we need to make in order to grow? More cells. What do we need to form new cells? Cholesterol. So, at times when we need to grow (babies, teenagers, pregnant women), insulin turns the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase ON, which tells cells to make more cholesterol, so we can build new cells.

What causes high cholesterol?

Why would the body make more cholesterol than it needs?

Now here’s the problem: when people eat too many sugars and starches, especially refined and high glycemic index foods, blood insulin levels can spike. When insulin spikes, it turns on HMG –CoA reductase, which tells all of the body’s cells to make more cholesterol, even if they don’t need any more. This is probably the most important reason why some people have too much cholesterol in their bloodstream. Sugars and starches can raise insulin levels, which fools the body into thinking it should grow when it doesn’t need to. This is how low glycemic index diets and low-carbohydrate diets normalize cholesterol patterns—these diets reduce insulin levels, which in turn lower HMG-CoA reductase activity.

“Statin” drugs, such as Lipitor®, which are prescribed to lower cholesterol levels, work partly by interfering with the activity of HMG-CoA reductase. If your cells happen to need more cholesterol under certain circumstances, but the statin drug is blocking this critical enzyme, your cells may not be able to make cholesterol when needed. And what’s worse is that the cholesterol synthesis pathway doesn’t just make cholesterol; branches of this same pathway are responsible for synthesizing a wide variety of other important molecules, including: Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and Coenzyme Q. So, you may want to think twice before you artificially interfere with this pathway by taking a statin drug.

When you eat less carbohydrate, you are not artificially blocking the pathway; you are simply allowing HMG-CoA reductase to listen to other more important signals (such as cholesterol levels and growth requirements) and decide naturally when it should turn on and when it should turn off.
So, to recap: refined carbohydrates speed up the cholesterol assembly line and statins slow it down. Which approach would you rather take to manage your “cholesterol problem”—taking a drug that artificially slows down this assembly line, or changing your diet so that the assembly line only runs when it’s supposed to? [Hint: Dietary changes require no monthly co-pays, and have no potentially dangerous side effects.]

Chances are: if you have “high cholesterol” you do not have a cholesterol problem—you have a carbohydrate problem. 

Good Cholesterol and Bad Cholesterol

This gets into the very complicated relationship between cholesterol blood tests and heart disease risk. This is an enormous topic that will be covered in future articles on this site, but I’ll summarize some basic points here now.

When you get your cholesterol levels checked, you will see numbers for HDL and LDL, as well as triglycerides.  Triglycerides are fats, so we’ll set them aside and just focus on HDL and LDL.

HDL particles collect extra cholesterol from around the body and carry it back to the liver to be eliminated from the body if we don’t need it. It is typically thought of as “good cholesterol” so higher HDL levels are considered a good sign.

LDL particles carry extra cholesterol made in the liver out to the rest of the cells in the body. We used to think of LDL as “bad cholesterol” so lower levels of LDL were considered a good sign.

The cholesterol inside of HDL and LDL particles is exactly the same, it’s just that, for the most part, HDL is carrying it in one direction and LDL is carrying it in the opposite direction. The reason why LDL had been dubbed “bad” and HDL has been dubbed “good” is that numerous epidemiological studies (most famously, the Framingham Heart Study) told us that high LDL levels were associated with a higher risk of heart attack, and that high HDL levels were associated with a lower risk of heart attack.

We used to think that HDL was good because it acted like a garbage truck, clearing evil cholesterol out of our bodies, and we used to think that LDL was bad because it burrowed its way into our coronary arteries, depositing evil cholesterol there—forming plaques and causing heart attacks.

Cholesterol, Carbohydrates and Heart Disease

However, this simplistic way of thinking about cholesterol and heart disease is changing before our very eyes. It turns out that it is more complicated than this. LDL, for example, exists in a variety of forms. It can be big and buoyant and “fluffy” or small and dense and oxidized (damaged). The new thinking is that small, dense, oxidized LDL may be the only type of LDL that is associated with heart disease. Therefore, instead of thinking of all LDL as “bad”, it would be more accurate to say that all LDL is not created equal—big fluffy LDL is “good” and small, dense, oxidized LDL is “bad.”

Unfortunately, standard blood tests can’t tell you which type of LDL you have because it lumps all types of LDL particles together.  Standard tests can only estimate how much of your cholesterol is travelling inside of LDL particles.  They can’t tell you how many LDL particles you have, how big they are, how dense they are, or how oxidized they are.  [For a detailed explanation of the complexities involved in interpreting cholesterol blood test results, I recommend Dr. Peter Attia’s blog at www.eatingacademy.com.]

What we do know from research studies is that people who eat a diet high in refined carbohydrates tend to have a higher number of “bad” (smaller, denser, oxidized) LDL particles. This makes sense, because we know that carbohydrates are “pro-oxidants” —meaning they can cause oxidation.

There is also lots of evidence telling us that refined carbohydrates can cause inflammation.  Just because doctors find cholesterol inside artery-clogging plaques does not mean that cholesterol causes plaques. It is now well established that heart disease is a disease of inflammation. It is not simply that an innocent, smooth, buoyant sphere of fat and cholesterol traveling through the bloodstream decides to somehow randomly dig its way into a healthy coronary artery. The first step in the development of a vessel-clogging plaque is inflammation within the lining of the artery itself. When doctors cut into plaques they don’t just find cholesterol—they find many signs of inflammation (such as macrophages, calcium, and T cells). 

Wherever there is inflammation in the body, cholesterol is rushed to the scene to repair the damage—because we need cholesterol to build healthy new cells. Jumping to the conclusion that coronary artery plaques are caused by the cholesterol found inside of them is like assuming that all car accidents are caused by the ambulances that are found on the scene.

The latest research suggests that diets high in refined and high glycemic index carbohydrates increase the risk of inflammation throughout the body, especially in blood vessels. Diabetes, a disease which is intimately associated with high blood sugar levels, is infamous for causing damage to blood vessels in the retina, kidneys, and tiny vessels that feed nerve endings in the feet. It is well established that people with diabetes are also at higher risk for heart disease. It should therefore not be a stretch for us to imagine that all people with high blood sugar and/or insulin levels due to diets rich in refined carbohydrates may also be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

Cardiology researchers are now turning away from the notion that saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease. After all, how could saturated fat and cholesterol, which we have been eating for hundreds of thousands of years, be at the root of heart disease, which is a relatively new phenomenon? Cardiologists are finding instead that refined carbohydrate (such as sugar and flour), which we have only been eating in significant quantities for about a hundred years, is the single most important dietary risk factor for heart attacks:

“Strong evidence supports …associations of harmful factors, including intake of trans-fatty acids and foods with a high glycemic index or load.”
“Insufficient evidence of association is present for intake of…saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids; total fat,… meat; eggs; and milk.” [Mente et al 2009].

Sweetheart?  
There are several plausible mechanisms for how refined carbohydrate could increase risk for heart disease and change cholesterol profiles:

• Diets high in refined carbohydrate lower HDL levels and set the stage for high insulin levels, oxidation, and inflammation throughout the body, including in the coronary arteries.
• High blood sugar and insulin levels turn big, fluffy, innocent LDL particles into small, dense, oxidized LDL particles, which are associated with increased risk for heart disease.
• High insulin levels turn on the cholesterol building enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, forcing the body to make more cholesterol than it needs.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that cholesterol is innocent until corrupted by refined carbohydrate.

Source: http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/food/cholesterol/

Learn How Inflammation Affects The Body 

Inflammation controls every aspect of our life. If you or someone you know suffers from ongoing, chronic pain, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, ADD/ADHD, peripheral neuropathy, migraines, cancer, thyroid issues or dental issues, you are often dealing with inflammation. Learning how inflammation affects the body, and what you can do to stop it, is the first step in realizing your body’s full potential.

 Instead of getting to the root cause, doctors, when presented with patients suffering from the aforementioned problems, give their patients pharmaceutical drugs to cover up problems that continue to manifest and get worse. If we were simply told that in order to get better, we have to eliminate the inflammation in our bodies, then we would never have to take another pharmaceutical drug in our life.

Inflammation begins in our gut, with an autoimmune reaction which progresses into systemic inflammation. Thus, we can see how important it is that the foods that we eat are clean, wholesome, and largely plant-based to reduce the level of acidity and “backing-up” which is normally caused by eating animal-based products, refined sugary foods, highly processed foods, and wheat (gluten).

Diseases that result from a build-up of inflammation in the body range from allergies, Alzheimer’s, anemia, asthma, autism, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, celiac disease, chron’s disease, congestive heart failure, eczema, fibromyalgia, fibrosis, gall bladder disease, GERD, heart attack, kidney failure, lupus, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy, pancreatitis, psoriasis, scleroderma, stroke, and surgical complications. 

GI Tract (Stomach, Intestines)

The degree of permeability of your gut depends on a variety of lifestyle factors. If you are relatively stressed most days (raised cortisol), or your thyroid hormone levels fluctuate, your intestinal lining becomes more permeable, making it more vulnerable to toxins, viruses, yeast, bacteria, and undigested food particles from your last meal – otherwise known as leaky gut syndrome (LGS). With LGS, these toxins, yeasts, bacteria and viruses, when moving through the intestine, have better access to the bloodstream.

Having a damaged intestinal lining results in poor nutrient and enzyme assimilation, and eventually results in a variety of diseases by responding with inflammation.

Chronic immune mediated inflammation damages our intestinal lining and can result in issues such as Celiac disease and Chron’s disease. Not only that, but when our esophagus and digestive tract become inflamed due to poor food choices, which mess with the natural pH of our stomach, we may experience heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Brain

Inflammation causes the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines which results in an array of physical and psychological symptoms. In fact, these pro-inflammatory cytokines can actually cause lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, sleepiness, and loss of appetite. More importantly, the connection between depression and inflammation has been made clear in a variety of studies. One study found that patients with major depressive disorder have significantly higher levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha than their non-depressed counterparts.

Inflammatory cytokines are also responsible for inducing autoimmune reactions against the myelin sheath and vascular and connective tissues which irritate our nerves, which can ultimately result in neuropathy and multiple sclerosis. Destruction of brain cells caused by chronic inflammation is also responsible for Alzheimer’s disease.

Autism is also inflammatory based, where inflammatory cytokines induce autoimmune reactions in the brain, arresting right hemisphere development.

Liver

A build-up of inflammation in the body can lead to an enlarged liver (swelling beyond its normal size), or fatty liver disease, which can ultimately result in liver failure. It can also lead to an autoimmune condition called hepatitis which can scar the liver. The liver is our main way of ridding the body of toxins (including the kidneys and intestinal tract). Without a properly functioning liver, toxins will build up in the body, resulting in ill health and disease. Dandelion greens and dandelion root tea are a great way to start building a healthier liver.

Kidneys

Inflammatory cytokines slow down and restrict blood circulation to the kidneys and damage the delicate nephrons and tubules which make up the majority of our kidneys. This can result in nephritis, and eventually kidney failure. High levels of inflammation reduce urine output, and thus results in a retention of waste products. As a result, we may experience mild hypertension and edema (fluid retention), as well as toxic waste retention which can bottleneck into a series of other medical problems.

Cardiovascular System (Heart, Blood, Veins, Arteries)

A few years ago, a discovery was made that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body. Instead, when we are burdened with an inflammation-heavy body, cholesterol accumulates in the wall of our blood vessels and causes heart disease and strokes.

Foods loaded with refined sugars and simple carbohydrates, foods processed with omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower (aka. pretty much any and all processed foods), or saturated fat heavy animal products like meat, eggs and dairy are all major contributors of inflammation in the body, which leads to clogged arteries and veins. Excessive over-consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils must be in correct balance with omega-3’s – without this balance, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that directly cause inflammation.

Today, the mainstream American diet has produced an extreme imbalance of these two fats, so much so that the imbalance ranges from 15:1 to as high as 30:1 in favour of omega-6 (whereas the optimal healthy ratio would be around 3:1).

In addition, carrying excess weight on the body creates overloaded fat cells which pour out large amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which add to the injury caused by having high blood sugar. Eliminating inflammatory foods and eating a largely plant-based diet will help you reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body.

Lungs

A body that manifests a high state of inflammation can seriously affect the functioning of the lungs.

In asthma, for example, inflammatory cytokines induce autoimmune reactions against the linings of the airways. This is also the case for different allergy types that affect the lungs, specifically Hay Fever and other plant and animal-related allergies.

Build-up of excess mucus in the lungs as a result of poor diet, and resulting inflammatory response is also the cause for bronchitis and cystic fibrosis.

Thyroid

Inflammation has a profound effect on all aspects of thyroid metabolism and physiology. Autoimmunity, resulting in inflammation, can reduce the rate of T4 to T3 conversion, reduce receptor function and also disrupt the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis.

Studies have shown that even a single injection of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha reduced blood levels of TSH, T3, free T4, free T3 and TRH for 5 days, demonstrating how inflammation disrupts the production and regulatory mechanisms of thyroid hormones.

In addition, the number and sensitivity of thyroid hormone receptors are reduced when there is a high level of inflammation in the body. It won’t matter how much thyroid medication you take – the cells simply won’t be able to use it!

Lastly, inflammation reduces the conversion of T4 to T3 (T4 is the inactive form of thyroid hormone and the body needs to convert it to the active T3 form before it can be used).

If you are suffering from hypo- or hyper- thyroidism, you may want to re-think your medication, and instead get a move on modifying your diet and lifestyle choices.

Bones

Inflammation interferes with the body’s natural ability to repair bone mass, resulting in a greater number of fractures, breaks and conditions like osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis (chronic synovial inflammation is often accompanied by bone erosion, one of the main reasons for disability in RA patients).

In fact, one of the most overlooked methods of preventing osteoporosis is reducing chronic inflammation. Nurturing your gastrointestinal system to improve nutrient absorption from the foods you take in, as well as focusing on a high-alkaline, anti-inflammatory diet devoid of gluten, meat and dairy, are great ways to start improving bone quality and function.

Muscles

Chronic inflammation can cause muscle pain and weakness. It can also manifest as carpal tunnel syndrome, where excessive muscle tension causes shortened tendons in the forearm and wrist, compressing the nerves and creating pain and stiffness. It is also important to remember that our heart is a muscle too, and chronic inflammation can contribute to heart muscle wasting, resulting in congestive heart failure.

Autoimmune reactions against muscles and connective tissue induced by inflammatory cytokines are also responsible for polymyalgia rheumatica, a condition characterized by widespread aching and stiffness in older adults.

Skin

The number one enemy to our skin is systemic or chronic inflammation. This is usually a result of chronic inflammation of the gut and liver, our main detoxifying organs, which when compromised, results in an expelling of toxic substances from our skin (how else is our body going to rid itself of toxins?). Poor detoxification as a result of inflammation can manifest as eczema, acne, unexplained skin rashes, psoriasis, wrinkles, fine lines and a variety of other dermatitis types.

If you want beautiful, clear skin, you must eat a diet that is rich in plant-based foods and devoid of dead animal products, processed greasy foods and refined sugary sweets like donuts, muffins, candies, and pastries. Remember – your skin is a direct reflection of how well your gut and liver are functioning. Detox these organs, eliminate inflammation, and your skin will be clean and clear!

How To Get Rid of Inflammation

If you truly wish to be healed of any health problem you may be experiencing, you must consider inflammation’s role in your issue, and dealing with it as the root cause. Inflammation is the result of an autoimmune reaction in the gut, which then spreads to other areas of the body.

Removing autoimmune triggers from your life, such as:

– Food (animal-based products (meat, eggs, dairy), refined sugary products, highly processed foods, wheat)

– Lifestyle factors (stress, poor sleep, over-exercising, not enough exercising – these are all huge things to consider as well…the stress response triggers the immune marker IL6 which switches on the TH17 immune pathway, fast-tracking the body into autoimmunity)

Replacing these with beneficial ways of living, such as:

– Food (plant-based foods like all fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, mineral supplementation to make up for lack of mineral deposits in the soil that our food grows in)

– Lifestyle factors (create conditions of love, appreciation and gratitude, exercise properly, maintaining a positive attitude, getting enough sleep, and maintaining healthy social interactions. These will all help release natural systemic opioids which helps push the immune pathway TH3, helping to reduce autoimmunity)

Source: http://livelovefruit.com/

 

All About Nightshades

Quick, what do potatoes, paprika, and eggplant all have in common? If you said “delicious,” you aren’t far off, but there’s a more important similarity as well: these three plants (as well as tomatoes and all varieties of peppers) belong to the nightshade family. While the vast majority of people have no problems with nightshades, they can cause serious problems for anyone struggling with an autoimmune disease, as well as some people who simply have a digestive sensitivity to them.

What Are Nightshades?

Members of the family Solanaceae, common nightshades include white (but not sweet) potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers, both the eye-watering chilies and the sweeter bell peppers. The list of edible nightshade plants also includes any spices made from peppers, like paprika, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper (although black pepper is a different plant).

The list of edible nightshades is fairly short, but the list of poisonous ones is quite extensive. Most nightshades are toxic to humans, with the best-known being belladonna, or “deadly nightshade,” traditionally valued for its use as a poison (in the play Macbeth, for example, belladonna poisoning features as a plot point).

The association with such toxic family members makes some people very concerned about all nightshades – they worry that if deadly nightshade is such a terrifying poison, then even the apparently harmless tomato must be up to no good. Farmers and gardeners in some traditional cultures seemed to agree: they were dubious about the food value of these plants, and mostly grew them as ornaments in the belief that they were unhealthy to eat.

Guilt by association and the accumulated wisdom of traditional gardeners makes for a plausible theory, but fortunately there’s just no evidence that nightshades are dangerous in any way for most healthy people. On the other hand, they might be a bad idea for people whose guts and immune systems are already compromised, especially anyone with an autoimmune disease.

Nightshades and Autoimmunity: Vitamin D

The best evidence for the health risks of nightshades is connected with arthritis and joint pain, especially the autoimmune disease of rheumatoid arthritis. But even the “best evidence” isn’t that great: it’s mostly based on personal reports and the experience of nutritionists and integrative health specialists. One doctor conducted several surveys, and found that eliminating nightshades was extremely helpful, but that kind of survey has many limitations: there was no control group, and that just asking people “what did you eat?” is an unreliable way of gathering evidence.

Even bearing in mind the relative lack of solid evidence in humans, though, it’s still an interesting theory, especially when you look into the proposed causes for this effect: why are nightshades so often blamed for pain, inflammation, and autoimmunity issues?

One theory has to do with Vitamin D. There’s a lot of evidence from animals indicating that nightshade vegetables cause all kinds of joint and bone problems, mostly because of the way the animals’ bodies process the form of Vitamin D in the nightshades. Vitamin D is crucial for proper bone formation, but the extremely potent form of Vitamin D3 in nightshade vegetables actually prevents proper calcium metabolism, causing the body to deposit calcium in the soft tissue (where you don’t want it) instead of in the bones (where you do).

In animals, this causes very painful arthritis and joint inflammation. On the other hand, though, humans don’t metabolize Vitamin D in the same way as cows and horses. Animal studies just aren’t always relevant to human beings: avocados, for example, are toxic to dogs, but perfectly healthy for people. So the animal evidence is interesting, but doesn’t necessarily prove that humans will suffer in the same way.

Nightshades and Autoimmunity: Alkaloids and Lectins

Other research doesn’t blame the Vitamin D, but attributes the autoimmune dangers of nightshades to various other factors, usually a group of chemical compounds called alkaloids. Alkaloids include solanine (in potatoes, especially green potatoes), nicotine (in very small amounts: nightshade plants are not addictive like cigarettes!), and capsaicin (the chemical that gives peppers their heat).

While the plant is alive, these compounds work as its home-grown “bug spray,” defending it from pests and molds that would otherwise kill it. In other words, they’re designed to be toxic. In the poisonous members of the nightshade family, these chemicals are so concentrated that they have deadly effects on humans, but in the edible nightshades, they’re present in much smaller amounts, and mostly in the leaves and stems (which we don’t eat anyway).

Since humans are so much bigger than bugs and mold, and since we’re not eating the most alkaloid-rich parts of the plant, most of us notice absolutely no effect from eating tiny amounts of this natural “bug spray.” It’s like trying to taste a single grain of sand in an enormous bowl of soup. In theory it’s a bad idea to eat sand, but such a tiny amount makes absolutely no measurable difference to your health.

Healthy guts can deal with these chemicals just fine, but people whose digestive system is already compromised by an autoimmune disease have trouble with them. For example, some kinds of alkaloids increase the power of the immune response – exactly what you don’t want when you’re dealing with an autoimmune disorder.

Another danger of alkaloids is gut irritation: their job in the plant is to kill things, and when they start killing things in your intestine as well, the cells lining the intestinal tract are their first victims. This irritation of the gut contributes to intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”), which can set off an autoimmune reaction when various proteins that should stay inside the digestive tract instead make their way out into the bloodstream, and the body attacks them in response.

On top of the alkaloids, there’s also the lectin issue. All foods contain lectins; many of those lectins are completely harmless, but others are gut irritants – the hard part is figuring out which is which. We know that the lectins in peanuts, for example, are dangerous. The lectins in nightshades may also be gut irritants in sensitive individuals, setting off the same leaky gut response as the alkaloids.

What’s the evidence for this actually happening? It’s fairly scanty, but suggestive. In this study, for example the researchers fed potato skins (the skin is where most of the alkaloids lurk) to mice with inflammatory bowel disease, and found that gut inflammation was significantly increased. The higher the alkaloid content of the potatoes, the worse the inflammation.

Toxicity vs. Beneficial Stress

It really can’t be emphasized enough that all these dangers are only relevant to people who are nightshade-sensitive. If you aren’t sensitive to them, there’s absolutely no reason to rush out and eliminate all these foods from your diet “just in case.”

In fact, the same chemical compounds that cause so many problems in nightshade-sensitive people can bring benefits to people with healthy digestive systems. Capsaicin, for example, might be more familiar to most of us as an anti-inflammatory, one of the big health benefits of eating hot peppers. That’s because it really does work that way in healthy people. The minor irritation of the capsaicin triggers such a strong anti-inflammatory response that the overall result is anti-inflammatory and beneficial (if this sounds familiar, it’s the exact same way that antioxidants work).

Alkaloids have even been studied as therapies for various diseases, precisely because of these benefits. The deadly nightshade, for example, has been used in folk remedies since we realized how strong it was, and it’s now the source of the antispasmodic drug atropine. The powerful poison can also be turned into an equally powerful remedy, if it’s prepared correctly.

To sum it up, it’s only for people with gut problems – autoimmune diseases, leaky gut, and related issues – that the minor irritation of alkaloids from edible nightshades is too much to handle. For healthy people, the hormetic stress of alkaloids is neutral at best, and may even be a benefit.

Conclusion

Should you avoid nightshades? If you’re trying to heal from an autoimmune disease (especially rheumatoid arthritis or anything else that causes joint pain and inflammation), a 30-day nightshade elimination is definitely worth a shot. After all, it can’t really hurt, and you might be surprised at the benefits. You can find details about the Paleo autoimmune protocol (which restricts nightshades, as well as a few other types of foods) here.

Total elimination is one option, but for people who are only slightly sensitive, it might be enough just to reduce the nightshade content of their diet, or to reduce the levels of the various problematic chemicals by properly preparing nightshades. This includes:

• Peeling all potatoes (as the alkaloids are mostly found in the skin)
• Avoiding green tomatoes and green and/or sprouting potatoes (unripe nightshades are higher in alkaloids)
• Cooking nightshade vegetables whenever you eat them (this reduces alkaloid content further).

People without an autoimmune disease or chronic pain issues probably won’t see much benefit from eliminating nightshades. There’s not much harm in experimenting, but there’s no reason to make an already strict Paleo diet even stricter if you don’t have to. Most of us can enjoy tomato sauce, eggplant, and hot peppers just fine, and even see some benefits from those same chemicals.

Source: http://paleoleap.com/nightshades/

Mangosteen For Cancer Prevention

What if I told you that one powerful little fruit had the ability to completely destroy tumour cells in the body? Mangosteen is just one of those fruits (among the soursop, and herbs like lei gong teng). Mangosteen for cancer prevention is one of the poorly over-looked methods of returning the body to a state of vibrant health.  Although the research is in its early years, it is clear that this fruit has major potential in eradicating cancer cells without the damaging effects often portrayed by chemotherapy and radiation.

Many fruits and vegetables are overlooked for their healing potential. People almost always turn to prescription drugs before they even consider modifying what they are consuming in terms of food and drink. Chemotherapy, for example, is an incredibly toxic drug that leaves patients feeling incredibly ill and in a horrible state of health. Some individuals choose not to go the chemotherapy route and change their eating habits – for example, going 100% organic raw vegan has proven incredible cancer-curing success for some individuals. Today I will talk about the power of the cancer and disease healing properties of the Mangosteen fruit. 

The mangosteen fruit is a tropical evergreen tree that grows 7-25 metres tall. The fruit of the mangosteen is juicy, sweet and slightly tangy. The rind is inedible, however, it can be ground into a fine powder – or, the entire fruit can be juiced (rind included) in order to extract the beneficial polyphenols this fruit has to offer.

The variety of phytonutrients in mangosteen are plenty. In fact, the mangosteen is one of the only fruits that contain high levels of xanthones (xanthones are found in small amounts throughout nature, however it is most concentrated in the mangosteen rind). What are xanthones? They are a class of plant derived nutrients that hold tremendous nutritional value – there are over 20 varieties of them, however, the most widely studied are Alpha Mangostin and Gamma Mangostin.

Many Laboratory studies have conclusively found the ability of xanthones to eradicate and destroy cancer cells. Xanthones both destroy cancer and stop tumour development at each stage of the cancer forming process.

Below are some of the few studies that have been performed on this fruit’s amazing cancer curing abilities:

1. Aisha and colleagues (1) extracted alpha mangostin and gamma mangostin from an extract of the mangosteen fruit rind. It’s effects were studied on colon cancer on the HCT 116 human colorectal carcinoma cells including apoptosis, cytotoxicity, anti-tumorigenicity, and how it affects cell signalling pathways. These extracts showed strong cytotoxicity due to the induction of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Cell migration, cell invasion and clonogenicity, three major steps in tumour metastasis were also inhibited. When xanthone extracts were fed to mice with subcutaneous tumours, tumour growth was inhibited.

2. Kurose and colleagues (2) studied how alpha-mangostin (extracted from pericarp of the mangosteen) influenced the cell cycle in the human breast cell cancer line MDA-MB231 (carrying a p53 mutation). In cells that were treated with alpha-mangostin, mitochondria-mediated apoptosis was observed. There were also decreases in cyclins, cdc(s), CDKs and PCNA, along with G1-phase arrest and increased p21 expression. This suggested that alpha-mangostin could be used as a useful therapeutic agent for breast cancers carrying a p53 mutation.

3. *This study demonstrates not only how xanthones exhibit anticancer activity, but also how they are able to destroy resistant cancer cell lines* Khonkarn and colleagues (3) found that xanthone-loaded polymeric micelles inhibited cancer cell growth via induction of apoptosis. In vitro assays revealed that xanthone in both free form and when loaded in polymeric micelles had high cytotoxicity towards BOTH doxorubicin sensitive and resistant cancer cells! They concluded that mPEG-b-p(HPMAm-Lac(2)) micelles are a good delivery method of xanthones for cancer treatments.

4. The anti-proliferative and cytotoxic activities of mangosteen xanthones both in vitro and in mice were analyzed in a study by Watanapokasin and colleagues (4) in which they treated human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines (COLO 205) and mice with subcutaneous tumours (COLO 205) with mangosteen xanthones. They found that the xanthones inhibited the proliferation of target cells and also induced their death via apoptosis which involves activation of the caspase cascade. Even at relatively low doses, tumour growth was inhibited when the xanthones were administered. Given higher xanthone doses resulted in significant tumour reduction, and in some mice, tumours has disappeared. Thus, mangosteen xanthones have the ability to serve as anti-cancer agents for the chemotherapy of cancer!

Mangosteen Dosage Recommendations:

To prevent cancer: 1 oz or more 1-3 times daily

Individuals WITH cancer: drink an entire 25-ounce glass of mangosteen juice every day for 21 days. They should also drink 1 gallon of pure water over the day to flush out bodily toxins. For more aggressive cancers I would drink as much fresh mangosteen juice as I could afford.

Why should the entire mangosteen fruit be consumed in a puree?

The fruit inside the mangosteen is delicious, however the xanthones are present in the rind of the fruit, or the “pericarp” as most would call it. The pericarp, pulp, and seeds of the mangosteen provides full nutritional and healing benefits.

Why should the whole fruit be juiced, and why should you not purchase commercial items containing mangosteen?

Products that contain mangosteen flavouring or mangosteen pulp (and not the pericarp) will not give you the benefits as described above. The best way to consume this fruit is to purchase the fruit in its whole, and use a juicer to juice the entire fruit. Products such as Xango are reputable, however oxidation of this juice is probable. The Xango product does have other fruit juices added to the juice however it is mostly all mangosteen juice (rind included) – look on Ebay to find Xango at a cheaper price. Remember, FRESH juice is best (taking the fruit and juicing it yourself with a juicer), but Xango is second best (in my opinion).

Where can you buy mangosteen?

Mangosteen is commercially available in the US (especially the southern states, and Hawaii) – look for it at your local Asian markets or grocery stores. The fruit is most abundant in Asia, specifically Thailand. You can also find places to order mangosteen online (finally! This option was not available until 2008!). Mangosteen fruits are not cheap either – they are rather expensive – however I would rather take good care of my health than risk cancer any day! Look up “fresh mangosteen+order” on google.

What other benefits does the mangosteen fruit have?

The mangosteen has been shown to include/help the following:

Anti-aging, Anti-biotic, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Anxiety, Antioxidants, Anti-Allergy, Anti-depressant, Periodontal (gum health), Eye health, Migraines, Skin rashes, Hypertension, Pan systemic, Energizer (Energy booster), Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Tumor, Analgesic (Pain reducer), Nerve pain, Anti-pyretic (Lowers fevers), Anti-viral, Stimulates red blood cell growth, Ulcers, Osteoporosis, Immune Modulator (help immune system), Cardio protective (helps protect heart), Cataracts, Irritable bowel syndrome, Anti-fungal, Anti-pathogenic (reduce pathogens), Anti-parasitic, Supports weight loss, Hardening of the arteries, Anti-lipidemic (lowers blood fat), and Anti-diabetic (lowers blood sugar).

*Disclaimer: This natural strategy is not meant to be used as a substitution for any doctor recommended treatments, but instead an addition to them. I can offer you a large measure of hope that this natural treatment will heal you on your way to great health. You must take care of your body and decide what is best for you – thinking critically is key.

Read more at http://livelovefruit.com/mangosteen-for-cancer-prevention/#iXHTdSCPzEJL2mM2.99

The Effect of Garlic 

on Good and Bad Bacteria

We love garlic as an antimicrobial for the gut.  It covers so many possible pathogens.  These include Escherichia, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Proteus, Bacillus, Clostridium, Neisseria, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Shigella, Mycobacterium and Helicobacter Pylori— all potential poster bacteria for life threatening diseases.  (Ankri and Mirelman, 1999; Belguith et al., 2010; Deresse, 2010; Gupta and Ravishanka, 2005; Uchida et al., 1975; Cellinin et al., 1996; Sivam, 2001 respectively).

The antimicrobial power of garlic doesn’t stop here, for it has also proven to be a very effective antifungal (i.e. inhibiting and killing Candida albicans), antiprotozoal (think of Giardia and Cryptosporidium, both dangerous infections prevented and stopped by garlic) and antiviral properties - garlic kills viruses upon direct contact, including those responsible for viral meningitis, viral pneumonia, as well as herpes infections.  (Ankri and Mirelman, 1999; Harris et al., 2001)

So there is substantial evidence to support the claim for pathogens, but what is the effect of garlic on the good gut bacteria, the probiotic organisms such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium?

Booyens and Thantsha (2013) investigated the antimicrobial effects of different garlic preparations on five strains of Bifidobacteria and one strain of Lactobacillus.

What Booyens and Thantsha discovered was that certain strains of Bifido where more susceptible to garlic’s antimicrobial effects than others, with B. lactis being the least effected, following by some B. longum strains (but not others) and then Bifidum being the most sensitive, whilst the L. acidophilus was not affected at all.

The conclusions we take from this research is that Lactobacillus Acidophilus maintains its status as resistant to garlic and therefore is a probiotic that can be taken with garlic at the same time, whereas, regarding the Bifido species selection as the authors of the research state, “Caution is therefore advised when using probiotic Bifidobacteria and garlic simultaneously.”

In another study, Lactobacillus Casei a probiotic found in the majority of commercial yogurt and sour cream products, showed a degree of resistance to garlic, indicating that its consumption may favour the growth of these beneficial bacterial species in the gut. Garlic intake has the potential to temporarily modulate the gut microbiota.

References:

Booyens and Thantsha, 2013, Antibacterial effect of hydrosoluble extracts of garlic (Allium sativum) against Bifidobacterium spp. andLactobacillus acidophilus, African Journal of Microbiology Research, 7(8), pp. 669-677.  (See the full research)

Effect of garlic powder on the growth of commensal bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22480662

Garlic Effect on Probiotics http://bioimmersion.com/blog/garlics-effect-on-probiotics/

Ankri S, Mirelman D (1999). Antimicrobial properties of allicin from garlic. Microbes Infect. 2:125-129.

Belguith HF, Kthiri A, Chati A, Abu Sofah J, Ben H, Ladoulsi A (2010). Inhibitory effect of aqueous garlic extract (Allium sativum).  Food Sci. Technol. 37:263-268.

Deresse D (2010). Antibacterial effect of garlic (allium sativum) on Staphylococcu aureus:  An in vitro study.  Asian J. Med. Sci. 2:62-65.

Gupta S, Ravishankar S (2005).  A comparison of the antimicrobial activity of garlic, ginger, carrot, and turmeric pastes againstEscherichia coli 0157:H7 in laboratory buffer and ground beef. Foodborne Pathog. Dis. 2:330-340.

Uchida Y, Takahashi T, Sato N (1975).  The characteristics of the antibacterial activity of garlic.  Jpn. J. Antibiot. 28:638-646.

Cellini L, Campli D, Masulli E, Bartolomeo DS, Allocati N (1996). Inhibition of Helicobacter pylori by garlic extract (Allium sativum). FEMS Immuno. Med. Microbiol. 13:273-277.

Sivam GP (2001). Protection against Helicobacter pylori and other bacterial infections by garlic. J. Nutr. 131:1106S-1108S.

Harris JC, Cottreli SL, Plummer S, Lloyd D (2001).  Antimicrobial properties of Allium sativum (garlic).  Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 57:282-286.