Diabetes Control-How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally

By Thomas Nelson

Your body needs cholesterol to live and perform many important functions. But when it gets out of control bad things begin to happen.
Most diabetics are unaware that because they eat less than half of the fiber their body needs daily, that that can increase their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Medications and other conditions, like hypothyroidism can cause their cholesterol levels to rise.
It is entirely possible for diabetics to learn how to manage their cholesterol. It is a simple matter of learning how the body produces cholesterol, how diet impacts the levels, how the body uses cholesterol, how diabetes impacts cholesterol management, and how the body manages cholesterol levels. There are specific causes of elevated cholesterol. Once you know what they are,and all about how cholesterol works in the body, you will discover that it is not difficult to gain control over cholesterol.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Apr 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301936335

Thomas Nelson

Thomas Nelson was diagnosed type II in 1996. He became frustrated with the lack of information provided by his doctors; so he began researching diabetes and has been conducting research on diabetes ever since. After realizing how valuable his research would be to other diabetics he began publishing his findings. He has published over 50 articles on diabetes, written 12 books on diabetes; his first was published March 2011-Diabetic's Handbook 853 pages. Thomas devotes most of his time to helping diabetics. He volunteers as an instructor for courses on diabetes in his community. He conducts free diabetes courses via email, and he serves as a volunteer administrator on two diabetes forums. Doctors in his community hand out copies of his writing to their diabetic patients. He has helped many diabetes educators learn about the proper use of glycemic index and understand other important self-treatment topics. He is considered by many to be an expert on diabetes. He has helped thousands of diabetics gain control over their disease and stop the progression of diabetes. Thomas lives in Central Florida with his wife and family. He has three degrees, AAS Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Science-Business Administration-Magna Cum-Laude, and an MBA-Business Administration

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Diabetes Control-How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally

Second Edition

Published by Thomas E Nelson at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Thomas E. Nelson

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Disclaimer

By using this document you are accepting all the terms of this disclaimer notice. If you do not agree with anything in this notice you should not use this book.

This document is for general health information only; it is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Users of this document should not rely on information provided within this document for their own health problems.

Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed with your own physician or other healthcare provider. There are neither warranties nor express or implied representations whatsoever regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, comparative or controversial nature, or usefulness of any information contained, or referenced in this document.

The author of this document does not assume any risk whatsoever for your use of the information contained herein. Health-related information changes frequently and therefore information contained within this document may be outdated, incomplete or incorrect. Statements made about products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Use of this document does not create an expressed or implied physician-patient relationship.

You are hereby advised to consult with a physician or other professional health-care provider prior to making any decisions, or undertaking any actions or not undertaking any actions related to any health care problem or issue you might have at any time, now or in the future. In using this document you agree that the author of neither this document nor any other party is or will be liable, or otherwise responsible, for any decision made or any action taken or any action not taken due to your use of any information presented within this document.

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Dedicated researchers seek better treatments and cures for diabetes, kidney disease, Alzheimer's and every form of cancer. But these scientists face an array of disincentives. We can do better.-Michael Milken

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Table of Contents

Disclaimer

Chapter 1-Introduction

Chapter 2-Cholesterol Basics

Chapter 3-Where Cholesterol Comes From

Chapter 4-Diabetes and Cholesterol

Chapter 5-Insulin Resistance and Atherosclerosis

Chapter 6- More About Arterial Plaque (Atherosclerosis)

Chapter 7- All About HDL Cholesterol

Chapter 8-All About LDL Cholesterol

Chapter 9-Lowering Cholesterol Levels

Chapter 10-Hypothyroidism and Cholesterol

Chapter 11-Olive Oil and Cholesterol

Chapter 12-Understanding Blood Clots

Chapter 13-How to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease and Strokes

Chapter 14-How to Remove Arterial Plaque Naturally

Chapter 15-End Notes

APPENDIX

Glycemic Index

Glycemic Index Table

About the Author

Other Books by the Same Author

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Chapter 1-Introduction

It is a scientific fact that your body will not absorb cholesterol if you take it from another person's plate.-Dave Barry

I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol.-Steven Wright

A. J. Jacobs

Diabetics typically know that high cholesterol is a bad thing. They are aware that it is somehow linked as a cause of heart disease. They have taken note of the fact that it is one of the things their doctor always focuses on in the quarterly blood test results. They also know that they should not eat a lot of fatty foods to reduce their cholesterol levels. But, that is about the extent of their understanding about cholesterol. Most do not know the difference between HDL or LDL cholesterol, or why one is considered good and the other considered bad; or that there are good and bad varieties of both. They don’t understand what the bad forms of LDL cholesterol does in their body. They don’t understand why cholesterol is in the body to begin with, or what would happen if our body had no cholesterol at all. Basically, it is well understood that cholesterol needs to be understood and controlled, and that if we take our cholesterol medications, and stay away from fatty foods we should be able to keep our cholesterol under control. But, in the vast majority of cases cholesterol can be controlled naturally; without the need for medications.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found some disturbing facts regarding how your LDL cholesterol levels are calculated. It was found after examining 1.3 million blood samples over a two year period, that the formula used since 1972 to calculate the LDL levels in the blood are inaccurate. The widely used formula (Friedewald equation) is used because measuring the LDL level directly would be cost prohibitive. The Friedewald equation calculates LDL cholesterol by taking the total cholesterol, minus the total HDL cholesterol, minus triglycerides divided by five; it is expressed in milligrams per deciliter. The university used a direct measurement method (ultracentrifugation) to compare the blood test results. The study suggests that the blood test results for at risk patients could be dangerously misleading. Again, the LDL (bad) cholesterol is a measure of risk for developing heart disease. One out of four tests that indicated an acceptable level of LDL were actually wrong; the measured results were higher than the calculated levels.

An alternative to Friedewald was recommended that is a more accurate way to assess risk for patients, which is to look at non-HDL (acquired by subtracting HDL from total cholesterol). The non-HDL number [which includes LDL and other plaque-causing cholesterol particles [VLDL (very low density lipoprotein)], would typically be about 30 points higher than when LDL cholesterol is calculated under the Friedewald method, and it could vary, which would provide a better way to assess whether patients need to modify their medications or make more substantial lifestyle changes.

Unfortunately, as you will soon learn, even this improved method can still produce misleading results. You will learn that none of the current testing methods tell you the amount of good HDL versus less effective HDL, or how much of the LDL is actually the really bad form of cholesterol. It is possible that you can have a high HDL level and a low LDL level, but still suffer a deadly heart attack or stroke.

When you eat the wrong kinds of food, or eat too much food, your body will convert the excess glucose into fat; through a process called fatty acid synthesis. Fatty acids are simply single molecules of fat; and there are numerous kinds of fats. Fatty acids are required by your body in order to function properly; especially for proper brain function. There are actually two primary kinds of fatty acids. There are those that are essential fatty acids, which come from diet (your body cannot make them), and nonessential fatty acids, which are those that are manufactured within the body by the fatty acid synthesis process.

Fatty acids are long organic compounds (long organic chains) that have an acid group at one end, and a methyl group at the other end. A double bond (hydrogen) will occur at some point along that chain, which will determine whether they are an omega 3, omega 6, or an omega 9 fatty acid. The synthesis of fatty acids from glucose takes place in the cytoplasm of cells; the fluid that fills the inside of each of your body’s fat cells. Your body has to burn some energy during the process of storing fat.

Carbohydrates and body fat interact in two ways; called disambiguation. One is by directly turning carbohydrates (glucose) into stored body fat, and the second is by interaction with insulin. A process called de novo lipogenesis turns non-fat substances into fat; where glucose is turned into fats and then stored; primarily in the belly area as visceral and adipose fat. De novo lipogenesis is a very inefficient process, which fortunately limits how much excess glucose can be stored as fat; but it will accumulate over time if a daily excess is present. De novo lipogenesis can be enhanced (up-regulated) if the fat from the diet is less than 10%, which is surprising; one would expect that dietary fat would add to the problem. If the diet is very high in carbohydrates, which produces excess glucose (especially if the food is high glycemic index), even over just a few days, or if the diet is obesogenic (likely to cause obesity). The longer the period of time that the diet is obesogenic, or comprised of high carbohydrate content the greater the effect.

Bear in mind that the more carbohydrates you eat the more insulin that will be produced and released into the bloodstream. While insulin is required to mediate glucose metabolism, excess insulin can also be problematic. Insulin causes your body to switch from a fat burning to a glucose burning mode; it causes glucose (glycogen) to be burned at a much greater rate. Unfortunately, that means that the burning of fat will be reduced. The number of calories burned over the course of a day (metabolic rate) normally does not change significantly, or where the calories come from (fat or glucose). But, when the insulin levels are elevated in the presence of fat from the diet, the dietary fat can go into storage as body fat very quickly, and not be released, because the body is burning glucose (glycogen) instead. The spiking of insulin occurs in various degrees, which hinders fat loss proportionally; it never is 0% or 100%. There will always be some fat burned; the amount of each (fat or glucose) will vary in response to diet and exercise (activity level).

If you divide the number of grams of sugar there is in what you are eating (1 gram of carbohydrate = 1 gram of glucose in low glycemic index foods, and 2 grams of glucose in high glycemic index foods) by 4 you will get the number of teaspoons of pure sugar that you are consuming. So, when a food label says that the food item is fat free it isn’t actually free of fat; it isn’t just fat that makes you fat. Remember that nearly everything you eat is broken down into glucose, fat, and protein; but mostly glucose. Your body will convert everything you eat, no matter what type of food, or how much, into glucose and will place it into your bloodstream.

Let’s review how your body manages glucose. You will recall that since glucose and insulin are very toxic, your body is programmed to limit how much is in the bloodstream to between 4-5 grams at any given time, which is not very much; about the size of a sugar cube. Four grams will take your blood sugar up to 80 mg/dL/4.4 mm/l (the low side of normal), and five grams will take it up to 100 mg/dL/5.5 mm/l (the high side of normal). Your body will store up to 100 grams in your liver’s cells (as glycogen-a compact form of glucose), and up to 400 grams in your muscle tissue’s cells (also as glycogen). Your liver serves as your body’s primary fuel tank, and your skeletal muscle tissues serve as your body’s secondary fuel tanks; your fat cells provide additional unlimited storage space for excess glucose.

As your body’s muscles, brain, heart, nerves, and vital organs use up the stored glucose during normal daily functions, the amount of glucose available will decline; your blood sugar will drop. When your body senses that the blood sugar is reaching the low side of normal (80 mg/dL 4.4 mm/l) your brain’s control room (hypothalamus) will instruct the liver to start dumping some of the stored glycogen (glucose) into the bloodstream to replace what has been used. So if you eat too much, or the wrong things, there is a limit to how much glucose your liver’s cells, vital organ cells, and skeletal muscle cells can store; any excess will be quickly removed to avoid damage; converted into fat and stored in your belly area.

So, to summarize, there are two ways that glucose (sugar) can sabotage your body; and cause fat to start building up. Excess glucose is the biggest problem, because the liver (when the body’s capacity to store glucose has been reached) will convert the excess glucose into fatty acids (pure fat) and then places it into the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream the excess fat is forced into storage in fat cells by insulin. The excess fats will also begin to spill over into your vital organs; like the heart liver, and kidneys. The function of these organs will be altered, blood pressure will increase, the metabolism will decrease, and the immune system will be weakened. The second problem is insulin, which is a very important and major hormone. You will recall that insulin is released in proportion to what and how much is eaten; provided that you are not an insulin dependent type I or type II diabetic. If you are insulin resistant substantial amounts of additional insulin will be released into your bloodstream, because your body’s cells are not up-taking the insulin and glucose; your brain’s control room (hypothalamus) will desperately seek to get the excess glucose out of your bloodstream to prevent damage by doing the only thing that it knows how to do, which is release more insulin. Eating high glycemic index foods, wheat, soy, high fructose corn syrup, and corn exacerbates the amount of excess insulin in the bloodstream. Your body immediately shuts down the fat burning process in an attempt to burn the excess glucose.

The problem is that your body’s control room (hypothalamus) will limit the amount of glycogen that is burned by the muscle tissues and liver in order to ensure that there will be some glucose available during famine-like periods or for fight or flight situations (a survival mechanism). The brain, heart and central nervous system must have glucose in order to continue to function, so your body will seek to maintain some glucose for emergency situations. So, your body’s fuel storage tanks (liver and muscles) will only be able to take in a smaller amount of glucose to store; to restore their storage capacity. That means that unless you are a marathon runner or compete in Ironman competition, your body’s storage capacity for excess glucose will be significantly reduced. The more of a couch potato you are, the greater