“It’s one exercise you do where you don’t feel like you’re exercising. You’re playing.”

Dr. Don Colbert, MD, in this episode

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“Do not wait for disease to force you to change. Pay attention to the early signals your body is giving you.”

— Dr. Colbert wellness principle

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Yes, most likely.

Can you make changes that will make a real difference? Absolutely.

Since February is Heart Month, let’s explore how stress is damaging your heart.  And, more importantly, the steps you can take today to change it. 

We Live Overloaded & Overreactive

When a human becomes stressed, the body sends out helpful and healthy hormones to put it on alert. The main “stress hormone” is called cortisol. It is released by the adrenal glands when the body faces stress. The natural changes in the human body as a reaction to stress are crucial if you need to run, fight, or otherwise deal with eminent danger.

Like many things in the human body, cortisol is actually here to help. But our lives are not typically in eminent danger every time we feel stressed. Our stress is mostly a “mental state,” not a physical one. It can become a constant state of being in modern life.

If stress is an occasional experience, cortisol sweeps in and saves the day. When cortisol is chronic, our bodies operate in a “depressed” state of reaction to cortisol. Instead of a “normal” small amount of cortisol doing the job of getting our heartrate up and us moving away from danger, our bodies ignore this “normal” small amount. So what happens?

We adjust. Our bodies send MORE cortisol for stress (even “slight stressors”) and also work to make us more reactive anytime cortisol starts to decline. Now we are overloaded and overreactive. We “need” more and more. Sound familiar?

The real kicker: This effect is worsened by elevated insulin levels and possibly adipose tissue. So, if you are overweight and/or have unhealthy glucose levels, this entire cycle is exaggerated (1).

Is Stress Damaging Your Heart and Health? Yes, Here’s How

We’ve known for decades that elevated chronic cortisol is associated with a decline cardiovascular health. It is directly associated with elevated blood pressure, unhealthy blood glucose, truncal obesity, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and more. It negatively affects sleep. Then, with poor sleep, daytime cortisol is increased. This again negatively affects sleep. Poor sleep is also associated with cardiovascular risk factors, furthering the damage (2).  

What’s more, high levels of chronic mental stress can be devastating to your brain, your digestive tract, and your immune system. It can negatively impact your mood, energy, potentially lower brain volume, and induce memory challenges (3). Chronically elevated cortisol levels can affect all our body’s systems.

But Wait: There’s Really Good News in All of This

It may seem dire. We live in a stressful world. Many of us are chronically stressed with no idea how to actually decrease our stress levels since they are tied to activities required of us like work, driving, relationships, and more. Where’s the good news?

The good news about stress is this: It’s not actually your level of stress that matters. It’s your level of perceived stress.

Let’s say that again. Your body reacts to the stress you perceive. If you use stress-lowering habits that reduce your perceived stress, you can hijack the entire cascade of events. You can outwit your brain and tell it that the stressful event isn’t really all that stressful.  

Sure, there will always be life events that are truly stress-inducing. But for most of us, the day-in day-out stress is little more than worry that we make worse. If you want to halt stress from damaging your heart and your health, it’s time to take action against high perceived stress.

Quick List: 15 Stress Hijacks – No More Heart Damage

1. Stretch In the Morning

Believe it or not, the flexibility of your spinal cord and spine are directly correlated with the flexibility of your arteries.

Flexible arteries are crucial for healthy blood pressures and overall health. As crazy as it sounds, researchers have found that poor trunk flexibility is associated with stiff arteries. This means that keeping your body flexible enough to touch your toes means better artery health and blood pressure(4). One study of a stretching program found better blood pressure results from stretching than from walking (5)!

Is stress damaging your heart? Possibly, but stretching can help you relax AND improve blood pressure!

2. Try Icing Your Nerves

Ever heard of the vagus nerve? Your vagus nerve runs from your brain down to your abdomen. It’s known as the “wandering nerve” because it wanders down your body carrying a range of signals from your brain to your organs. Importantly, it plays a key role in your parasympathetic nervous system and can hijack the “stress cascade.” When the vagus nerve is activated, it sends a signal to slow your heart rate and lower your blood pressure telling your body it’s time to relax. This can counteract your reaction, or overreaction, to a stressful situation.

To activate the vagus nerve, try icing it. How? Simply apply an ice pack to your chest, back of your neck, and/or forehead area. You can also try a fae cold-plunge using ice water in a large bowl.

This easy, free anti-stress-reaction hack takes less than 30 seconds and has been shown in studies to be effective in reducing heart rate and stress reaction (6).  

3. Use Natural Elements & Ingredients to Balance Your Body

There is new wonderful supplement in the Divine Health line-up specifically designed to help you naturally reduce your stress reactions.

It’s called Divine Health Stress Less Drops.

Each drop uses your body’s natural “stress-reduction” parasympathetic system to encourage calm moods, clarity, healthy energy pathways, better sleep, and balance. In fact, it’s made of liquid ionic trace minerals in distilled water that include 85 trace minerals harvested with care from Utah’s Great Salt Lake.  They also include a significant amount of magnesium. Magnesium is used by every cell and involved in over 300 daily reactions. It specifically impacts energy production, sleep, hormone balance, and more (12, 13, 14, 15).

4. Get into the Keto Zone and Achieve or Maintain a Healthy Weight

Since healthy cortisol function is inhibited by elevated glucose, insulin, and obesity, it’s vital to get control of your eating habits, reduce processed foods and refined sugars, and achieve a healthy weight. How? Get started with Keto Zone: Start with Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet Book !

Is stress damaging your heart? Possibly, but following a low-carb diet with no processed foods will help you become heart healthy and reduce the negative affects of the stress reaction!

5. Calmly Breathe In and Out

Did you know you can combat stress with your lungs? It’s true. You can calm your heart, your brain, and your body by breathing calmly. Try this:

While pressing your tongue strongly against the roof of your mouth, breathe in slowly. Then, allow your tongue to completely relax and lower, even allowing your mouth to hang open if you want, and slowly breathe out. Do this for an entire minute.

6. Exercise, Outdoors if Possible

When you exercise, you release your body’s own ability to combat stress. In fact, studies suggest that exercise can improve anxiety symptoms or stressed moods especially in those who have a history of dealing with chronic stress (15). It’s interesting. Exercise can actually increase stress hormones acutely. However, these hormones quickly decrease back to healthy levels and long-term stress outcomes improve (16).

What’s more, moods improve when you get outside. If you don’t know where to start, start walking. Here are 10 Amazing Benefits of Walking.

7. Laugh Any Chance You Get, Especially with Friends & Loved Ones

If life doesn’t seem pleasant, fun, or funny at the moment, you’ll have to go out of your way to proactively laugh. It may seem silly. But, if you prioritize laughter, you will reduce stress and your reactiveness to it. Start by reading your favorite funny author, spending time with a great friend, listening or watching a favorite comedian or show, or hanging out with children.

Amazingly, laughter is considered a scientific, effective, non-invasive therapy for improved mental health and mood. In fact, it’s been found that laughter alters dopamine and serotonin activity, and causes an increase in endorphins. These chemicals decrease discomfort, cortisol (17), and depressed moods (18).

8. Stay Hydrated with a Stress-Busting Tea

Did you know that dehydration can increase cortisol? Dehydration is linked to increased saliva and blood cortisol. Amazingly, multiple studies have found that dehydrated athletes have more circulating cortisol than hydrated ones (19).

Of course, water is a great choice for hydration. But, you can take it a step further and drink cortisol-reducing black and/or green tea. Tea is a health-promoting drink that you can use as a tool to combat stress daily. In studies, tea consumers reported a higher “sense of relaxation,” lower blood platelet activation, better heart health indicators, brain health, oral health, and a fiery metabolism (20). Take it one step further and flavor your tea with Divine Organic Health Supremefood Powders.

9. Pray with Gratitude

No matter the stress you’re facing, the practice of daily gratitude and prayer can change everything. In fact, practicing gratitude has been proven to support decreased cortisol and stress levels.

Moreover, prayer is a wonderful gift for spiritual health. Prayer is thought to increase the secretion of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine. These compounds decrease cortisol while promoting relaxation, focus, and motivation. Of course, for Believers, prayer and gratitude to God goes beyond mental health. Our spiritual health is the foundation of everything else!

Is stress damaging your heart? Maybe, but prayer and gratitude are powerful agents against it!

10. Daily Dose of Olive Oil

When you ingest high-polyphenol olive oil every day, you protect your heart. In fact, the nutrients in olive oil reduce inflammation and cholesterol oxidation in artery walls (21). It can can also lower blood pressure and reduce the need for hypertension medications by up to 48% (22). What’s more, studies have found that those who consume olive oil have a significantly lower risk of stroke than those who don’t (23). This is an easy step to fight the cardiovascular damage from stress.

11. Put Down the Phone and the Remote

Sure, we all need to “tune in” to know what is happening in the world. However, increasingly, we’re tuning in too much. We are now inundated with news nonstop. We see struggles from every corner of the world, sometimes truthfully and sometimes grossly exaggerated.

What’s this doing to our stress levels? Recent studies suggest more media consumption means more feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety (24). Instead of tuning into a device for countless hours, get your news in small doses from a trusted source. Then, proactively put it down and tune into your physical world and the people present in your life.

12. Prioritize Sleep

As mentioned above, high daily cortisol negatively affects sleep. Poor sleep increases daily cortisol (25). And on and on.

No matter the situation, you can combat daily stress and improve mental health by breaking the cycle with adequate sleep. In fact, adults should all aim to get 7-9 hours of good quality sleep each night. Here are 7 ways to improve yours!

Is stress damaging your heart? Not so much now! Sleep fixes many things…and this is especially true in hijacking a negative stress reaction!

13. The Right Foods & Drinks Will Help

In addition to getting in the Keto Zone, you can pick specific stress-fighting foods. For example, try fatty fish like salmon, dark chocolate (70% or higher cocoa), fruits and vegetables, these high-antioxidant foods, or Divine Health Organic Supremefood Powders.  

To reduce stress today through your entire diet, first follow the Keto Zone principles, and then move to Beyond Keto. You can start with this article, check out Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Book, and follow the recommendations and recipes on this site to get going. Beyond Keto takes what you’ll learn in Keto Zone (which is designed to help you achieve a healthy weight quickly), and focuses on anti-inflammatory, healthy eating for life.

14. Add Adaptogens to your Routine

What are adaptogens?

Adaptogens are herbal compounds that were initially defined as substances that enhance the “state of non-specific resistance” in our stress responses (26). In other words, they help us adapt to stress with a healthier response that does not fatigue our adrenals or cause the cascade or overreactions that causes damage.

Specifically, they can lower our sense of stress. They can reduce our cortisol response. They can support immune system health, brain cells, energy production, sleep, and more. Common adaptogens include ashwagandha, Rhodiola Rosea Root, and GS15-4 Korean Ginseng Root. To learn more, read this article.

15. Stop Trying to Keep Up & Simply Do Less 

If you’re like most people, you may bring stress upon yourself by loading up your schedule. Some things can’t be avoided, but oftentimes we overschedule ourselves without purpose. 

To reduce stress, decide which activities are necessary. Then, whittle down the extras by choosing those that promote health, fun, joy, and peace within you. Those that don’t cause extra stress.

Never be afraid to say “no” to a busy schedule for the sake of your health and well-being.

Bottom Line

Stress is a part of human life. It’s not going away. But, you are in charge of your perceived stress and your reaction to it. Once you realize this, you can take necessary steps to improve. You can stop stress from damaging your heart and health by hijacking the cascade of events that causes the damage. We’ve provided 15 tools to hijack it. Which is your favorite? Do you use other stress hijack strategies? Let us know in the comments!

The post Is Stress Damaging Your Heart? The Answer Will Surprise You appeared first on Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

But, are you really so sure?

It’s always a great time to learn more about keeping your heart healthy. And, it’s even to commit to a few healthy habits that will support heart and full-body health.

To start, find our how heart health savvy you are. Take our quiz and see what you know, what you don’t know, and what you can do to bolster your heart health!

Are You Heart Health Savvy? True or False Questions.

Take our heart health savvy quiz by answering each below as true or false.

1. Saturated fats are the only harmful fat in your diet.

2. The majority of cholesterol in the blood stream originates from the diet.

3. Fruits and vegetables are great for fiber and cancer risk, but don’t affect heart health.

4. All LDL cholesterol is harmful and creates plaques in arteries.

5. Lifting weights, along with cardiovascular exercise, encourages heart health.

6. You only need to know your Total Cholesterol, LDL, and HDL to assess your cholesterol and heart health risk.

7. Mental stress can cause physical harm to the heart.

8. Your physical flexibility has no effect on heart health. 

9. You shouldn’t use avocado oil because it has more cholesterol than extra virgin olive oil.

10. Elevated blood sugars do damage to heart health.

11. If you don’t eat animal products, you simply don’t have to worry about the fats in your diet.

12. Inadequate sleep is correlated with heart health risk.

13. If the nutrition labels shows zero grams transfats, there are no transfats in the product.

14. Loneliness is a heart health risk factor.

15. Eating eggs has been proven to elevate both heart health risk and diabetes risk.

Are You Heart Health Savvy? True or False Answers.

1. Saturated Fats are the Only Harmful Fat in Your Diet. FALSE

While saturated fats may elevate “bad cholesterol” in the blood stream, another type of fat is causing incredible harm. In fact, according to a recent study with 100,000 participants, this fat increases the overall risk of death (1). The fat is in processed foods, and it is most commonly hydrogenated oils or soybean oil. These fats work against heart health by hurting:

• Metabolic Health. Lab studies show that soybean oil is one of the most detrimental foods to metabolic health (2).
• Cardiovascular Health: Soybean oil has been shown to cause harmful abnormalities to cholesterol and triglycerides (3).
• Overall health and inflammation: Many studies have concluded that concentrated sources of omega-6 fats increase inflammation in the body (4).

2. The majority of cholesterol in the blood stream originates from the diet. FALSE

Only about 20% of the cholesterol in your body comes from your diet. The rest is synthesized your liver and intestines (5).

3. Fruit and Vegetables are Great for Fiber and Cancer Risk, but Don’t Affect Heart Health. FALSE

Vibrant plant foods are full of antioxidants.

Antioxidants support cellular health, arterial health, and whole body health by reducing the effects of free radicals and oxidative stress (6).

Specifically in the cardiovascular system, antioxidants work to reduce cholesterol plaque formations and elevated blood pressure (7). Additionally, foods high in antioxidants support brain cells (8), and may reduce harmful cell overgrowth. (Many studies also back up the health benefits of berries (9).

4. All LDL cholesterol is harmful and creates plaques in arteries. FALSE

As most people know, there are two primary types of cholesterol, Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and High-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol.

LDL cholesterol is taught as “bad,” and HDL as “good.” But there’s more to it than that.

There are actually two sub-groups of LDL particles. LDL subtype A is a large fluffy cholesterol particle that is less prone to oxidation and less likely to stick to arterial walls. LDL subtype B is a smaller and denser particle that is easily oxidized and more likely to build up in the arteries.

Subtype A LDL cholesterol is not necessarily a threat, and only oxidized LDL cholesterol forms plaques (10).

5. Lifting weights, along with cardiovascular exercise, encourages heart health. TRUE

We all know sedentary lifestyles are bad for heart health and exercise is beneficial. But, how and why?

Exercise forces our hearts to pump a great volume of blood through our arteries. This forces our arteries to stay flexible and elastic, which is a healthier state than stiff or inflexible arteries.

Any exercise that increases heart rate can be beneficial to heart health.

For example, both endurance training at lower intensity  and higher intensity workouts benefit blood pressure and heart health (11).

Resistance training exercises (weight lifting) also supports heart health including heart variability. This remains true for both heavy weight lifting and high-rep, low weight exercises (12).

6. You only need to know your Total Cholesterol, LDL, and HDL to assess your cholesterol and heart health risk. FALSE

Interestingly, more and more practitioners are looking at the ratio of triglycerides (TG) to HDL. In fact, when you calculate this ratio, you can infer your health risk of cardiovascular issues, blood sugar issues, inflammation and more.

Divide your triglycerides by your HDL cholesterol levels. Studies have found that a number of 1.0 or less is likely indicative of lower risk, and a number of 3.0 or more of highest risk.

Interestingly, a lower ratio is also linked to healthier LDL subset particle size (less subset B) (13, 14).

7. Mental stress can cause physical harm to the heart. TRUE

High levels of mental stress can be devastating to your heart, brain, immune system, and overall health. In fact, chronically elevated cortisol (the stress hormone) levels can affect all our body’s systems. High blood cortisol levels are correlated with weight gain and impaired loss, negative impacts on mood, sleep and energy, an increased incidence of blood sugar, potentially lower brain volume and impaired memory, and heart health issues including altered blood pressure (15).

8. Your physical flexibility has no effect on heart health. FALSE

Amazingly, the flexibility of your spinal cord and spine directly correlated with the flexibility of your arteries. Again, flexible arteries are crucial for healthy blood pressures and overall health. As crazy as it sounds, researchers have found that poor trunk flexibility is associated with stiff arteries. This means that keeping your body flexible enough to touch your toes means better artery health and blood pressure (16). Incredibly, one study of a stretching program found better blood pressure results from stretching than from walking (17)!

9. You shouldn’t use avocado oil because it has more cholesterol than extra virgin olive oil. FALSE

Both avocado oil and olive oil have zero milligrams of cholesterol. Foods derived from plants do not contain cholesterol. The synthesis of cholesterol requires a liver, so it is only synthesized by animals and humans.

10. Elevated blood sugars do damage to heart health. TRUE

Without a doubt, elevated blood sugars contribute to stiffened arteries (18). Stiffened arteries contribute to high blood pressure, which elevates your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

11. If you don’t eat animal products, you simply don’t have to worry about the fats in your diet.

Even if you don’t eat animal products, you certainly still have to be wise regarding fat sources. Almost all processed foods, whether vegan or not, contain harmful processed fats such as soybean oil or hydrogenated oils. See #1 above.

12. Inadequate sleep is correlated with heart health risk. TRUE

Inadequate sleep has been found to elevate the risk of heart health issues. In fact, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association looked at sleep and its effects on those with chronic health conditions over 20 years. The study included 1,654 participants aged 20-74 years.

The researchers found that participants with existing high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes, who slept less than 6 hours per night, were 1.8 times likely to die of heart disease or stroke. Unfortunately, 45% of Americans have these conditions, and the majority do not get enough quality sleep (19).

13. If the nutrition label shows zero grams transfats, there are no transfats in the product. FALSE

Unfortunately, the numbers on nutrition labels are allowed to be rounded. In the case of transfats, which are almost always very small numbers, anything 0-0.4 grams is rounded down to zero. Unfortunately, even small amounts are harmful. To assess whether there are transfats and/or processed soybean oil in a food, look at the ingredient list.

14. Loneliness is a heart health risk factor. TRUE

In 2010, a loneliness study shocked researchers. A research team from Brigham Young University looked at 148 studies, representing more than 308,000 participants for mortality risk factors. The researchers found a 50% increase in survival for those who were NOT lonely and had strong social relationships compared to those who didn’t. This finding was consistent with other strong risk factors of premature death, including known cardiovascular risk factors (20).

Next, the same lead researcher performed a subsequent meta-analysis in 2015, representing more than 3.4 million people and found similar results. These included a 29%, 26%, and 32% increased risk of premature death for social isolation, loneliness, and living alone, respectively (21). Yet another study from Denmark found that heart health patients who were also lonely were about twice as likely to die from heart attacks and/or heart disease than those who were not lonely.

15. Eating eggs has been proven to elevate both heart health risk and diabetes risk. FALSE.

A recent large study from the University of Sydney found that egg consumption of up to 12 eggs per week did not increase the risk of diabetes or negatively affect heart health markers (22). To learn more, see this post.

Are you Savvy? Want to Know More? 

How did you do? There’s always room to improve health knowledge and habits. If you’d like to hear more from the doctor himself, check out our recent podcast on good fats and bad fats to hear insight from Dr. Colbert!

Bottom Line

Whether you’re already heart health savvy or ready to learn more, it’s time to take action. Start by listening to Dr. Colbert on this subject, then get started on your own heart healthy Beyond Keto journey. Don’t let another February pass without developing heart healthy habits!

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When it comes to heart conditions, many people still believe a low-fat diet is best. They may be willing to reduce carbohydrates to achieve their weight goals, but proactively add high-fat foods? That’s a step too far. For them, the low-fat dogma taught decades ago is just too hard to shake. The CORDIOPREV Mediterranean diet study, published in 2022, may be just what they need to be convinced that healthy fats are good for your heart.

Here are the highlights of the study, what you need to know about the Mediterranean diet, and how you can best implement it for optimal health, weight, and youthfulness.

Summer’s Shocking Mediterranean Diet Study

This Mediterranean diet study, known as CORDIOPREV, was published in The Lancet in May 2022 (1). However, it actually started more than a decade earlier. Beginning in 2009, researchers enrolled 1,002 participants who had diagnosed coronary artery disease (plaque buildup in the heart’s arteries), including 827 men and 175 women, and divided them into two groups.

Group 1, which consisted of 502 participants, ate a Mediterranean diet. If this is unfamiliar to you, a traditional Mediterranean diet emphasizes foods high in monounsaturated fats (particularly extra virgin olive oil and nuts), along with legumes, whole grains, poultry, and fatty fish. It also encourages high amounts of fruits and vegetables.

Group 2, which consisted of 500 participants, ate a low-fat diet. This means they actively minimized high-fat foods including those considered unhealthy fats AND healthy fats. Their diets encouraged lean versions of fish and poultry, and more calories per day from carbohydrates, particularly whole grains, legumes, and potatoes.

The results? For those who’ve held strongly to the low-fat recommendations of former decades, the results are shocking.

Mediterranean Diet Study Results

Researchers followed the participants for an average of about 7 years and tracked how many had a major cardiovascular event.

The Mediterranean diet group had about a 26% lower risk of major cardiovascular events compared with the low-fat group. This combined measure included heart attack, stroke, procedures to reopen blocked arteries, peripheral artery disease, and death from cardiovascular causes. The benefit was especially clear in men. The researchers concluded that the Mediterranean diet was superior to the low-fat diet in preventing major cardiovascular events in secondary prevention.

Of course, this is not the first study that clearly shows the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet. Study after study has shown that the Mediterranean diet is effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and overall mortality. Much of the research has found that it supports healthy reductions in inflammation, blood sugar, and body mass index (2, 3, 4).

Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Keto: A Mediterranean Diet Plan That Fits Keto

If you’re looking for a great way to take these shocking results and make a healthy Mediterranean diet your eating lifestyle, look no further than Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Keto!

Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Keto is a revolutionary new approach that combines the best of the Keto Zone™ Diet with the Mediterranean Diet to support healthy weight, gut health, brain health, reduced inflammation, healthy aging, and more (5).

Specifically, it encourages:

• A Healthy Weight: Many of today’s most common health conditions are linked to, or made worse by, obesity (6). By utilizing healthy ketogenic diet principles, Beyond Keto promotes healthy changes and outcomes as soon as the first two weeks (7)! In addition, the Mediterranean diet component continues to support healthy weight and healthy body composition. Its focus on lean proteins, seafoods, healthy oils, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and vegetables provides a wonderful well-balanced, satisfying dietary lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight (8).
• Energy, Vitality, and Mental Focus: One of the greatest benefits of the ketogenic diet is the production of ketones. Ketones are natural energizing compounds that support healthy mental focus and vitality. The Mediterranean diet also encourages great energy and vitality with the abundant variety of healthy foods. Rather than experiencing the ups and downs of  a high-sugar diet, you will enjoy steady, youthful energy from delicious, colorful whole foods.
• Optimal Blood Sugars and Metabolism: An amazing aspect of both the ketogenic diet and the Mediterranean diet is their ability to help normalize blood sugar. By using both eating styles in Beyond Keto, you’ll remove harmful refined starches while focusing on healthy fats, high fiber beans, peas, lentils, vegetables, lean protein and low glycemic fruits such as berries. Part of the improvement comes from weight loss. The other part comes from a diet that supports healthy metabolism and hormones (9).
• Healthy Cholesterol, Triglyceride, and Blood Pressure Levels. Both the Keto Zone and Mediterranean diet aspects of Beyond Keto support heart health. First, Beyond Keto promotes a healthy weight, which can help optimize heart health. Next, by choosing the incredibly heart-healthy foods in the Mediterranean diet, you can continue to encourage great heart health. In fact, the foods in the Mediterranean diet and Beyond Keto work to support heart health, healthy cholesterol, and achieve whole-body health (10).
• Natural Unprocessed Foods Full of Antioxidants and Anti-Inflammatory Compounds. One of the worst dietary habits plaguing humans worldwide is the consumption of ultra-processed foods. In fact, researchers have found that ultra-processed foods are linked to many modern health conditions and even to a higher overall risk of death (11)! Thankfully, you’ll eat healthy, high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods rather than ultra-processed ones (12).
• Healthy Gut Microbiota. Amazingly, Beyond Keto combines Keto Zone and Mediterranean foods to support gut health! This is great news for the millions of people who suffer from less-than-optimal gut function. In fact, studies have found the Mediterranean diet specifically improves gut microbiota and its associated metabolism functions. The diet’s prebiotics from healthy fibers along with healthy fats and polyphenols support gut health, hormone balance, and metabolism (13).

All in all, Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Keto is a wonderful eating lifestyle full of delicious foods that will help you achieve great health and your weight goals.

Watch: Mary and I Talk About Beyond Keto

In this podcast episode, Mary and I talk about my book Beyond Keto and how this Mediterranean-style keto approach can help you lower your risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and more.

Bottom Line

Take this Mediterranean diet study and its results, and run with them. Choose a healthy lifestyle that’s full of healthy fats, vegetables, proteins and very few processed foods. It’s a great time to support your heart health, brain health, and whole-body health with Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Keto!

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the CORDIOPREV study find?

In 1,002 adults who already had coronary heart disease, a Mediterranean diet rich in extra virgin olive oil lowered the risk of major cardiovascular events by about 26% compared with a low-fat diet over roughly 7 years. The results were published in The Lancet in 2022.

Is the Mediterranean diet better than a low-fat diet for heart health?

For people who already have heart disease, CORDIOPREV found that it was. In the PREDIMED trial, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil or nuts also reduced heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular deaths in people at high risk who did not yet have heart disease.

Can you follow a keto diet and a Mediterranean diet at the same time?

Yes. My Beyond Keto approach keeps carbohydrates low while building meals around Mediterranean foods such as extra virgin olive oil, fish, nuts, avocados, non-starchy vegetables, and low-glycemic fruits like berries.

What foods are part of a Mediterranean diet?

Extra virgin olive oil, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans and lentils, fish and seafood, and moderate amounts of poultry, eggs, and fermented dairy such as yogurt. Red meat, sweets, and highly processed foods are kept to a minimum.

How quickly can a Mediterranean diet help your heart?

Improvements in weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol can start within a few months. In the major trials, the drop in heart attacks and strokes showed up over several years, so think of it as a lifestyle rather than a short-term diet.

References

1. Delgado-Lista J, et al. Long-term secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet and a low-fat diet (CORDIOPREV): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2022.
2. Estruch R, et al. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts. N Engl J Med. 2018.
3. Fung TT, Rexrode KM, Mantzoros CS, et al. Mediterranean diet and incidence of and mortality from coronary heart disease and stroke in women. Circulation. 2009.
4. De Filippis F, Pellegrini N, Vannini L, et al. High-level adherence to a Mediterranean diet beneficially impacts the gut microbiota and associated metabolome. Gut. 2016.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk with your own doctor before changing your diet, starting a supplement, or changing any medication. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

The post Summer’s Shocking Mediterranean Diet Study appeared first on Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

Are you one of the millions of Americans who take a daily multivitamin? Or have you heard that multivitamins are a waste of money?

The truth sits somewhere in the middle. A multivitamin cannot replace a healthy diet, and large studies show it will not prevent heart disease or cancer on its own. But for many people, it is a simple, affordable way to fill nutrient gaps that are surprisingly common. Quality matters too, because not all multivitamins are created equal.

Here are 10 reasons to consider a daily multivitamin, what the research really shows, and how to choose a good one.

10 Reasons to Take a Daily Multivitamin

1. Nutrient gaps are common, even with a good diet

Most of us intend to eat well, but busy schedules, processed foods, and picky eating make it hard to hit every target every day. Surveys of American eating habits consistently show that many adults fall short on nutrients such as vitamin D, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and vitamin A. Some researchers have also raised concerns that modern, high-yield crops may contain lower levels of certain minerals than crops grown generations ago.

A daily multivitamin is not a license to skip vegetables. Think of it as nutritional insurance that helps cover the days when your plate falls short.

2. Weight loss and restricted diets

Almost any weight loss plan means eating less food or cutting out entire food groups. That can be very healthy, but it can also leave gaps.

For example, if you cut out dairy, you may get less calcium. If you avoid red meat, you may get less iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. And low-carb plans that limit fruit and grains can trim certain B vitamins and potassium if you are not careful. A multivitamin helps bridge those gaps while you choose foods that support your weight goals.

3. Healthy aging

As we age, the body often absorbs certain nutrients less efficiently. Stomach acid tends to decline, which can lower vitamin B12 absorption, and older skin makes less vitamin D. At the same time, immune function and the body’s need for some micronutrients change over the life course.¹

Common medications can also affect nutrient status. For example, long-term use of metformin or acid-reducing drugs has been linked with lower vitamin B12 levels. If you take daily medications, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether any of them affect your nutrients. For more practical tips, see my free anti-aging habits and my Healthy Aging Start Here guide.

4. Brain health and memory

This is one of the most exciting areas of recent research. The COSMOS-Mind trial followed more than 2,000 adults age 65 and older for three years. Those who took a daily multivitamin had better scores on global cognition and memory than those who took a placebo, and the researchers estimated the benefit as roughly equal to slowing cognitive aging by about 1.8 years.²

The brain depends on B vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals to make neurotransmitters and protect nerve cells. A daily multivitamin may help support healthy brain function as we age, especially in people whose diets are less than ideal.

5. Immune function

Many micronutrients play a role in healthy immune function, including vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, B12, and folate, along with zinc, selenium, iron, and copper.¹ These nutrients help the body build immune cells, maintain the barriers of the skin and gut, and balance inflammation.

You can get these nutrients from food, but many adults fall short on at least a few of them, especially vitamin D and zinc. A good multivitamin may help support normal immune function. I go deeper on vitamin D in The Truth About Vitamin D.

6. Eye health

Your eyes rely on vitamins A, C, and E, zinc, and the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which concentrate in the retina and help filter harmful blue light.

The large AREDS2 trial tested a specific high-dose formula of vitamins C and E, zinc, copper, lutein, and zeaxanthin in people who already had intermediate age-related macular degeneration. That formula helped slow progression to the advanced stage.³ It is important to know that this was a special eye formula for people with existing macular degeneration, not a standard multivitamin. If you have eye concerns, talk with your eye doctor about whether an AREDS2-type supplement fits you.

7. Bone health

Bone density gradually declines with age, and women lose bone more quickly after menopause. Bones need calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin K to stay strong.

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, and vitamin K2 helps direct calcium into bone. A multivitamin that includes vitamin D3 and K2 can support your bone-building routine, along with calcium-rich foods and weight-bearing exercise such as walking and strength training.

8. Heart health

B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin K all play roles in cardiovascular health. However, I want to be straightforward with you. In 2022, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reviewed the evidence and concluded there was not enough evidence to recommend a multivitamin specifically to prevent heart disease or cancer in healthy adults.⁴

That does not mean the nutrients do not matter. It means a pill cannot outwork your lifestyle. For your heart, the foundation is still a whole-food diet, regular movement, good sleep, managing stress, and not smoking. A multivitamin may support those habits by covering nutrient gaps.

9. Healthy hair, skin, and nails

Your hair, skin, and nails are some of the fastest-growing tissues in your body, so they are sensitive to nutrient shortfalls. Biotin, niacin, vitamins A, C, and E, iron, and zinc all contribute. Vitamin C, for example, is needed to make collagen.

If you are low in one of these nutrients, correcting the gap may help your hair, skin, and nails look healthier. If your levels are already adequate, extra amounts are unlikely to make a dramatic difference.

10. Energy and vitality

Wouldn’t you love more energy? Your cells use B vitamins, iron, and magnesium to turn food into energy. When you are low in these, fatigue is often one of the first signs. Iron deficiency in particular is a common, and very treatable, cause of tiredness, especially in women.

A multivitamin can help cover these basics. Pair it with a healthy low-carb Mediterranean way of eating, such as the plan in my book Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Keto, plus good sleep and daily movement. For more, visit my More Energy Start Here guide.

How to Choose a Good Multivitamin

Many multivitamins on the market use the cheapest forms of nutrients, low doses, and artificial colors. Here is what I look for:

• Active (methylated) B vitamins. Forms such as methylcobalamin (B12) and 5-MTHF (folate) are ready for your body to use. This matters for the many people with MTHFR gene variants that make it harder to convert standard folic acid.
• Chelated minerals. Minerals bound to amino acids tend to be gentler on the stomach and well absorbed.
• Vitamin D3 and K2. These two work together for bone and heart health.
• Sensible doses. Around 100% of the daily value for most nutrients is a good goal. Megadoses are rarely needed and can sometimes cause harm.
• No artificial colors. Look for clean labels and non-GMO, gluten-free formulas.

About Dr. Colbert’s Enhanced Multivitamin

Dr. Colbert’s Enhanced Multivitamin was designed around the standards above. It uses active B vitamins, including methylcobalamin (B12), 5-MTHF folate instead of folic acid, riboflavin-5-phosphate (B2), and pyridoxal-5-phosphate (B6). Minerals such as zinc, magnesium, copper, and manganese come in chelated forms to support absorption.

It also provides vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 (as MK-7), along with fruit and vegetable extracts for phytonutrients, in vegetable capsules that are non-GMO and gluten-free. It is designed to support daily energy, immune function, and overall nutritional balance.

Bottom Line

A daily multivitamin is not a magic pill, and it will not replace a healthy lifestyle. But it is a simple way to fill common nutrient gaps, and research such as COSMOS-Mind suggests it may support healthy brain aging. Choose a quality formula with active B vitamins, chelated minerals, and sensible doses, and take it alongside a whole-food diet. As always, check with your doctor, especially if you take medications or have a health condition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it good to take a multivitamin every day?

For many adults, a daily multivitamin is a safe and simple way to fill common nutrient gaps. It does not replace a healthy diet, and large reviews have not found that it prevents heart disease or cancer on its own. Ask your doctor whether one is right for you.

When is the best time to take a multivitamin?

Most people do best taking a multivitamin with a meal, often breakfast. Food helps absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and can reduce stomach upset.

Do multivitamins help with energy?

If you are low in B vitamins, iron, or magnesium, correcting the gap may help with fatigue, because these nutrients help your cells turn food into energy. If your levels are already adequate, a multivitamin is unlikely to cause a noticeable energy boost.

Can a multivitamin help memory?

The COSMOS-Mind trial found that adults 65 and older who took a daily multivitamin for three years had better memory and overall cognition scores than those on a placebo. More research is ongoing, but the results are encouraging.

What should I look for in a multivitamin?

Look for active forms of B vitamins such as methylcobalamin and 5-MTHF folate, chelated minerals, vitamin D3 and K2, sensible doses near 100% of the daily value, and no artificial colors.

Can you take too many vitamins?

Yes. Fat-soluble vitamins such as A and D, and minerals such as iron, can build up and cause harm at high doses. Avoid stacking several products with the same nutrients, and talk with your doctor before taking high doses.

References

1. Maggini S, et al. Immune function and micronutrient requirements change over the life course. Nutrients. 2018.
2. Baker LD, et al. Effects of cocoa extract and a multivitamin on cognitive function: a randomized clinical trial. Alzheimers Dement. 2023.
3. Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 Research Group. Lutein + zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids for age-related macular degeneration: the AREDS2 randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2013.
4. US Preventive Services Task Force, Mangione CM, et al. Vitamin, mineral, and multivitamin supplementation to prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA. 2022.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk with your own doctor before changing your diet, starting a supplement, or changing any medication. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

The post 10 Reasons to Take a Daily Multivitamin (and How to Choose One) appeared first on Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

Are you destroying yours?

How can you reverse it?

Here are 10 ways to destroy heart health, and how to reverse your risk.

10 Ways to Destroy Heart Health

1. Eat A Diet High in Inflammatory Ultra Processed Foods

Our foods are literally killing us.

Many foods in plastic packages and boxes can destroy heart health, increase blood sugar issues, and even increase the overall risk of death (1) according to a recent study of 100,000 participants.

How? 

Ultra-processed foods are those commercial, processed foods that contain a lot of processed fats and sugars. Most of these fats are hydrogenated oils or soybean oil. Believe it or not, soybean oil is considered one the most-consumed modern toxins, and works against heart health by hurting:

• Metabolic Health. Lab studies show that soybean oil is one of the most detrimental foods to metabolic health (2).
• Cardiovascular Health: Soybean oil has been shown to cause harmful abnormalities to cholesterol and triglycerides (3).
• Overall health and inflammation: Many studies have concluded that concentrated sources of omega-6 fats increase inflammation in the body (4).

Don’t let ultra-processed foods destroy heart health.

Reverse Your Risk: You can take steps to reduce your consumption of ultra-processed foods by following the Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Keto Book. This is an amazingly heart healthy guide that also supports whole-body and gut health. This is the best start! In addition, look for soybean oil in all foods you buy and rid your diet of it with these tips.

2. Avoid Spices, Fruits & Vegetables

Along with eating ultra-processed foods, avoiding all vibrantly colored spices, fruits and vegetables can destroy heart health.

Vibrant plant foods are full of antioxidants. 

Antioxidants support cellular health, arterial health, and whole body health by reducing the effects of free radicals and oxidative stress (7).

Specifically in the cardiovascular system, antioxidants work to reduce cholesterol plaque formations and elevated blood pressure (5). Additionally, foods high in antioxidants support brain cells (6), and may reduce harmful cell overgrowth. (Many studies also back up the health benefits of berries (7).

Reverse Your Risk: You can reverse your risk of poor heart health by eating foods high in antioxidants! The best place to start is Divine Health® Fermented Green Supremefood® and Divine Health® Organic Red Supremefood®. Also, here is a great list of our top 10 antioxidant foods!

3. Never Get Your Heart Rate Up

We all know sedentary lifestyles are bad for heart health and exercise is beneficial. But, how and why?

Exercise forces our hearts to pump a great volume of blood through our arteries. This forces our arteries to stay flexible and elastic, which is a healthier state than stiff or inflexible arteries.

Any exercise that increases heart rate can be beneficial to heart health.

For example, both endurance training at lower intensity  and higher intensity workouts benefit blood pressure and heart health (8/).

Resistance training exercises (weight lifting) also supports heart health including heart variability. This remains true for both heavy weight lifting and high-rep, low weight exercises (9).

Sedentary living, on the other hand, can destroy heart health.

Reverse the risk: Start moving! Choose an exercise you like, and get your heart rate up. You can even use walking at a higher pace for better heart health. Here are 10 amazing benefits of walking!

4. Allow Stress to Build

High levels of mental stress can be devastating to your heart, brain, immune system, and overall health. In fact, chronically elevated cortisol levels can affect all our body’s systems.

How? 

Cortisol is a hormone that’s released by the adrenal glands when the body faces stress. In modern times, this stress is often more mental than physical and usually has no outlet. For many, it’s chronic. It builds. And, it does damage.

High blood cortisol levels are correlated with weight gain and impaired loss, negative impacts on mood, sleep and energy, an increased incidence of blood sugar, potentially lower brain volume and impaired memory, and heart health issues including altered blood pressure (10).

Don’t let stress bring you down.

Reverse the Risk: You can learn to fight high cortisol each day. Try our 10 effective tools to combat daily stress. For more stress management tips, read Dr. Colbert’s Stress Less Book, a Christian wellness guide with practical strategies to reduce stress, overcome worry and fear, find peace, and support emotional health.

5. Stiffen Up Every Year You Age

In addition to ignoring cardiovascular exercise, ignoring flexibility can destroy heart health.

Amazingly, the flexibility of your spinal cord and spine directly correlated with the flexibility of your arteries. Again, flexible arteries are crucial for healthy blood pressures and overall health. As crazy as it sounds, researchers have found that poor trunk flexibility is associated with stiff arteries. This means that keeping your body flexible enough to touch your toes means better artery health and blood pressure (11).

Incredibly, one study of a stretching program found better blood pressure results from stretching than from walking (12)!

In addition, a strong, flexible spinal cord allows you to maintain good posture, with your head and neck upright, rather than forward. It promotes better range of motion of your limbs, making it easier to lift, walk up and down stairs, stay active, and remain injury free. 

Reverse Your Risk: Stay flexible by working on trunk, spine, and limb flexibility every day. Do this in addition to other exercises. Also, add a daily dose of Keto Zone® Hydrolyzed Collagen Powder to support joint health.

6. Don’t Pay Attention to Blood Sugars or Weight

Exercise and healthy eating promote healthy body weight and blood sugars. On the other hand, not engaging in these activities can destroy heart health.

Being in a state of overweight or obesity directly impacts heart health. In fact, excess adipose fat is correlated with impaired blood sugars and poor cardiovascular outcomes. Elevated blood sugars contribute to stiffened arteries (13).

What’s more, while your starting total cholesterol is highly influenced by familial history, age, sex, and ethnicity (13), changes in total cholesterol are primarily achieved by weight loss (if overweight), diet, and exercise (14).

You can make changes rather than destroy heart health!

Reverse the Risk: The best place to start in achieving a healthy weight and blood sugars is  Dr. Colbert’s Beyond Keto Book. Also, read these tips on healthy weight and tips for breaking a plateau. 

7. Skimp on Sleep

Sleep is an elixir for many ailments. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, can destroy heart health.

In fact, a new study of 1,654 participants aged 20-74 years looked at sleep and its effects on those with chronic health conditions. It followed these participants for 20 years.

The researchers found that participants with existing high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes, who slept less than 6 hours per night, were 1.8 times likely to die of heart disease or stroke. Unfortunately, 45% of Americans have these conditions, and the majority do not get enough quality sleep (15).

The study was published earlier this month in the Journal of the American Heart Association. 

Improve your heart health with better sleep.

Reverse the Risk: Not sure how to get better sleep? Look no further than these tips for a better night’s sleep. 

8. Isolate Yourself

Loneliness can strike anyone, even those surrounded by people. Unfortunately, loneliness can contribute to worsened heart health. 

It’s never been more important to seek out others and prioritize relationships. 

Why? 

Your heart depends on it.

In 2010, a loneliness study shocked researchers. A research team from Brigham Young University looked at 148 studies, representing more than 308,000 participants for mortality risk factors. The researchers found a 50% increase in survival for those who were NOT lonely and had strong social relationships compared to those who didn’t.

This finding was consistent with other strong risk factors of premature death, including known cardiovascular risk factors (16). 

Next, the same lead researcher performed a subsequent meta-analysis in 2015, representing more than 3.4 million people and found similar results. These included a 29%, 26%, and 32% increased risk of premature death for social isolation, loneliness, and living alone, respectively (17). Yet another study from Denmark found that heart health patients who were also lonely were about twice as likely to die from heart attacks and/or heart disease than those who were not lonely.

Tragically, this is indeed very similar to the mortality rate of smoking cigarettes.

Reverse the Risk: Do whatever necessary to reach out to others and prioritize relationships. Look at church groups, healthy social groups, and friends, whether in person or online. 

9. Forget Gratitude

It can be easy to forget gratitude. Some days, months, or even years roll by that feel more dismal than others. 

However, gratitude, even when forced, can change everything including heart health.

There is emerging scientific evidence to support the idea that a simple daily practice of gratitude can dramatically affect our susceptibility to cardiovascular issues. 

How? 

Gratitude affects both cortisol and our motivation for a healthy lifestyle. By first lowering stress, it supports heart health directly. By improving our outlook and mood toward healthy lifestyle habits, it improves heart health indirectly (18, 19, 20). 

Reverse the Risk: You can work on gratitude starting right now! Try just listing 2-3 things you are grateful for each day, and continue to build the list. Small things, big things, anything. To learn more about gratitude, try our 15 tips for making gratitude stick.

10. Ignore Triglycerides and Subtypes of Cholesterol

When most people think of heart health indicators or lab tests, they think of total cholesterol, LDL, and HDL. 

Interestingly, more and more practitioners are looking elsewhere.

The ratio of triglycerides (TG) to HDL is emerging as one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors. In fact, when you calculate this ratio, you can infer your health risk of cardiovascular issues, blood sugar issues, inflammation and more. In addition, there are very important subtypes of cholesterol, called subset A and subset B. These numbers are extremely important (21, 22).

Looking only at total cholesterol and ignoring triglycerides can destroy heart health.

Reverse the Risk: Switch your oils! Keto Zone® MCT Oil Powder (Coconut Cream) promotes optimal heart health and cholesterol levels. Then, learn everything you need to know about cholesterol, subsets, and triglycerides. Take our quiz now! 

Bottom Line:

Don’t destroy heart health this year! Instead, reverse your risk. Our simple tips can help you bolster your heart health, starting today.

The post 10 Ways to Destroy Heart Health appeared first on Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

Cholesterol Quiz Questions

Want to test your knowledge before reading the answers? Jot down your thoughts and decide which statements are facts and which are myths.

1. The majority of cholesterol in the blood stream originates from the diet.
2. Cholesterol is required for the body to synthesize Vitamin D.
3. Cholesterol dissolves into the blood making it thick.
4. Cholesterol numbers are primarily altered by diet and exercise.
5. Heart attack sufferers almost always have high cholesterol.
6. High triglycerides are more concerning than high cholesterol.
7. Avocado oil is higher in cholesterol than olive oil.
8. Inflammation is a primary factor in heart condition risk.
9. All LDL cholesterol is harmful.
10. Statins are completely safe and effective.

Cholesterol Quiz: Facts and Myths

Cholesterol Statement #1: The majority of cholesterol in the blood stream originates from the diet.

Myth.

Only about 20% of the cholesterol in your body comes from your diet. The rest is synthesized your liver and intestines (1). 

Cholesterol Statement #2: Cholesterol is required for the body to synthesize Vitamin D.

Fact.

Cholesterol is a waxy, whitish-yellow fat. Cholesterol is needed to make vitamin D, hormones (including testosterone and estrogen), and fat-dissolving bile acids. It is a vital building block in cell membranes. Cholesterol can be found in every cell in the body.

Cholesterol Statement #3: Cholesterol dissolves into the blood making it thick.

Myth.

Cholesterol doesn’t dissolve in the blood, kind of like how fat won’t dissolve in water. Instead, cholesterol bonds to carriers called lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are made up of cholesterol on the inside with a layer of protein on the outside. These carriers transport cholesterol between cells to be used for various biological functions.

When cholesterol is oxidized, it can embed into the artery wall which can lead to plaques and blockages.

Cholesterol Statement #4: Cholesterol numbers are primarily altered by weight loss, diet and exercise.

Fact.

While your absolute cholesterol number is highly influenced by your familial history, age, sex, and ethnicity (2), changes in total cholesterol are primarily achieved by weight loss (if overweight), diet, and exercise (3, 4).

Statement #5: All LDL cholesterol creates plaques in arteries.

Myth.

As most people know, there are two primary types of cholesterol, Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and High-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol.

LDL cholesterol is taught as “bad,” and HDL as “good.” But there’s more to it than that.

There are actually two sub-groups of LDL particles. LDL subtype A is a large fluffy cholesterol particle that is less prone to oxidation and less likely to stick to arterial walls. LDL subtype B is a smaller and denser particle that is easily oxidized and more likely to build up in the arteries.

Subtype A LDL cholesterol is not necessarily a threat, and only oxidized LDL cholesterol forms plaques (5).

Cholesterol Statement #6: Heart attack sufferers almost always have high cholesterol.

Myth.

While high LDL cholesterol (specifically, high LDL subset B) is one of many risk factors of heart conditions and heart attacks, many people who have heart attacks have “normal” cholesterol levels (6).

When assessing risk, we should look at our heart illness risk overall, including weight, blood glucose, lifestyle, inflammation markers, blood pressure, triglycerides, and specifically LDL Subst B cholesterol numbers. It is not the primary risk factor.

Cholesterol Statement #7: High triglycerides levels are completely independent of cholesterol levels.

Myth.

Interestingly, more and more practitioners are looking at the ratio of triglycerides (TG) to HDL. In fact, when you calculate this ratio, you can infer your health risk of cardiovascular issues, blood sugar issues, inflammation and more.

Divide your triglycerides by your HDL cholesterol levels. Studies have found that a number of 1.0 or less is likely indicative of lower risk, and a number of 3.0 or more of highest risk.

Interestingly, a lower ratio is also linked to healthier LDL subset particle size (less subset B) (7, 8).

Statement #8: Avocado oil is higher in cholesterol than olive oil.

Myth.

Both avocado oil and olive oil have zero milligrams of cholesterol. Foods derived from plants do not contain cholesterol.

Statement #9: Inflammation is a primary factor in heart condition risk.

Fact.

Cholesterol is an active compound in the body. It reacts to oxidative stress and inflammation. Here’s how:

As free radicals move throughout the body and damage cells, cumulative oxidative stress rises. Next, the body mounts an inflammatory response and cholesterol comes in to patch things up.

When cholesterol can also become damaged and oxidized by free radicals. Oxidized cholesterol is sticky. It can embed into artery walls and potentially form plaques and blockages (9).

Cholesterol Statement #10: Statins are completely safe and effective.

Myth.

While statins may be right for some patients, no medication is completely safe, and no medication is completely effective.

While it is true that statins typically lower overall cholesterol, there are some harmful side effects of which you should be aware. 

First, statins may lower total cholesterol too much. This can lead to inadequate cholesterol levels for proper brain function (25% of cholesterol is in the brain). It can also interfere with and inhibit the benefits of omega-3 fats. Statins metabolize omega-6 fatty acids which work against omega-3s and can promote resistance to insulin,  and elevated blood glucose levels. 

Like most medications, statins include a risk of damage to organs and systems in the body (10).

Lastly, chronic use of statins has also been shown to interfere with the body’s production of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). CoQ10 is critical for immune and nervous system health, and also bolsters heart health, proper muscle function, and healthy blood pressure, among much else. If you are on statins it is very important to supplement with CoQ10.

How’d You Score?

Are you savvy about cholesterol? Well, if you weren’t before, you are now. And, there’s great news! Most heart condition risk can be strongly influenced by lifestyle. Weight changes, anti-inflammatory foods, diets high in antioxidants, exercise, cessations from smoking, and more can help you reduce triglycerides, LDL subset B cholesterol, blood pressure, and more. What’s more, these can all improve your HDL cholesterol, too!

Get Cholesterol Savvy: Where to Start?

Unsure where to start? After taking our cholesterol quiz, do you want to improve your knowledge and health? The Keto Zone® can help you achieve your weight and health goals!

Get started today with our complete Keto Zone Starter Kit. You’ll get everything you need to get in the Keto Zone!

Bottom Line

Cholesterol can be confusing. However, the more you know, the more you can make needed changes for heart health. Thanks for taking our cholesterol quiz. From here, focus on whole body health, specific LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides, and HDL levels. Eat healthy in the Keto Zone, exercise, and protect your heart!

The post Cholesterol Savvy? Take our Cholesterol Quiz: Facts and Myths appeared first on Dr. Don Colbert, MD.