Doubts About Diet for Lowering Cholesterole

QUESTION: The doctor has diagnosed all my problems as relating to hardening
of the arteries, and wants me to pay some real attention to lowering my
cholesterol. I have my doubts that this diet is going to get me anywhere. Do
you think it will do some good?
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ANSWER: Toward the end of World War I, a handful of European doctors noticed
a decline in coronary heart disease. The same thing happened following World
War II. Doctors speculated that this happy phenomenon was related to the
relatively small amounts of meat and other fatty foods in spare wartime diets.
Today, researchers using high-tech equipment are coming up with some
pretty reliable evidence that people who lower their blood-cholesterol levels
with diet or drugs can stop heart disease in its tracks. For a small fraction
of especially fortunate people, this kind of intervention even reverses the
damage done, and permits partially blocked arteries to return towards normal.
The proof comes by way of contrast angiography, a method akin to x-ray that
allows us to view the coronary arteries. So far, the regression of coronary
atherosclerosis has been documented in some 100 patients, and the disease has
been stopped in many, many more.
The simplest and safest way to reduce blood cholesterol is via your diet.
You will want to reduce not only the amount of cholesterol you take in, but
also the amount of saturated fats. Beyond this, researchers find that a
relatively high percentage of polyunsaturated fats in the diet help keep blood
cholesterol low. An ideal diet would consist mainly of cereals, legumes,
fruits and vegetables, rich in fiber. Meat may best be used as a condiment;
say, in a tomato sauce over pasta. If you must have cheese, look for low-fat
varieties; save regular cheese, meat, chocolate, candy and coconut for special
occasions.
If diet doesn't do it, your doctor may want to prescribe a medication to
lower your blood cholesterol level. Though many of these are extremely
efficient, their mild side-effects--constipation, heartburn, nausea, belching,
bloating--will probably reinforce your resolve to stick to your diet! In
addition, these drugs can be expensive and we don't know the effects of their
prolonged use.
To be fair, it must be said that some large studies have failed to show
that diet reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease. But you will be
pleased to know that researchers nonetheless estimate that for every 1% you
reduce your blood cholesterol, you will reduce your risk of heart attack by
2%. Stay on that diet; you are on the right track.