What Boosts Good (HDL) Levels
Carnitine, an amino acid
Fish
Guggul
Yams
Policosanol
Another study—this one from the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology—compared the effects of policosanol to those of pravastatin, a commonly used statin drug, in elderly patients with high cholesterol and high risk of heart attack. These patients took 10 mg of policosanol or pravastatin for eight weeks. Those who took policosanol lowered their LDL by an average of 19.3 percent, their total cholesterol by an average of 13.9 percent, and their ratio of total cholesterol to HDL by 24.4 percent. Pravastatin reduced LDL by 15.6 percent and the total-cholesterol-to-HDL ratio by 15.9 percent, but didn’t raise levels of artery-cleaning HDL. In this study, policosanol also stood out for its ability to inhibit the tendency of blood to clot together and clog blood vessels.
Policosanol causes none of the adverse effects statins can cause. It appears to work by slowing the production of cholesterol in the liver while increasing the liver’s ability to reabsorb LDL. The most frequently cited side effect? Weight loss—not exactly an undesirable side effect for most people at risk of developing heart disease. Unlike statins, policosanol causes no decrease in libido, and there’s a hint of evidence from an animal study that it may actually increase libido slightly! Policosanol also inhibits the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, the free radical attack that makes LDL so much more dangerous to blood vessel health. In animal studies, it decreased the uncontrolled inflammation and cell growth known to lead to artery disease. Policosanol also helps thin the blood, decreasing the chances of a clot forming to plug up an artery and cause a heart attack or stroke.
Levels of a specific type of proinflammatory biochemical called thromboxane can rise too high as a direct result of a poor, refined-food diet and can cause artery walls to clamp down tight, decreasing blood and oxygen flow to the heart and elsewhere. Some studies have shown a decrease in levels of this type of thromboxane with policosanol.
Lowering Triglycerides Naturally
Triglycerides are a type of fat that circulates in the blood. There is good evidence that elevated triglycerides are at least as big a risk factor for heart disease as high LDL cholesterol. If your triglycerides are high, there’s a pretty good chance you’re eating way too many refined carbohydrates—think sugar, cookies, candies, pastries—and not getting enough exercise. Excess alcohol will also raise triglycerides. Supplementing with niacin (in the form of inositol hexanicotinate) can help lower triglycerides, as can guggulipid (see earlier section on cholesterol-busting supplements) and fish oil supplements. For most people, cutting out the refined carbs and getting some exercise will lower triglycerides.
Chapter 11
Drugs for the Digestive Tract and Their Natural Alternatives
A healthy digestive tract is an essential cog in the wheel of a healthy body. If you’re serious about living a long, healthy, vibrant life, your digestive system needs to be able to break down and assimilate your food efficiently and effectively. The millions upon millions of cells that make up your body wouldn’t know what to do with a whole piece of fruit. They can use only the simplest breakdown products of food to fuel their activities, and they can use the vitamins and minerals locked away in that juicy apple only once they are released in their simplest forms.
Digestion begins in the mouth. As soon as you take a bite of food, enzymes and mucins in your saliva begin to break it down and lubricate it for a trip down the esophagus. Meanwhile, down in the stomach, the taste, smell, or even the thought of food stimulates the secretion of hydrochloric acid and the enzyme pepsin, which digests protein. Enzymes from the gallbladder and pancreas are also stimulated by the smell and taste of food.
Chewing is another potent trigger of acid and enzyme secretion. Your mother was absolutely right when she reminded you to chew your food thoroughly. The longer you chew, the more time the rest of your digestive tract has to prepare for its role in the process. Smaller particles of well-chewed food are, for practical purposes, predigested. This helps ensure optimal breakdown and absorption of what you eat.
Stomach Acid, Heartburn, and Ulcers
In the stomach, muscular contractions thoroughly mix food with hydrochloric acid. Stomach acid—powerful enough to strip paint—is a vital part of good digestion. A thick mucous layer protects the stomach walls from harm as the acid kills bacteria and parasites and frees up minerals (such as magnesium and potassium) and the B vitamins folate and B12 so that they can be absorbed in the small intestine.
If sufficient stomach acid isn’t produced, digestion suffers. The passage of food out of the stomach into the small intestine is delayed, which can lead to heartburn as the stomach pushes food mixed with acid back into the esophagus. Burning is caused by acid coming in contact with the lining of the esophagus, which isn’t protected by a mucous layer like the stomach is. Heavy, fatty meals; large meals; eating on the run or while under stress; lying down just after a meal; or eating just after heavy exercise also set the stage for heartburn.
Contrary to what the huge drug companies that make antacids and H2 blocker drugs such as Tagamet and Zantac say, excessive acid production is almost never the reason for heartburn or ulcers. It is estimated that more than half of all bleeding ulcers are caused by taking NSAID drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen. In many cases, the antacids and H2 blockers given to alleviate the symptoms of stomach pain mask the symptoms until the problem is life threatening.
Antacids and H2 blockers alleviate symptoms for a short while by buffering acid and decreasing acid secretion, but they can actually aggravate the underlying problem: too little acid in the stomach. With chronic use of these medications, digestion is compromised and decreased absorption of some vitamins and minerals can result. Once the food finally makes its way into the intestines, it isn’t broken down enough for it to be properly absorbed.
Research shows that long-term use of both H2 (e.g., Tagamet) and proton pump inhibitors (e.g., Nexium) can increase the risk of community-acquired pneumonia and other infections, probably because the reduced stomach acid fails to kill the bacteria that can cause infections.
Other factors contribute to low secretion of stomach acid. Drinking icy cold liquids with meals can suppress it, and stomach acid levels decline with age. A large percentage of people over 50 make too little stomach acid for thorough digestion of food.
A few years ago, if you asked your physician what causes ulcers, he or she would promptly reply that too much stomach acid was to blame. Now we know that a spiral-shaped bacteria called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori for short) is the primary culprit. It suppresses acid production and creates holes in the stomach’s protective mucous layer, allowing acid to seep through and burn holes in the delicate tissue underneath. An H. pylori infection can also cause symptoms of indigestion and heartburn.
The Small Intestine and Its Enzymes
Food leaving the stomach is squirted in small amounts into the duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestine. The pancreas and small intestine secrete the enzymes amylase (to digest starches), protease (to digest proteins), and lipase (to digest fats) when they detect food in the duodenum. These enzymes break food down into parts your body can use, including carbohydrates, amino acids, free fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. The pancreas also makes bicarbonate that buffers acid so that the food won’t burn holes in the small intestine. Bile that has been made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder to emulsify fats is released into the duodenum as food passes through.
Enzymes play a major role in all of the body’s functions. Digestive enzymes are only one variety of these important catalysts of biological reactions and are named for the substance they break down. For example, the enzyme that breaks down sucrose (table sugar) is called sucrase; cellulose (plant starch) is broken down by cellulase. The absence or shortage of a single digestive enzyme can have serious consequences. Abdominal cramping and diarrhea after drin
king milk are the symptoms of a deficiency of lactase, the enzyme responsible for the digestion of the sugars in milk (lactose).
Digestive enzymes are built from amino acids and vitamin or mineral cofactors, or coenzymes. Zinc and magnesium are two of the most common digestive enzyme cofactors. The B vitamins thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and biotin, as well as the minerals molybdenum, manganese, copper, iron, and selenium, play the role of coenzymes as well. Each time the enzyme does its job, it uses up its coenzyme, which then needs to be replaced. Eating foods rich in vitamins and minerals will ensure that your digestive enzymes will be able to quickly reactivate. Raw foods contain their own enzymes that help your digestive tract do its job.
The surface of the small intestine is designed to absorb the nutrients your body has worked so hard to extract from your food and turn them over to the bloodstream and liver for processing. Your small intestine is 22 feet long, with an inside surface lined with tiny fingerlike protuberances called villi (think of a microscopic shag carpet). These protrusions greatly increase the available surface area for absorption of nutrients to a whopping 2,000 square feet—a little bigger than half a football field.
Leaky Gut Syndrome, Food Allergies, and Digestive Disorders
Your small intestine is vulnerable to harm due to poor diet, certain drugs, or disease. If the villi are damaged, food isn’t well absorbed and what is known as “leaky gut syndrome” can result. In a healthy intestine, nutrients are “tagged” by specialized immune cells so that the body will recognize them as safe. Without these tags, needed nutrients are treated as foreign invaders and your immune system creates antibodies to destroy them. In a damaged gut, your tagging mechanism is not up to par and food allergy—an immune response that can microscopically damage the intestinal wall—results. The symptoms of food allergy can be as diverse as fatigue, a chronic rash, headaches, and arthritis.
Food allergy is created in a damaged gut when microscopic holes in the intestinal lining allow undigested food molecules to escape into the bloodstream. The immune system can’t recognize these molecules, so it sends out its battalions in an effort to destroy them. An immune system that’s working overtime will definitely keep you from feeling your best, as anyone with allergies knows from experience. Food allergies have been implicated in a wide variety of digestive problems including constipation, diarrhea, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
If you think you might have leaky gut syndrome, you can ask a health professional to give you what’s called the lactulose/mannitol absorption test. Levels of lactulose, a large molecule that shouldn’t be passed into the bloodstream, are measured. Elevated levels are a good indication that your gut is leaky.
Even as conventional physicians deny the existence of delayed food allergies, they can’t cure many of the chronic digestive diseases such as Crohn’s disease, IBS, arthritis, and autoimmune diseases. Meanwhile, health care professionals such as naturopathic doctors who are treating these diseases as symptoms of food allergies are having success.
The causes and effects of food allergies are hard to separate. If your secretions of digestive juices aren’t adequate, more undigested food particles pass into the small intestine and then potentially into the bloodstream through the damaged gut lining. Some damage may be done to the intestines by foods you have become allergic to. Some people are more susceptible to food allergy than others; if you weren’t breast-fed and were introduced to difficult-to-digest foods such as grains or cow’s milk too soon, you probably have some leaky gut and food allergy problems. When a child’s delicate digestive system isn’t ready to assimilate a food, it’s quickly labeled as potentially harmful by the immune system. Immediate reactions such as diarrhea or vomiting can result, or there may be inflammatory responses such as asthma and eczema.
For adults, some of the causes of food allergy can be chronic stress, drugs that knock the secretion of digestive juices out of balance, poor diet, or overindulgence in alcohol. Any number of environmental toxins, including pesticides, food additives, intestinal parasites, and heavy metals, can bring on delayed food allergy in adults.
The Large Intestine and Probiotics
Once your meal has passed through the twists and turns of the small intestine, the nutrients available for absorption have been drawn into the bloodstream. In the lower part of the small intestine, where it meets the large intestine, the vitamins A, B12, D, and E are absorbed. A sphincter called the ileocecal valve controls the flow of waste into the large intestine. If your digestion isn’t good, there is probably some undigested food remaining as well, which can cause gas and bloating as colon bacteria break it down by fermenting it. IBS is what physicians often diagnose in people with this complaint and a wide variety of other gastrointestinal complaints, including constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping. As waste moves through the colon, water and minerals are pulled from it back into the body. A solid mass of feces is formed and is eventually excreted through the rectum and anus during a bowel movement.
The bacteria that reside in your colon are indispensable for good digestive health. Generically known as probiotics, these friendly bacteria are also found in the urinary tract, the mouth, and the vagina. In the intestines, probiotics have a variety of jobs. They do battle with foreign bacteria that might otherwise cause infection; they manufacture some vitamins, such as vitamin K; and they keep the growth of a fungal yeast called Candida albicans under control. All told, we play host to 100 trillion friendly bacteria belonging to at least 400 different species.
Prescription drugs such as antibiotics and steroids, undue stress, and nutritional imbalances all contribute to the demise of good bacteria. When their numbers are low, bad bacteria and Candida albicans become overgrown. Yeast overgrowth in particular can cause many unpleasant symptoms. If you suffer from bloating, gas, unusual fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, skin problems, headaches, mental fogginess, joint pains, or environmental allergies, yeast overgrowth could be a culprit. This problem is especially common during and following treatment with antibiotics, so you should always follow a course of antibiotics with two weeks or more of probiotic supplementation.
You can buy capsules or a refrigerated liquid containing acidophilus, bifidus, and other friendly strains of bacteria in your local health food store. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS), a kind of sugar found plentifully in bananas that enhances the growth of probiotics, are another ingredient you should look for in a probiotic supplement.
How to Prevent Colon Cancer
Living a lifestyle that maintains a healthy colon will protect you against colon cancer, a disease that strikes about 160,000 people each year and kills more than 57,000 people each year. It is estimated that 68 percent of colon cancers could be prevented, and the evidence is piling up. A genetic predisposition in some people can’t be discounted, but no matter what your genes are programmed for, you can reduce your risk by doing a few simple things to prevent constipation and to keep the bowel from being exposed to toxins day in and day out.
Your first step toward good colon health is to eat more fiber and avoid constipation. Fiber is an effective sponge that absorbs cancer-causing toxins and sweeps them out of the body in the feces. Hard, difficult-to-pass stools sit in the colon for too long. Toxins that should have been passed out of the body unabsorbed are more likely to seep back into the bloodstream or to cause damage to the colon itself.
The trace mineral selenium is your top colon health supplement. People who live in areas where the soil is high in selenium have dramatically lower rates of colon cancer.
The other biggest known risk factors for colon cancer are vitamin D deficiency, folic acid deficiency, and high alcohol consumption (which interferes with folic acid synthesis). In fact, a folic acid deficiency is associated with many types of cancer, and supplementing it has repeatedly been shown to reverse cervical dysplasia, a precancerous growth in the cervix. A small but pioneering study done some 10 years ago showed that supplementation with folic acid si
gnificantly decreased precancerous lung cells in smokers.
Folic acid is a B vitamin found in fresh, leafy, dark green vegetables such as spinach and kale, turnips, endive, asparagus, wheat bran, yeasts, and liver. It plays an important role in the synthesis of RNA and DNA, and thus in the process of cell division and growth. Chromosomes are more likely to have breaks if the cell is deficient in folic acid, creating the cell changes associated with cancers.
People who take aspirin regularly have been found to have lower rates of colon cancer, but aspirin may be acting as a stand-in for folic acid. Aspirin and folic acid compete for some of the same receptor sites in cells. If you’re concerned about preventing colon cancer, be sure to take a daily folic acid supplement and save the aspirin for occasional use only.
If you’re taking the recommended dosages of daily vitamins (see Chapter 9), you’re getting all the folic acid you need. If you have had colon cancer or are at a high risk for colon cancer, you can take an additional 400 mcg of folic acid daily as a preventive measure, as well as 1,000 mcg daily of sublingual or intranasal vitamin B12, which works hand-in-hand with folic acid. You can find both vitamins at your health food store.
Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs for the Digestive System
Examples of H2 Blockers
Cimetidine (Tagamet)
Famotidine (Pepcid)
Nizatidine (Axid)
Ranitidine (Zantac)
What Do They Do in the Body? H2 blockers block acid production in the stomach. They make up a class of drugs that block the stomach’s response to acid stimulators such as food, caffeine, insulin, and histamine. The H2 blockers, once sold as antiulcer drugs, are now being marketed as antiheartburn agents sold over the counter. They are different enough so that even though they are in the same class of drugs, we’ll cover each drug and its effects separately.
Prescription Alternatives Page 20