Cholesterol numbers don’t seem to matter to people in a couple of small villages in Italy. Researchers have found that the residents there have a variation of a protein in their HDL (good) cholesterol that seems to miraculously self-clean their arteries and prevent blockages.
Cleveland Clinic researchers call this wonder protein the ApoA-1 Milano. In about three years, they predict that a synthetic form of the protein will be available to everyone, perhaps in injection form. But don’t ignore your health until that time. A story in the April Men’s Health that highlights the protein also offers several other ways to keep your HDL at its healthiest levels.
One surprising study from the Netherlands found that men who drank 2 pints of beer daily increased their HDL by 7 percent in 10 days and by 12 percent in three weeks. In addition, a 1,000 mg daily calcium supplement can increase HDL levels by 7 percent. (Take it with 400 IU of vitamin D for maximum absorption.) Just 12 to 16 macadamia nuts daily can increase HDL by 8 percent, and frequent meals of fish with omega-3 fatty acids can up it by 26 percent.
Weights are important too. Scientists at Ohio University found that men who did lower-body work for 16 weeks raised their HDL levels by 19 percent.
Hike that HDL
More ideas for raising your HDL cholesterol can be found in the April issue of the Johns Hopkins Medical Letter Health After 50. Chucking the cigarettes is a good way to start. If you don’t smoke, avoid others’ dangerous secondhand smoke. A healthy diet and regular exercise of at least moderate intensity are also critical.
Trans fatty acids such as those found in margarine and baked products such as cookies and cakes can lower HDL cholesterol levels and raise LDL (bad) cholesterol. Substitute these with monounsaturated fats from canola oil, olive oil, almonds and avocados.
Johns Hopkins physicians agree that moderate alcohol consumption is OK, because it has been found not only to raise HDL levels but also to lower the incidence of coronary heart disease. Moderate means just one to two drinks daily, and the benefits seem to come from any type of alcohol. But if alcoholism tendencies run in the family or you don’t already drink, avoid it.
Thyroid in excess
If your blood test shows elevated levels of calcium, you may have hyperparathyroidism. Simply put, a thyroid that produces excessive parathyroid hormone results in too much calcium in your blood and not enough in your bones, according to a report in the April Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource.
People with hyperparathyroidism often are almost symptom free, or feel vague weakness, aches and pains. If the condition isn’t treated, it may lead to osteoporosis, kidney stones and sometimes kidney damage. However, surgery to remove the affected glands often cures the condition.
Multifaceted RU-486
Mifepristone, better known as RU-486, has caused controversy as an abortion pill. Yet the same drug, under the brand name Mifeprex, has been shown by researchers to help treat several forms of depression as well as breast and uterine cancer, fibroids, endometriosis, Cushing’s syndrome and even some brain tumors.
“This drug has many potentially important uses completely unrelated to abortion,” says Dr. Steve Eisinger in the April issue of Self. Eisinger, a gynecologist, has used the drug to treat uterine fibroids in clinical trials at the University of Rochester, New York. Another study, at Stanford University, found that the drug significantly reduced the psychoses of patients with psychotic depression.
However, political controversy over the drug’s abortion use may make it difficult for researchers to continue such studies for life-threatening conditions.
