Barley in the Bank
Why lower cholesterol?
Studies have shown that some people may reduce their risk
of heart disease and atherosclerosis (narrowing of the
arteries) by keeping LDL at an acceptably low level while
maintaining elevated HDL. And I know of two other good
reasons to keep the LDL/HDL ratio in check (which I’ll get
to in a moment).
My only problem with the cholesterol issue is the medical
mainstream’s over-the-top mania to drive LDL levels down
as low as they can possibly go (not a healthy choice) with the
use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. As longtime
members know, I’m no fan of those drugs because I’m
convinced that in most cases they may do more harm than
good. And as we’ve seen, there are safer ways to control
cholesterol.
One of those ways is through dietary choices. Which brings
us to today’s topic about a grain that may be an effective tool
for those who are trying to bring their cholesterol in line.
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USDA certified
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The grain is barley, which was first cultivated more than
10,000 years ago and was once used as currency by the
Babylonians. Over the centuries barley has been used in folk
medicine to treat infectious diseases, tumors and digestive
problems. Now to that list the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) has added the lowering of cholesterol.
As reported last month in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, USDA researchers recruited 25 subjects with
elevated cholesterol levels: seven men, nine postmenopausal
women, and nine premenopausal women. None of the
subjects were taking any cholesterol-lowering drugs.
For 17 weeks, each subject ate meals prepared by the
research team. The meals were based on the American Heart
Association Step 1 diet, which is a low-fat diet. In the second
phase of the study, subjects were randomly divided into three
groups. The same meals were served – unsupplemented – to
one group, while the second group received an additional
three grams of fiber from barley per day, and the third group
received six grams per day. This phase lasted five weeks.
Fasting blood samples were collected twice each week
throughout the two phases of the study.
The USDA team writes that when the diet contained either
three or six grams of barley, total cholesterol and LDL
cholesterol measurements were “significantly lower”
compared to the subjects who received no barley. The
greatest change was observed among men and
postmenopausal women. HDL levels were also higher among
the postmenopausal women.
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Beyond barley
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In spite of its success in the USDA trial, barley isn’t for
everyone. One of the barley drawbacks is the caloric content,
and quite a bit of the calories come from carbohydrates, so
this may not be a suitable daily food for diabetics. Some of
the USDA study subjects who received barley with their
meals complained of feeling too full.
But barely intake isn’t the only natural way to lower LDL
cholesterol. In the e-Alert “To Lower, or Not to Lower”
(9/9/03), I told you about policosanol, a compound of fatty
alcohols derived primarily from sugar cane or beeswax. In a
trial involving 240 post-menopausal women with high
cholesterol, 10 mg of policosanol taken daily for six months
significantly lowered LDL levels (25.2 percent) and total
cholesterol (16.7 percent). The women also experienced an
overall 29.3 percent increase in HDL levels.
Even though policosanol is drawn from the same plant that
produces table sugar, it doesn’t affect blood sugar levels
when ingested. And several studies have shown that it can
reduce cholesterol without creating the dangerous side effects
associated with statin drugs.
In other e-Alerts I’ve told you about natural supplements like
grapefruit pectin and tocotrienol vitamin E that can help
lower your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels.
Another promising supplement is arjuna, the ancient
Ayurvedic herb that has been shown to lower cholesterol as
much as 12 percent in just 30 days.
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Going low
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And now back to the opening question: Why lower
cholesterol?
As we grow older, our hormone levels drop, often boosting
cholesterol levels. One of the most common age-related side
effects of high cholesterol is a debilitating syndrome of
cramping pain in the calves known as intermittent
claudication. This is often linked to poor circulation and the
presence of arterial fat deposits.
Other research has shown that elevated cholesterol levels
may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In
the e-Alert “Clear as a Bell” (6/26/02), I told you how
elevated cholesterol levels are believed to increase the levels
of a certain protein that is abnormally processed by people
with Alzheimer’s disease. This abnormal processing sets off a
chain reaction that causes a peptide to accumulate and form
tangles that can kill brain cells.
So while high cholesterol is not the end-all and be-all of heart
health (as the mainstream medical community would have us
believe), keeping tabs on LDL and HDL with regular
exercise and natural treatments is a wise idea.
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‘I HAVEN’T HAD A GLASS OF WATER IN 20 YEARS’
Drinking tons of water is greatif you want to
raise your stroke risk, bring on kidney failure, and
encourage early Alzheimer’s.
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* If you’d rather enjoy a beer than force down 8 glasses of water
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GUESS WHAT? YOU’RE RIGHT and they’re full of tofu
Learn how right now from medicine’s most acclaimed myth-buster.
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and another thing
Chew on this
In an HSI Forum thread titled “Vitamin C chewable – does
the added sugar undermine the benefits?” a member named
Sandy writes: “My sis, a dental hygienist for 25 yrs, says the
chewable does so much damage to your teeth it’s better to go
without.”
Naturally, I checked in with HSI Panelist Allan Spreen,
M.D., to find out how he feels about the chewable form. And
sure enough, he agrees with Sandy’s sister. But only to a
point: He would not suggest that it’s better to go without.
Dr. Spreen: “I always avoided chewable vitamins as much as
possible. Vitamin C is the worst, as it’s either really sour
(ascorbic acid), or really bitter (sodium ascorbate), and needs
to be sweetened a LOT. Unfortunately, most chewables are
sweetened with sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup,
etc., unless you find a really ‘enlightened’ company, which is
rare. You also have to get one without artificial colors and
flavors.”
And here’s an idea for an “enlightened” supplement company
(courtesy of Dr. Spreen): Try sweetening with xylitol. It’s a
natural sweetener that actually protects against tooth decay
instead of promoting it.
But there’s one more issue concerning chewable. I’ve read
that chewing an acidic vitamin like C can actually harm tooth
enamel. When I asked Dr. Spreen about this question, it
didn’t concern him as much as the sugar problem: “Harming
the enamel with a chewable C may be possible, though even
the chewable form doesn’t stay in the mouth very long.
However, affecting outer tooth enamel isn’t all that
tough. Anyone who eats a few pieces of pineapple notices the
effect of dissolving the outer layers. Also, many of the tooth
whitening systems include a mild acid to deliberately do the
same thing, so the peroxide can have a better whitening
effect.”
Bottom line: A non-chewable form is probably best. As for
kids, by the time they’ve lost their baby teeth, most of them
can swallow a capsule. So why not get them used to it at a
young age and start them off on a good habit of taking daily
supplements?
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
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Sources:
“Diets Containing Barley Significantly Reduce Lipids in
Mildly Hypercholesterolemic Men and Women” American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 808, No. 5, November
2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
“Barley Helps Lower Cholesterol” Miranda Hitti, WebMD
Medical News, 12/8/04, my.webmd.com
