Heart disease is the number one cause of death in America and, by now, almost all of us recognize that high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides increase heart disease risk. Unfortunately, with all we know, there are still millions of Americans who suffer from high blood levels of each.
While medical drugs may help to reduce cholesterol levels, their side effects may make them less desirable than a safe natural remedy. Or it may be you want to hedge your bets, so to speak, using both drugs and natural therapies. Probiotics and probiotic-rich foods would make a good part of your supplement program.
The American Heart Association says that changes in life habits—cutting down on calories, reducing saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet, reduced alcohol intake and a regular exercise program—can help in the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia, the technical name for elevated triglycerides, an independent heart disease risk factor. Triglycerides are the form in which fat is found in the bloodstream. Here’s some good probiotic news. Several studies have indicated that consumption of certain cultured dairy products resulted in reduction of serum cholesterol, as well as triglycerides.
One team found that serum cholesterol levels in men from a tribe of African Maasai warriors decreased after consumption of large amounts of milk fermented with a wild lactobacillus strain. Other researchers have found that serum cholesterol levels in bottle-fed babies decreased as the numbers of Lactobacillus acidophilus in their stools increased. Consumption of yogurt has also been shown to decrease serum cholesterol levels in humans and rabbits. We also have reviewed reports showing a significant decrease in plasma cholesterol in rats fed milk feremented by Streptococcus thermophilus. Yet more studies find a significant decrease in serum cholesterol in rats fed milk fermented with L. acidophilus. And germ-free swine, after being exposed to L. acidophilus and developing normal flora, also experienced decreased serum cholesterol levels. Even laying hens find reduced cholesterol levels when fed L. acidophilus.
At the Metabolic Research Group, VA Medical Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, two controlled clinical studies were performed to examine effects of consumption of one daily serving of fermented milk on serum lipids. In the first study, fermented milk containing L. acidophilus was accompanied by a 2.4 percent reduction of serum cholesterol concentration. In the second study, a different L.acidophilus strain reduced serum cholesterol concentration by 3.2 percent. Since every one percent reduction in serum cholesterol concentration is associated with an estimated two to three percent reduction in risk for coronary heart disease, regular intake of fermented milk containing an appropriate strain of L.acidophilus has the potential of reducing risk for coronary heart disease by six to ten percent.
“Recent medical studies at the Shinshu University in Japan find that Lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria can suppress the reabsorption in the liver of bile acids carrying cholesterol and improve the removal of cholesterol from blood through stool excretion,” notes Aristo Vojdani, Ph.D., M.T. “In another study in Argentina, lactobacilli bacteria were found to lower total blood cholesterol by 22 percent and triglycerides by 33 percent. A research report from Denmark published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition notes that lactobacilli bacteria significantly lowered blood pressure in men and women 18 to 55 years of age after eight weeks of supplementation. Those in the control group not receiving lactobacillus bacteria had no reduction in their high blood pressure. Such scientific evidence provides valuable insight toward reducing the risk of unhealthy cholesterol levels associated with heart disease.”
Frederic Vagnini, M.D., medical director of the Cardiovascular Wellness and Longevity Centers of New York, says probiotic supplementation is a wise strategy for optimal cardiovascular health. Author of The New York Times best selling book, The Carbohydrate Addict’s Healthy Heart Program, Dr.Vagnini says beneficial bacteria consumed on a regular basis help keep cholesterol levels within healthy ranges. Food absorption and liver functions improve. Also, probiotic supplements offer a safer way to clean up excess cholesterol without the side effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Thus, we see probiotics, in addition to their many other health benefits, can play an important complementary role in cholesterol-lowering regimens. They do so through the assimilation of cholesterol in the digestive tract. Such assimilation in the small intestine may be important in reducing the absorption of dietary cholesterol from the digestive system into the blood.
Be sure your probiotic formula is combined with FOS, which will amplify the benefits of probiotics by also reducing levels of triglycerides. In particular, FOS, often added to quality probiotic supplements, selectively modifies the colon’s bacterial populations and liver’s formation of lipids. Both of these, in turn, help the body to beneficially lower serum blood lipids. What’s more, FOS is completely nontoxic and without any drug or nutrient interactions whatsoever. C.M.Williams of the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Reading, Reading, UK, notes that “convincing lipid-lowering effects of the fructooligosaccharide and inulin have been demonstrated in animals . . .”
FOS seems to work best if persons are consuming a diet high in carbohydrates. That is because we know that a key constituent of FOS, inulin, works by inhibiting the liver’s synthesis of fatty acids and that this is the major pathway for its triglyceride-lowering effects.
Biochemical studies with isolated liver cells have demonstrated that by altering gene expression inulin reduces the activity of the liver’s key enzymes, which are related to formation of fatty acids or assembling triglycerides. This pathway is relatively inactive in humans unless one is consuming a high carbohydrate diet. But if you like pastries, baked goods, candy and soft drinks or other forms of starch and carbohydrates such as rice and potatoes—then a probiotic-FOS combination could be your best friend, as it can really help to lower blood lipids including cholesterol and triglycerides. The studies indicate that the triglyceride lowering effect takes about eight weeks to establish.
How to Use Probiotics to Lower Cholesterol & Triglycerides
Probiotics and probiotic-rich foods aid in lowering cholesterol and triglycerides. Use quality probiotic supplements containing lactobacillus and bifidus cultures fortified with FOS and take daily. Be sure to follow the recommended label instructions and work with your physician. Do not discontinue other medications without your doctor’s advice.