Too many people are worried about their cholesterol, while not enough are worried about their blood sugar. Having elevated blood sugar increases your risk of a heart attack even if you have normal or low cholesterol. Sugar can cause wear and tear to the delicate inner lining of your arteries. Over time, this promotes calcification of arteries. A high coronary calcium score is a heart attack risk

Coronary heart disease is responsible for one in six deaths in the United States and is right up there as one of the biggest killers worldwide. So it's not surprising that most people are concerned about the health of their heart and want to do whatever it takes to keep it healthy. Unfortunately, it has meant that many people are unnecessarily avoiding fat, and are following precisely the type of diet that will give them heart disease!

It is commonly thought that if you eat too much fat you'll end up with fat clogging your arteries. The truth is heart disease and atherosclerosis are far more complicated than that. Saturated fat has very little effect on overall cholesterol levels in most people, and it even has the ability to raise the "good" HDL cholesterol. Sugar on the other hand is capable of causing a range of metabolic disturbances that lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

High carbohydrate foods that are rapidly digested into sugar are also problematic. Examples include most breakfast cereals, pasta, bread, rice and any food made of flour. Foods that have a high glycemic load are rapidly converted into sugar in the body and therefore behave in much the same way.

Elevated blood sugar may harm your heart in the following ways:

  • Elevation of total cholesterol
  • Elevation of triglycerides
  • Raising LDL "bad" cholesterol
  • Promoting the oxidization of LDL cholesterol (oxidized LDL is more likely to cause harm to the artery walls)
  • Elevating uric acid (raises the risk of gout and kidney stones)
  • Promoting insulin resistance and abnormal glucose tolerance (raises the risk of type 2 diabetes)
  • Reduces HDL "good" cholesterol
  • Altering platelet function in a way that makes the blood thicker and more prone to clotting
  • Raising blood pressure
  • Promoting the development of fatty liver disease
  • Promoting the development of leptin resistance. This increases the risk of weight gain and it increases hunger and cravings for carbohydrates, making weight loss much more difficult

When eaten in excess, sugar and carbs have disastrous effects on metabolism and cardiovascular health. Each person has a different tolerance level for carbohydrate and sugar; some people can get away with eating more of it and not suffering these consequences. If you have a family history of type 2 diabetes or if there are overweight people in your family, your tolerance for carbohydrate will usually be lower. As we get older, our carbohydrate tolerance usually becomes lower.

How to look after your heart

  1. Take care of your liver. Your liver is the most metabolically active organ in your body. Two of its main jobs are fat burning and detoxification. If your liver is healthy you will find it easier to maintain a healthy weight. If your liver is healthy you will also have a healthy level of cholesterol in your blood. If you have a fatty liver, please follow the guidelines in my book Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It. If you are carrying excess weight on your abdomen, my liver tonic, Livatone Plus, should help to shift it more easily.
  2.  Sugar and carbohydrate rich foods can raise your cholesterol because your liver turns them into fat. Therefore, cutting down or cutting out foods like bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereals, sugary drinks and any food that contains flour or sugar is a very useful way of keeping your cholesterol in the healthy range. Sugar and carbs can be addictive for a lot of people despite their best efforts to stay away from them. That’s when a blood sugar balancing supplement can really help. The herbs Gymnema and bitter melon, as well as the minerals chromium, magnesium and manganese all help to stabilize blood sugar and thereby reduce hunger and cravings. Glicemic Balance capsules contain these ingredients and are best taken with each meal.
  3. Stay away from industrial seed oils. Most vegetable oil is far too high in omega 6 fats which promote inflammation. When these fats are heated (during cooking) they are further damaged and become very harmful to the body. The healthiest fats to include in your diet are avocados, extra virgin olive oil, macadamia nut oil, organic coconut oil, pastured butter and ghee and animal fats.
  4. Type 2 diabetics and people with insulin resistance are at much higher risk of heart disease than the average person. People with these conditions usually have elevated blood insulin levels and insulin stimulates the liver to make cholesterol. Berberine is a natural plant extract that can help people with insulin resistance or diabetes to reduce their cholesterol. This is because it inhibits an enzyme in the body called PCSK9. This facilitates the removal of LDL cholesterol from your bloodstream. Berberine actually has the same mechanism of action as the new cholesterol lowering drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors, but without the typical side effects of flu like symptoms, back pain and joint pain.

For more information see my book Cholesterol: The Real Truth.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

Reference

Lower Is Better for Blood Glucose to Reduce Heart Disease (medscape.com)