Is cholesterol dangerous? How do the nuts reduce cholesterol?

Cholesterol is an essential substance in our body and it has several important functions. Our blood, brain, liver and other organs need cholesterol. If there is no cholesterol then there are no female and male sex hormones and vitamin D..

Cholesterol is made a villain by many vested interests to make business and earn money. LDL-cholesterol is dangerous when it is oxidised with oxygen free radicals and this may be the reason to form the plaque. If we can control this, by lowering cholesterol and reducing the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol, it is a great thing.

Most of the persons are afraid of nuts because of the high fat content. Most of these fats are monounsaturated fatty acids which reduce the LDL or bad cholesterol. The almonds are similar to olives and have the same effect. Walnut is also good to lower cholesterol.

Remember, all plant foods including nuts do not have cholesterol. However the problem of weight gain is due to the high calories of energy in the nuts. Eat nuts but reduce the other fatty foods to lower the weight, gain.

All nuts are good, but eat without salt.

Sun light and vitamin D production; can we get vitamin D in toxic levels from working or playing in the sun light whole day?

No, from the sun light exposure we never get excess of vitamin D. When UV-B rays from sun light strikes the skin, it converts 7-Dehydrocholesterol, a precursor of cholesterol into vitamin D.

Between 10,000 and 20,000 IU of vitamin D are synthesized during a 30 minutes of whole-body exposure of pale skin without clothing or sunscreen. If the person is brown or black it takes more time. These quantities are enough to satisfy the needs of the body.

What will happen if we are overexposed to sun light? The body has two mechanisms to prevent an excess of vitamin D. Further radiation with UV-B rays converts excess vitamin D in the skin to a variety of inactive metabolites. Moreover, the pigment melanin from the skin tissues decreases the production of vitamin D.

This controlled production of vitamin D is also one of our nature’s wonder.

Can Vitamin D supplements interfere with my prescribed drugs?

I do not know which medicines you are taking, but vitamin D supplements can interfere with certain medicines. Its level in the blood can increase. It is better to consult with your doctor before taking the supplement.

These prescribed drugs include:

• Estrogens – Hormone replacement therapy with estrogens can increase vitamin D level in the blood. This has a positive effect on calcium and bone metabolism. This benefit is lost when progesterone is added in the therapy
• Isoniazid – This is a drug used to treat tuberclosis, may raise blood levels of vitamin D
• Thiazide – Diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide can increase the effect of vitamin D and can lead to very high calcium levels in the blood.
Vitamin D levels may be decreased if you take the following drugs:
• Antacids – long time use can affect the bioavailability of vitamin D
• Calcium channel blockers – These medicines are used to treat the high blood pressure and other heart diseases. They may decrease the production of vitamin D by the body
• Cholestyramine – This decreases the cholesterol. It interferes with the absorption of vitamin D
• Antiepileptic medications such as phenytoin, Phenobarbital and others may accelerate the body’s use of vitamin D
• Weight loss medications – Orlistat binds with fat and thus prevents the absorption of vitamin D and other fat soluble vitamins.
• Vitamin D may enhance the effects of doxorubicin, a drug used in treating cancers
• If you take digoxin, a drug used to treat irregular heart rhythms and vitamin D together, the high level of calcium can increase the drug to toxic ranges
• Corticosteroid drugs such as prednisone, used to reduce inflammation can reduce calcium absorption and impair vitamin D metabolism. This increases the risk for osteoporosis

Never increase the dose of the medicine by yourself. Even if you take food supplements talk to your doctor.

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by a thinned and weakened bone which increases the risk of fracture. Bone density informs about your bone strength and demineralization of the bones causes osteoporosis.

Simple falls can make an osteoporotic bone more susceptible to fracture.

Primary osteoporosis can occur both in men and women, but more common in postmenopausal women and men get it normally when they are old.

Secondary osteoporosis is due to deficiencies or too much of hormones, steroid medication and chronic illness and there may be more other reasons which we may not know now.

The most important here is not the bone density or daily bone loss but the balance between bone formation and loss.

Calcium, vitamin D and estrogens play a vital role in osteoporosis. Healthy food, good lifestyle and physical activity is important to prevent it.

What is the relationship among calcium, estrogens and vitamin D?

It is very simple, for the absorption of calcium from our intestine to blood we need estrogens and vitamin D. If you have deficiency of estrogens, vitamin D or both you can also have less absorption of calcium which may lead to osteoporosis.

It is more difficult to keep the absorbed calcium in our body and several factors such as, the amount of calcium or the amount of vitamin D, or sodium or protein has a good or very bad influence on it. Too much from these food or nutrients are bad for calcium metabolism.

The estrogens production is slowly reduced during the pre-menopausal period and in post-menopausal the concentration is very low. Estrogens replacement therapy or enough vitamin D intake is, therefore, very important for women’s health.

The phytoestrogens from soya beans or other vegetables can also replace estrogens replacement therapy.

Calcium

About 99% of the calcium in our body is present in the bones and teeth. The remaining 1% is found in blood and has very important functions.

If we have less calcium in our blood then automatically it will be taken from the bone. It is good one side but also dangerous because in course of time the bone mass density can come down.

Calcium plays an important role in nerve conduction, muscle contraction and blood clotting. Therefore, it is very important to take enough calcium to maintain the amount in blood as well as in bones.

Osteoporosis is the disease which calcium deficiency brings. Here the bone mineral density decreases and the bones become porous. Increased risks of fractures are the result. It affects the women after menopause.

The recommended amount of daily intake of calcium is as follows:

Age Daily intake(mg) Females (mg) Males (mg)

Infants:
0 to 12 months 250 - 500
Children:
1 to 3 years 600
4 to 6 years 700
7 to 9 years 800
10 to 12 years 900 1000
Adolescents:
13 to 14 years 900 1000
15 to 18 years 800 900
Adults:
above 19 years 800 800
Pregnant +400
Breastfeeding +400

The foods rich in calcium include:

Milk and dairy products
Legumes
Mustard
Cabbage
Dark green leafy vegetables
Salmon & sardines

The substances which decrease calcium absorption include:

Oxalic acid – spinach, Soya beans and some other vegetables also
Phytates – in some plant foods
Dietary fibre – plant foods
Excess of phosphorous – also need vitamin-D for absorption.
Laxatives – no time for calcium absorption.
Tannins – present in tea, can bind with calcium.
Medicines – long time use of corticosteroids and anticonvulsants

There is an important relationship between calcium, estrogens and vitamin D. For calcium absorption we need vitamin D and/or estrogens. That is why after menopause when the estrogens level drops women may have problem. It is much more complicated as we think.

Is the advertisement in Indian television correct with calcium+D? It is a very good question. In India, calcium+D tablets are not needed. Here we have enough sunlight. So there will be no problem for vitamin D production. This calcium+D are produced for Europe and other countries where there is not enough sunlight. Better buy something where there is only calcium, that also only if it is absolutely necessary Food is the good source for calcium. If you supplement calcium you must know several things thoroughly. Otherwise, you could bad to your health.

Normally a healthy person need not take calcium tablets. If he eats normal food he gets enough calcium. We need the supplementation only in later life, i.e., for the postmenopausal women and aged persons. Consult your doctor or dietician

Supplementation:

Postmenopausal woman …..1500 mg
Aged persons, 65+ ….....1500 mg

Do not take more than 500 mg at a time and after 4 to 6 hours only the next dose, since calcium absorption occurs very slowly. The supplement should be taken in between two meals. Otherwise calcium can interfere with the absorption of many essential elements including iron.

Is it so simple to supplement and increase the amount of calcium, thus the bone mineral density? If one reads it sounds so simple but it is very complicated. I have worked more than 20 years with calcium and its problems. I have conversed with thousands of women about their food habits to understand their calcium intake. The conclusions are very interesting that they take more than recommended calcium. But there are more points that they should know.

• If you take too much of calcium from your food and supplementation then the body excretes also much more calcium.
• If you take more sodium, then more calcium is excreted.
• If the urine becomes acidic from too much intake of protein, then also much calcium is eliminated.

If too much of calcium is there, then sodium and potassium have problems and we are often tired. It is better to have a counselling to make it tailor-cut calcium intake for you.