Alcohol can reverse high cholesterol in women.A new study indicates that moderate consumption of alcohol can drop cholesterol levels by a significant margin in post-menopausal women. "This study does not lead to a recommendation to consume or not consume alcohol. It does provide evidence that may help an individual make informed choices for their own health," says the study author, David J. Baer, a research physiologist affiliated with the United States Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center. The new research, appearing last week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that women can reduce their levels of both triacyl-glycerides (formerly called triglycerides Triglycerides Fatty compounds synthesized from carbohydrates during the process of digestion and stored in the body's adipose (fat) tissues. High levels of triglycerides in the blood are associated with insulin resistance. ) and low density lipoprotein Low density lipoprotein (LDL) A fraction of total serum lipids, the so called "bad" cholesterol. Mentioned in: Hypercholesterolemia (LDL LDL - ["LDL: A Logic-Based Data-Language", S. Tsur et al, Proc VLDB 1986, Kyoto Japan, Aug 1986, pp.33-41]. , the "bad cholesterol") by drinking one alcoholic beverage (15 grams) a day. Adding a second drink, for a total of 30 grams of alcohol a day, will increase high density lipoprotein High density lipoprotein (HDL) A fraction of total serum lipids, the so called "good" cholesterol. Mentioned in: Hypercholesterolemia (HDL (Hardware Description Language) A language used to describe the functions of an electronic circuit for documentation, simulation or logic synthesis (or all three). Although many proprietary HDLs have been developed, Verilog and VHDL are the major standards. , the "good" cholesterol). Fifteen grams of alcohol is equal to a 1.5-ounce cocktail, 12 ounces of beer, or 4 ounces of wine. The really good news: Women with the highest lipid levels stood to gain the most. "I suspect that the women who had the highest triacyiglycerides had the most 'room' to improve," Baer says. Like cholesterol, triacylglycerides are a blood fat or lipid, which can clog vessels and increase the risk of heart disease, as well as heart attack and stroke. According to nutritionist nu·tri·tion·ist n. One who is trained or is an expert in the field of nutrition. nutritionist Dietitian, see there Maudine Nelson, what's important is that the study documented any drop at all in cholesterol levels in older women. Once menopause occurs, she says, those levels, along with the risk of heart disease, can take a significant jump up. "Menopause can be synonymous with increasing LDL and decreasing HDL, which is the exact opposite of what you want, if you want to protect against heart disease," says Nelson, a registered dietitian at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . |
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