Customer Reviews

Cholesterol Cures: More Than 325 Natural Ways to Lower Cholesterol and Live Longer from Almonds and Chocolate to Garlic and Wine

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For a book revised in 2002, there are several outdated errors or omissions. In the section about antioxidants, preliminary studies performed in 1993 were cited. Since that time, there have been several studies rebuffing the claims made in this book. The editors should have made more of an effort to keep up with new research findings. Also, the NCEP III Guidelines came out in May 2001, yet this book lists the classification of abnormal triglyceride levels from the 1996 NCEP II Guidelines. Personally, I was aware of the contents (and changes) of the NCEP III Guidelines by December 2000. Certainly the books' medical advisor, Dr. William Castelli, was aware of the changes in the NCEP Guidelines. The editors appear to have missed the boat on this issue.

The good points of the book are basic diet knowledge. Such as; fruits and vegetables are good, mono-unsaturated fats and fiber are good. Also, other sound advice like; smoking is bad and exercise is good. There are many good examples and explanations of beneficial dietary and lifestyle issues. However, the lack of current information and the almost conscience effort to steer people down a few dead end streets makes this book not worth the effort of reading. The bottom line: the book says 2002, but some of the information, or mis-information, is mid-1990's.

The editors of Prevention Magazine, along with medical advisor William Castelli, MD, of Framingham Study fame, have assembled a unique collection of information on lowering cholesterol. Actually, this book is about lots more than lowering cholesterol. The "chapters" run around 3-4 pages a piece, each one focusing on some nutritional supplement or food that provides some heart-healthy benefit.

The chapters on almonds, monounsaturated fat, pectin, flaxseed, and soy are among the most helpful. Information on health can often be confusing with pros and cons of various strategies reported in the media every day. The format of this book, with focused discussions on numerous foods and supplements delivered in bits and pieces, can make wading through the mountain of information more manageable.

If you'd like some information on heart-health without having to read a book cover to cover, but selectively for the parts you find most helpful, you'll get great use out of this book.

My husband had a heart attack and I wanted to find some books about heart healthy foods that would lower cholesterol. I found this book and I have never been so pleased in my life with book!! The format is wonderful. It is not overwhelming like so many others I bought. It covers heart healthy foods from A to Z. It has a magnificent synopsis of each food, why it's healthy and even has suggestions of how to integrate the food into your diet. I read it cover to cover in a matter of an hour and felt wonderful about what I learned. It also has a cholesterol counter in the back which has become invaluable to me. If you are looking for a book on cholesterol--LOOK NO FURTHER!!! BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The general information about a healthy life style, including a healthy diet, that is included in this book is by now the standard advice that almost all general practitioners of medicine provide to their patients. This information can also be found in many other publications (books, pamphlets, articles, and online documents), most of which contain information that is more up-to-date (and more reliable) than the information found in this book. The weaknesses of this book reside in the specifics presented and in the way that the information is presented.

For example, according to the various research studies conducted in the United States, Israel, and Europe between the years 2000 and 2007, the benefits of oral ingestion of L-Arginine supplements include improving insulin sensitivity and increasing muscle mass (among other benefits), but all of these clinical studies found no evidence whatsoever that L-Arginine supplements have any effect on cholesterol levels. In particular, HeartBars (a medical food containing L-Arginine that is developed by one of the advisors for this book, and is recommended by the editors for improving cholesterol) was found to have no favorable effect by several studies (See, for example, the American Heart Journal, Volume 145, Issue 3, Page E15, 2003).

The basic information about eating healthy and exercising (fairly common knowledge by now) can be helpful to a reader who has not had any exposure to such information before. The downside to reading this book, however, is that if the reader does not challenge the information that is presented as gospel by checking other more reliable sources (including recent publications by the Harvard Medical School and U C Berkeley Medical School, and by Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Andrew Weil, to mention only a few sources), then that reader will very likely buy and ingest supplements and foods in the hope that they will improve his or her cholesterol but experience disappointment when they see no positive effect specifically in relation to their cholesterol. They may feel more energetic after following the advice in the book for 90 days, and some may see an improvement in their blood pressure, but the majority will see no beneficial effects on their cholesterol. For that, there are other more reliable sources of information.

This is the second copy that I have purchased for myself to lend to those I care about. This book is simple yet explains how to effectively lower ones cholesterol and improve their diet.It's a quick read for a short attention span without all of the medical terminology.

Helpful in finding ways to lower cholesterol. I use it as a reference.

Just reading the description makes me wary. Chicory is a diuretic which it fine if you have a problem with edema but it could possibly cause dehydration if taken too often and not drinking enough water is a major cause of high cholesterol. Guacamole is made with avocadoes, Avocadoes contain high amounts of saturated fat, although it is vegetable based. I don't think it matters. Flaxseeds are waxy based seed. What do you think wax would do to you blood or even your digestive tract? What is actually in the seed itself is beneficial but extracting it would be costly and therefore unaffordable for most people.