Customer Reviews

Controlling Cholesterol the Natural Way: Eat Your Way to Better Health with New Breakthrough Food Discoveries

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An excellent book which I heartily endorse for a layperson's understanding of cholesterol. An everything you need to know book, with all the latest as of the publication date. The doc also has recommendations based on his own experience and research, most obviously well considered and grounded. Of course, things are moving so fast in heart and health research that I have questions since the two months ago I read this book, and things are left unanswered. I felt the book failed to synthesize adequately all the information that is coming out. E.G. how do we combine the benecol with the vitamin e,c,b, the fish oil, the garlic, the COQ-10, the flaxseed oil, melatonin etc. Does the benecol affect absorption of some of these other food ingredients being touted now by the researchers? And, do we take something, or everything, and if we combine everything, when do we ingest? I also had questions, unanswered, about the doc's touting of oat bran and psyllium fiber, since other research indicates that these foods, like processed wheat flour, have high glycemic indexes, and therefore that large ingestions would by inference tend to increase blood triglycerides. Thus, maybe I consider this more an information book than a program book, as I felt that latter aspect as explained needs more work.

For over 30 years, Dr. Ken Cooper has been a trusted source for insights into health, exercise, and heart disease. Despite its release in 1999, Dr. Cooper's book remains a persuasive and detailed introduction to the use of so-called "functional foods" and "nutriceuticals" to lower cholesterol. These included stanol/sterol esters in butter substitutes, soy products, Phytrol, and oat bran. If you have high cholesterol (LDL or total) and you're unaware of the power these strategies, you've got to read Dr. Cooper's book to get up to speed.

Dr. Cooper's book is also the only other book on the market besides mine that discusses how heart scans can be used as a part of your heart disease prevention program. Although the discussion is only 3 pages long, he details how this exciting technology is proving to be among THE most powerful tools available for detecting hidden coronary plaque.

Only one criticism: Dr. Cooper's discussion of causes of heart attack beyond cholesterol is too brief and you'll have to turn elsewhere for more information. (In all fairness, much new data has become available since publication of this book.) Nonetheless, Controlling Cholesterol the Natural Way remains a principal reference for people who wish to augment their health program with powerful nutritional strategies.

I agree wholeheartedly with the other reviewers. At first, I thought it was just hype, but Dr. Cooper convinced me that new foods like Benecol actually work to reduce cholesterol. My doctor wanted me to take medication, but I hate taking pills. This is so much easier and I trust eating food more than taking pills.

Dr. Cooper also proved to me that I needed to be even more concerned about cholesterol than I thought. Cholesterol is a problem in America and lower is better. I was happy to read that there are many other doctors and clinical studies that support Dr. Cooper's use of Benecol to lower it.

Dr. Cooper provides straight, clear advice on how to lower cholesterol naturally with functional foods like new Benecol foods and even bran flakes. His recipes and meal tips provide even more options for including Benecol into the everyday routine. His explanation of the "science" behind this new food is simple and understandable. His discussion of the additional cholesterol reduction seen when Benecol is used alongside a cholesterol-lowering medication is intriguing.

This book helped me in some ways, but it was not a simple book to read. I felt that there could have been more information on the exact foods to eat to lower the cholestrol. I will not be using it as an reference

I was really impressed with Dr. Cooper's ability to take complex technical terms and put them into words and stories that made the information very useful. I just want to lower my cholesterol not get a science lesson. I am also glad to hear there are a lot of clinical studies and Drs. supporting the use of Benecol to lower my cholesterol - - I don't like taking pills!

The dangers of heart disease as an early killer if not identified and tackled properly do not need repeating This book is great - after reading numerous items on the subject of cholestrol and preventing heart disease which told you little new and largely duplicate each other, one finishes this book feeling great and that there is real hope without needing to just rely on expensive medications and drugs.

This is because firstly it delivers a much better grasp of all the extensive medical research; secondly it outlines well the simple steps needed to make a real difference, and thirdly it shows how the diferent alternatives can be mixed and tailored (diet, exercise and drugs) for each person's specific case. The most critical benefit (and hence the "natural way" in the title of the book) is his coverage of the new functional foods (both natural and designed) and the way these can make a real difference and how they should be approached and used based on your specific cholestrol problems.

The writer's no nonsense and straight talking style plus his long experience as a doctor treating patients in this area, means that though there is a lot of medical and scientific jargon inevitably, one finishes the book with a much greater general knowledge and appreciation of what is possible plus how with suitable application one can access the compund effect of applying diferent elements of the treatments together. An educating and thought provoking read on an important subject.

I was really impressed with Dr. Cooper's ability to take complex technical terms and put them into words and stories that made the information very useful. I just want to lower my cholesterol not get a science lesson. I am also glad to hear there are a lot of clinical studies and Drs. supporting the use of Benecol to lower my cholesterol - - I don't like taking pills!

If you are like me and cannot take 'statin' drugs, you will appreciate the information in this book. It may tell you some things you already knew, but it also focuses on the natural approach. I think this book is a good reference book for anyone trying to combat inherited high cholesterol and wants alternatives to prescription drugs. I lowered mine from 330 to 220-still high but oh so much better.

I was hoping this book would be directed and smart eating strategies for lowering bad and increasing good cholesterol. Instead, it was basically an advertisement for some kind of chemical supplement that can't be found anywhere.