Heart Problems: Alternative treatments

One of the more radical dietary approaches has been developed by Dr dean Ornish, whose ‘heart diet’ has been used successfully by many thousands of people with a heart condition. A kinder diet is the Montignac diet, which was originally developed for diabetics. This avoids all processed foods, and uses only foods with a low glycaemic count, which, in turn, lowers cholesterol levels.

Other things you can do:

• Eat foods containing high levels of beta-sitosterol, found in most plants, especially soybeans, as they can reduce cholesterol by at least 10 per cent
• Take omega-3 fatty-acid supplements, preferably with vitamin B6
• Eat a high-fibre diet based on vegetables, fruits and nuts (Metabolism, 2001; 50: 494-503); oat bran, apple pectin and psyllium are especially helpful
• Take up to 3000 mg/day of niacin, but beware of overdosing
• Try blue-green algae supplements; they contain large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids which may reduce cholesterol
• Don’t forget garlic (Allium sativum), which lowers cholesterol
  

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