High Cholesterol In Young Adults

We often associate high cholesterol levels with older adults. The reality is that millions of adults in North America who are under 40 years old have high cholesterol levels. 

It can be really jarring as a 30 year old to go for a routine check-up only to find out that your cholesterol levels are unexpectedly out of range. If you’re like many of my patients, your diet might not even be “that bad” which makes the test results even more frustrating. 

Of course, one reason for high cholesterol levels in young, otherwise healthy people is genetics. Some people were born with genetic mutations that just make it harder for their body to metabolize cholesterol. 

But this isn’t the case for everyone. Here are two risk factors that I find in many of my patients who are in their 30s and early 40s, eat reasonably balanced diets and still have high cholesterol levels: 

1. Sedentary Lifestyle 

Exercise keeps cholesterol levels in check in a number of ways. It boosts the production of good cholesterol and it helps your body utilize fat better. I have found that many of my patients may have decent diets, but they work all day at a desk and are often too tired during the week and too busy on weekends to even think about exercise. Many people have dogs to walk which definitely helps with getting steps in, but there is little vigorous cardiovascular or muscle-building exercise in their weekly routine. 

I’m not judging here. I spend a lot of time sitting when I’m in the office and it always takes effort to motivate myself to exercise. That being said, I do my best to keep my reasons for exercising at the forefront of my mind which helps me push myself to do 20 minutes of YouTube exercise most days. It doesn’t take much, start with 10-20 minutes a couple times a week and build from there. 

We want to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous cardiovascular exercise each week (e.g. brisk walking, swimming, cycling) plus 2 days a week of muscle building exercise like yoga or weight lifting. If walking your dog is not getting your heart beating faster and getting you panting a bit, it may not be vigorous enough. 

2. Stress

I’m not just blaming stress because I work in the mental health field. It is well accepted that stress can increase cholesterol levels. This is due to a couple different processes that happen in the body. Stress can increase the release of stress hormones (like cortisol) which in turn makes the body release more fat into the blood stream. Stress makes the body think that it’s gearing up for danger so it wants to have energy on hand in the blood stream. Long term, this can lead to elevated blood cholesterol levels in your test results and plaque formation in the arteries. 

Managing cholesterol takes a multi-pronged approach that may involve diet changes, exercise plans, stress and sleep support, medication and natural supplements. If you’re young and your cholesterol levels are high, try not to panic. Just think of this as an indicator that your body is asking for some extra help in certain areas. Luckily a lot can be done to manage cholesterol levels in many cases.

Reducing Inflammation Can Reduce Anxiety and Depression

How are your 2019 goals going? Do you feel like you’re making progress with your New Year’s resolutions? Or is your mental health weighing you down? It can be disappointing to make all these goals for your new year and then realize that you don’t feel like taking steps towards them because you’re too anxious, depressed, unmotivated or irritable. “New Year, New You” might already be fading away to “New Year, Same Old”. Sometimes before you start tackling your goals, you need to get your head in the right space first. If you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, that means doing everything you can to improve your chances of healing.    

There is exciting research in the field of mental health regarding the role that inflammation plays in anxiety and depression. Laboratory studies have found that inflammation impacts regions of the brain associated with fear and anxiety. Scientists have also found that factors that increase inflammation like poor diet, poor lifestyle, illness and stress can interfere with the production of serotonin and dopamine. These are brain chemicals that are important for mood and happiness.

Of course, inflammation is not the only factor involved in anxiety and depression but numerous studies have found that anxiety and depression patients seem to have higher levels of inflammation markers in their blood and cerebrospinal fluid. It also seems like anxiety and depression can further increase inflammation in the body (sounds like a vicious cycle, right?). It has even been found that some patients with mental health conditions have a genetic predisposition to higher levels of inflammation. Some doctors are using the term “brainflammation” to describe this connection between mental health and inflammation.  

Naturally, scientists want to see if reducing inflammation can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Herbs that reduce inflammation such as turmeric have been able to reduce symptoms of both anxiety and depression in several studies. There are many other natural ways your naturopathic doctor can use herbal medicine and nutritional supplements to reduce inflammation.

But beyond taking a pill, how else can you reduce inflammation? Eat well. Sleep well. Exercise. Relax. Lose Weight. These are core pillars of health and key ways to reduce inflammation.

Confused about all the information out there on how to eat well? Talk to a naturopathic doctor. Our whole job is to sift through the truth and the trendy myths to give you the diet information that will actually help you without overwhelming you. Not sleeping well despite drowning in melatonin supplements and sleepy tea? Talk to a naturopathic doctor. We’ll set you up on a science-based plan that solves your unique sleep problems. If you need support with losing weight, managing stress and exercising, naturopathic doctors can help you or connect you to resources and other people that can help you.

January can be such an exciting month full of promise for the year to come. It doesn’t have to be a month of disappointment and failed New Year’s resolutions. If you take the right steps and get the right support, this can be a year of real progress in your physical and mental health. If you want “New year, New you” to be true for you in 2019, prioritize yourself and prioritize your mental health.

Treating Depression Holistically

In 2012, 2.8 million Canadians reported having symptoms of mental health conditions like depression. With the coldest and darkest time of the year looming ahead of us, many are being impacted by seasonal affective disorder. However, millions of people experience mood disorders completely unrelated to the season. For some, these dips in mood may not be severe enough to be considered clinical depression but they are still negatively impacting happiness and wellbeing. For others, their symptoms are consistent with clinical depression.

Though there are many causes of depression, scientists argue that our lifestyle may be contributing to the rise in depression in the modern world. We move less, eat more, connect less with loved ones, sleep poorly and often feel pressed for time. Depression, in turn can make you less interested in connecting with family and friends or doing the things you used to love. It’s frightening to lose that feeling of looking forward to something that once brought you joy or interest. When you’re depressed, it’s easy to feel like you may never get to experience that joy or excitement again – or that you never really did experience it in the past.  

Medication and/or psychotherapy are important first line treatments to consider in cases of depression. But we should not stop there. Many researchers recommend including “lifestyle medicine” as part of a well-rounded, holistic treatment plan for depression. According to a paper published by BMC Psychiatry (PMID: 24721040), “lifestyle medicine” includes the following:

-          Improving diet

-          Physical exercise

-          Recreation and leisure

-          Relaxation and mindfulness/ meditation

-          Improving sleep

-          Improving environment (i.e. less exposure to pollution, chemicals, noise and more exposure to nature)

-          Social time

-          Reducing alcohol and smoking

Some of these concepts are still budding areas of research but the risk of trying them is low and your life will likely benefit in more ways than one for trying them. It has been argued that these interventions can improve depression by improving the health of your brain and hormones and by reducing inflammation (yes there is a connection between inflammation and depression).

As a naturopathic doctor, I recommend many of these treatments along with herbal medicine and acupuncture to my patients struggling with their mood. If a patient really needs medication, I never expect them to choose between medication or a naturopathic approach. With the right guidance, natural approaches can mesh perfectly well with medication. I also never expect a patient to change their lifestyle overnight. When mood and motivation are low it can be hard to make even the simplest changes to daily routines. Small, realistic steps are important to prevent discouragement.

With depression, the goal is not simply to numb the feelings of sadness but to move towards wellbeing and happiness. I want my patients to feel excited again about their lives, their family, their friends, their work and their ambitions. I believe a well-rounded, holistic approach to depression is key to getting closer to those goals.