A Nutty Solution
One of the best kept secrets in medicine is that Brazil nuts can lower cholesterol. Yep, you heard me right. A 2013 study showed that eating just 4 Brazil nuts once a month could lower bad (LDL-c) cholesterol by 23%, and raise good (HDL-c) cholesterol by 39%. And it worked within hours! They tested different doses, but 4 nuts seemed to be the sweet spot, and the improvement lasted a whole month. From just one serve of 4 Brazil nuts!
I know what you’re thinking, “statins must work better, all doctors are in love with statins”. This study shows how well statins work, and on average bad cholesterol (LDL-c) was lowered by 19%-37%. That’s compared to 23% for the nuts. What about statins and good cholesterol though? Yes statins can raise good (HDL-c) cholesterol as this study shows, but only by 4%-10%. Whereas the nuts raised it 39%!
If you can’t be bothered reading the studies (and who can) watch this excellent video for a summary. If you’re like me you’re wondering “why haven’t I heard about this before”? And my response is “I don’t know”. My guess is the statin industry has a bigger marketing budget than the Brazil nut industry. I’m not a real doctor, so if you’re taking a statin don’t stop without talking to a real doctor, but I’m hard pressed to see a reason NOT to take 4 Brazil nuts a month. If you’re allergic to nuts sure, that’s a good reason not to take them, but for the rest of us what harm can it do?
What’s This Got to Do with Teeth?
If you require a bone graft prior to placement of a dental implant, there is an increased risk of the graft failing if you have high cholesterol. If you’re not getting a dental implant and you have high cholesterol, there is an increased risk of your heart failing, which means you won’t get to enjoy your teeth long into the future. Just eat the nuts.
(Dr T is dentist Brett Taylor. After being told he was probably going to die a lot sooner than he expected (or wanted) he suddenly became focused on health. Go figure)
Dr T’s Simple Health Checklist
- Eat 4 Brazil Nuts once a month to reduce cholesterol