Katsyuyoshi Torii writes:
Monday through Saturday both Mr and Mrs M usually skip breakfast. At lunch Mrs M eats a simple meal, usually a bowl of rice with beef or pork and a sweet dessert, cake, cookies or ice cream. Mr M's lunch is usually a hamburger or fried chicken or fried fish. Since Mr M works late, Mrs M eats her dinner alone. Mrs M's dinner is a combination of snack food and sandwiches. After her eating dinner, occasionally both Mr and Mrs M share fast food such as pizza, yakitori or Chinese noodles with eggs, pork and chicken. Additionally, they have no opportunity to do regular exercise. In this way I can't think their life style is good.
Mr M has low levels of HDL but his LDL level is 170. HDL is the good guys, that is, HDL removes cholesterol from the lining of the arteries and helps maintain good blood flow. On the other hand, a higher LDL- cholesterol level increases the risk of heart disease. Major studies have found that reducing cholesterol levels in the blood can prevent heart disease and related deaths. So, he should exchange his diet. He should eat more healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables and broiled or grilled fish and skinless chicken. Additionally he should eat a variety of fiberrich foods, like oats, wholegrain breads, oranges, broccoli, carrots, apples and cauliflower. Then, it's important to drink over six glasses of liquid a day when Mr and Mrs M want to increase the amount of fiber they eat. All of these are related to controlling cholesterol levels. Then again, Mr M is not overweight, but has high blood pressure and occasionally experiences angina chest pains. I think that his disease symptoms are caused by his smoking heavily. If he stops smoking, the risk factor can be eight times as small of developing heart disease than for someone who has the risk factors such as high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. So, he should find out what benefits there are instead of smoking cigarettes.
Mrs M has both high levels of HDL(165) and LDL. She needs to control her cholesterol levels in the same way I have advised her husband. Then Mrs M is 10 kilos overweight. Margarine, cheese and fast foods that she especially likes contain great amounts of the substances called trans fatty acids. Fats that are common in some diets have been linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer. So, she should eat these foods less often than she usually does and exercise more than she does.
If Mr and Mrs M want to reduce the risk of death such as cancer and heart disease, they should eat healthy foods more. Examples of healthy foods are fruits, vegetables broiled or grilled fish and skinless chicken and less fried meats. Then they should eat a variety of fiberrich foods, like oats, wholegrain breads and apples. Fiber helps reduce cholesterol levels. Fiberrich foods can also help when they're trying to lose weight, because they make you feel full. Second, they need to limit highcholesterol foods, like egg yolks and liver. They should eat no more than four egg yolks a week. Finally, they need to avoid eating fried foods as much possible. They need to understand fully that eating healthy foods usually lowers cholesterol levels.
| Click the BACK button to return to the student index.|