What is hypercholesterolemia?

Familial hypercholesterolemia affects the way the body processes cholesterol. As a consequence, people with familial hypercholesterolemia are at increased risk of heart disease and a premature heart attack. The gene that causes familial hypercholesterolemia is hereditary. However various treatments that include medications and healthy lifestyle changes can help reduce risks.

Which mushrooms have useful properties for hypercholesterolemia?

Shiitake Hifas da Terra

Shiitake

Acts on blood pressure and cholesterol
This mushroom has been studied for its action on the cardiovascular system, particularly for blood pressure and cholesterol. The compounds contain within it have shown natural antibacterial and alkalizing qualities.

  • Cholesterol
    Helps to reduce the levels of the bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases the levels of the good cholesterol (HDL).
  • Cardiovascular health
    Cardioprotective: Reduces the likelihood of problems related to smoking, hypertension, stress, etc.
  • Uric acid
    Its alkalizing effect has been shown to be very useful to support conditions such as hyperuricemia and gout.

Maitake

Acts on cholesterol and triglyceride levels
Various compounds in this mushrooms regulate fat (lipid) levels. Maitake can also be used as food supplements to regulated high cholesterol and triglycerides levels.

Nutritional recommendations and general healthy habits for the maintenance of a good state of health

  • Avoid meat products, especially red meat and derivatives such as sausages.
  • In general, you can not take baked goods or pastries.
  • You should also avoid the consumption of pre-cooked and dried fast-food type soup soups.
  • Avoid or reduce salt consumption to a minimum. When you consume it, choose preferably unrefined salt. You can substitute the garnishes of the meals with spices, for example.
  • When cooking and seasoning your dishes always use extra virgin olive oil, prioritizing its consumption in crude.
  • Our advice is to take fatty or semi-fatty fish (blue fish) 2 to 3 times a week. Varies the species: salmon, red mullet, sardines, horse mackerel, bonito, tuna, mackerel, anchovy, etc.
  • Increase the daily consumption of vegetables.
  • Do not drink alcohol.
  • Do not consume industrial processed products rich in sugars, salt, oils and additives that are harmful to health (cookies, toast, bread, industrial cereals …).
  • It prioritizes the consumption of whole grains and avoids refined flours (white bread, pasta, biscuits …).
  • The preparation techniques of preference are: cooking, steaming and grilling. Do not take fried, breaded, barbecued or barbecues.
  • It is important that you increase physical activity: walking, running, swimming, aerobics, going up and down stairs … The best thing is that you schedule it as a daily activity.
  • Do relaxation exercises if you feel stressed or overwhelmed or if you have muscular tensions, since that feeling of tension may indicate that your stress levels are higher than normal. The use of these techniques will help you to regulate the alterations of stress hormones and to relax the tensions that your body presents, both physical and emotional.
References
  1. Nisar J, Mustafa I, Anwar H, Sohail MU, Hussain G, Ullah MI, Faisal MN, Bukhari SA4, Basit A. Lipid-Modulating Effect of Black Lingzhi Medicinal Mushroom, Amauroderma rugosum (Agaricomycetes), on Oleate-Induced Human Hepatocellular Liver Carcinoma Cells. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms.Int J Med Mushrooms. 2017;19 (11):981-990. doi: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.2017024504.
  2. Handayani D1, Meyer BJ2, Chen J3, Brown SH4, Mitchell TW5, Huang XF6. A high-dose Shiitake mushroom increases hepatic accumulation of triacylglycerol in rats fed a high-fat diet: underlying mechanism. Nutrients. 2014 Feb 12;6(2):650-62. doi: 10.3390/nu6020650.
  3. Yang H1, Hwang I, Kim S, Hong EJ, Jeung EB. Lentinus edodes promotes fat removal in hypercholesterolemic mice. Exp Ther Med. 2013 Dec;6(6):1409-1413. Epub 2013 Oct 8.
  4. Yang H1, Hwang I, Kim S, Ahn C, Hong EJ, Jeung EB. Preventive effects of Lentinus edodes on homocysteinemia in mice. Exp. Ther. Med. 2013 Aug;6(2):465-468. Epub 2013 May 24.
  5. Fukushima M1, Ohashi T, Fujiwara Y, Sonoyama K, Nakano M. Cholesterol-lowering effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) fiber, Shiitake (Lentinus edodes) fiber, and Enokitake (Flammulina velutipes) fiber in rats.Exp. Biol. Med. (Maywood). 2001 Sep;226(8):758-65.
  6. Choi MY, Lim SS. The Effects of Hot Water Soluble Polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes on Lipid Metabolism in the Rats Fed Butter Yellow. J. Korean Soc. Food Sci. Nutr. Serial ID – ISSN1126-3311 Serial number. 29(2) p. 294-299 Serial Date (2000).
  7. Shen KP, Su CH, Lu TM, Lai MN, Ng LT. Effects of Grifola frondosa non-polar bioactive components on high-fat diet fed and streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic mice. Pharm Biol. 2015 May;53(5):705-9. doi: 10.3109/13880209.2014.939290. Epub 2014 Nov 28.
  8. Lei H, Zhang M, Wang Q, Guo S, Han J, Sun H, Wu W. MT-α-glucan from the fruit body of the maitake medicinal mushroom Grifola frondosa (higher Basidiomyetes) shows protective effects for hypoglycemic pancreatic β-cells. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2013;15(4):373-81.
  9. Sato M, Tokuji Y, Yoneyama S, Fujii-Akiyama K, Kinoshita M, Chiji H, Ohnishi M. Effect of dietary Maitake (Grifola frondosa) mushrooms on plasma cholesterol and hepatic gene expression in cholesterol-fed mice. J Oleo Sci. 2013;62(12):1049-58.
  10. Sato M, Tokuji Y, Yoneyama S, Fujii-Akiyama K, Kinoshita M, Ohnishi M. Profiling of hepatic gene expression of mice fed with edible japanese mushrooms by DNA microarray analysis: comparison among Pleurotus ostreatus, Grifola frondosa, and Hypsizigus marmoreus. J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Oct 12;59(19):10723-31. doi: 10.1021/jf2025659. Epub 2011 Sep 12.
  11. Fukushima M, Ohashi T, Fujiwara Y, Sonoyama K, Nakano M. Cholesterol-lowering effects of maitake (Grifola frondosa) fiber, shiitake (Lentinus edodes) fiber, and enokitake (Flammulina velutipes) fiber in rats. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2001 Sep;226(8):758-65.
  12. Kubo K, Nanba H. Anti-hyperliposis effect of maitake fruit body (Grifola frondosa). I. Biol Pharm Bull. 1997 Jul;20(7):781-5.
  13. Kabir Y, Yamaguchi M, Kimura S. Effect of shiitake (Lentinus edodes) and maitake (Grifola frondosa) mushrooms on blood pressure and plasma lipids of spontaneously hypertensive rats. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1987 Oct;33(5):341-6. PubMed PMID: 3443885.