Heart Disease

Is it good to have mushrooms when I have a cholesterol level of about 254? I would be very obliged if you could kindly advise me on that. I am on a very strict diet now. My initial cholesterol LDL was about 268 and I have been able to lower it to 254. Please...

My question was over 1 1/2 years ago my doctor put me on medication because of my high cholesterol. It was 347. The doctor put me on Mevacor. It brought my cholesterol down to 189 along with going on a low-fat diet. Then the doctor changed my pills to Lescol and each time he...

Brandy has its distinct flavor due to an ester. Low molecular weight esters are present in fruits, such as pineapples, pears, bananas, apricots, grapes, and oranges. They are also present in cognac, in the form of ethyl nonanoate (ethyl oenanthate). These esters give them their distinctive flavors. The flavor of brandy is imparted by...

I have been hearing a lot about how dangerous trans fat is, but with no explanation of what it is. Is it the same as hydrogenated fat? Polyunsaturated oils that are hydrogenated can contain some trans fat, but it depends on the hydrogenation process that was used. Trans fat results when healthy polyunsaturated oil (soybean)...

My mother is British and she claims that if I am drinking, I should drink Guinness beer because in Britain they say it is good for you (lots of vitamins, minerals). Is this true? I've been looking for the full nutritional breakdown of Guinness beer but can't find one. Can you help? The taste of Guinness...

I just did the Healthy Body Calculator and I had just one question. It stated that I should have as low as possible cholesterol intake daily, but the problem is I have a cholesterol count of 237 (175 of which is the bad cholesterol). Given that, how much cholesterol is okay to consume on...

I am going to be in a 100-mile bike race in July and have heard that some caffeine may help me last longer and go faster. Is that true? If so, how much caffeine should I take? Sports researchers have studied the positive effects of small amounts of caffeine on athletes by reducing fatigue. Caffeine-containing...

I have high blood pressure and have been on a low salt diet. Can I eat regular canned vegetables if I rinse them off before cooking? No, you should not eat vegetables canned with salt. Also, you cannot rinse the salt off before heating the canned vegetables. I would suggest you buy frozen vegetables but read...

I had followed the HELP diet on this site several years ago for over a year and it had helped me to successfully lose 75 pounds!!!! I want to do it again, as the weight has been slowly creeping back up over the last few years. I did have one question, however, on some of...

The purpose of your service is great. Accurate nutritional information to the consumer is a must. I stumbled on your information concerning fatty acids and found some errors that I would like to clarify just for your information. Your answer included the statement that "the human body can make linolenic and arachidonic from linoleic....