Children born to mothers who smoke may have 10-15% higher risk of CHD.

Australian researchers have found that 8 year old youngsters of women who smoked during pregnancy had below normal levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). This kind of cholesterol is often called the "good" cholesterol. Because cholesterol levels tend to track from childhood through adulthood, this difference could result in a 10-15% higher risk of coronary heart disease compare to those born with non-smoking mothers.

PositiveTip: If you are an expectant mother that smokes, do your child a huge favor and stop smoking now!

Walnuts & fatty fish influence different serum lipids in normal to mildly hyperlipidemic people.

Eating one and a half ounces of walnuts a day for a week lowered both total and LDL cholesterol by 5.4% and 9.3%, respectively. For every 1% drop in LDL cholesterol there is a 2% drop in coronary heart disease risk, so this translates to an 18.6% reduced risk of heart disease. 

In contrast, two 4-ounce servings a week of salmon raised HDL cholesterol about 4% and decreased triglycerides by 11%. However, for people with mild to moderately high cholesterol levels, salmon actually raised both the total and LDL cholesterol.

PositiveTip: Replacing servings of meat with 1.5 oz. of walnuts daily in cereal or added to salad can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Soy milk lowers cardiovascular risk, extends survival and prevents brain neuron loss.

Rats fed a soy milk supplemented diet showed decreased total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and an increase in HDL cholesterol. Soy milk decreased fat peroxidation in brain, liver and kidney tissue. Animals with soy milk in their diet lost fewer brain neurons and survived significantly longer than those on a standard diet.

PositiveTip: Soy milk can be great way to improve lipid profiles and reduce tissue damage from oxidative stress.

Added sugars bring sour side-effects, such as high triglycerides.

A substantial portion of Americans' calorie intake comes from added sugars. A recent study found that adults consume nearly one-sixth (15.8%) of their daily calories from sugar added to food. This is up from only 10.6% in 1977-78!

Flaxseed consumption may be a helpful dietary approach for lowering total and LDL-cholesterol.

Flaxseed is the richest plant source of alpha-linolenic acid and dietary lignans, a soluble dietary fiber. A number of clinical trials have investigated the effects of flaxseed and flaxseed-derived products on blood lipids, but the findings have been inconsistent. Researchers pooled the results of 28 such studies in a meta-analysis to assess the impact of these food products on humans. The median dose was 2-3 tablespoons per day of flaxseed in various forms. Interventions using whole ground flaxseed produced significant reductions in total-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (bad kind), but flaxseed oil did not.

Lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by raising your HDL levels.