Need To Lower Cholesterol..........we're talking 100 points. Anyone got ideas?
Replies
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midwesterner85 wrote: »lassiens05 wrote: »Cholesterol is found in meat and animal products. Your body does not need cholesterol to function. It creates its own cholesterol. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts contain zero cholesterol.
Which is why it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.
That is like saying we do not need to have water in our diets because our bodies are already mostly made up of water.
No, it's nothing like saying that.0 -
Whoa. I thought the whole cholesterol thing was a sham, perpetrated by the makers of statins who profit incredibly off of those drugs? There is no correlation between higher cholesterol and heart trouble. Just like Saturated fat is "amazingly" not harmful after all. The freegin "industry" needs to stop lying to people and having them on these damn drugs and goofy diets.
What I suggest is eating MORE eggs and red meat
No, you are confused. High cholesterol was linked to heart disease before statins came along.0 -
My cholesterol was really high(and I mean high) and had to take meds(after a low cholesterol diet failed), the meds didnt help and started causing me other health issues, so I had to stop taking them. for me a low carb diet is what helped. Im on about 150g of carbs, and last june everything was high(triglycerides,LDL(the bad one as they call it)total cholesterol and so on. now as of this past week my triglycerides are in the normal range,my hdl is normal but my LDL is still high but has come down over half of what it was. even my total cholesterol is down and in the normal ranges,
I cut out soda,chips,cookies,snack cakes,etc things like that which also has made a difference. as for animal products I still eat eggs, red meat,etc and it hasnt made any difference in my cholesterol as I have always ate those things and cutting them out didnt help lower it. To lower my LDL I read that I need more omega 3s,healthy oils,citrus fruits and things of that nature which I am going to try and see if that helps. research foods that lower LDL cholesterol and go from there.
I have lost weight(still working on the rest),I workout including weight lifting,try to get plenty of veggies and fruits as well as whole grains(just less of them due to the carbs being high),I dont eat a lot of red meat but will have it from time to time.They wanted to put me back on meds again and I told them that I would continue this way of eating and see if it improves first. I have Familial hypercholesterolemia which is hereditary and was able to lower mine with diet which has never happened before even with a low cholesterol diet. since eating low carb(started this sept) it has went way down like I said and I am amazed.
you can try eating a healthier diet and you can try the lower carb if you want(not too low though unless the dr okays it) and find foods that will lower LDL and try that as long as the rest of your numbers are ok then I would try the above first,if that doesnt work or your other numbers are too high and the dr says you need the meds then take them and see how everything goes.0 -
Not everyone can create cholesterol in their body, some people have really low or dont produce cholesterol at all. (its rare but it is in medical journals). cholesterol is needed for your brain to function properly as well. so yes your body needs some cholesterol.lassiens05 wrote: »Cholesterol is found in meat and animal products. Your body does not need cholesterol to function. It creates its own cholesterol. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts contain zero cholesterol.
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britishbroccoli wrote: »Here's a great, scientifically-based set of steps for lowering your cholesterol from the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/reduce-cholesterol/art-20045935
Rundown for the link-phobic.- Lose weight. Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can help significantly reduce cholesterol levels.
- Change the foods you eat. Eat fewer trans/saturated fats, limit cholesterol, add whole grains and fruit/veg rich in dietary fiber.
- Exercise almost every day.
- Quit smoking.
- Drink less alcohol.
I didn't have a "severe" cholesterol problem, but a concerning lab result a year ago, nonetheless (~220 total, but HDL was very low, LDL very high, tri's were good). I did all the above, plus starting taking fish oil daily (Doctor said Nature Made USP rated was fine--check with your doctor, of course, mine said take two every day). 6 months later after all lifestyle changes (and NO meds needed)--lowered my total blood lipids to 180, HDL/LDL's both in the good range, and tri's are fantastic. I've got another lab scheduled for next month at my yearly physical, and I'm hoping the trend continues.
If anyone's doctors are saying do the same (I HOPE they are, this is the recommended lifestyle), just DO IT! You'll thank yourself. Even if you have to still take medication, there's the possibility of reducing your med needs.
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My HDL went up but my LDL and total went up a good bit which I can't explain how such a thing happened.
But would losing 50lbs lower my cholesterol?0 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »lassiens05 wrote: »Cholesterol is found in meat and animal products. Your body does not need cholesterol to function. It creates its own cholesterol. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts contain zero cholesterol.
Which is why it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.
That is like saying we do not need to have water in our diets because our bodies are already mostly made up of water.
No, it's nothing like saying that.
It is exactly like saying that. You are making the argument that what we consume does not affect the quantities of things that are already in our bodies. Specifically, you made that point regarding cholesterol. I swapped out cholesterol for water to show you how uninformed that sounds.
In fact, dietary water does affect how much water is in your body. Now replace "water" with "cholesterol" in my point.0 -
oh and when my cholesterol was at its highest was before I became almost 70 lbs overweight. I was at a healthy weight,Im still 30lbs overweight but its improving0
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it could help but there are no guarantees, for me my cholesterol was first diagnosed when I was at a healthy weight,I continued to gain weight even though I was eating a low cholesterol diet because I ate too much,it just got worse the more weight I gained(due to not watching how much I ate).Punisherthunder wrote: »My HDL went up but my LDL and total went up a good bit which I can't explain how such a thing happened.
But would losing 50lbs lower my cholesterol?
Like I said for me what lowered it this time(Im 30 lbs overweight atm,already lost 39) is eating lower carbs(150g a day),and eating better things and cutting out the foods above. I will have one cookie or something like that in a blue moon but thats it.
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No, not really, but it is true that for most people dietary cholesterol has much less of an effect on lipid cholesterol than previously thought.britishbroccoli wrote: »Here's a great, scientifically-based set of steps for lowering your cholesterol from the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/reduce-cholesterol/art-20045935
Rundown for the link-phobic.- Lose weight. Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can help significantly reduce cholesterol levels.
- Change the foods you eat. Eat fewer trans/saturated fats, limit cholesterol, add whole grains and fruit/veg rich in dietary fiber.
- Exercise almost every day.
- Quit smoking.
- Drink less alcohol.
I thought it had been disproved that dietary fat and cholesterol had anything to do with it...
For what it's worth, my bad cholesterol is worse now than it was when I was 80 pounds heavier... but my ratio is better. Unfortunately I think it has a lot to do with genetics.
The only time that my LDL was high enough to cause concern, the doctor asked what I had eaten recently. The day before the test, I pigged out on BBQ chicken. Prior and future testing showed this to be an anomoly... likely because I had eaten so much chicken the day before the test, so the dr. was not concerned since it is known that high intake of animal products causes high LDL. If I were to do the same thing every day, then an LDL test on any given day should be high.0 -
britishbroccoli wrote: »Here's a great, scientifically-based set of steps for lowering your cholesterol from the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/reduce-cholesterol/art-20045935
Rundown for the link-phobic.- Lose weight. Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can help significantly reduce cholesterol levels.
- Change the foods you eat. Eat fewer trans/saturated fats, limit cholesterol, add whole grains and fruit/veg rich in dietary fiber.
- Exercise almost every day.
- Quit smoking.
- Drink less alcohol.
Mostly this. My bad cholesterol and triglycerides both went from "high" to "normal" after about 2 months of eating a whole foods (paleo-central) diet, exercising 2-3 times per week, and drinking less alcohol. I don't worry about going over on cholesterol - that had no effect on my levels.0 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »lassiens05 wrote: »Cholesterol is found in meat and animal products. Your body does not need cholesterol to function. It creates its own cholesterol. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts contain zero cholesterol.
Which is why it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.
That is like saying we do not need to have water in our diets because our bodies are already mostly made up of water.
No, it's nothing like saying that.
It is exactly like saying that. You are making the argument that what we consume does not affect the quantities of things that are already in our bodies. Specifically, you made that point regarding cholesterol. I swapped out cholesterol for water to show you how uninformed that sounds.
In fact, dietary water does affect how much water is in your body. Now replace "water" with "cholesterol" in my point.
No, that's what you want to read and argue about. Have fun with that. Your body does not produce cholesterol from cholesterol, anymore than your body produces fat from fat.0 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »lassiens05 wrote: »Cholesterol is found in meat and animal products. Your body does not need cholesterol to function. It creates its own cholesterol. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts contain zero cholesterol.
Which is why it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.
That is like saying we do not need to have water in our diets because our bodies are already mostly made up of water.
No, it's nothing like saying that.
It is exactly like saying that. You are making the argument that what we consume does not affect the quantities of things that are already in our bodies. Specifically, you made that point regarding cholesterol. I swapped out cholesterol for water to show you how uninformed that sounds.
In fact, dietary water does affect how much water is in your body. Now replace "water" with "cholesterol" in my point.
No, that's what you want to read and argue about. Have fun with that. Your body does not produce cholesterol from cholesterol, anymore than your body produces fat from fat.
Wrong. I do not want to read such nonsense. Yet here it is right in front of me.JPW1990 wrote:it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.0 -
Punisherthunder wrote: »Long.story.short
Back in October my total cholesterol was 220. I walked a little more but admit to having slacked off on the exercise. I did change a good bit of what I was eating. Lots more fiber, nuts, and grains. I don't eat red meat and alcohol if any is extremely rare.
This week my total cholesterol went up to 260. My "good" cholesterol actually went up which was a suprise, but still the 260 isn't good. As others have mentioned to me, my doctor may be a "statin pimp". I've asked about diet/nutrition advice and get zero help from him really.
For the record I'm 5'8 and weigh 250. My blood sugar is 70 and my blood pressure is 120/80 and has been this way for years. It never ever has been high.
I'm at a loss and need help lowering it at least 100 points. If not 50 at a minimum.
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How close are you to menopause? Most women do not realize that elevated estrogen levels associated with menstruation provide cardiac protection. The cholesterol produced by our liver is the building block for the estrogen hormone. When we move into menopause and decrease estrogen production our liver doesn't stop producing cholesterol in response. The excess cholesterol floats in our blood increasing to dangerous levels, those associated with cardiac disease. Women, If you want to lower cholesterol levels you must use the cholesterol in your blood as a fuel, which is why so many women are stating that walking helped reduce their levels. Those lab levels are not inflated by your doctors in order to sell statins, they're real and are associated with the number one reason for mortality in our country.0
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bgilbertson41 wrote: »How close are you to menopause? Most women do not realize that elevated estrogen levels associated with menstruation provide cardiac protection. The cholesterol produced by our liver is the building block for the estrogen hormone. When we move into menopause and decrease estrogen production our liver doesn't stop producing cholesterol in response. The excess cholesterol floats in our blood increasing to dangerous levels, those associated with cardiac disease. Women, If you want to lower cholesterol levels you must use the cholesterol in your blood as a fuel, which is why so many women are stating that walking helped reduce their levels. Those lab levels are not inflated by your doctors in order to sell statins, they're real and are associated with the number one reason for mortality in our country.
I'm a guy...0 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »lassiens05 wrote: »Cholesterol is found in meat and animal products. Your body does not need cholesterol to function. It creates its own cholesterol. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts contain zero cholesterol.
Which is why it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.
That is like saying we do not need to have water in our diets because our bodies are already mostly made up of water.
No, it's nothing like saying that.
It is exactly like saying that. You are making the argument that what we consume does not affect the quantities of things that are already in our bodies. Specifically, you made that point regarding cholesterol. I swapped out cholesterol for water to show you how uninformed that sounds.
In fact, dietary water does affect how much water is in your body. Now replace "water" with "cholesterol" in my point.
No, that's what you want to read and argue about. Have fun with that. Your body does not produce cholesterol from cholesterol, anymore than your body produces fat from fat.
Wrong. I do not want to read such nonsense. Yet here it is right in front of me.JPW1990 wrote:it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.
http://openheart.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000196.full0 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »lassiens05 wrote: »Cholesterol is found in meat and animal products. Your body does not need cholesterol to function. It creates its own cholesterol. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts contain zero cholesterol.
Which is why it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.
That is like saying we do not need to have water in our diets because our bodies are already mostly made up of water.
No, it's nothing like saying that.
It is exactly like saying that. You are making the argument that what we consume does not affect the quantities of things that are already in our bodies. Specifically, you made that point regarding cholesterol. I swapped out cholesterol for water to show you how uninformed that sounds.
In fact, dietary water does affect how much water is in your body. Now replace "water" with "cholesterol" in my point.
No, that's what you want to read and argue about. Have fun with that. Your body does not produce cholesterol from cholesterol, anymore than your body produces fat from fat.
Wrong. I do not want to read such nonsense. Yet here it is right in front of me.JPW1990 wrote:it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.
http://openheart.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000196.full
Nice try to distract. To avoid hijacking this thread any further, I'll make the point once more and then I'm done.
OP, if you want to lower cholesterol, one of the things you need to do (not the only thing) is to eat fewer animal products.0 -
I had chest pains several years ago and had a cardiac catheterization done to determine the cause. I have an enlarged main artery in my main chamber and with a cholesterol of 173 I was prescribed simvastatin. As a result after a month my liver was not working properly and I quit the medication and lost 30 pounds. My cholesterol returned to normal levels. An Omega3 will also lower your cholesterol. Checking with your doctor is O.K. by my pharmacist was the one who helped me by telling me to discontinue the medication, the MD wanted to draw blood every 4 weeks and charge me $500 a pop!!0
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Wow. misinformation everywhere.0
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To begin with dietary cholesterol is neither LDL or HDL, it's just cholesterol.midwesterner85 wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »lassiens05 wrote: »Cholesterol is found in meat and animal products. Your body does not need cholesterol to function. It creates its own cholesterol. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts contain zero cholesterol.
Which is why it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.
That is like saying we do not need to have water in our diets because our bodies are already mostly made up of water.
No, it's nothing like saying that.
It is exactly like saying that. You are making the argument that what we consume does not affect the quantities of things that are already in our bodies. Specifically, you made that point regarding cholesterol. I swapped out cholesterol for water to show you how uninformed that sounds.
In fact, dietary water does affect how much water is in your body. Now replace "water" with "cholesterol" in my point.
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cotewalter wrote: »Talk to your Doc. Some of us need meds because of genetics. It may not be the case with you. Use your doctor.
This. I am one of those that fall into the group of needing meds. It doesn't matter what I eat or how much I exercise, my cholesterol will never be "normal" without medication and even with medication, it's borderline high. I spent years thinking if I just ate better or exercised a little more, it would come down on it's own. Mine won't. Diet and exercise DO help me, but certainly not enough to go without meds.
Talk to you doctor for this one. For you, diet and exercise might be the trick - and I hope so - but you really need to partner with your doctor to figure out the best course of action.
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In other words you didn't read it or don't understand it, or you really don't care what some evidence may say because it won't effect what you believe to be true, in the present.midwesterner85 wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »lassiens05 wrote: »Cholesterol is found in meat and animal products. Your body does not need cholesterol to function. It creates its own cholesterol. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts contain zero cholesterol.
Which is why it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.
That is like saying we do not need to have water in our diets because our bodies are already mostly made up of water.
No, it's nothing like saying that.
It is exactly like saying that. You are making the argument that what we consume does not affect the quantities of things that are already in our bodies. Specifically, you made that point regarding cholesterol. I swapped out cholesterol for water to show you how uninformed that sounds.
In fact, dietary water does affect how much water is in your body. Now replace "water" with "cholesterol" in my point.
No, that's what you want to read and argue about. Have fun with that. Your body does not produce cholesterol from cholesterol, anymore than your body produces fat from fat.
Wrong. I do not want to read such nonsense. Yet here it is right in front of me.JPW1990 wrote:it has nothing to do with dietary cholesterol.
http://openheart.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000196.full
Nice try to distract. To avoid hijacking this thread any further, I'll make the point once more and then I'm done.
OP, if you want to lower cholesterol, one of the things you need to do (not the only thing) is to eat fewer animal products.
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This review doesn't claim there is NO relationship between dietary and serum cholesterol, only exaggerated.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19751443
This article suggests increasing consumption of monosaturated fats will improve cholesterol.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats-full-story/
...and a current study recommending that at-risk patients avoid eggs and dietary cholesterol.
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/46/Suppl_1/A83.short0 -
Harvard in the first link was just posturing while admitting they got it wrong. The second link editorialises about lowering total cholesterol levels by replacing SFA with unsaturated fat, which is exactly what happens, it lowers both HDL and LDL, which says nothing really. then go on to say that refined carbs and sugar may not be the best course of action but say nothing as to why it may not be a good idea because these nutrients lower overall cholesterol more so then unsaturated fat, and here I thought lowering cholesterol was the point. third link was just all over the place.This review doesn't claim there is NO relationship between dietary and serum cholesterol, only exaggerated.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19751443
This article suggests increasing consumption of monosaturated fats will improve cholesterol.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats-full-story/
...and a current study recommending that at-risk patients avoid eggs and dietary cholesterol.
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/46/Suppl_1/A83.short
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Are you actively avoiding food with cholesterol because mine improved when I added either two eggs or an egg and some egg whites to my diet every day. And nothing else changed other than the calories from the eggs replacing something more bready or chocolatey.0
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Avoid foods high in saturated and trans fats and foods that are overly processed, beer and other alcohol, and include plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, and healthy fats in your diet. Drink plenty of water and cut out anything else, such as soda. Exercise at least 3-4 times a week and really work up a sweat! I know that's all the classic, old fashioned advice, but it is really what works. Also, I know you said you don't want to take medication, but a good over the counter option is fish oil. Take two each morning with breakfast! Helps to lower bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels.0
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