HIgh Cholesterol at 25!?

rosy_rsls

I am 25 years old and was just recently diagnosed with high cholesterol. HOW THE HECK! I have always thought myself to be healthy, just a tad over weight. well jokes on me. I have never wanted to get healthy so much as i have now!! i am too young to be taking medication. I have till October to lower it before I am put on meds!!! Any one else have a similar problem? I am open to ideas and to recommendations on what to do to get this under control!

k8blujay2

It happens... Mine goes up and down over the course of the year. Excercise and watch what kind of fats you consume. My doctor tells me to get more omega 3's and to consume a "low fat" diet. So I just try to consume more of the plant and fish based fats rather than the fried food based fats.


ETA: and sometimes it's just genetic.

fittocycle

I think it's great you want to turn it around without medication. Good for you!
Do you know what your LDL and HDL numbers were? You can lower your LDL by cutting back on processed foods. Eat as clean as you possibly can which means avoid foods in a box or bag and skip the fast food.
Try adding more fish to your diet, especially salmon.
Snack on nuts-walnuts and almonds are the best.
Try to start your day with the old-fashioned, cook on the stove type of oatmeal. Add in some ground flaxseed, walnuts, and cinnamon.
Try to avoid sugar-it will raise your triglycerides
You can also ask your doctor if it's okay to take an omega 3 fish oil capsule each day
Eat lots of fruit and veggies
Skip red meat, unless it's grass fed
Exercise, exercise, exercise!!

Good luck to you! I know you can do this!:flowerforyou:

Pearsquared

Do any family members have the same troubles? It could be genetic, like my graying hair (I'm 25 as well). They would be able to know what works best, too, if they do have high cholesterol, especially since they're related to you.

HollisGrant

I have cholesterol problems, too, and also don't want to take meds. Google good fats and bad fats. There are several types of fat to avoid (trans fat and saturated fat) and good fats to include in your diet (unsaturated). The good fats include olive oil, avocado, flax seeds, many nuts, and fish They actually lower cholesterol. Here's one article out of zillions:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/skinny-fat-good-fats-bad-fats

tmm_0127

It can be completely genetic. One of my friends was recently diagnosed (along with hypertension, though) and she's 26. She's never been one for healthy food and exercise though. She was told to do the South Beach Diet and given until November or December before she's also put on medication for it. The recommendations already given are good - manage what you eat, watch what kind of fats and how much of them you're consuming each day, and get plenty of exercise.

Best of luck to you!

beattie1

According to my GP you can lower your cholesterol by up to 10% by healthy eating and lots of exercise. Depending on what your level is that may or may not be enough.

I and all my siblings have Familial Hypercholesterolaemia where our levels are sky-high without treatment. It's caused by a fault in the mechanism that should clear the "bad" LDL cholesterol from our blood. No-one's to blame & if you need to take medication that's just how it is. There are worse things you could have got!

If this is what you have, you may well need treatment too, but you have some advantages. Being a woman your hormones should protect you from risk of heart attack at a young age - just as well as you should not take those meds if you are, or may become pregnant. You'd need to take expert advice on this aspect of medication.

PS. It has absolutely nothing to do with your age - one of my daughters is model slim and has had cholesterol levels up in the sky (higher than almost anyone else I've come across) since she was first tested in her early 20's. Don't blame yourself.

michellechawner

Your body naturally produces it, which is genetics.

Mine is high and I am 27. However, after I started tasking fish oil daily, it went down 25 points this last check up. I'm not on cholesterol meds either, and I weigh 123 (my highest was 167). My grandmother also has naturally high cholesterol (in the 300's) and she is on medication for it.

cwaters120

By cutting red meat consumption, switching to unrefined coconut oil and eating more veggies and lean proteins, both my hubby and I have dropped our cholesterol. HIs was super high and they wanted to put him on meds. That made him "willing" to eat more like I do and, even though he doesn't eat QUITE as healthy, his cholesterol dropped like a rock :bigsmile: (thank goodness! Have you ever seen a 52 y.o. man throw a fit because of a pill? IT ISN'T PRETTY! LOL)

Saucy_lil_Minx

I am 25 years old and was just recently diagnosed with high cholesterol. HOW THE HECK! I have always thought myself to be healthy, just a tad over weight. well jokes on me. I have never wanted to get healthy so much as i have now!! i am too young to be taking medication. I have till October to lower it before I am put on meds!!! Any one else have a similar problem? I am open to ideas and to recommendations on what to do to get this under control!

My 9 year old son's cholesterol is 300! We always strive for healthier choices in our house, and I had never felt so bad for him. The first thing out of his mouth to his Lipid specialist was, " I didn't think I was being that bad." Talk about ripping your heart out! He was the kid who always asked is this a good choice mommy? We found out it was heredity, and he will be put on meds next month. We tried the route of bringing it down naturally, and it just did not work for us. However, we are keeping the changes we made as a permanent thing in our house b/c diet is going to be as important as meds to assist in getting it down. I firmly believe meds are a temporary solution, food is a permanent solution. He get two fish oil a day, 1 tbsp. of ground flaxseed a day (grind the whole seed or it is not benefical, and whole seed keeps better in fridge). We use Smart Balance spread, cooking spray, and peanut butter. It has plant sterol's in them that help to naturally prevent absorption of cholesterol. We only have red meat 2 x a week. Super lean meats. No pre-packaged foods. Whole Grain, Wholegrain, Wholegrain! Steel cut whole oat for scrubbing out the bad cholesterol. You really need a good nutritionist, and stick to heart healthy diet. Exercise 3 to 4 x a week. Good Luck, and Friend me. I will be more than happy to share my knowledge.


P.S. The reason it did not work for us was not b/c the food choices did not work, but that it is genetic (still important to maintain healthy food choices) so as to not have to battle this with a bad diet too.

cwolfman13

I've completely reversed my LDL and other bad blood work issues with diet and exercise alone. In my experience, it's been as much about what I wasn't doing and what I wasn't eating as much as it was what I was eating...here have been the keys for me:

- watch your saturated animal fat intake...I reduced my red meat consumption from 1 to 2 servings daily to about 1-2 servings per week. I also substantially decreased my dairy intake; I was eating roughly 1/4 Lb of cheese and about 1/2 gallon of whole milk per day. I try to keep my saturated fats around 20 grams or so...just keep in mind that some sat fat intake is good for you and helps regulate hormones, especially if you're working out.

- More healthy fats from things like olive oil, avocado, nuts, etc. These monounsaturated fats help improve your HDL and balance out that equation.

- Lots of roughage...like get your 4-6 servings of veg and 2-3 servings of fruit daily. This will also help you get your fiber...and particularly some soluble fiber which removes LDL from the body. Also, some good old fashioned oatmeal goes a long way here as well. I have traditional oats 3-5 times weekly.

- Lots of lean proteins

- fish, particularly salmon or tuna a couple days per week for those naturally occurring omega 3 fatty acids. I also supplement with fish oil pills.

- Less highly processed food goods and junk food; more natural, nutrient dense whole foods

- get your fitness on...lots of exercise.

Saucy_lil_Minx

My mother told me over the weekend while we were @ the Grocery store...she would hate to have to shop for my family. Between my son's cholesterol issue, my daughter's colon issue, and my husband's Pancreas, and cholesterol issues. I have become somewhat of health guide for my family and friends. My children call me the grocery store guru. You want to know if a particular food is a good choice they ask me. It really boiled done to I did the research, and have spent HOURS!!!! in the grocery store trying to find things to satisfy my picky family that are acceptable substitutes for the foods they love. Try some of these..... Follow Your Heart Veganaise.....in the place of mayo. (Son and Hubby Approved. They said, and I quote, "This is better than regular mayo!" It is egg free, and made with Healthy Oils. Dayia (replace cheese in salads and wraps) Keep an empty spice Bottle...grind your daily allowance of Flaxseed store it in there, and sprinkle at will on foods till it is gone for the day. Smart Balance Butter (2 tbsp. has your daily allowance of Plant Sterols (this is buttery gold!) Replace white sugar with: Stevia (great in coffee, and tea), Coconut palm sugar (great for baked goods, and is a 1:1 ratio..so if the recipe calls for one cup of reg. white sugar, it is one cup of coconut palm sugar.). Brewer's yeast- sprinkle it on popcorn instead of butter, or on oven fries (It is high in chromium, and helps control cholesterol, and blood sugar). Good fish Oil and D-3 supplements. - raises good cholesterol, and the vitamin D is always needed for absorption of other key phyto-nutrients. Since the fish oil is a natural fat taking it in correlation to the D-3 ensure proper absorption into the blood stream. Steel- cut WHOLE oats are natures blood system brooms- they help to scrub out the bad stuff that is already there. Almond milk in place of Dairy (reduce high fat animal products to reduce overall animal fat intake) GET rid of pre-packaged foods- you can not control the salt, and other things like MSG. I have a ton of recipe conversions. I will be more than happy to share too.

candylilacs

My roommate in college was diagnosed with high cholesterol at 22. I think she was 260 or something like that. She was 5'4" and 120 pounds and really couldn't figure it out. (Especially when her 190 pound roommate, me, had relatively low cholesterol, 140.) It was genetic and from her dad's side of the family.

So she did daily exercise, took niacin and reduced her fats/ate more vegetables and salads. After a couple of months she brought it down to normal range (200.) In a way it was good because she was informed earlier rather than later in her life -- usually people don't find out until they have heart problems or circulation problems, and you want to stop it before it gets that bad.

rosy_rsls

Yes my dad actually has high cholesterol. He stays away from red meats and tries to stick to fish and chicken mostly!

RM10003

I dropped my total cholesterol 42 points and my LDL 30 between November and May just eating better and exercising (no fish oil capsules, etc.). My diary is open if you'd like to see how I eat.

I do tend to have something involving oats for breakfast every day, and I tend to not eat meat until dinner. I could do better at eating fish--my husband won't eat it so I end up not eating it as a result (I have to start eating it more when we do go out for dinner).

laurynwithawhy

I was basically born with High Cholesterol. When I was 2 and 3 my total cholesterol was well over 300. (My good cholesterol was super high, but my bad cholesterol was a little high as well). It was super weird because my mom ate healthy while pregnant, I ate very healthy food at home as a toddler, and there was no family history. Just some weird chemical screw up by my body. I struggled to keep my numbers in the 200s through my teens, and eating low and no cholesterol foods didn't help much. Finally, the only thing that has kept my cholesterol at a healthy level for the past 10 years has been keeping a vegetarian (pescetarian) diet. That wasn't my reason for going vegetarian, but it's definitely a big plus. I usually only eat the whites of eggs, avoid shellfish and TRY to limit my cheese intake too. Cholesterol can be sneaky, but I find that diet and exercise play a big part in overall health, so hopefully your numbers will get better with time!!!

ETA: My last blood test had my cholesterol at 168! So, it is possible to turn it around!

laurynwithawhy

I am 25 years old and was just recently diagnosed with high cholesterol. HOW THE HECK! I have always thought myself to be healthy, just a tad over weight. well jokes on me. I have never wanted to get healthy so much as i have now!! i am too young to be taking medication. I have till October to lower it before I am put on meds!!! Any one else have a similar problem? I am open to ideas and to recommendations on what to do to get this under control!

My 9 year old son's cholesterol is 300! We always strive for healthier choices in our house, and I had never felt so bad for him. The first thing out of his mouth to his Lipid specialist was, " I didn't think I was being that bad." Talk about ripping your heart out! He was the kid who always asked is this a good choice mommy? We found out it was heredity, and he will be put on meds next month. We tried the route of bringing it down naturally, and it just did not work for us. However, we are keeping the changes we made as a permanent thing in our house b/c diet is going to be as important as meds to assist in getting it down. I firmly believe meds are a temporary solution, food is a permanent solution. He get two fish oil a day, 1 tbsp. of ground flaxseed a day (grind the whole seed or it is not benefical, and whole seed keeps better in fridge). We use Smart Balance spread, cooking spray, and peanut butter. It has plant sterol's in them that help to naturally prevent absorption of cholesterol. We only have red meat 2 x a week. Super lean meats. No pre-packaged foods. Whole Grain, Wholegrain, Wholegrain! Steel cut whole oat for scrubbing out the bad cholesterol. You really need a good nutritionist, and stick to heart healthy diet. Exercise 3 to 4 x a week. Good Luck, and Friend me. I will be more than happy to share my knowledge.


P.S. The reason it did not work for us was not b/c the food choices did not work, but that it is genetic (still important to maintain healthy food choices) so as to not have to battle this with a bad diet too.

Wow, I'm so sorry for your son. I know how awful that feels as a child (you can read my post above for my story). I'm surprised they are putting him on meds- that option was never offered to me, but it was 20 years ago so maybe it wasn't as common. Hopefully with his diet changes and age he will outgrow it - I did, eventually!

ldrosophila

I am 25 years old and was just recently diagnosed with high cholesterol. HOW THE HECK! I have always thought myself to be healthy, just a tad over weight. well jokes on me. I have never wanted to get healthy so much as i have now!! i am too young to be taking medication. I have till October to lower it before I am put on meds!!! Any one else have a similar problem? I am open to ideas and to recommendations on what to do to get this under control!

My 9 year old son's cholesterol is 300! We always strive for healthier choices in our house, and I had never felt so bad for him. The first thing out of his mouth to his Lipid specialist was, " I didn't think I was being that bad." Talk about ripping your heart out! He was the kid who always asked is this a good choice mommy? We found out it was heredity, and he will be put on meds next month. We tried the route of bringing it down naturally, and it just did not work for us. However, we are keeping the changes we made as a permanent thing in our house b/c diet is going to be as important as meds to assist in getting it down. I firmly believe meds are a temporary solution, food is a permanent solution. He get two fish oil a day, 1 tbsp. of ground flaxseed a day (grind the whole seed or it is not benefical, and whole seed keeps better in fridge). We use Smart Balance spread, cooking spray, and peanut butter. It has plant sterol's in them that help to naturally prevent absorption of cholesterol. We only have red meat 2 x a week. Super lean meats. No pre-packaged foods. Whole Grain, Wholegrain, Wholegrain! Steel cut whole oat for scrubbing out the bad cholesterol. You really need a good nutritionist, and stick to heart healthy diet. Exercise 3 to 4 x a week. Good Luck, and Friend me. I will be more than happy to share my knowledge.


P.S. The reason it did not work for us was not b/c the food choices did not work, but that it is genetic (still important to maintain healthy food choices) so as to not have to battle this with a bad diet too.

300! That is so scary bless his little heart. Seems like you are doing the right things. Genetics can be a terrible thing. Have you had a recent test for him lately.?

Keep up the good work Mama you know the food is still very important. I hope he can one day go off the medications.

ldrosophila

Oh an OP this is a good post as far as putting to light that anyone can have high cholesterol issues. It's not just a matter of weight. I hope you can get your numbers down to prevent any of the complications like heart disease and stroke in the future.

A lot of great advice here. There's also some research that recommends a glass of red wine a day and of course lots of fiber from oats, beans, and whole grains.

Keep us up to date how you are doing. Thanks for sharing your story.

neanderthin

High cholesterol doesn't mean very much without the data...............I would also get another opinion from a specialist. My new Dr (I moved) wanted to put me on cholesterol lowering drugs because my cholesterol was high............HDL 115 and LDL 95.........and he said anything over 200 is a heart attach waiting to happen............I said don't tell the French that, he looked at me strange and I took a pass on his advice and found another GP.

emlott88

Ugh, yes I'm 25 too. Each year at work we always (optionally) got tested for blood pressure, cholesterol, eyes etc.

I was at a VERY healthy weight, exercising, eating very very well (i.e. I cut the crap out) and I had borderline high cholesterol. My colleague with me who was the opposite of me had perfect/borderline low cholesterol. I was so upset!

In January I went to the doctor for a medical check up and my blood pressure had gone from a perfect result in December to a borderline hypertension. They put it down to stress of my international move. Turns out it wasn't, because I was tested 2 weeks ago and my blood pressure was basically the same (140/90).

So, looks like I have cholesterol AND blood pressure issues at 25, and I'm not even horribly overweight It sucks!

ClareWantsProgress

I'm a little shocked by my reading today at one of those free clinic thingies at work. Mine came back 243!!! The last time I got it checked it was 146. I eat a low-fat diet overall, exercise regularly, and have never been seriously overweight. Perimenopause has been giving me weight troubles for the first time in my life. I looked back over my diary and am well under the recommended max, so . . . it's possible it's a genetic thing, though I find it odd that it has struck me at 45 when it was fine before, with no major changes in diet or exercise in the interim. If anything, I am living a much healthier lifestyle now than I was in my 20s.

I shall continue to monitor it and see what I can do ( that I'm not already doing!) to bring that number down.

mollyW2012

Does anyone use Benocol supplements to help their Cholesterol levels?

PunkinSpice79

Heredity for me. I didn't know it though until I was 23 and the doctor just happened to check as I was having some other blood work done. I also was on a low carb diet at the time. My result was 275! Too much eggs and bacon, I guess. LOL. I generally test about 213 now and my doctor tests me yearly.

Doodlewhopper

It's been a long time and Ive forgotten a lot, so double check me.

Cholesterol is produced in the liver and high cholesterol is generally due to genetics.

Watching your diet helps though generally dietary cholesterol is not the biggest contributor to high cholesterol; so you can eat eggs and the like in moderation.

Eat a lot of plant based foods, oatmeal, grains, beans, veggies, fruits, berries - limit saturated fats, avoid trans fats, sugars, and eat more mono and poly fats(nuts, olive oil, flax seed, etc.) as these will increase the HDL which lowers the LDL

And Exercise!

As I dont want to take statins my doctor has advised me to take 500mg of nicotinic acid, aka vitamin B3 or Niacin. Niacin will light you up like a firework. It will make you flush and itch insatiably for a few minutes. It has cause some people to panic. LOL

Be careful and dont let the pharmacist or the health food store sell you NO FLUSH or SLOW RELEASE "niacin". These are not nicotinic acid and can cause liver damage. Do not take nicotinic acid without your doctor's knowledge because it can too cause stomach and liver damage in some people.

After a while your body gets accustom to the niacin and you wont flush or itch. (I take 500 mgs on an empty stomach before my morning run) Taking it with food or an aspirin can help ease the itching, also starting out with a lower dose for a while will help you acclimate. If you have any questions feel free to inbox me. Though I have forgotten a lot, I did do a lot of research on this a few years ago and havent had problems.

BTW I recently read that niacin is as effective as some statins in lowering cholesterol and some cholesterol meds do contain naicin...and Niacin is cheap!

Do your own research and double check my info and be sure and speak with your doctor before trying any supplement.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/11-foods-that-lower-cholesterol.shtml

candylilacs

I should also mention that a lot of people are taking CoQ 10 for this, too. Don't know what the science is on that, though, so do your research!

Doodlewhopper

I should also mention that a lot of people are taking CoQ 10 for this, too. Don't know what the science is on that, though, so do your research!

Interesting.

Mayo Clinic:

"Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is produced by the human body and is necessary for the basic functioning of cells. CoQ10 levels are reported to decrease with age and to be low in patients with some chronic diseases such as heart conditions, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. Some prescription drugs may also lower CoQ10 levels.

Levels of CoQ10 in the body can be increased by taking CoQ10 supplements, although it is not clear that replacing "low CoQ10" is beneficial.

CoQ10 has been used, recommended, or studied for numerous conditions, but remains controversial as a treatment in many areas. "

https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coenzyme-q10/NS_patient-coenzymeq10

neanderthin

I should also mention that a lot of people are taking CoQ 10 for this, too. Don't know what the science is on that, though, so do your research!

Interesting.

Mayo Clinic:

"Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is produced by the human body and is necessary for the basic functioning of cells. CoQ10 levels are reported to decrease with age and to be low in patients with some chronic diseases such as heart conditions, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. Some prescription drugs may also lower CoQ10 levels.

Levels of CoQ10 in the body can be increased by taking CoQ10 supplements, although it is not clear that replacing "low CoQ10" is beneficial.

CoQ10 has been used, recommended, or studied for numerous conditions, but remains controversial as a treatment in many areas. "

https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coenzyme-q10/NS_patient-coenzymeq10

Q10 seems to be recommended consistently when statins are prescribed. The same metabolic pathway is used and the statins tend to block Q10 much in the same way that ALA is blocked when too much LA is consumed....from memory.