Cholesterol
pogiguy05
Posts: 1,583 Member
Has anyone ever been told they produce to much cholesterol? I have been testing since 2009 and my last test was the highest it has ever been. I am thinking some people have hyper active thyroids and other issues, then maybe my body just produces to much cholesterol. i am not eating that poorly that it should just keep going up.
No I am not taking any statins as I do not wish to suffer from the side effects I hear so much about. To say the least i am frustrated.
No I am not taking any statins as I do not wish to suffer from the side effects I hear so much about. To say the least i am frustrated.
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I've been taking a statin since 2004 for my cholesterol. It lowered my number in about a month with very little side effects (I was nauseated for the first few days). My number really dipped after I got in better shape and dropped weight, but I still need the statin due to my genetic makeup.
You should talk to your doctor and follow the recommendations.1 -
Hyperthyroidism actually has the opposite effect on cholesterol and typically causes cholesterol numbers to drop to abnormally low levels.
In some cases high cholesterol can be controlled with diet and exercise, but in many cases it is hereditary. Mine are largely hereditary, but I was able to get things under control with diet and exercise...but it's an uphill battle and I have to be on it most of the time and can't get to lax with things...3 -
Red Yeast Rice pills took care of my chronically high cholesterol. Over the counter and no side effects. Talk to your doctor about them. My doctor didn't have a problem. Been taking them almost ten years now.3
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Red Yeast Rice pills took care of my chronically high cholesterol. Over the counter and no side effects. Talk to your doctor about them. My doctor didn't have a problem. Been taking them almost ten years now.
It's a statin and OP has already said they're concerned about the side effects. Why replace a statin with a known dose for red yeast rice, which is the same thing, but less reliable dosing, regulation, and testing?9 -
I believe most people with hypercholesterolemia produce their own rather than it being a dietary issue. Is there family history?1
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my bad cholesterol was always way too high and my good cholesterol was always way too low.
i started doing intense cardio. after a couple years i cut my bad cholesterol in half and more than doubled my good cholesterol.
now my cholesterol is right where it should be as is all my other blood work, and i'm 50 lbs. lighter.4 -
I believe most people with hypercholesterolemia produce their own rather than it being a dietary issue.
This is exactly right. Dietary cholesterol has very little effect on blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol levels tend to respond much more to increased exercise and weight loss, not to changing your diet.
Some people have side effects while on statins. Some don't. That's true of every drug that exists. While it's ultimately up to you to decide which drugs you do and don't want to take, it's certainly not guaranteed that you'll experience side effects. I took statins for about 12 years and had no side effects.2 -
I started eating 1/2 avocado every day and also taking Citrus Bergamot (1tablet a day) . Lowered my LDL 40 points in three months. Total went from 244 to 204. All a reduction in LDL. My HDL have always been good.1
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Has anyone ever been told they produce to much cholesterol? I have been testing since 2009 and my last test was the highest it has ever been. I am thinking some people have hyper active thyroids and other issues, then maybe my body just produces to much cholesterol. i am not eating that poorly that it should just keep going up.
No I am not taking any statins as I do not wish to suffer from the side effects I hear so much about. To say the least i am frustrated.
Do you excercise? Do you eat a lot of simple carbs? Eat food with fiber intake? Do you limit trans fats, saturated fats in your diet? Do you have family members with high cholesterol and heart disease? All of the above are questions to look into to make changes if needed.
I have high cholesterol like my dad had. Weight loss can help reduce it, but it probably will always be high.
Thus I swim and I am here doing the mfp calorie counting. I am hopeful that I will see beneficial changes.
I know I feel healthier and happier the more I swim, lose weight,build muscle and tone and watch my nutritional intake from day to day.
Time will tell, when I get some blood tests done, if the changes I have made are working.
Btw also I had to stop statin drugs as they caused too much pain for me.0 -
Has anyone ever been told they produce to much cholesterol? I have been testing since 2009 and my last test was the highest it has ever been. I am thinking some people have hyper active thyroids and other issues, then maybe my body just produces to much cholesterol. i am not eating that poorly that it should just keep going up.
No I am not taking any statins as I do not wish to suffer from the side effects I hear so much about. To say the least i am frustrated.
It is quite likely your body is producing too much cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol has little impact on LDL levels but what you eat might might improve HDL levels (the ratio is important). Losing weight down to your goal level may well improve your "bad" cholesterol level enough that your medical provider won't try to talk you in to a statin drug. What can help improve HDL ("good") cholesterol levels includes exercise, consuming "healthy" fats in your diet (oily fish, olive oil, e.g.) in place of transfats and saturated fats, & moderate drinking (no more than 2 drinks daily for men, 1 drink daily for women).
Even doing all of that, your cholesterol levels may be high and if so, I advise getting a risk assessment to help you determine risks/benefits of a statin drug. I have been on them in the past and had a hard time with them, and did some research to find that some classes of statins are more prone to negative side effect profiles than others. My LDL is still somewhat high but I have no additional risk factors and so am not considering resuming statins at this time.
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Thanks for all the responses and my levels are 283 with Bad being 209 and good being 52. I have lost some weight and I kind of fell off the exercise wagon again.
I dont know of any family history of high cholesterol unfortunately. As for heart decease I dont know of any in my family either. The biggest thing genetically is the big C Cancer.
I know I need to get my butt back to the healthy exercise again, but I am one of them people who stumbles alot.
This is the highest measurement I have seen in the past 9 years. usually it is around 240 with bad being 170/80 and good being low like 40.
If like what some have said it is not caused by intake then what is causing my body to jack me up........0 -
Thanks for all the responses and my levels are 283 with Bad being 209 and good being 52. I have lost some weight and I kind of fell off the exercise wagon again.
I dont know of any family history of high cholesterol unfortunately. As for heart decease I dont know of any in my family either. The biggest thing genetically is the big C Cancer.
I know I need to get my butt back to the healthy exercise again, but I am one of them people who stumbles alot.
This is the highest measurement I have seen in the past 9 years. usually it is around 240 with bad being 170/80 and good being low like 40.
If like what some have said it is not caused by intake then what is causing my body to jack me up........
Depends on what you mean by "some" weight. You may not have lost enough to see results in terms of your cholesterol.
Exercise is also really, really beneficial for lowering cholesterol. Weight loss alone may not be enough for you without exercise.
I was able to get off medication for my cholesterol and triglycerides, but that happened after I had lost about 50 pounds (halfway to my goal) and was doing regular cardio several times a week.1 -
I have read that there are studies showing people with higher cholesterol actually live longer, and that there are very little, if any, benefits to taking a statin. The only way they can even make it sound good is to use relative risk. Actual benefit is possibly one in one hundred less people experience a coronary event, all cause mortality is no different, and there’s an increase in diabetes for people on statins. Lowering processed carbs and increasing saturated fats brought my triglycerides down and my HDL (“good” cholesterol) went up to 85. You can watch Dr. David Diamond on YouTube and he has thoroughly studied statins, cholesterol, and how they spin the numbers to claim they’re a miracle drug.3
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Thanks for all the responses and my levels are 283 with Bad being 209 and good being 52. I have lost some weight and I kind of fell off the exercise wagon again.
I dont know of any family history of high cholesterol unfortunately. As for heart decease I dont know of any in my family either. The biggest thing genetically is the big C Cancer.
I know I need to get my butt back to the healthy exercise again, but I am one of them people who stumbles alot.
This is the highest measurement I have seen in the past 9 years. usually it is around 240 with bad being 170/80 and good being low like 40.
If like what some have said it is not caused by intake then what is causing my body to jack me up........
sounds like you need to get your butt exercising.
i think if you do that everything will correct itself, and it will dramatically reduce the risk of the big C too.
i recommend at least 300 minutes per week until you get to a good fitness level, then 150 minutes per week to maintain that level.
the ball is in your court now.1 -
Thanks for all the responses and my levels are 283 with Bad being 209 and good being 52. I have lost some weight and I kind of fell off the exercise wagon again.
I dont know of any family history of high cholesterol unfortunately. As for heart decease I dont know of any in my family either. The biggest thing genetically is the big C Cancer.
I know I need to get my butt back to the healthy exercise again, but I am one of them people who stumbles alot.
This is the highest measurement I have seen in the past 9 years. usually it is around 240 with bad being 170/80 and good being low like 40.
If like what some have said it is not caused by intake then what is causing my body to jack me up........
Depends on what you mean by "some" weight. You may not have lost enough to see results in terms of your cholesterol.
Exercise is also really, really beneficial for lowering cholesterol. Weight loss alone may not be enough for you without exercise.
I was able to get off medication for my cholesterol and triglycerides, but that happened after I had lost about 50 pounds (halfway to my goal) and was doing regular cardio several times a week.
Well my highest weight was 235lbs and I am 5'10" 51yo and should be they say 170lbs although I have not seen 170lbs since i was a teen. I am currently 215lbs and have stalled losing weight cause of the usual things from not exercising and eating crappy again.0 -
I'll say the same thing I talk about--my roommate as I'll call Vicki. Vicki was 22, 5'4" and 120 lbs and into French sauces. Her doctor told her cholesterol was 260. She could believe it and asked how much cholesterol was. My cholesterol was 156 (5'8" and 185 lbs) and there it stayed 20 years (and holding!). It's hereditary.
Vicki took to walking two mile a day, working out, and eating fruits and vegetables. I mean she lost about 5 lbs, but it did make cholesterol seemed to go down 200. But she couldn't eat cheese and butter like she had been 1 -
Yes, very true. It may be better tolerated than statins, but there haven't been trials to validate this. Red yeast rice and statins both inhibit HMG-CoA Reductase - a step in the cholesterol production pathway. CoQ10 is made in this same pathway. Therefore, both statins and red yeast rice can lower CoQ10 levels. Consider supplementing with CoQ10 if you take either of these!0 -
flipflop4499 wrote: »
Yes, very true. It may be better tolerated than statins, but there haven't been trials to validate this. Red yeast rice and statins both inhibit HMG-CoA Reductase - a step in the cholesterol production pathway. CoQ10 is made in this same pathway. Therefore, both statins and red yeast rice can lower CoQ10 levels. Consider supplementing with CoQ10 if you take either of these!
FWIW (N=1) - The muscle pain side effect was worse for me with red yeast rice than with some of the prescribed statins. So ones mileage can vary
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Mine was hereditary and diet didn't change it much (high 200's). I opted for statins. No side effects for me (YMMV). Not everyone suffers from side effects.1
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