Cholesterol level, any tips welcome
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LKArgh
Posts: 5,179 Member
First of all, I am hypothyroid, although treated and keeping my TSH almost to hyper range at this point on dr's orders. The last years this has finally affected my cholesterol, good one being slightly below where it should be, bad one above max number (not too much, but still above).
I knew it was coming, the problem is it seems like I am at a point where medication will be needed as all else is not enough. I have an appointment this week, I believe I will be put on medication, based on my last discussion with the same dr.
On the instructions of my dr I have a mostly plant-based diet, lots of whole grains, salads, fruit, meat and dairy in moderation. I could be better about eating more fish, I admit this part.
I have limited foods high in cholesterol, as they seem to make things worse, based on past results. I have almost eliminated saturated fat, eat only lean meats, low fat dairy, and use EVOO exlcusively as cooking oil, plus get the rest of the fat in my diet from nuts and avocados. I have been avoiding trans fat like the plague for the last years.
I exercise 4-5 hours per week, it is impossible to add more unless I quit my job.
I am not and never have been overweight, I have gained a bit (still well into normal range) and have been instructed by the dr to lose it and get back to where I was, although neither me nor the dr feel that this few kilos will really make a difference .
I am not objecting to medication if the dr insists, but in parallel I wonder what else I could do. Has anyone found that some other lifestyle change or food addition/elimination helps?
I knew it was coming, the problem is it seems like I am at a point where medication will be needed as all else is not enough. I have an appointment this week, I believe I will be put on medication, based on my last discussion with the same dr.
On the instructions of my dr I have a mostly plant-based diet, lots of whole grains, salads, fruit, meat and dairy in moderation. I could be better about eating more fish, I admit this part.
I have limited foods high in cholesterol, as they seem to make things worse, based on past results. I have almost eliminated saturated fat, eat only lean meats, low fat dairy, and use EVOO exlcusively as cooking oil, plus get the rest of the fat in my diet from nuts and avocados. I have been avoiding trans fat like the plague for the last years.
I exercise 4-5 hours per week, it is impossible to add more unless I quit my job.
I am not and never have been overweight, I have gained a bit (still well into normal range) and have been instructed by the dr to lose it and get back to where I was, although neither me nor the dr feel that this few kilos will really make a difference .
I am not objecting to medication if the dr insists, but in parallel I wonder what else I could do. Has anyone found that some other lifestyle change or food addition/elimination helps?
0
Replies
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I have very high cholesterol. I had it in my 20's when I weighed 100 pounds and I am 5'5. It runs in my family big time. I am on meds because I tried everything that I could to get it down. When I gained weight, it didn't get any worse at all. I do take 3 omegas and B12 everyday to help and it did take it down a touch but nothing like my medication does.
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Having made all those changes is wonderful. Some people have found that supplementing with omega-3 helps support/raise HDL especially if they find it hard to have omega-3 rich fish a couple of times a week. Your liver is probably biologically wired to produce the "bad" cholesterol. Given that your #s are not that bad, your doctor may prescribe a statin at a low-ish dose and you can talk to the dr about prescribing one with a lower side effect profile, such as simvastatin and pravastatin.
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I will probably burn in hell for suggesting this but here it goes. If you have exhausted other diets and are looking at medications for the rest of your life you may want to do some reading on the Keto way of eating. Your doctor may or may not allow to to try it first. If waiting a little longer to start drug treatment will not cause harm it may be worth a try. Obviously you will need to do research to see if there are others with your condition that saw a positive result. This is not medical advise, I am only suggesting you may want to look into a keto diet to see if it could help.1
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First of all, I am hypothyroid, although treated and keeping my TSH almost to hyper range at this point on dr's orders. The last years this has finally affected my cholesterol, good one being slightly below where it should be, bad one above max number (not too much, but still above).
I knew it was coming, the problem is it seems like I am at a point where medication will be needed as all else is not enough. I have an appointment this week, I believe I will be put on medication, based on my last discussion with the same dr.
On the instructions of my dr I have a mostly plant-based diet, lots of whole grains, salads, fruit, meat and dairy in moderation. I could be better about eating more fish, I admit this part.
I have limited foods high in cholesterol, as they seem to make things worse, based on past results. I have almost eliminated saturated fat, eat only lean meats, low fat dairy, and use EVOO exlcusively as cooking oil, plus get the rest of the fat in my diet from nuts and avocados. I have been avoiding trans fat like the plague for the last years.
I exercise 4-5 hours per week, it is impossible to add more unless I quit my job.
I am not and never have been overweight, I have gained a bit (still well into normal range) and have been instructed by the dr to lose it and get back to where I was, although neither me nor the dr feel that this few kilos will really make a difference .
I am not objecting to medication if the dr insists, but in parallel I wonder what else I could do. Has anyone found that some other lifestyle change or food addition/elimination helps?
How long ago did your cholesterol levels get out of whack, and how long have you been following your new diet? Dietary changes can take some time to have a noticable effect.
What is your activity level like? In general, getting more exercise can have a great affect on your cholesterol levels.
Why do you assume your doctor will put you on medication? If your HDL is slightly low and your LDL is slightly high, are there other health/medical factors that would require you to strictly control your cholesterol level?
Mind you, I'm no doctor, just asking questions based on my personal experience and people I know personally
1 -
First of all, I am hypothyroid, although treated and keeping my TSH almost to hyper range at this point on dr's orders. The last years this has finally affected my cholesterol, good one being slightly below where it should be, bad one above max number (not too much, but still above).
I knew it was coming, the problem is it seems like I am at a point where medication will be needed as all else is not enough. I have an appointment this week, I believe I will be put on medication, based on my last discussion with the same dr.
On the instructions of my dr I have a mostly plant-based diet, lots of whole grains, salads, fruit, meat and dairy in moderation. I could be better about eating more fish, I admit this part.
I have limited foods high in cholesterol, as they seem to make things worse, based on past results. I have almost eliminated saturated fat, eat only lean meats, low fat dairy, and use EVOO exlcusively as cooking oil, plus get the rest of the fat in my diet from nuts and avocados. I have been avoiding trans fat like the plague for the last years.
I exercise 4-5 hours per week, it is impossible to add more unless I quit my job.
I am not and never have been overweight, I have gained a bit (still well into normal range) and have been instructed by the dr to lose it and get back to where I was, although neither me nor the dr feel that this few kilos will really make a difference .
I am not objecting to medication if the dr insists, but in parallel I wonder what else I could do. Has anyone found that some other lifestyle change or food addition/elimination helps?
How long ago did your cholesterol levels get out of whack, and how long have you been following your new diet? Dietary changes can take some time to have a noticable effect.
What is your activity level like? In general, getting more exercise can have a great affect on your cholesterol levels.
Why do you assume your doctor will put you on medication? If your HDL is slightly low and your LDL is slightly high, are there other health/medical factors that would require you to strictly control your cholesterol level?
Mind you, I'm no doctor, just asking questions based on my personal experience and people I know personally
I am not following a new diet, I always had a mostly plant based diet with little to no animal fat, was raised this way. I am just stricter about reading labels to limit trans/saturated fat in anything I buy, and choosing whole grain (which I did not use to care about). These changes have been happening for about 2 years now.
I have a desk job, but also have kids, so not completely sedentary. I try to swim 2-3 times per week, strength train 2-3 times per week, usually manage 5 hours exercise per week.
Changes in cholesterol levels happened slowly over the last 3 years. I was told by my dr that if nothing has changed from 6 months ago, she wants me to try meds, to prevent things from getting worse. Just got the lab results, nothing has changed.
1 -
I will probably burn in hell for suggesting this but here it goes. If you have exhausted other diets and are looking at medications for the rest of your life you may want to do some reading on the Keto way of eating. Your doctor may or may not allow to to try it first. If waiting a little longer to start drug treatment will not cause harm it may be worth a try. Obviously you will need to do research to see if there are others with your condition that saw a positive result. This is not medical advise, I am only suggesting you may want to look into a keto diet to see if it could help.
Will not work. Not only the dr would not approve it, I eat little meat and base my diet on grains, fruit and vegetables anyway. I can easily see myself going completely vegetarian, I can even imagine vegan. I hate the taste and texture of fat, since I was a child, I mostly force myself to add things like avocados or olive oil in meals to have some fat. For example, I find bacon, or butter, or even fatty fish revolting So keto is not something I can imagine myself doing. 5 -
First of all, I am hypothyroid, although treated and keeping my TSH almost to hyper range at this point on dr's orders. The last years this has finally affected my cholesterol, good one being slightly below where it should be, bad one above max number (not too much, but still above).
I knew it was coming, the problem is it seems like I am at a point where medication will be needed as all else is not enough. I have an appointment this week, I believe I will be put on medication, based on my last discussion with the same dr.
On the instructions of my dr I have a mostly plant-based diet, lots of whole grains, salads, fruit, meat and dairy in moderation. I could be better about eating more fish, I admit this part.
I have limited foods high in cholesterol, as they seem to make things worse, based on past results. I have almost eliminated saturated fat, eat only lean meats, low fat dairy, and use EVOO exlcusively as cooking oil, plus get the rest of the fat in my diet from nuts and avocados. I have been avoiding trans fat like the plague for the last years.
I exercise 4-5 hours per week, it is impossible to add more unless I quit my job.
I am not and never have been overweight, I have gained a bit (still well into normal range) and have been instructed by the dr to lose it and get back to where I was, although neither me nor the dr feel that this few kilos will really make a difference .
I am not objecting to medication if the dr insists, but in parallel I wonder what else I could do. Has anyone found that some other lifestyle change or food addition/elimination helps?
How long ago did your cholesterol levels get out of whack, and how long have you been following your new diet? Dietary changes can take some time to have a noticable effect.
What is your activity level like? In general, getting more exercise can have a great affect on your cholesterol levels.
Why do you assume your doctor will put you on medication? If your HDL is slightly low and your LDL is slightly high, are there other health/medical factors that would require you to strictly control your cholesterol level?
Mind you, I'm no doctor, just asking questions based on my personal experience and people I know personally
I am not following a new diet, I always had a mostly plant based diet with little to no animal fat, was raised this way. I am just stricter about reading labels to limit trans/saturated fat in anything I buy, and choosing whole grain (which I did not use to care about). These changes have been happening for about 2 years now.
I have a desk job, but also have kids, so not completely sedentary. I try to swim 2-3 times per week, strength train 2-3 times per week, usually manage 5 hours exercise per week.
Changes in cholesterol levels happened slowly over the last 3 years. I was told by my dr that if nothing has changed from 6 months ago, she wants me to try meds, to prevent things from getting worse. Just got the lab results, nothing has changed.
Ah, gotcha thanks. Unfortunately, some of us seem to be genetically wired to have less than optimal cholesterol levels, I see it in my dad's side of the family and so far (knock on wood) at 45 my total cholesterol is high, my LDL is borderline high but my HDL is also quite high and my triglycerides are low, so we're just keeping an eye on it. The overall understanding of blood cholesterol and it's causes and affects seems to be shifting right now, which doesn't help. Best of luck1 -
LKArgh... I feel for you. IMO we've been conned for years about cholesterol. I am not a Doctor so please do your own research. IMO: 1. Statins are bad and produce little positive effect (See TED Medicine and Australian Catalysts shows for details). 2. FDA and the US Govt have just decided that Cholesterol is no longer a nutrient "of interest" i.e. there is no correlation between Cholesterol levels and Heart disease. For details of how dynamic cholesterol levels are and how to affect them see Dr Michael Eades website (how to get the Doctor off your back about your cholesterol. Spoiler alert: Diet change 3 days before your blood test will do it, then you can go back to eating what you like until the next test). Watch "Foods that Cure Disease" released this year. Surprise for me was to avoid oils (explains what's "wrong"? / "what can be improved" with the mediterranean diet).
It's a boring story: Eat a whole food, plant-based, oil-free diet with as few added poisons as possible. This will keep your oxidated LDL down and let your body recover. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck in your journey of discovery.7 -
I will probably burn in hell for suggesting this but here it goes. If you have exhausted other diets and are looking at medications for the rest of your life you may want to do some reading on the Keto way of eating. Your doctor may or may not allow to to try it first. If waiting a little longer to start drug treatment will not cause harm it may be worth a try. Obviously you will need to do research to see if there are others with your condition that saw a positive result. This is not medical advise, I am only suggesting you may want to look into a keto diet to see if it could help.
Will not work. Not only the dr would not approve it, I eat little meat and base my diet on grains, fruit and vegetables anyway. I can easily see myself going completely vegetarian, I can even imagine vegan. I hate the taste and texture of fat, since I was a child, I mostly force myself to add things like avocados or olive oil in meals to have some fat. For example, I find bacon, or butter, or even fatty fish revolting So keto is not something I can imagine myself doing.
I agree, if you don't like meat or fat keto will never be a good fit.0 -
LKArgh... I feel for you. IMO we've been conned for years about cholesterol. I am not a Doctor so please do your own research. IMO: 1. Statins are bad and produce little positive effect (See TED Medicine and Australian Catalysts shows for details). 2. FDA and the US Govt have just decided that Cholesterol is no longer a nutrient "of interest" i.e. there is no correlation between Cholesterol levels and Heart disease. For details of how dynamic cholesterol levels are and how to affect them see Dr Michael Eades website (how to get the Doctor off your back about your cholesterol. Spoiler alert: Diet change 3 days before your blood test will do it, then you can go back to eating what you like until the next test). Watch "Foods that Cure Disease" released this year. Surprise for me was to avoid oils (explains what's "wrong"? / "what can be improved" with the mediterranean diet).
It's a boring story: Eat a whole food, plant-based, oil-free diet with as few added poisons as possible. This will keep your oxidated LDL down and let your body recover. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck in your journey of discovery.
In #2FDA and the US Govt have just decided that Cholesterol is no longer a nutrient "of interest" i.e. there is no correlation between Cholesterol levels and Heart disease.
you are confusing dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol.
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Another thing to note is that taking a statin lowers CoQ10 levels in the body, and that may produce other side effects as well. Something to discuss with your doctor.0
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LKArgh... I feel for you. IMO we've been conned for years about cholesterol. I am not a Doctor so please do your own research. IMO: 1. Statins are bad and produce little positive effect (See TED Medicine and Australian Catalysts shows for details). 2. FDA and the US Govt have just decided that Cholesterol is no longer a nutrient "of interest" i.e. there is no correlation between Cholesterol levels and Heart disease. For details of how dynamic cholesterol levels are and how to affect them see Dr Michael Eades website (how to get the Doctor off your back about your cholesterol. Spoiler alert: Diet change 3 days before your blood test will do it, then you can go back to eating what you like until the next test). Watch "Foods that Cure Disease" released this year. Surprise for me was to avoid oils (explains what's "wrong"? / "what can be improved" with the mediterranean diet).
It's a boring story: Eat a whole food, plant-based, oil-free diet with as few added poisons as possible. This will keep your oxidated LDL down and let your body recover. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck in your journey of discovery.
@LKArgh, ignore the above post. It's complete nonsense. Listen to your doctor.3 -
I actually went to my doctor today because I received blood cholesterol results which were high.
Like yourself I have been watching what fats I eat, increased my exercise routine and lost 16lbs since July, but my cholesterol levels have actually increased.
I’m only 23, but I definitely believe there is a genetic factor in high cholesterol levels also. My family have a history of heart attacks and high cholesterol too.
It may be worth seeing your doctor and asking what they recommend, as it will most likely be statins. But they could just do a trial with them and see if they are helpful, and if not then they’ll recommend further insights. I’ve been put on a statin for 8 weeks in order to test the efficacy.
Good luck!
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nicolesnutrition wrote: »Another thing to note is that taking a statin lowers CoQ10 levels in the body, and that may produce other side effects as well. Something to discuss with your doctor.
Correct, and that is why doctors usually recommend taking a CoQ10/ubiquinol supplement.0 -
nicolesnutrition wrote: »Another thing to note is that taking a statin lowers CoQ10 levels in the body, and that may produce other side effects as well. Something to discuss with your doctor.
Correct, and that is why doctors usually recommend taking a CoQ10/ubiquinol supplement.
Actually most don't recommend it, and those that do recommend it, shouldn't. It's been shown to have no benefit:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=25440725
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/255453312 -
nicolesnutrition wrote: »Another thing to note is that taking a statin lowers CoQ10 levels in the body, and that may produce other side effects as well. Something to discuss with your doctor.
Correct, and that is why doctors usually recommend taking a CoQ10/ubiquinol supplement.
Actually most don't recommend it, and those that do recommend it, shouldn't. It's been shown to have no benefit:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=25440725
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25545331
My husband cardiologist recommended and he is taking it. It also helps control the BP.2 -
How intensely are you exercising?
I had very high bad cholesterol, and extremely low good cholesterol.
I started doing pretty intense cardio (zone 3, 4, 5), and after 1 year I cut my bad cholesterol in half and more than doubled my good cholesterol. They are right where they should be now. As well as all my other blood work.
I didn't really change my diet too much. Just ate less junk food and more healthy food.
Pretty sure it would help with your thyroid as well.0
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