Cholesterol

Tangerine302

I was just wondering what everyone's setting for cholesterol is? Mine says 300 and according to the food search is says 2 large scrambled eggs have 430. I would imagine that a lot of protein would contain much more cholesterol than what is allowed. I know a lot say it's ok to go over with the protein, what do you think about the cholesterol setting?

lockef

what do you think about the cholesterol setting?

Irrelevent

kadrum

I am curious about this, too. I'm 37 and 150 pounds. I was shocked to learn that my cholesterol was 225. I'd love to hear thoughts about how to monitor this better. If you are trying to reduce cholesterol, what is the target for the day? I was worried that 300 was too much for someone worried about cholesterol.

Grokette

what do you think about the cholesterol setting?

Irrelevent

I agree. The more cholesterol you eat, the less your body has to make; therefore your serum cholesterol will reduce. It sounds counter intuitive, but it is the truth.

Please read The Cholesterol Myth.........

http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm

Grokette

I am curious about this, too. I'm 37 and 150 pounds. I was shocked to learn that my cholesterol was 225. I'd love to hear thoughts about how to monitor this better. If you are trying to reduce cholesterol, what is the target for the day? I was worried that 300 was too much for someone worried about cholesterol.

You don't want to reduce it too much..............Despite what MOST doctors say, for optimum health the cholesterol should range between 190-220 - this range is where people are at their healthiest and reap the most benefits of heart protection.

I posted the link above regarding the cholesterol myth, please read it!!!

rp45

300 mg is the fda recommended daily allowance but i have read recently that the amount you eat is not that important so long as you don't go crazy with it.

Grokette

Here is an excerpt from The Cholesterol Myth

Old people with high cholesterol live the longest. This statement seems so incredible that it takes a long time to clear one´s brainwashed mind, at least for those who haven’t read this book, to fully understand its importance. Yet the fact that people with high cholesterol live the longest emerges clearly from many scientific papers.1

Why High Cholesterol Is Good
In certain aspects low cholesterol is worse than high cholesterol. Already fifteen years ago American researchers found that low cholesterol predicts an increased risk of dying from diseases of the stomach, the intestines and the lungs.2
Most of such diseases are infectious. Therefore, a relevant question is whether it is the infection that lowers cholesterol or the low cholesterol that predisposes to infectious diseases You have probably already guessed what the directors of the cholesterol campaign have said, but is it true?
To answer that question the same researchers followed more than 100,000 healthy individuals in the San Francisco area for fifteen years. At the end of the study they noted that those who had low cholesterol at the start of the study had been admitted more often to hospital because of an infectious disease.3,4 This finding cannot be explained away with the argument that the infection had caused cholesterol to go down, because how could low cholesterol, recorded when these people had no evidence of infection, be caused by a disease they had not yet encountered? Isn’t it much more likely that low cholesterol in some way made them more vulnerable to infection? Much evidence exists to support that interpretation.

alleyag

Although eating foods high in dietary cholesterol will show a temp raise in blood serum cholesterol (the reason you must fast before getting it checked) eating dietary cholesterol like eggs will cause your body to produce less to compensate. I eat 6 whole eggs and 6 whites almost every day. Blood work is perfect. Bottom line.... eat eggs!

Grokette

300 mg is the fda recommended daily allowance but i have read recently that the amount you eat is not that important so long as you don't go crazy with it.

The FDA is lying to people so they can put people on Statins to further deteriorate your heatlh.

sneezles

Agree that it's basically irrelevant because dietary cholesterol does not impact your cholesterol level. It's saturated fats(LDL) and sugars (triglycerides) that you need to control. Eggs are good for you! Eat less fatty red meat and remove simple carbs from your diet. Simple carbs are anything over-processed (if it comes prepackaged with sugar as an ingredient then it's over processed) white bread, white rice and white potatoes.

AdAstra47

I agree with the previous posters. Ignore the automated setting & don't worry about your cholesterol intake. Eating cholesterol does not cause cholesterol in your bloodstream any more than eating lots of chocolate will cause chocolate to appear in your bloodstream... your body is a little more complicated than that.

Check out the previous poster's link. Also the documentary "Fat Head," which is available on Netflix or Hulu, or the Canadian documentary "My Big Fat Diet." Very interesting stuff.

If you're trying to reduce your cholesterol blood test numbers, I'd try reducing your carbohydrate intake and increasing your protein. I won't bore you with the biochemistry involved, but if you want anecdotal evidence: 4 months ago I started a low-carb, high-protein diet and probably doubled the amount of fat & cholesterol I had been eating. In that four months, I lost 30 lb and my blood cholesterol went from borderline dangerous to right in the middle of the healthy range.

Good luck to you!

Tangerine302

That's interesting about the low-carb and high protein diet to reduce the cholesterol blood test numbers. No, you won't bore me with what you have to say. ha

TK421NotAtPost

The cholesterol reading that most health practitioners agree is most important are the very dense particles of cholesterol referred to as VLDL. The biggest driver of your VLDL level is overconsumption of carbs, especially simple carbs.

TK421NotAtPost

If you're trying to reduce your cholesterol blood test numbers, I'd try reducing your carbohydrate intake and increasing your protein. I won't bore you with the biochemistry involved, but if you want anecdotal evidence: 4 months ago I started a low-carb, high-protein diet and probably doubled the amount of fat & cholesterol I had been eating. In that four months, I lost 30 lb and my blood cholesterol went from borderline dangerous to right in the middle of the healthy range.

Good luck to you!

When you're losing weight, health markers will almost invariably improve...regardless of what your diet consists of. My Mother's lipid panel has improved steadily for the past 6 months, yet she refuses to abandon her high carb eating plan. She has been losing weight steadily which has coincided with her reduced cholesterol numbers. How's that for an anecdotal rebuttal?

hpsnickers1

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cholesterol-fighting-foods/

End6ame

The cholesterol reading that most health practitioners agree is most important are the very dense particles of cholesterol referred to as VLDL. The biggest driver of your VLDL level is overconsumption of carbs, especially simple carbs.

Ding, ding ding!!!!!

Eat your eggs and meat and skip the bread, your heart will thank you.

Tangerine302

Very interesting! I've been reading about how some people on here have lost weight and their cholesterol numbers have improved.
I stay between 110-115 in weight and asked my dr when I first had a higher # in cholesterol what I should be doing. He said sometimes it's just how your body is made up and said that you could have a diet of rice and water and still have higher cholesterol. So after eating dry sandwiches to avoid extra butter, spreads, etc. for all this time and now learning that it's the damn bread that's adding to the cholesterol issues. ha
I have been on lipitor for a few years and it's in the normal range, but was curious how all of this works. It seems like there is a lot of misguided information about cholesterol out there. I do like cheese though, I'm sure that doesn't help. So something like hamburger isn't as bad as simple carbs? I'm sure chicken is better for you, but just trying to get this all in!

Grokette

Very interesting! I've been reading about how some people on here have lost weight and their cholesterol numbers have improved.
I stay between 110-115 in weight and asked my dr when I first had a higher # in cholesterol what I should be doing. He said sometimes it's just how your body is made up and said that you could have a diet of rice and water and still have higher cholesterol. So after eating dry sandwiches to avoid extra butter, spreads, etc. for all this time and now learning that it's the damn bread that's adding to the cholesterol issues. ha
I have been on lipitor for a few years and it's in the normal range, but was curious how all of this works. It seems like there is a lot of misguided information about cholesterol out there. I do like cheese though, I'm sure that doesn't help. So something like hamburger isn't as bad as simple carbs? I'm sure chicken is better for you, but just trying to get this all in!

Actually beef is better in the long run than chicken because chicken is higher in Omega 6 and if you consume grass fed beef, it is higher in Omega 3, plus natural occurring CLA.

Grokette

Agree that it's basically irrelevant because dietary cholesterol does not impact your cholesterol level. It's saturated fats(LDL) and sugars (triglycerides) that you need to control. Eggs are good for you! Eat less fatty red meat and remove simple carbs from your diet. Simple carbs are anything over-processed (if it comes prepackaged with sugar as an ingredient then it's over processed) white bread, white rice and white potatoes.

Saturated fats won't raise your LDL, they actually are proven to raise your HDL.

When I actually looked at the abstract, I was in for a big surprise! This says that the best way to raise HDL [good cholesterol] is to eat saturated fat! It says ALL fats raised HDL , but saturated fat raised it the most!

It hasn't been proven that total cholesterol is significant in figuring risk for heart disease. But it has been proven that HDL is significant. Saturated fat may keep total cholesterol a little higher than the other fats, but it keeps HDL at the highest.

This type of study review can't easily be argued against since it is a consensus of 27 controlled studies. Unbelievable that it was published in 1992 and the Amer Heart Assoc didn't mention it until 2000 in its guidelines for diet. And even then it gets a small paragraph that says in cases of low HDL perhaps it would be best to increase unsaturated [such as vegetable oil and fish oil, not saturated] fats in the diet. At this pace, the general public is not going to get the message for another 20 years.

I'll update this when I get a copy of the full article in a few days.

Arterioscler Thromb 1992 Aug;12(8):911-9

Effect of dietary fatty acids on serum lipids and lipoproteins. A meta-analysis of 27 trials.
Mensink RP, Katan MB.

Department of Human Biology, Limburg University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

To calculate the effect of changes in carbohydrate and fatty acid intake on serum lipid and lipoprotein levels, we reviewed 27 controlled trials published between 1970 and 1991 that met specific inclusion criteria. These studies yielded 65 data points, which were analyzed by multiple regression analysis using isocaloric exchanges of saturated (sat), monounsaturated (mono), and polyunsaturated (poly) fatty acids versus carbohydrates (carb) as the independent variables. For high density lipoprotein (HDL) we found the following equation: delta HDL cholesterol (mmol/l) = 0.012 x (carb----sat) + 0.009 x (carb----mono) + 0.007 x (carb---- poly) or, in milligrams per deciliter, 0.47 x (carb----sat) + 0.34 x (carb----mono) + 0.28 x (carb----poly). Expressions in parentheses denote the percentage of daily energy intake from carbohydrates that is replaced by saturated, cis-monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated fatty acids. All fatty acids elevated HDL cholesterol when substituted for carbohydrates, but the effect diminished with increasing unsaturation of the fatty acids. For low density lipoprotein (LDL) the equation was delta LDL cholesterol (mmol/l) = 0.033 x (carb----sat) - 0.006 x (carb----mono) - 0.014 x (carb----poly) or, in milligrams per deciliter, 1.28 x (carb----sat) - 0.24 x (carb----mono) - 0.55 x (carb---- poly). The coefficient for polyunsaturates was significantly different from zero, but that for monounsaturates was not. For triglycerides the equation was delta triglycerides (mmol/l) = -0.025 x (carb----sat) - 0.022 x (carb----mono) - 0.028 x (carb---- poly) or, in milligrams per deciliter, -2.22 x (carb----sat) - 1.99 x (carb----mono) - 2.47 x (carb----poly).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

End6ame

Very interesting! I've been reading about how some people on here have lost weight and their cholesterol numbers have improved.
I stay between 110-115 in weight and asked my dr when I first had a higher # in cholesterol what I should be doing. He said sometimes it's just how your body is made up and said that you could have a diet of rice and water and still have higher cholesterol. So after eating dry sandwiches to avoid extra butter, spreads, etc. for all this time and now learning that it's the damn bread that's adding to the cholesterol issues. ha
I have been on lipitor for a few years and it's in the normal range, but was curious how all of this works. It seems like there is a lot of misguided information about cholesterol out there. I do like cheese though, I'm sure that doesn't help. So something like hamburger isn't as bad as simple carbs? I'm sure chicken is better for you, but just trying to get this all in!

Yes the burger is better. Saturated fat is good for you and has a positive effect on HDL contrary to popular belief. Overconsumption of grains and unbalanced omage 3 to omega 6 ratios is what ends up leading people towards heart disease. The following paleo/primal sites have good information on this topic.

http://paleodietlifestyle.com/
http://robbwolf.com/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

TK421NotAtPost

Saturated fats won't raise your LDL, they actually are proven to raise your HDL.

Actually, Sat fats DO raise your LDL. It's just that they raise your HDL a higher amount. In fact, the study you just posted states as such. The study you posted also states that unsaturated fats actually lower LDL.

But another trend that has been developing lately in the medical field is that LDL is beginning to diminish in importance as a risk factor for heart disease.

TK421NotAtPost

Very interesting! I've been reading about how some people on here have lost weight and their cholesterol numbers have improved.
I stay between 110-115 in weight and asked my dr when I first had a higher # in cholesterol what I should be doing. He said sometimes it's just how your body is made up and said that you could have a diet of rice and water and still have higher cholesterol. So after eating dry sandwiches to avoid extra butter, spreads, etc. for all this time and now learning that it's the damn bread that's adding to the cholesterol issues. ha
I have been on lipitor for a few years and it's in the normal range, but was curious how all of this works. It seems like there is a lot of misguided information about cholesterol out there. I do like cheese though, I'm sure that doesn't help. So something like hamburger isn't as bad as simple carbs? I'm sure chicken is better for you, but just trying to get this all in!

I'm not sure how old you are, but if you are only 110-115 lbs and lead a relatively active lifestyle but your cholesterol while unmedicated was high enough to warrant use of lipitor, it's possible that you are simply a hyper-responder to dietary cholesterol. If so, then I wouldn't be so quick to adopt a low-carb eating plan or any eating plan that included a lot of meat.

Also, as a point of clarification, I said OVER consumption of carbs and simple carbs raises VLDL....not consumption all by itself. Keep eating your carbs. I would listen to your doctor.....ask a lot of questions, and follow his advice...not ours (well, except for the part to listen to your doctor!)

AdAstra47

I would listen to your doctor.....ask a lot of questions, and follow his advice...not ours (well, except for the part to listen to your doctor!)

As a slightly bitter victim of a long string of indifferent doctors, I would say, first find a really GOOD doctor. I had several who just took one look at me and assumed that my obesity was the cause of all my other problems, and not a symptom of another problem. Turns out I had a metabolic problem that went undiagnosed for at least 15 years, until I finally found a doctor who was willing to do a couple of extra tests.

And more than once, a doctor saw my high cholesterol and automatically wrote out a prescription for a drug, without EVER attempting to talk to me about diet, exercise, or any other non-pharmaceutical options. When I specifically asked, I was told, "Well, if you want to try lowering it without drugs, you can look it up, there are a bunch of sites on the internet..." Hello, what the heck do I have a doctor for if she's not going to bother talking to me or informing me of my options? They didn't even tell me the pros and cons of the drugs they were pushing. Infuriating! And after learning about some of the negative side effects of statins, I'm glad I tore up all those prescriptions.

So I'd say, only listen to your doctor after you find a doctor who will listen to you.

AdAstra47

I won't bore you with the biochemistry involved, but if you want anecdotal evidence: 4 months ago I started a low-carb, high-protein diet and probably doubled the amount of fat & cholesterol I had been eating. In that four months, I lost 30 lb and my blood cholesterol went from borderline dangerous to right in the middle of the healthy range.

When you're losing weight, health markers will almost invariably improve...regardless of what your diet consists of. My Mother's lipid panel has improved steadily for the past 6 months, yet she refuses to abandon her high carb eating plan. She has been losing weight steadily which has coincided with her reduced cholesterol numbers. How's that for an anecdotal rebuttal?

LOL. You are absolutely right, and this is why scientific studies and statistics and factual information are much more valuable than anecdotal evidence.

But half the time, the scientific stuff is so dense that it goes right over people's heads. And Grokette and others here have already posted a bunch of scientific links so I won't duplicate their efforts. Except for this one, a lecture series by my mom's doctor, Dr. Mary Vernon, president of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. She talks about the biochemistry involved that makes low-carbohydrate diets a good choice for diabetics and people with metabolic and cholesterol issues. It's presented in a very civilian-friendly way, IMHO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3M75cYpx2w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Tangerine302

I guess it's hard to know sometimes what causes what. I wonder how long of a time frame it would take to see if changing your diet would reduce numbers. It would be nice to not have to take the pills. Thanks for all of your information! Again all of it is very interesting.

dleithaus

The FDA is lying to people so they can put people on Statins to further deteriorate your heatlh.

The FDA is not lying, they just do not want to get into the conversation that has persisted for decades based on poor research. Cholesterol is in plagues in the arteries as a result of an inflammatory response. It is not there because we have it in our diet, or even that each of our bodies makes a certain amount for proper health. Heart disease involving occlusion is from a chronic inflammatory response from poorly controlled oxidant regulatory systems in our bodies, an overload of oxidative factors (disease, smoking, chronic health conditions), and yes, what we eat.

As for statins, ignoring the money for drug companies, and doctors not discussing diet and exercise as a primary controlling factor for blood pressure and blood fat concerns..... statins primary role is not to lower cholesterol or improve HDL/LDL ratios. Statins primary beneficial role is due to anti inflammatory actions, helping to moderate some of the metabolic systems that need help at times. Additionally, while statins are not indicated for everyone, and monitoring is absolutely required... There is another problem with statins that doctors fail to mention ... the need for CoQ 10 supplements. Statins interfere with a metabolic pathway that generate CoQ 10 substances and those same CoQ 10 substances are required for arterial health. They must be taken with statins. I have not seen any significant research indicating that those who have taken statins with or without CoQ 10 supplements show fewer statin related problems (and there are many, especially at the higher doses often prescribed).

So this is my doctor story.....I went in to see my doctor about high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, poor LDL ratios. She wanted to monitor, then put me on a blood pressure med and a statin. My response was, let me lose some weight and see what happens. I had to volunteer to do this. Doctors should tell patients to lose weight. Doctors should tell patients to get out and exercise. They hardly ever ask. Maybe it is only doctors with American patients... but that is another topic! Weight loss and control, exercise more...Before drugs are prescribed.

Now, with less weight (thanks MFP), my blood pressure is normal. While I know that LDL ratios are only a symptom of a potential concern with chronic heart disease, mine remain boderline high, and absolutely come down with a statin. I choose to take a low dose of a statin for the anti-inflammatory effect along with CoQ 10. ( the low dose my doctor wanted to argue with me about this, saying I needed a much higher dose, 4 x more... my response was the same, let me take this low dose and continue monitoring... then we will talk again because I outright refuse to take this higher dose KNOWING the risk is much higher.)

The bottom line is you need to educate yourself with real epidemiological/biochemical/medical evidence (not the testimonials and blah-blah from the web), and with your doctors guidance find something you are comfortable with...and continue monitoring.

The FDA and doctors are not really at fault, they just deal with lazy patients who want a pill to cure everything that ails them.

Tangerine302

I guess our doctor didn't go over a diet with me. Maybe they assume patients know what foods to eat. To me it sounded as if since I wasn't over weight that it must not be what I am eating to cause it. Which I'm sure what you eat makes a difference. I do like carbs though and found that interesting. So maybe all the carbs were contributing to it.

dleithaus

The composition of the carbohydrates we eat, and how our bodies respond to those carbohydrates is a primary point of inflammatory response concerns. Poorly regulated insulin response (and there is a spectrum of response in humans related to genetics and controllable individual factors) plays a key role in occlusive heart and arterial disease. Diabetics are primary examples of poorly regulated insulin responses at one end of the spectrum... known CHD problems... and we all fall on that spectrum somewhere!

jknops2

You guys are all misinformed.

Windex is the answer.

Drink a lot of Windex each day and you will have no problem with high cholesterol.

rileysowner

The FDA is lying to people so they can put people on Statins to further deteriorate your heatlh.

my response was the same, let me take this low dose and continue monitoring... then we will talk again because I outright refuse to take this higher dose KNOWING the risk is much higher.)

So may I ask what dose you are on?

dleithaus

I break 20 mg Simvastatin in half.