Best way to lower cholesterol?

amyhoss

My company has started charging 10% extra on health insurance if you fail their screening. They check for tabacco, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose. I passed everything except for cholesterol. My total cholesterol is 223 when it should be under 200 and my LDL is 143 when it should be under 100. My HDL was normal at 54 where it is supposed to be over 40.

They are going to do another screening in 6 months so, what is the best way to get these numbers in line? I currently exercise (mostly jogging, some walking and bike riding) 3-4 days per week and I take a daily Omega 3 supplement as well as a multivitamin.

Should I start eating Cheerios for breakfast every day? Cut down on fat? Is it even possible to get the numbers in line in 6 months?

LOH611

I was vegan for several months last year. During that time I consumed zero cholesterol. Eat more fruits and veggies, and less meat, dairy, etc. Cholesterol is only found in animal products.

daisyspaced

If you can tolerate it, oatmeal really helps to lower cholesterol. Flax seeds are great too, so if you add a handful to oatmeal it should help. Good luck!

n0ob

I was vegan for several months last year. During that time I consumed zero cholesterol. Eat more fruits and veggies, and less meat, dairy, etc. Cholesterol is only found in animal products.

awesome...I eat about 2 pounds of meat per day and my cholesterol is too low (109).

Chief_Rocka

Exercise and weight loss

Capt_Apollo

Exercise and weight loss

n0ob

Exercise and weight loss

blasphemy...

Soluble fiber, low omega 6's to omega 3's, insoluble fiber, nuts, lots of mono and polyunsatured fats, coconut oil...running out of minor/bro science suggestions...

yeah, what he said.

rml_16

That's tough. My cholesterol is high due to genetics and when my doc referred me to a dietician, she said I was already eating all the right foods and had no advice.

My HDL is very high, though, and my triglycerides and BP are good, so the doc isn't worried. Does this screening take all those things into account? There's more to health than cholesterol.

MinnieInMaine

It is a myth that dietary cholesterol raises blood lipid (cholesterol) levels... Yes eating less red meat can help but that's because most red meats are high in saturated fats... Here are some things I learned from a nutritionist a few years back:

Eat more whole grains - Cheerios are great if you like them but any whole grain will do - steel cut oats, 100% whole wheat bread, etc.

Eat more vegetables - the greener and leafier the better - spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, broccoli

Eat nuts - almonds and walnuts especially

Be careful of your saturated fat and trans fat intake.

Keep exercising regularly

You don't have to completely cut out red meat but go with leaner cuts and try to cut down on frequency.

Pangui

While I don't dispute that a meat-eater can have a low cholesterol, I do know dozens of folks who have dropped their cholesterol numbers below 150 eating a whole foods plant-based diet, myself and my husband included. Some people see their numbers drop dramatically in just a few days, other take a few months and some even longer, but their numbers all drop eventually on this diet. If you are not eating cholesterol (animal products) or saturated fat for an extended period of time, it's pretty hard to have high cholesterol.

I encourage you to do some research beyond just us posters here on the forums. Read all perspectives. You will find contradictory evidence supporting both sides, but if you read long enough, it will be easy to see where the science really falls.

Bumbeen

This is just disgusting. I can't believe they would start charging more for higher cholesterol numbers. That is the worst.

Martucha123

Losing weight should be enough.

Pangui

Losing weight should be enough.

Sadly, it's not. Exercise alone won't do it either for most folks.

cbailey28072

There are several approaches, but what works will depend on what's causing the high cholesterol for you, whether you are overweight, sedentary, eat a fatty diet or have inherited genes for it ("familial hypercholesterolemia," in case you care!).

If you are significantly overweight, losing weight will lower your total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol).

If you are sedentary, then burning 350 calories per day through exercise will improve all your cholesterol numbers, especially your HDL (good cholesterol).

If diet is the problem, then set your MFP goals to track fiber intake, sat fat intake and cholesterol intake. Aim for >25 gm fiber and <300 mg cholesterol (MFP will calculate a sat fat intake for you based upon your total calorie intake). Dietary fiber seems to act as a sponge absorbing cholesterol & sweeping it from the body.

Supplements: omega 3 fatty acids definitely help. You'll need 1000-3000 mg per day. Niacin works too, but many people find they can't stand the side effects (flushing).

If genes are the culprit, you can't change your genes, but you can use the statin medications to counteract this. Talk to your doctor, of course. If I were doing all the above, and still couldn't meet the cholesterol target for my health insurance, then I would ask my doctor about going on the statins temporarily, until all the other lifestyle changes could have time to bring your lipid profile into a healthy range on their own.

I want to stress that each of these approaches will improve your lipid profile to some degree. Statistically the statins are most powerful, followed by diet and exercise changes. Supplements cause the least amount of change. You will get the best results by making all of the changes, but it's best to start with changing the one thing that YOU think is the biggest culprit and gradually adding the others as you can. Better to make a consistent small change than be erratic with trying to change everything at once! :-) To your health!

ericarae33

Bummer! I'm not educated enough on which foods to eat, I'd have a conversation with a nutritionist or your doctor?

I hate the health screens they give at work, mine does it too. When I was pregant I got notices about being "overweight" and emails on how to lose weight and being healthy...again I was pregnant!

My doctor told me to ignore the health assessment numbers after that and I have, but you can't since your work is using the numbers they give...

Roni_M

Some great advise here! It sucks that they base it off your cholesterol. That's only a small part of your risk for heart disease.

My cholesterol "ratio" is off. My doctor says exercise increases the "good" stuff and eating healthy decreases the "bad" stuff. Specifically higher fiber foods help reduce the bad. My ratio is still off (had it retested about 35lbs ago) so my doctor said it is probably genetics but will retest in 6 months.

Although it probabaly doesn't help with your insurance, my doctor said I won't need medication now because they assess it based on how many other risk factors for heart disease you have. I have low blood pressure and am no longer obese so my "risk score" went down. I also have a bleeding disorder which makes my blood thin (so like taking aspirin every day). So all in all my risk for heart attack is low.

amyhoss

Thanks for all the great info. I think in my case, losing weight may be what I need to do. While I passed the weight portion required for my insurance, I am still quite a bit overweight.