High Cholesterol

FWIW, I also had high cholesterol a few years ago. It had always been high, more on the borderline (totals in the 200-239 range). I know it would have been easy for me to say "Well, it's all genetic. Nothing I can do about it," and go on cholesterol medication. However, it's probably worth it to test that hypothesis before you declare it as fact. What works for me may not work for you, but I had some pretty good results. Here's the story:

My doctor had offered to put me on cholesterol medication, but I asked him to give me three months to see how much of it could be controlled with diet. He agreed, and so I started the experiment. I reviewed recommendations by people that are more qualified than me, and gave them a try.

The first part was exercise. Physical activity can raise HDL levels, and weight loss can lower LDL levels. (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/wyntk.htmI) I was too cheap to join a gym at the time, so I started running. Every other day, and worked myself up to three miles.

The second part was dietary changes. Most of the recommendations are reductions in saturated fats, and largely having a diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/reduce-cholesterol/CL00012). I was pretty strict about following the dietary recommendations, because I wanted to see how effective both of these. That meant I cut out all my meats except seafood (good for omega3 fatty acids, and I used sparingly), used only monounsaturated fats (again, sparingly), and made a lot of vegetable dishes that followed the guidelines. I cook most of my food from scratch anyway, so it wasn't that rough. I made up a few recipes, and used some of the recipes from Dr. Mirkin's site (http://www.drmirkin.com/recipes/recipeListType.html), since they follow the dietary recommendations. So, while I was being strict about diet, I wasn't really suffering for something good to eat. 8)

When I met up with my doctor for the followup, the results surprised us both: I had dropped total cholesterol numbers by 90 points (in the 130's)! I don't recall my LDL/HDL, other than it was in good balance. No medication needed. The experiment showed how much of a factor diet an exercise played in my cholesterol.

Obviously, I'm not a doctor so take the above for what it is: just my story. And the result of your own personal experiment might show that it really is genetics causing your high numbers. If you need medication, you should take it. However, your doctor might be willing to entertain the same experiment, so you could see how much control your lifestyle has on your health. Good luck.

I'm confused. I got my results back this week.
My Cholesterol is 274,
Trig is 103,
Direct HDL = 72;
Direct LDL=154;
LDL/HDL Ratio=2.1;
non HDL Lipid = 202.0;
and total Cholesterol / HDL ratio = 3.8.

The number I am focusing on is the 274, right?

I live in a Country that doesn't restrict dietary cholesterol, maybe if you did some research and find out why that might be, you'd be closer to giving out more accurate advice as opposed to a group that does your thinking for you. Also to add, there's no such thing as bad cholesterol, cholesterol is just cholesterol regardless of the source.

I've lost over 90 pounds in 5 months by following a plant-based diet.

What have you done?

I have put a fair bit of research into my dietary choices, the results cannot be argued with. What diet do you follow? Why? Where are the sources for your claims? What would you suggest to someone suffering from high cholesterol? Do you really think expensive and ineffective medical treatments are the answer? Or is there a dietary intervention available?

Heart disease and diabetes are rare in nations that eat diets that are low in animal products. They are at the top of the list of killers in Western societies today, particularly in the United States.