The High Cholesterol Club :(

Perhaps your cholesterol is genetic more than dietary?

Do you like eggs, shrimp, or milk? They have high amounts of cholesterol as well.

I used to have 179 cholesterol last year. This year, nothing changed really, but it went up to 269. I am highly ticked off...but I digress...

I have decided to use egg whites instead of eggs, remove shrimp and all other shellfish unless it is a "cheat" meal, and use almond milk instead of cow's milk which is cholesterol free goodness.

I've also decided that when I do exercise, I will be going as intense as possible so I can burn a minimum of 400 calories a pop...raising the heart rate like that helps clear it up as well.

Eating oatmeal, beans, and cinnamon are good too.

I've just started doing the above, and I've lost 3 pounds in 2 weeks. I will get the lab numbers checked again next year, but at least the scale is working right.

I can relate to this club. I have worked on cleaning up my diet this past year and my total cholesterol was 243. I was so bummed. My mom's is sky high so I know it is genetic. I do believe aerobic activity helps and until recently I haven't been able to do this much. I had 2 surgeries on my feet in the last year so it has been mostly floor work for me. I am working at getting the heart really pumping a few times a week. I rarely eat eggs and have oatmeal several times a week. When I drink milk, it is skim most times. Yes, what is our plan as a club?:flowerforyou:

Hello fellow cholesterol fighters!

Hope you are all well!

It is nice to know there is a group on here for high cholesterol issues! I was very relieved to find some 'friends' who I can relate to!

Ok so here is my background story/sob story:

I have always been healthy and relatively active so it came as a huge surprise when I was told I have insanely high cholesterol levels 9.8 mmols (normal for my age is 3) which is about 3.2 g/l (normal for my age is 1.5). the first time I found out about the high levels was about 2 months ago - at that time it was 9.6. I started going on a diet and since then lost 3 kilos and ate lots of fish, olive oil, avocados etc .

Yesterday I consulted my doctor after being on a diet for about two months and had another blood test only to find out it went to 9.8!! The doctor then explained that my cholesterol is a hereditary condition (yes I was also very dubious at first!) and no matter how hard I exercise or diet, without medication it will not go down. She was very shocked at ages 28, it was so high!
So as of yesterday I have been taking pills called CRESTOR 5mg which of course was very hard to accept! i never had to take any pills or meds in my life!!!

So I have now decided to exercise a lot more and keep up the diet as I don't wanna die young .... not to mention having to take meds my whole life!

So if you are in the same position, please share your story and feel free to add me!!!

All the best,

your new friend!

Fat Fighter!

I'm in this club too. I had high cholesterol at age 17 already, and it's just gone up up up since. The test I had last july showed my total at 280! Besides the typical "lose weight and exercise" most dr's Rx you, mine said to keep my daily cholesterol intake to under 200 mg. I do that well most of the time with my average being about 150 mg. Just had my levels rechecked and my total is down to 252. He said to keep doing what I'm doing and recheck again in 6 months at my annual checkup.

Little update:

15/2/2011 - just had my cholesterol checked earlier in the week and yessssssssss! It went down to 7.4 from 9.4!! so I am a very happy bunny! most of it is to do with me going on medication but hey i am just happy it is going down!!!

thanks for sharing - very useful! i m on Crestor but I find I have migranes since I have been taking it! so will see my doc soon!

I am in this club! I just found out that my total cholesterol is 341!!!!! I am 32 years old and consume less than 200 mg of cholesterol a day on average its less than 100! SO its my genes causing the high cholesterol! My dad, aunts, grandparents all have very high cholesterol! I just started Lipitor (20mg) and will be tested again in 3 months! No red meat, no shellfish, no fast food, nothing high in trans or saturated fat... hoping to loose weight in the process ( i am overweight too). Wish me luck!

Hi,
I had high cholesterol levels (I don't even remember the numbers), and several years ago, my doctor put me on Lipitor. At my annual physical five years ago, I asked him about the Lipitor causing me leg pain. He told me that he thought that would have been an immediate side effect, not one with a gradual onset. However, if you read the Lipitor website, in some cases, a gradual onset could occur.
SO.....when he didn't think that was it, I went off of the Lipitor cold turkey, and felt better within a week. At this time, my blood sugar was elevated. When I told the doctor I'd quit the Lipitor, he said he'd recheck cholesterol levels in two months when he wanted to check my blood sugar. Well, long story short, both my blood sugar and cholesterol levels were high. The doctor sent me to a dietician, who focused more on the blood sugar end of things, and I was able to begin losing weight.
The following year at my physical, I was about 60 pounds lighter, my blood sugar and cholesterol were within normal limits, and I only take Synthroid for hypothyroidism (the only prescription drug I take).
By keeping the weight off, I've been able to avoid taking anything for diabetes and have been able to remain off of the cholesterol medication.
Just my story....no real advice.
Kaye

Ok, me too. I have been using Crestor 10 mg for 5 years now which got LDL consistently down from 180 to 90, but had no impact on HDL or triglicerides .

6 months ago, my glucose was too high, so reading up, I decided to lose weights I lost 35 lb, from BMI 28 to 22. I cut out most saturated fat and red meat, increased fiber and ate a lot more fish and got HDL up from 42 to 62, and triglycerides from 247 to 95.

So, in my experience, yes statins work to bring LDL down. But it also really help to bring your weight down, and change your diet.
I cut Crestor to 5mg 3 months ago, but I don't have any recent lab data.

Recent evidence does not support any benefit from Niacin or cinnamon.

My mom's cholesterol was 300+ even though she was eating mostly grains and veggies. Hers is definitely genetic. Her father had a stroke at age 40. I'm probably at risk too... hopefully eating healthy and exercising every day will keep it at bay, but I'll have to get my numbers checked once I turn 30.

Hi all.

I have high cholesterol, too. A lot of my family members have it plus diabetes and the women in my family (including me) have thyroid issues. I've skated by the diabetes for now, but because I'm only 21 I have my mother constantly nagging at me when I visit home from college. I've started to cut out a lot of the bad stuff in my diet, but I only hope that could help.

I'm just relieved that I'm not the only twenty-something in the world with high cholesterol. I thought I had something seriously wrong (not that it isn't, but you know what I mean) with me.

I am unfortunately a member of this club...I just went to the doctor on Tuesday and he noted that it had been over a year since I had labwork, so he ordered some blood tests. I was anxious to see the results, because over the past year and a half, I have lost 50 pounds and literally gone from the couch to running half marathons. My cholesterol was "borderline" high when tested in 10/2009 (prior to lifestyle changes), so I couldn't wait to see how my lifestyle changes had effected my numbers. Well...much to my shock and dismay, my cholesterol has GONE UP!! WTH!!! I can not believe it. Total went from 260 (10/09) to 262 now. HDL (which I know is good) went up at least, 65 (10/09) to 94 now. For whatever reason, I do not have my prior LDL or Triglyceride numbers, but they are now LDL 153 and Tri 130, which are high. I know that part of it is hereditary, as my parents and grandparents had a history of high cholesterol and heart disease, which was a major motivation for my lifestyle changes, but even with all the hard work I have put into changing my health, it is not reflecting in my numbers...frustrating!! Any ideas??

I am a Type II Diabetic and had a cholesterol level of 266, probably higher when I was fatter. About six months ago, my Dr. threatened me with having to inject insulin, so I started watching what I was eating and three months ago, my cholesterol was down to 163, but my HDL was 38, still 2 points too low. About three months ago, I started eating organic fruits and veggies and stopped buying processed/packaged foods. Within the last week, I got a complete physical with blood work (results of cholorestrol and triglycerides aren't back yet), and I have been taken off three of my high blood pressure meds, one of my diabetes meds and ½ of my high cholesterol med. I am now on an 1800/day calorie and low sodium diet. Eight days ago, I started walking 1.5 miles a day. My goal is to get rid of my last diabetes med, my last high blood pressure med and my cholesterol med. If a fat old man can do it, almost anyone can

Way to go CRody!! Those are awesome results!! Please post when you have your cholesterol results back. Keep up the good work...it is paying off!!
Tammy

I found out I had high cholesterol a little over a month ago. Dr. says its probably genetic. Total was 379, LDL 185. SO i have been on statins, and i completely changed my way of life. Labs came back on Monday, Total is 145, LDL 72!!!! However, I do not believe the meds are that effective. I think my lifestyle change did a lot to help too. So, what did I change? I eat no real cheese, milk, whole eggs, butter. I limit myself to 2g of saturated fat a day, usually in the form of ground turkey breast. I have been drowning everything in olive oil, and other good fats. I have better oats brand oatmeal, the abundance line, for breakfast and lunch normally. It has flaxseeds and other healthy goodies, but it so much better tasting than Quaker. I take flaxseed oil, and a multivitamin each day. I increase my intake of soy protein. I eat a lot of soy cheese, soy milk, and fake meat. You can actually make it delicious! I am completely up for a recipe exchange. In fact this afternoon I will post my pizza recipe, a total of 2.5g of sat fat in the entire 12inch pizza, 200 calories per slice! and delicious. For now I am off to the farmers market, i need more apples to make apple butter

I recently found this article that might be of interest to others with cholesterol issues...

Berkeley Wellness Report

http://www.berkeleywellnessalerts.com/alerts/healthy_heart/Cholesterol-Lowering-Supplements198-1.html?ET=bwalerts:e1028:143024a:&st=email&s=EEA_110916_001

November 9, 2010

If you have high cholesterol, you may be tempted to try a "heart-health" supplement. Some have evidence to back their use, but others are questionable.

Sterols or stanols: These plant compounds interfere with the absorption of dietary cholesterol. The standard dose (2 grams, or 2,000 milligrams, a day) lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 9% to 20%. The government’s cholesterol guidelines and the American Heart Association recommend foods fortified with sterols/stanols. There are also sterol and stanol supplements, which vary in composition and dosage. The FDA allows labels on foods or supplements to claim they reduce the risk of heart disease if they supply at least 400 milligrams of sterols per serving or dose, for a daily total of at least 800 milligrams. Our take: Worth trying.

Soluble fiber supplements: The government’s cholesterol guidelines recommend fruit, vegetables, and grains rich in soluble fiber, including psyllium, a seed grain sold as a laxative and fiber supplement. Psyllium can lower LDL cholesterol by 5% to 15% and has other heart-healthy effects; you have to take the standard dose three times a day to get the greatest effect. Beta glucan, found in oats and barley, is another soluble fiber that lowers LDL cholesterol. Many supplements provide beta glucan or other soluble fibers, but have not been adequately studied. Our take: Psyllium is a good option, as part of a heart-healthy diet. Get other soluble fibers from foods, rather than supplements.

Red yeast rice extract: Made by fermenting red yeast on rice, the extract contains a statin compound, lovastatin, so it does improve cholesterol levels. But the effect is less predictable, since the supplements are not standardized. In fact, a new analysis of 12 red yeast rice supplements, reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that the products varied widely in how much active ingredient they contained. Moreover, a potentially harmful substance was detected in three products. Keep in mind, also, that red yeast rice supplements can cause the same side effects as statin drugs. Our take: It may be effective, but it’s safer to take a prescription-quality statin under medical supervision. A generic statin may not cost much more and is covered by insurance.

Fish oil supplements: The omega-3 fats in fish have a variety of potential cardiovascular benefits, but do not lower cholesterol. In fact, they may raise both LDL and HDL cholesterol slightly. Our take: If you have heart disease or high triglycerides, talk to your doctor about omega-3 supplements, but don’t take them to lower your cholesterol.

Garlic: Studies have yielded inconsistent results. There are many types of supplements, with different amounts of garlic components. A well-designed study at Stanford University found no benefit on cholesterol from two popular supplements or raw garlic. If there is an effect, it’s probably small. Our take: Garlic supplements are not rec­om­mended; eat garlic if you like it, but not to lower cholesterol.

Guggul extract (guggulipid): Guggul is a gummy resin from a tree. Despite some positive research from India, two well-designed studies (from the U.S. and Norway) found no lowering of LDL cholesterol, but did note frequent side effects, mostly gastrointestinal. It can interfere with certain drugs. Our take: Not recommended.

Policosanol: Usually derived from sugar cane or beeswax, policosanol has been studied mostly in Cuba, where it’s been found to improve cholesterol levels. But independent studies from Germany and Italy found it ineffective. Potential side effects include gastrointestinal upset and rashes; it can affect blood-clotting medication. Our take: Not recommended.

Keep in mind: Cholesterol-lowering drugs have been well studied, have impressive results, and their side effects, mostly rare, are known. You can be sure of what’s in the drug, in contrast to dietary supplements, which are not well-regulated. But if you have high cholesterol and want to try one of these supplements, tell your doctor, so the effects can be monitored.