Cholesterol (the LDL part)....

butterfly_2019
butterfly_2019 Posts: 44 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi All

I wonder if you could advise on how to lower my Cholesterol following my blood results from the Doctors. Bit of background....I'm 35years, 5ft 3in, 12st (not massively overweight but still overweight), I don't work out as much as I used too (prior to maybe 6 months ago I worked out 3-4x a week) but do walk around 10k+ steps per day (45min walk to work, 30mins back home Mon-Fri). My diet isn't perfect but its not bad either, since 2015 (my wedding), I've fluctuated between 11st 8lb and 12st (my current weight). I use MFP and try to keep within my calories, I enjoy my wine which I have on a Fri/Sat, I drink 3-5 litres of water, I only drink black coffee. My diets consists of a variation of foods, some processed, some homemade, eggs, meat, cheese, full fat yogurts, potatoes, bread - yeah I like a mince pie or crisps which I will count within my calorie goal. I've tried numerous diets over the years such as WW, SW etc and currently used MFP. Around 2 years ago I became interested in IF (please don't shoot me down yet) and go from incorporating 14/10, 16/8, OMAD - I've done these moreso over the past 4 months. I know its no magic pill but I do feel good when I do it, I mainly feel better as I feel less bloated...I've also been doing Low Carb High Fat so during the week trying to keep my carbs down between 50g - 100g and eating more high fat such as meats, cheese, eggs etc...and I've lost an inch each from my waist, hips and bum over the last couple of months so I was a bit shocked when the doctor said to keep an eye on my LDL as (her words) although its nothing to worry about its a bit high for someone my age. Now to be fair its been years and years since I needed a blood test so for all I know I could've have high LDL cholesterol for years or it could've been high this time last year and now it low - who knows! Doctor just said to keep an eye on my weight, exercise and that was pretty much it. I must note I eat a lot of eggs...like at least 8x eggs a week (I love eggs).

Now obviously I had to google it and have read different information such as don't eat to many eggs, eat low fat, don't eat to much saturated fat, don't IF as it can increase the LDL cholesterol then other articles saying IF can help LDL cholesterol...Also information such as what you ate the 24 hours before a blood test can impact your results (for me it was wine, lots of wine and then comfort food).

Apart from the "watch your diet and exercise" advice from my Doctor, what other things could I be doing? She said to have my bloods redone around February time which I will do.

Thanks All



Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I would follow the doctor's advice and see how your numbers are trending in February. The current thinking is that dietary cholesterol is only a factor for people with a certain genetic predisposition to it. If you are unsure of it you should ask the doctor to test you next time you go.

    There are some things that are in general good ideas even if the possibility of helping is questionable. One is adding more fat that may boost HDL like fatty fish or just taking fish oil supplements. The other other is to increase fiber. If your fiber is currently low make sure you increase it gradually.

  • butterfly_2019
    butterfly_2019 Posts: 44 Member
    Thanks for responding! I most definately will keep an eye on my diet and exercise and will try to increase fiber. I dont eat any fish except for tuna and prawns which I have maybe 1-2 a month so not a lot really.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Your doctor is spot on regarding weight and exercise. For most people, diet has very little effect on cholesterol. Regular exercise and getting to a healthy weight if one is overweight will have the greatest effects for the majority of the population.
  • butterfly_2019
    butterfly_2019 Posts: 44 Member
    Yeah I must admit I could do more actual exercise but I just don't enjoy it! I like walking though! I've done gym work, weights, classes, running, home workouts and I will admit I dont particularly enjoy it! Some people get that joyful "feeling" after a workout but I just don't!
  • watts6151
    watts6151 Posts: 905 Member
    edited December 2019
    Slow release naicin will help

    2000-3000mg per day
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    If your doctor is basing their entire decision based on LDL, i would question if they keep up with the science. There is little evidence that LDL is correlated to CVD. Also consider there is very little research done on individuals following low carb high fat.

    The bigger determinates to health are fasting blood glucose, A1C, CRP and HDL. If anything they could run a fractionated blood test, where they are actually measuring LDL. By doing so, they can determine if you have much particulate damage. Or if they are really concerned, they can get a coronary calcium score.

    The other major factor is family history. In my family LDL is high. And even at my lowest, my LDL was only 99. Right now, its like 138. But my fasting glucose and all my other factors are perfect.

    Overall, improved metabolic health will come from weight loss and exercise. You can reduce added sugar and highly processed oils, while increasing omega 3s and fibrous foods.

    And side note, extended periods of fasting can effect LDL.
  • being_fit_101
    being_fit_101 Posts: 16 Member
    I would like to share one post on another thread (by me). It might be relevant to you.

    The annual checkup on 2016 showed I was high risk diabetic and border line for cholesterol numbers. Since high blood pressure symptom runs on my family, I decided to take care of general health better. I started strength training following overall body workout 2-3 times a week and tracking my food intake. Here are the numbers for three year (overnight fasting and measured in morning).

    Parameters 2016 2017 2018 2019
    Glucose 155 98 97 88
    Total Chol. 224 225 200 179
    BP 131/88 130/79 113/79 104/73
    BMI 23.7 25.6 23.1 21.1

    The glucose and cholesterol numbers are well within the healthy range. I lost about 15lbs during the time frame. I was not overweight earlier but my body composition was really bad. I think i lost most of visceral fat during the journey that might have given me trouble later in life if it was not lowered.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    Generally speaking, you expect to lower your "bad" cholesterol factors by:

    1) losing wt
    2) exercising at least 30 mins daily, and
    3) eating a "heart healthy" diet, low in salt and saturated fats and high in fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids.

    See, eg., https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-healthy-diet/art-20047702

    At least, that's the way I did it
  • butterfly_2019
    butterfly_2019 Posts: 44 Member
    Thanks all for responding!

    It's confused me more because it goes against what I've been reading about low carb high fat but to lower my cholesterol I'd have to watch my saturated fats which are found in red meat and full fat dairy products which I eat often.

    The doctor didn't give me individual numbers for LDL, HDL etc...She just said my overall cholesterol level was 5 but LDL was slightly higher than what they'd want.

    I think going forward ready for my next blood test I will watch my diet (which I do anyway), increase my exercise and next time I request the bloods I'll ensure its a mid week appointment where I wouldn't have drank alcohol the previous 24-48hrs and see what happens.

    I'm not sure if its genetic as I don't speak or see my family on both sides so wouldn't know if they have issues with high LDL etc, I know my mother had a heart attack last year but I don't know what caused it or if she had an underlying issue such as high LDL etc.

    I also read and someone mentioned that when you are fasting your LDL level is likely to be high because if your body is using fat for fuel then it will be in the blood anyway - is this true?


  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    butterfly_2019 wrote: »
    Thanks all for responding!

    It's confused me more because it goes against what I've been reading about low carb high fat but to lower my cholesterol I'd have to watch my saturated fats which are found in red meat and full fat dairy products which I eat often.

    The doctor didn't give me individual numbers for LDL, HDL etc...She just said my overall cholesterol level was 5 but LDL was slightly higher than what they'd want.

    I think going forward ready for my next blood test I will watch my diet (which I do anyway), increase my exercise and next time I request the bloods I'll ensure its a mid week appointment where I wouldn't have drank alcohol the previous 24-48hrs and see what happens.

    I'm not sure if its genetic as I don't speak or see my family on both sides so wouldn't know if they have issues with high LDL etc, I know my mother had a heart attack last year but I don't know what caused it or if she had an underlying issue such as high LDL etc.

    I also read and someone mentioned that when you are fasting your LDL level is likely to be high because if your body is using fat for fuel then it will be in the blood anyway - is this true?


    I would ask your doctor for the full metabolic panel. Without it, you there is really no way to understand where you actually stand.

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