How can I lower my Cholesterol?

saggynaggy65 · August 2020

My doctor told me that my cholesterol is a bit high. No need for medications atm but I am wondering what I can do to bring it back down?

janejellyroll · August 2020

Not an expert, but my understanding is that there are two "types" of higher cholesterol. One responds well to diet and weight loss, the other is more genetic and typically requires medication. Did your doctor have any specific recommendations for you?

If you are carrying excess weight, it is not uncommon for people who are obese/overweight to find their cholesterol improve by losing some weight.

My husband was at the point where his doctor wanted him to consider medication and he was able to bring his back into normal levels by losing about 15 pounds (he wasn't obese, just had a little bit of middle age spread), adding regular physical activity (just walks and resistance training), and making sure he was getting plenty of fiber and vegetables each day.

deepsea117 · August 2020

I've studied this for a while to lower mine. Cholesterol is is useful for sitting under your skin and reacting with sunlight (uv) to become Vitamin D.

Maybe you can try 15-30 minutes of high-noon sun to convert excess cholesterol.

Also, you're probably trying to lower your LDL (bad cholesterol.) Your HDL acts a scrubber to remove the LDL and take it to your liver. The higher your HDL, the lower your LDL.

For women, you want to get your HDL to at least 50.

You can do this by:
1. Light exercise a couple of times a week. I walk around with a backpack at a moderate pace.
2. Increasing your healthy fats in moderation (Mono and Polyunsaturated fats, Omega-3's, which is a PUF.)
3. Increasing your whole grains is also a way. That's why oatmeal is always being pushed. Try aiming for 48 grams of Whole Grains a day.
4. Ease off smoking if you haven't. Smoking has been shown to lower HDL.
5. Even a glass a day of alcohol has been shown to raise HDL. I use red wine if and when I drink.

My labs have been all mid-range, not too high or too low. They only check it once a year now.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

glassyo · August 2020

Take this for what it's worth but this is my ne1 story:

My cholesterol was a bit high and I had read that someone actually added dietary cholesterol to their diet and their numbers got better.

So.....I used to eat egg whites only but changed it up to a complete egg and some egg whites every night. The only thing that changed was the calories in either some type of chocolate or bready food I was replacing with the egg yolk.

My weight and exercise stayed the same during this time and I lost 7 points between my triglycerides and LDL.

But lose weight if you're overweight because, unless you have the inherited type of high cholesterol (I will NEVER remember the name of it), losing weight will help.

kimny72 · August 2020

saggynaggy65 wrote: »

My doctor told me that my cholesterol is a bit high. No need for medications atm but I am wondering what I can do to bring it back down?

If your high cholesterol isn't genetic, my understanding is losing weight and increasing activity level are the most effective things you can do.

There are lots of little dietary changes that might make some minor difference, but before you do the first two that might be majoring in the minors.

psuLemon · August 2020

What is actually high? Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL? What does your fasting glucose and CRP look like?

age_is_just_a_number · August 2020

Try eating whole foods, a variety of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

DanaDark · August 2020

Increasing your fiber intake may help depending on the exact cause of the higher cholesterol.

Bile is made by your liver and is secreted into the duodenum (intestine area immediately following the stomach). It is used to emulsify fats so they are easier to digest. It is then stored in the gall bladder. However, fibrous foods can drag bile away forcing the body to make more.

A main component of bile is cholesterol which is readily available in the blood.

This is why some foods like cheerios say they help lower cholesterol. Any fibrous foods will work. Cardboard probably would work... but I suggest healthy foods like broccoli and whole grains.

TL;DR: Increase your fiber some. It won't be a magic pill but can help.

jen_fitnhappy · August 2020

Following.

MaltedTea · August 2020

saggynaggy65 wrote: »

My doctor told me that my cholesterol is a bit high. No need for medications atm but I am wondering what I can do to bring it back down?

In the same boat as you and started my journey ~16 months ago (I've been on MFP for the physical fitness part for 9 months).

In agreement with @psuLemon Also, I'm surprised your doctor didn't give you suggestions before leaving the appointment. I'm guessing you're American?

Mine (I'm Canadian) took a few minutes to go over my exercise history, preferences and motivations then said: walk before you run.

Literally... Just lots of walking at first with the goal of reducing weight to see whether that would impact my numbers. She didn't want me to go back to running right away 🤷🏿‍♀️ My achy knees were okay with her plan.

My first two check ins showed some improvement in the bloodwork, and I've been followed - monthly - with a nutritionist from the same clinic. But it wasn't quite enough...

She wanted to see how much more I could shift her chart ranking/algorithm thingy if I had a few more months. My (hopefully) last check in on this topic is scheduled for 3 weeks from now.

My nutritionist has said that nutrition and physical activity help, as does abstaining from smoking. Those are Top 3 for everyone.

Yet, if it's in your genetic cards it may be best controlled with a prescribed treatment plan which may include pharmaceutical products.

ChrissyChickie · August 2020

Hi. I've been doing low carb (not quite keto) along with IF now for the past 4 months. I've been exercising at the gym or at home every day. I don't have a lot of stamina so, I use light weights and on the treadmill I'm good at 2.5mph, but I can do this for 45 min to an hour. I'm wondering if I should not be trying to incorporate all the fat in my diet because of my cholesterol results. My cholesterol was high prior to ketoish and is still high. I don't want to go on cholesterol medicine because I've heard so many negative things about this. My test results are as follows:
Cholesterol 252
HDL 46
LDL 147
Chol/HDL Ratio 5.5
LDL/HDL Ration 3.2
Triglycerides 293

Should I try to limit my fat intake because of this? I'm 52 and overweight and working hard to try to lose weight. Thanks.

psuLemon · August 2020

ChrissyChickie wrote: »

Hi. I've been doing low carb (not quite keto) along with IF now for the past 4 months. I've been exercising at the gym or at home every day. I don't have a lot of stamina so, I use light weights and on the treadmill I'm good at 2.5mph, but I can do this for 45 min to an hour. I'm wondering if I should not be trying to incorporate all the fat in my diet because of my cholesterol results. My cholesterol was high prior to ketoish and is still high. I don't want to go on cholesterol medicine because I've heard so many negative things about this. My test results are as follows:
Cholesterol 252
HDL 46
LDL 147
Chol/HDL Ratio 5.5
LDL/HDL Ration 3.2
Triglycerides 293

Should I try to limit my fat intake because of this? I'm 52 and overweight and working hard to try to lose weight. Thanks.

The big thing that you should focus on is losing weight. Your exercise is not to bad. You may want to get a little more resistance training, but that is another topic.

If you are low carb, consuming more fish and leaner proteins can helps. I would focus on getting fats from things like avocados, olive or avocado oils, and nuts/seeds. Also, consuming adequate fiber and reducing processed foods are good ways to improve things.

How can I lower my Cholesterol?

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