How to lower your cholesterol??

eclectichoney

Hi guys

I was with my Dr last week for blood tests and he found out my cholesterol is 5.9. Ideally it would be five he said, but he told me not to worry, it could be that I have a slow metabolism?? Anyway, I am a little concerned because I run four times a week, and i thought my diet was pretty good (I don't smoke and I have given up alcohol the past two or three months) My typical diet would be:

Breakfast: porridge made with water and about 20mls of milk. coffee no milk
Lunch, Brown bread sandwich no butter or mayo or anything, usually with turkey or smoked salmon and some salad
Dinner: piece of chicken, or fish, or steak or pork chop (with all the fat cut off, i hate the fatty bits!) and lots of veg.
Snacks: Maybe some baked beans, or a small bowl of porridge, or some cold meat (e.g. chicken, ham occasionally)

Is there anything I could do to improve this?? I was thinking cut out the steak (even though its always very lean) My doctor said it's fine, but i would just be concerned about it on a personal level.

Thanks

2Scoops

A total cholesterol of 5.9 mmol/L is not generally considered very high unless you are older or have a lot of other risk factors. Your doctor seems unconcerned, so it would be interesting to see the breakdown of the total cholesterol score (LDL-C, HDL-C etc.). However, if he genuinely said it's because of a slow metabolism then he's talking complete rubbish.

Ask your doctor or, preferably, a qualified dietitian for nutritional advice, although, at a glance, your diet looks reasonably healthy. Also, know that lifestyle/behavioural changes usually only have modest effects on cholesterol and you should monitor this regularly as you get older.

Mods, feel free to delete this post if it is considered 'medical advice.'

ambman

i got mine this week


and its 6.6:eek: so now i have to give up everything i like and stop living the good life:mad:

Loxosceles

My cholesterol was a bit high, somewhere around 4, when I got it tested about a year ago so I started taking coQ10 in a large dosage, 100 mg once daily. It plummeted to 1.25 and the doctors were concerned, because my HDL and LDL ratio was still not good; they said it wasn't the count but the ratio that mattered, and it shouldn't be too low. So I stopped the coQ10 immediately, started using olive oil for all my cooking, taking flax oil capsules, and eating fatty fish like salmon and trout at least once a week, skin on, _stopped_ eating all deep fried foods and kept eating dairy.

coQ10 will plummet your cholesterol very quickly in larger doses, (for me it only took a few weeks) but it flushes out the good cholesterol too, so I learned my lesson and have changed my diet instead. For me it's no chips, sausages, or bacon; no white sugar, watch the red meats, have 2-3 vegetarian days a week, use half fat butter (hydrogenated margarine is very bad for cholesterol), and replacing all cooking oil with olive oil. I try to take a salad with red wine vinegar and oil once every 2 days or so and eat porridge oats every morning to buffer calorie and fat intake with fibre.

If you want to bring down your cholesterol fast I would recommend 100-200 mg coQ10 daily just to get it down fast, but the real work is done with a change in diet.

2Scoops

Loxosceles wrote: »

My cholesterol was a bit high, somewhere around 4, when I got it tested about a year ago so I started taking coQ10 in a large dosage, 100 mg once daily. It plummeted to 1.25 and the doctors were concerned, because my HDL and LDL ratio was still not good; they said it wasn't the count but the ratio that mattered, and it shouldn't be too low. So I stopped the coQ10 immediately, started using olive oil for all my cooking, taking flax oil capsules, and eating fatty fish like salmon and trout at least once a week, skin on, _stopped_ eating all deep fried foods and kept eating dairy.

coQ10 will plummet your cholesterol very quickly in larger doses, (for me it only took a few weeks) but it flushes out the good cholesterol too, so I learned my lesson and have changed my diet instead. For me it's no chips, sausages, or bacon; no white sugar, watch the red meats, have 2-3 vegetarian days a week, use half fat butter (hydrogenated margarine is very bad for cholesterol), and replacing all cooking oil with olive oil. I try to take a salad with red wine vinegar and oil once every 2 days or so and eat porridge oats every morning to buffer calorie and fat intake with fibre.

If you want to bring down your cholesterol fast I would recommend 100-200 mg coQ10 daily just to get it down fast, but the real work is done with a change in diet.

Your experience with coQ10 is not typical, rather exceptional, in fact, and shouldn't be recommended to others. Also, since his diet is relatively ok to begin with, a dramatic change in cholesterol is not to be expected.

Also, changes in diet and lifestyle usually result only in small changes in cholesterol, generally speaking.

Loxosceles

You're probably right, I don't have an Irish genetic background but amerindian, which gives me a very low tolerance of carbohydrates and a very high tolerance of saturated fats that originate in meat. Using coQ10 was like hammering a nail with a wrecking ball.

But in smaller doses it could do no harm since it's basically just a mitochondrial nutrient extracted from algae and seaweed; no worse than a low-dosage b-complex. Which I also took with the coQ10, so that might have been a mitigating factor in the speed of the effect.

My sister is six years younger than me and has very high cholesterol, she is a vegetarian and on medication for the condition. The diet of the original poster seems quite austere for such a high reading. So it's definitely a luck-of-the-draw genetic factor. I am the one who drew the card "insulin resistance and carb intolerance leading to Type 2 diabetes"; we have our crosses to bear I suppose. Yay, genetics.

eclectichoney

Thanks guys, well he asked me several times if i had definitely been fasting for the full 16 hours (which I had - even closer to 17 by the time i got around to actually being tested :rolleyes:) and seemed to suggest that the food may still be in my system, hence the metabolic reference maybe?? i was only talking to him on the phone, in order to get the results asap.

might have a look down the nutritionist route - like i say it's just a personal concern rather than a medical one i guess, given that my doc said not to worry, as i'm young and don't smoke (i'm 24).

2Scoops

eclectichoney wrote: »

Thanks guys, well he asked me several times if i had definitely been fasting for the full 16 hours (which I had - even closer to 17 by the time i got around to actually being tested :rolleyes:) and seemed to suggest that the food may still be in my system, hence the metabolic reference maybe?? i was only talking to him on the phone, in order to get the results asap.

Recent meals have an almost negligible effect on cholesterol so if he was suggesting a recent meal had affected the results he's a charlatan.

eclectichoney wrote: »

might have a look down the nutritionist route - like i say it's just a personal concern rather than a medical one i guess, given that my doc said not to worry, as i'm young and don't smoke (i'm 24).

As you are young and otherwise healthy, I would worry too much about this cholesterol value yet, but definitely get regular check ups especially once you go over ~40 y. Oh, and make sure you visit a registered dietitian and not a 'nutritionist,' since the latter may hold no appropriate qualifications whatsoever!

aluapnaej

Take a supplement like Eskimo Oil and maybe use some flax seed sprinkled on your porridge. These are very high in good quality Omega Oils which naturally lower cholesterol.

mike65

http://www.irishheart.ie/iopen24/defaultarticle.php?cArticlePath=7_20_87

The healthy level for Cholesterol is about 2.5 according to my consultant, for some reason 5 is often quoted but thats not the case.

Omega 3 is good and Benecol drink is a handy way of taking it as a supplement along with fish oil pills.

Mike.

DrIndy

its important to be clear what is meant in cholesterol, mike65, and people do get confused.

TOTAL cholesterol should ideally be less than 5 - but this isn't hard and fast because the breakdown matters. LDL or bad cholesterol should be less than 2.5, unless you have heart problems when the new target is less than 1.8 - however the philosophy is also to go as low as you can.

HDL or good cholesterol is protective (simplistically speaking) and the levels should be greater than 1.1. Low levels of this irrespective of the total cholesterol count is a component of metabolic syndrome.

some people have very high total cholesterol levels but they also have high HDL levels in that component which does not automatically mean they will get heart problems as the high HDL counteracts the LDL levels.

Finally there's triglycerides which should be less than 2.3 ideally.

Talk to your doctor if you are worried as there are some clear guidelines, but they also keep changing every year as another new trial is published. If you want a good diet - a dietician is ideal to help you.

Please don't advocate CoQ10 or any other health supplements of this nature.

Vorsprung

mike65 wrote: »

http://www.irishheart.ie/iopen24/defaultarticle.php?cArticlePath=7_20_87

The healthy level for Cholesterol is about 2.5 according to my consultant, for some reason 5 is often quoted but thats not the case.

Omega 3 is good and Benecol drink is a handy way of taking it as a supplement along with fish oil pills.

Mike.

If you suffer from other conditions Mike, might cause your consultant to want you to have a lower chol level. Diabetes would be one condition where I think it's better to have a cholesterol at the lower end of things.

amz5

Hi all,

I'm sure some of you must have high cholesterol too? I'm just after getting blood test results back to say that mine is very high. I'm only in my 20s so I wasn't even going to get it my cholesterol checked, I was tired lately, so I wanted to get my iron checked. I've also been told that something strange came up in relation to my thyroid, but I don't know what that is.

I was told to go on a diet and exercise. I'm actually quite small and light already (size 6/8 and 5"2/8 stone), so if I went on a diet I don't know what would be left of me. I would imagine if I went on a diet, I'd lose weight, and I don't want to lose weight or I will definitely look gaunt. I've also been told to exercise more, and I exercise quite a bit. I haven't been exercising loads lately, but usually I would exercise quite a bit. I don't know how I can fit more exercise into my daily routine. I have to go back in 6 weeks after dieting and exercising to get checked again.

I'm vegetarian so I eat omlettes and cheese and milk quite a bit. I also eat a small bar of plain chocolate every day. I'll really miss them, but I guess they'll have to go. But I don't eat creamy food or things like that very much so after looking at lists of food that aren't recommended I'm at a bit of a loss as to what I should do to change. I obviously don't eat big fatty red meats or anything.

I had a message with that information on my phone this morning and I phoned the doctor and pretty much got the same message again from the secretary, but I didn't talk to the doctor. Should I demand to talk to the doctor? My dad has high cholesterol and takes all the flora, flax seeds, Omega capsules and stuff like that, but his choleserol is more than a full unit less than mine. Mine is more in line with my uncles cholesterol and he's in hospital with heart palpitations since the weekend. I didn't get a breakdown of the LDR and HDR. This isn't a medical query, I'm just wondering if I should ask more questions about this and if anyone can point me in the direction of a good website with advice or something as the secretary pretty much said to me "Your cholesterol is very high and you're very young so you need to exercise and go on a diet so that you don't have to go on medication. I have some leaflets in the waiting room if you want to come in to get them." And that was it. She had left the same message on my phone.

I don't have high blood pressure, as I've had that checked a lot over the last few years. It's normal. I thought the two would be linked.

amz5

It's me again How do I know if a product is high in cholesterol when I look at the ingredient list/composition? Do I look at the fat content, or the salt, or the sugar. Is it a combination of all of these?

furiousox

Should we have a poll for high cholesterol?
Mine is 8.1, beat that!
Seriously, I tried the most bland, boring, skimmed, lite, plant sterol diet you could imagine and my count reduced by 10-15%.
My problem is hereditary, so I'm now on a statin (30mg) and my count is 4.2.
I'm exercising and maintaining the diet as best I can to hopefully reduce the statin dosage to 10-20mg.
My point is, if you are pre-disposed to high cholesterol by your family history healthy eating will only have a limited effect on lowering your cholesterol count.

Tree

@amz5 Talk to your doctor, much of the cholesterol in the body is produced BY the body. Reducing lipids in the diet has little effect in many cases, however it's generally a good idea for a healthy lifestyle in general.
Cholesterol is a component of fats, so that's the most likely spot to find it. However it's not going to be listed as a separate component. Bear in mind also, that this is broken down by your body and reassembled. Cholesterol is an important part of the phospholipid membrane of your cells, and also the main component of hormones, they are constructed using the molecule as a backbone.

2qk4u

My cholesterol was 7.3 six months ago and got my result on Wednesday and it down to 5.3 . Im delighted with that result. I cut out red meat for the first 4 months and now only once a week, I cut out as much dairy as possible, only have potatoes once a week, no white bread, no sugar, no salt, no junk food, no fast food, no fizzy drinks apart from beer once a week, Ive had more fiber and fruit than ive ever had and cut my portions down. Ive lost over 3 and a half stone and feel so much healthier.
Even though Im at a reasonable level now im sticking to my diet as I still need to loose weight.

This may not work for everyone, I dont get much exercise so im sure if I did my results would be better, and I dont smoke which Im told doubles cholesterol.

ronanos

Hi,

I have just called from the doctor. I was having blood checked for a different symptom and they rang me back and told me to go to my GP and have my cholesterol tested. Anyhow it turns out to be 9.5 so gotta go to doctor tomorrow. It didnt come as a surprise that its high but that high is shocking. Its my first cholestrol test and Im 31. I do smoke and have a very unbalanced diet. I dont eat junk food or sweets and stuff but I do go to the Chinese now and again. I have no breakfast a hot chicken roll for lunch and something in the evening either a full dinner, chinese or just a few sandwiches. So I guess that diet wont work anymore.

Im just wondering for those of you that have high cholesterol have you gone and had checks to see if having high cholesterol before you sorted the problem out has done damage? Did you go to see are your arteries or veins or whatever gets blocked is blocked? Or is just bringing the cholesterol down enough?

Thanks,

Chuckles1407

Hi my cholestorol is 6.4 in a blood test recently I am not sure of the breakdown but about 2 years ago The LDL was 3.7 and the total was still 6.4 and while I have made attempts at eating healtier that's all they've been - attempts. I know that I must take action with both my weight and cholesterol levels. I'm 38 Female 18 stone and 5 foot 5 inches. I have two questions and would appreciate any knowledge or advice.

1) Do products such as Flora spreads and yoghurt drinks actually do what they claim to i.e. lower cholesterol and if they do is it the HDL or the LDL that they lower?

2) If I went all out and followed a healthy eating plan to the letter could it loosen the LDL (which i understand is a plaque like substance which sticks to the walls of the blood vessels) and consequently cause the blockage that I am trying to prevent happening?

Maybe I am overthinking here but I want to do it right and permanently.

chanste

Chuckles1407 wrote: »

2) If I went all out and followed a healthy eating plan to the letter could it loosen the LDL (which i understand is a plaque like substance which sticks to the walls of the blood vessels) and consequently cause the blockage that I am trying to prevent happening?

Hi, obviously this is something that you should speak to your Dr. about, and I know the forums here take people giving medical advice pretty seriously (so by all means mods feel free to edit/remove this post), but just out of interest I looked up the main pathology book I've been using on my course (Robbins) and it defines primary prevention of atherosclerosis as a program aimed at delaying atheroma formation OR encouraging regression of established lesions.

I couldn't find any more than that, but I think that the answer to the question about removing the plaque, is that technically you can, but I think all emphasis is on preventing further build up with healthy lifestyle etc.

Also who knows what treatments will be developed in the future as it seems to be a fast moving field with deaths cut in half between 1963 (peak) and 2000... again from Robbins.

sam34

Chuckles1407 wrote: »

Hi my cholestorol is 6.4 in a blood test recently I am not sure of the breakdown but about 2 years ago The LDL was 3.7 and the total was still 6.4 and while I have made attempts at eating healtier that's all they've been - attempts. I know that I must take action with both my weight and cholesterol levels. I'm 38 Female 18 stone and 5 foot 5 inches. I have two questions and would appreciate any knowledge or advice.

1) Do products such as Flora spreads and yoghurt drinks actually do what they claim to i.e. lower cholesterol and if they do is it the HDL or the LDL that they lower?

2) If I went all out and followed a healthy eating plan to the letter could it loosen the LDL (which i understand is a plaque like substance which sticks to the walls of the blood vessels) and consequently cause the blockage that I am trying to prevent happening?

Maybe I am overthinking here but I want to do it right and permanently.

we dont give medical advice here.

ask your gp for advice and a referral to a dietician

paulasims

Sorry, leaving a late reply. Have anyone tried herbal remedies?
I would like to suggest, try drinking coriander or cinnamon tea, it has the capability to control the cholesterol naturally. Very simple, yet effective.

Vorsprung

paulasims wrote: »

Sorry, leaving a late reply. Have anyone tried herbal remedies?
I would like to suggest, try drinking coriander or cinnamon tea, it has the capability to control the cholesterol naturally. Very simple, yet effective.

What's the evidence for this?

paulasims

Thanks for asking Vorsprung,
Coriander which is also known as Cilantro, Dhania or Chinese Parsley is a popular ancient spice using in dishes. But, in Asia it also used as a medicinal herb which has several health benefits, like controls sugar level, blood pressure, fights with food poisoning and much more...same with the cinnamon.

Hope this helps!

Maz2016

paulasims wrote: »

Thanks for asking Vorsprung,
Coriander which is also known as Cilantro, Dhania or Chinese Parsley is a popular ancient spice using in dishes. But, in Asia it also used as a medicinal herb which has several health benefits, like controls sugar level, blood pressure, fights with food poisoning and much more...same with the cinnamon.

Hope this helps!

Hmm interesting, my dad is on s cholosterol tablet. Gets terrible aches and pains at night. After numerous X-rays and scans , they decided it's a side effect from the cholesterol tablets but won't take him off them. I'm going to tell him about this

paulasims

Maz2016 wrote: »

Hmm interesting, my dad is on s cholosterol tablet. Gets terrible aches and pains at night. After numerous X-rays and scans , they decided it's a side effect from the cholesterol tablets but won't take him off them. I'm going to tell him about this

Oh, that's nice Maz2016 ! You can take it as tea and its very simple to make... a similar method is given here.. fabhow.com/reduce-bad-cholesterol-level.html

gctest50

Vorsprung wrote: »

What's the evidence for this?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18831331

My rat is delighted with his new lowered levels

Vorsprung

paulasims wrote: »

Thanks for asking Vorsprung,
Coriander which is also known as Cilantro, Dhania or Chinese Parsley is a popular ancient spice using in dishes. But, in Asia it also used as a medicinal herb which has several health benefits, like controls sugar level, blood pressure, fights with food poisoning and much more...same with the cinnamon.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Paula, was more interested if there were any papers/objective evidence to support the suggestions you've made about their health benefits.

OMD

gctest50 wrote: »

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18831331

My rat is delighted with his new lowered levels

That research is for coriander seed (not coriander leaf as the poster suggested). In addition the rats had 10% of their diet made of coriander seeds. For humans to consume the same amount of coriander they would need to eat 1KG of coriander seeds a day.

The coriander seeds (low fat/cholesterol food) replaced their usual "rodent chow" which contained 5% fat. So the experiment gave the rats a diet slightly lower in fat.

The overall results are impressive but is 10% of your diet from coriander seeds possible and if it was would the effects on humans be the same?

goat2

paulasims wrote: »

Thanks for asking Vorsprung,
Coriander which is also known as Cilantro, Dhania or Chinese Parsley is a popular ancient spice using in dishes. But, in Asia it also used as a medicinal herb which has several health benefits, like controls sugar level, blood pressure, fights with food poisoning and much more...same with the cinnamon.

Hope this helps!

Coriander is a big part of Chinese dishes, now we know some of the reason they are so healthy, Omega 3 is a big help in reducing cholesterol, it helped me, as the drugs are not the best, these are great