Cholesterol and Training

papajimsmooth

Hey guys, I had some blood tests done this week and my cholesterol results are quiet high. My LDL is 4 and my HDL is 1.2. Now im not asking for any medical advice on the consequences of this, but i was hoping some of you might have any advice on how I could tailor my training with the aim of lowering my LDL or raising my HDL. I appreciate any advice you guys have to offer.

TommyKnocker

Have a look at this from the Irish Heart Foundation for some guidelines.


M

d'Oracle

When did 4 become high?

papajimsmooth

4 is very high for LDL levels its not my total Cholesterol level

TommyKnocker

papajimsmooth wrote: »

4 is very high for LDL levels its not my total Cholesterol level

+1

According to the IHF site a healthy LDL level is under 3.

M

d'Oracle

Oh right.

dartstothesea

Could anyone say whether eggs are good, bad or neither in this regard?

Nonoperational

Not great as far as I recall.

papajimsmooth

Well dietary cholesterol is only responsible for about 15% of your cholesterol so eggs are ok as far as i know. I was really looking for advice along the lines of how/if the mechanisms of specific types of exercise affect cholesterol levels, whether an aerobic endurance approach is best or keep focusing on weights.

ragg

I don't know anything about you or your own situation, this advice is based only on my own personal experience, and it was that losing fat made my cholesterol drop. I would have a diet that was quite high in saturated fat, eggs etc when i was losing fat and the numbers still went down as i got less fat

wersal gummage

am currently wolfing down these things called scottish oats i got from bulkpowders.co.uk - i was actually only reading about them again this morning and this is part of the blurb on their website (no idea if there's any truth to it but it was fresh in my mind and when i saw this post i thought of it):

Lowering Cholesterol — Cholesterol is a fatty substance produced in the body. We also consume it daily in various foods such as dairy products, meat and seafood. When we have too much cholesterol it can begin to clog our arteries, reducing blood flow and increasing the risk of heart disease. Ultra Fine Scottish Oats have been shown to act like a sponge, soaking up cholesterol and taking it away from our bloodstream

Edwardius

wersal gummage wrote: »

Ultra Fine Scottish Oats have been shown to act like a sponge, soaking up cholesterol and taking it away from our bloodstream

That looks a little iffy to be honest.

wersal gummage

Dead Ed wrote: »

That looks a little iffy to be honest.

you've taken that and make it look like they are my words - i said they arent and i dont know if the WEBSITE's words are accurate....

a quick google suggests there's something to the suggestion that porridge oats may lower cholesterol though

Sigi

High cholesterol is the symptom of a problem not a problem in itself.You should focus on fixing the problem which is more than likely down to bad diet and not something weight training is going to fix,although some forms of 'cardio' could probably make it worse.

corkcomp

4 is too high for LDL .. I think the only sensible advice is to speak to your doctor or medical professional, especially as the ratio looks bad (your ldl should be lower and your hdl should definately be higher)

Transform

papajimsmooth wrote: »

Hey guys, I had some blood tests done this week and my cholesterol results are quiet high. My LDL is 4 and my HDL is 1.2. Now im not asking for any medical advice on the consequences of this, but i was hoping some of you might have any advice on how I could tailor my training with the aim of lowering my LDL or raising my HDL. I appreciate any advice you guys have to offer.

take fish oils daily - it will make a big difference to your levels so long as you clean up the rest of your diet

Mellor

dartstothesea wrote:

Could anyone say whether eggs are good, bad or neither in this regard?

Dietry cholesterol isn't directly related to blood cholesterol.
while eggs do have a decent cholesterol, it has been shown that they actually help to improve the H to L ratio.
Current thinkign is that they are good for your cholesterol

The Guvnor

I heard and read ages back that the cholesterol in eggs does not contribute to cholesterol levels in the body.

Apparently this was proven scientifically. I've never seen the study however.

The cholesterol is in the yolk - how many yolks would you eat in one sitting - for me no more than 2-3.

davmol

Sigi wrote: »

High cholesterol is the symptom of a problem not a problem in itself.You should focus on fixing the problem which is more than likely down to bad diet and not something weight training is going to fix,although some forms of 'cardio' could probably make it worse.

Eh?Isnt exercise supposed to help in reducing bad cholesterol levels?

d'Oracle

Sigi wrote: »

although some forms of 'cardio' could probably make it worse.

I have read that too.

Thing is the argument was as convincing as the bloody glove.

papajimsmooth

Guess ill just keep loosing fat and get another blood test in 3 months to see if it helped much

InTheTrees

I'm 48 and I got my numbers down from High Risk to normal naturally without statins.

It took about a year and a half and my doc helped. VitB3 lowers LDL substantially but at high doses under a docs supervision. HDL can be raised by eating the right foods, and exercise (i run a 5k 4-5 times a week). VitD level is really important too.

As regards training, my exercise is mostly running and adapting my diet has meant lessening Carbs but its hardly been noticeable. If you're into weights I suppose low carbs might affect your performance, but surely not much.

Remember lowering cholesterol doesn't mean avoiding fat. You need fat in your diet.

InTheTrees

wersal gummage wrote: »

you've taken that and make it look like they are my words - i said they arent and i dont know if the WEBSITE's words are accurate....

a quick google suggests there's something to the suggestion that porridge oats may lower cholesterol though

Well its the Fibre right? If you're trying to improve your cholesterol you should be having some kind of fibre supplement. And eating some high fibre cereal in the morning.

Its not like the oats are really coursing through your veins "soaking up cholesterol" is it?

Transform

Lets clear this up -

1. To lower cholesterol levels exercise will help in a massive way, as will dropping some excess weight that many people have

2. Increase fibre intake - fiber breaks down as it passes through the digestive tract, forming a gel that traps some substances related to cholesterol, such as cholesterol-rich bile acids. This entrapment reduces the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. The bad cholesterol, LDL, is trapped without lowering good cholesterol (HDL). Hey Win and this study concluded -

Br J Nutr. 2010 Aug 23:1-10. [Epub ahead of print]

The effect of a fibre supplement compared to a healthy diet on body composition, lipids, glucose, insulin and other metabolic syndrome risk factors in overweight and obese individuals.

The present study demonstrated that simply adding psyllium fibre supplementation to a normal diet was sufficient to obtain beneficial effects in risk factors. However, a high-fibre diet consisting of a psyllium supplement plus fibre from a healthy diet provided the greatest improvements in metabolic syndrome risk factors.

Learning - throw some psyllium husks into your foods or mix with water and take daily (you can get it in tablet or powder form in all health food shops)

3. Take feckin fish oils not just for lowering cholesterol but for everything- If your doctor is NOT recommending taking fish oils (3-4g per day) then he/she is living under a rock and needs to stop pumping out the statins so much for borderline cases. I wont go into all the scrience that will back this up - just take them daily.

4. take a niacin (vitamin B3) - again proven to lower cholesterol and triglycerides. 1-2g twice daily.

This is all very practical (take some fish oils, psyllium and B3 daily) and easy to follow for many people that need to lower cholesterol levels when done in conjunction with a good diet and plenty of exercise.