Cholesterol

[pb]

Had cholesterol test it was 5.5, last year it was 5.1
Gp not really concerned , but I would like to try to lower it.
Has anyone managed to lower their levels.
I have put a lot of weight on, could this be the cause.
Again worrying about my health !

[Fishmanpa]

Had cholesterol test it was 5.5, last year it was 5.1
Gp not really concerned , but I would like to try to lower it.
Has anyone managed to lower their levels.
I have put a lot of weight on, could this be the cause.
Again worrying about my health !


Lose weight, eat right, exercise = lower cholesterol levels.

Positive thoughts

[Phill2]

Lose weight, eat right, exercise = lower cholesterol levels.

Positive thoughts

+1

[pb]

Has anyone got any advice, thankyou

[ricardo]

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cholesterol/Pages/Introduction.aspx


The above link explains all.

If you can afford it buy good quality or organic food and always look at the contents for additives or processing.e.g. sausages.

[Fishmanpa]

Has anyone got any advice, thankyou

pb.... I gave you the absolute best advice. I have heart disease. I take statins and other meds due to this. My cholesterol and triglycerides have been an issue most of my life due to hereditary and poor life choices.

Besides the meds, I eat right (low fat, stay clear of processed foods, veggies, fruit etc.), exercise and keep my weight under control. It works.

Positive thoughts

---------- Post added at 11:01 ---------- Previous post was at 11:00 ----------


http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cholesterol/Pages/Introduction.aspx


The above link explains all.

If you can afford it buy good quality or organic food and always look at the contents for additives or processing.e.g. sausages.

Which says exactly what I said....

Positive thoughts

[MrAndy]

good quality krill oil has been shown to lower cholesterol

[dally]

The professor at the lipid clinic I was sent to for having high cholesterol told me over 80% of your cholesterol is made by your body! no matter how good your diet excercise etc is.
That's why it is important to take statins which reduced the amount the body makes.

Ofcourse diet and excercise heps on top

[Phill2]

The professor at the lipid clinic I was sent to for having high cholesterol told me over 80% of your cholesterol is made by your body! no matter how good your diet excercise etc is.
That's why it is important to take statins which reduced the amount the body makes.

Ofcourse diet and excercise heps on top

Did he also mention that your body makes it from the animal fats that you eat?

[MyNameIsTerry]

So, how do you alter what your body is making? Is it purely a case of raw material, influence on the process to make it, your microbiome makeup, etc? How does stress influence it since stress makes many changes to how your body processes what you eat?

[Phill2]

Raw material is the main cause.
As a general rule if a fat is solid at room temp don't eat it.
Other than that go for veges and fibre , lean meats , fish , chicken etc.
Due to heart probs both my wife and myself are doing this.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Cheers Phill. Lots of soluble fibre tends to good for the healthy flora in the colon too so always a good thing to have.

[dally]

Your body, mainly your liver, produces 75 percent of your cholesterol; your small intestine also aids in both the creation and absorption of cholesterol [source: AHA]. The average diet adds another 300 to 500 mg of cholesterol [source: Schafer]. This external cholesterol comes from animal and dairy products. But even if you eat foods without cholesterol, the carbs, fats and proteins all break down eventually and release carbon, which your liver turns into cholesterol.

[pb]

Thanks for your replies.
I'm. Going to try to loose some weight and cut out high fat foods , such as
Chips , sausages and cream.
From what I've read it is possible to reduce cholesterol by about 10 %
As my level is not very high , hopefully a small reduction will put it back into normal range.

[Phill2]

Thanks for your replies.
I'm. Going to try to loose some weight and cut out high fat foods , such as
Chips , sausages and cream.
From what I've read it is possible to reduce cholesterol by about 10 %
As my level is not very high , hopefully a small reduction will put it back into normal range.

You're right 5.5 isn't bad but less is better

[yogibear]

Almonds and oats both lower cholesterol. Studies have been done

[ricardo]

I think it might be easier to write down what one can eat or drink.
It shouldn't take more than a couple of sentences . :)

[Hypo]

The link between high cholesterol and heart disease is weak at best.

Lots of new research saying how much of a con it is.

Mine was 5.9 last time I got it checked out. With no other risk factors I decided to never get tested again. Considering in countries where they have higher rates of cholesterol they also have lower rates of heart attacks I don't see the point.

So much new research is coming out and the scientific link between the two is very sketchy.

---------- Post added at 12:05 ---------- Previous post was at 12:02 ----------

http://paleoleap.com/cholesterol-is-not-bad/
http://wellnessmama.com/1853/eat-more-cholesterol/
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/the-knowledge/we-have-got-cholesterol-completely-wrong/


There is much more info out there with science to back it up.

Countries with the lowest cholesterol levels tend to die younger.

[Phill2]

The link between high cholesterol and heart disease is weak at best.

Lots of new research saying how much of a con it is.

Mine was 5.9 last time I got it checked out. With no other risk factors I decided to never get tested again. Considering in countries where they have higher rates of cholesterol they also have lower rates of heart attacks I don't see the point.

So much new research is coming out and the scientific link between the two is very sketchy.

---------- Post added at 12:05 ---------- Previous post was at 12:02 ----------

http://paleoleap.com/cholesterol-is-not-bad/
http://wellnessmama.com/1853/eat-more-cholesterol/
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/the-knowledge/we-have-got-cholesterol-completely-wrong/


There is much more info out there with science to back it up.

Countries with the lowest cholesterol levels tend to die younger.

I've got both (cholesterol and heart disease)so the old research is looking pretty good from my perspective.

[ricardo]

I totally agree with Phil.

The main causes of heart disease are hereditary, smoking, cholestral and then obesity.Hereditary is nearly 50%.

[Magic]

My Mum had blocked arteries. She was not overweight.
I inherited the same. I had bypass surgery 2001.
I take statins. and asperin My diet is so so. As I have arthritis as well
and the diet for that is just the opposite from a healthy diet,
so I am at a loss as to what to eat.
The last time I had a review with GP my cholesterol was a
bit higher than usual. GP said not to worry as it was mostly
good cholesterol.:huh:

[MyNameIsTerry]

The last time I had a review with GP my cholesterol was a
bit higher than usual. GP said not to worry as it was mostly
good cholesterol.:huh:

So, do you have to determine the good and remove it to get a true reading?

[swgrl09]

I believe you do, Terry. When I get my test results, they don't always give me the total but instead split it up into LDL ("bad" cholesterol), HDL (good cholesterol) and triglycerides. My husband got his done and had the split, as well as ratio, and total cholesterol.

[Magic]

Well Terry all I know is everyone has cholesterol . Some is good and then there is the bad. I have to ask about that one!!!!!

I suppose its the bad that collects in the arteries blocks them up.
I know someone who had a reading of 10.8. very high cholesterol reading. She was given statins. She did not take them. She had a heart attack .Thankfully is ok.
A chap next door but one to me had a heart attack two weeks ago. A regular gym goer.
He had a stent put in. He is doing well.

I was brought up on high fats. The same fats that the farmer down the road uses for his chips.
He is as fit as a fiddle and as thin as a rake.
So there is no proper answer really:hugs:

[Fishmanpa]

So there is no proper answer really:hugs:

On the contrary, there is a proper answer "for you". You're right, everyone is different. I too was a regular gym goer, scary fit. Did an 8 hour strenuous climbing hike the week before my first heart attack. I had 3 blockages, one of which was a 95% blockage of the main coronary artery (the widow maker). Triple bypass followed.

Then 5 years later, just before my cancer diagnosis, I had my 2nd heart attack. 2 blockages, close to 99% blockage. Stents. Mind you, I was eating healthy.

I've had cholesterol issues since my 30's. Some from poor life choices and most hereditary. My cardiologist says my liver acts like it's confused when it comes to processing fats and sugars. I watch my diet carefully, take statins and natural supplements to enhance my body's ability to control cholesterol. So, fish oil and niacin are part of my daily pill regime.

Again, there is a proper answer for you and everyone. A low cholesterol, heart healthy diet is actually quite simple. Stay away from fatty food #1. Eat fish and chicken, you can eat red meat but it must be very lean. Fruits, veggies, low glycemic carbs etc. Proper portions, stay away from processed foods that typically contain saturated fats. That means sandwich meats and processed cheese. In fact dairy in and of itself isn't good in large doses. We cook our own meats for sandwiches and stay away from processed cheese.

In and of itself, high cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood are not dangerous per se'. It's when the fats collect on the artery walls (which can take years) does it become a problem.

I have heart disease. Will diet alone prevent me from having another heart attack or it taking my life? Probably not BUT I'm not going to help it along.

You're very fortunate. You can eat things that would stop me up faster than pouring grease down the drain. Regardless, if you're concerned, the solution is quite simple. Don't smoke, eat a heart healthy diet and get some exercise.

Positive thoughts

[Magic]

Thank you Swgrl. I have made a note of your post.:hugs:

Fishman, Thank you for your information. Which I already know about,I do try my best with my diet.:hugs:

[Phill2]

So, do you have to determine the good and remove it to get a true reading?

HDL is the good stuff that you want more of.
LDL is the bad stuff.
My Dr tells me that if you get the HDL high enough it can actually reverse the hardening of the arteries.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks swgrl, Magic and Phill.

Thats interesting about the reversal, Phill. Is it a calcification of the arteries?

I can't say I know much about all this but I'm reaching an age where I could do with learning!

[Phill2]

Not sure Terry
They call it a plaque build up

---------- Post added at 15:56 ---------- Previous post was at 15:46 ----------

Fishman has explained it better that I can
BTW You don't get a warning so it's best to get checked

[MyNameIsTerry]

Just had a quick read of an article about it and noticed that calcium is one of the products that builds up. I'm guessing that may be why FMP mentions removing processed cheese?

What about vitamin k2 then? Do you go on that after your heart attacks? I'm just wondering because SADNoMore was talking about how calcium builds up in the wrong places due to a lack of vitamin k2 which acts as the director of calcium to the right places. I've recently started a 5000IU vitamin D product since I don't see much sunlight and on that dose they suggest a level of k2, but I haven't gone for that yet because I eat Quark daily and cheese like this are known to be good sources of k2. So, do you have to rule out soft cheese like cottage cheese from your diets?

I've also helped myself without realising because I've started taking seropeptatase for my asthma and this breaks down calcium deposits and scar tissue too, which was not what I started it for. Just a bonus, not a substitute for the advice on here of course.

It's interesting that HDL removes LDL and sends it to the liver where it is eliminated so that adds another case for good liver health considering anxiety puts extra strain on the liver anyway as do many of the meds.

I will have to look into this a bit more and see what I am eating in terms of HDL/LDL. No doubt lots of LDL :doh: I do eat several portions of fruit daily which must be doing some good with the antioxidants. I get plenty of vitamin C as I supplement 2x500mg per day on top of this but my b vitamins probably need some work. Is it more added and refine sugars you have to reduce?

[ricardo]

If you are of a certain age we were not aware of what was good for you and what wasn't. The british are notorious for fry ups for Breakfast but that is very gradually changing.

It is pretty conclusive that certain foods eaten regularly higher the bad cholestral and people generally are more aware of their well being.

It's a lot different being a young person these days than it was 40+ years ago.

[swgrl09]

Yeah I believe I read that HDL basically scrubs the arteries clean, which is why you want it. You can get it from fish, olive oil, supplements, anything really high in omega 3 can increase it. Also exercise never hurts either.

[Phill2]

Just had a quick read of an article about it and noticed that calcium is one of the products that builds up. I'm guessing that may be why FMP mentions removing processed cheese?

What about vitamin k2 then? Do you go on that after your heart attacks? I'm just wondering because SADNoMore was talking about how calcium builds up in the wrong places due to a lack of vitamin k2 which acts as the director of calcium to the right places. I've recently started a 5000IU vitamin D product since I don't see much sunlight and on that dose they suggest a level of k2, but I haven't gone for that yet because I eat Quark daily and cheese like this are known to be good sources of k2. So, do you have to rule out soft cheese like cottage cheese from your diets?

I've also helped myself without realising because I've started taking seropeptatase for my asthma and this breaks down calcium deposits and scar tissue too, which was not what I started it for. Just a bonus, not a substitute for the advice on here of course.

It's interesting that HDL removes LDL and sends it to the liver where it is eliminated so that adds another case for good liver health considering anxiety puts extra strain on the liver anyway as do many of the meds.

I will have to look into this a bit more and see what I am eating in terms of HDL/LDL. No doubt lots of LDL :doh: I do eat several portions of fruit daily which must be doing some good with the antioxidants. I get plenty of vitamin C as I supplement 2x500mg per day on top of this but my b vitamins probably need some work. Is it more added and refine sugars you have to reduce?
The idea is to cut out dairy completely or use the light/low fat varieties.
I personally can't stand margarine and the olive oil based one that is supposed to lower cholesterol is even worse so I use low fat butter.
Basically anything that tastes good is no good for you :doh:

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yeah I believe I read that HDL basically scrubs the arteries clean, which is why you want it. You can get it from fish, olive oil, supplements, anything really high in omega 3 can increase it. Also exercise never hurts either.

Thanks. I have been taking >1000mg EPA & DHA for 18 months nearly so thats been another bonus as it was for my mood, which it has done wonders for. I can't say it has helped at all with inflammation, other supplements have greatly, so perhaps it's being used up on this.

Is it omega 3 in general or just the fishy ones? :D

---------- Post added at 04:54 ---------- Previous post was at 04:50 ----------


The idea is to cut out dairy completely or use the light/low fat varieties.
I personally can't stand margarine and the olive oil based one that is supposed to lower cholesterol is even worse so I use low fat butter.
Basically anything that tastes good is no good for you :doh:

Cheers Phill.

Quark is a high protein fat free cheese so thats good to hear. It's sour but mild so you get used to it quite quickly. You may not have it over there yet as it's only been making it's way into the US & UK markets in the last couple of years. It's a German yogurt style cheese that they swear by.

I know what you mean about the olive oil. We tried some not long ago and it was swimming in the stuff and it was very strong tasting. I guess we need to try a different one. Bertoli that was. Nasty.

I guess you will be spooning Stevia into everything then?

How often are cholesterol checks needed anyway? (question to anyone really) I know I've seen home test kits for these too, that combine with blood sugar testing kits, but I assume these are more for you guys who have more major concerns in that area?

[Phill2]

Never heard of Stevia
I use olive oil spray for cooking which is quite good.
The olive oil marg over here is called Pro Active - tastes like poo.
I've heard of quark but never seen it but then again I haven't looked for it either.
Most of our meat cooking is done on the BBQ grill so all the fat runs out anyway.
Chicken too.
I know it would be hard for you to cook outside given your climate but you can get a "Health Smart" grill for inside which works on the same principle.
I do eat fried fish but it's done in polyunsaturated oil.
I also cheat and have 1 slice of bacon a week.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think I've heard of those grills. George Foreman will be happy :D

Olive oil out of bottle for cooking is fine, but that marg stuff is bad. If it's like nut butters and cheese, stirring it back in helps with the excess that ends up on the bottom but I found the taste of Bertoli just overpowered anything it came into contact with.

Stevia is latest artificial sweetener. If I recall rightly it is 500 times the sweetness of sugar, so you use very little. Coca Cola have been putting it in one of their pops which they branded green to make some cash. You find it in various products now but it's still pretty new.

They use Quark in Germany just like cream I think and bake with it. The supermarket own brand I tried just tasted very acidic though, vile, but the branded ones I've tried are fine. Arla have started exporting them over here and they have a range of different flavours e.g. strawberry. I haven't tried those but they may be nicer. I've tried vanilla and thats a bit sweet at first so I went back to the unflavoured.

We had some newspaper coverage about bacon being pretty bad for us a week or so ago. Banning bacon would be like taking tea off us (or moaning about queues :winks:)

[Phill2]

I think I've heard of those grills. George Foreman will be happy :D

Olive oil out of bottle for cooking is fine, but that marg stuff is bad. If it's like nut butters and cheese, stirring it back in helps with the excess that ends up on the bottom but I found the taste of Bertoli just overpowered anything it came into contact with.

Stevia is latest artificial sweetener. If I recall rightly it is 500 times the sweetness of sugar, so you use very little. Coca Cola have been putting it in one of their pops which they branded green to make some cash. You find it in various products now but it's still pretty new.

They use Quark in Germany just like cream I think and bake with it. The supermarket own brand I tried just tasted very acidic though, vile, but the branded ones I've tried are fine. Arla have started exporting them over here and they have a range of different flavours e.g. strawberry. I haven't tried those but they may be nicer. I've tried vanilla and thats a bit sweet at first so I went back to the unflavoured.

We had some newspaper coverage about bacon being pretty bad for us a week or so ago. Banning bacon would be like taking tea off us (or moaning about queues :winks:)

Yep George Foreman is the idea.
The health smart is slightly larger.
I read that about bacon being worse than smoking but I'll persisit with my 1 slice on Sunday mornings.
The marg here doesn't seperate like that - just tastes bad.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I might annoy them all by smoking my bacon. :D

I wonder whether Walkers are worrying about their smokey bacon crisps?

There is a far far higher risk potential for any serious disease which they haven't reported on yet...being alive. :winks:

[Phill2]

Zachary :shades:

[ricardo]

So many people that live on the mediterreanean, eat anything though a lot of fish, use olive oil for cooking extensively, plenty of garlic, chain smoke and live to a hundred. Work that one out.
:ohmy:

[MyNameIsTerry]

It seems like our grandparents used to live like that too. It does make you wonder about what exactly is going into modern foods and the fags. I guess they did eat a lot more natural a couple of generations back though? :shrug:

[ricardo]

Unfortunately not in my case Terry as they weren't on Schindlers List.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I'm very sorry to hear that, Ricardo.

[Magic]

When I was a child I had dripping on my toast. The fat that was left over from the meat. With salt on. So that did not do me ay good did it? my parents had the same. We all did.
I cook my mushrooms in water. I make my own chicken soup. unfortunately I don't have a blender. So it is more like Lobby (A Stoke thing). I have skimmed milk.
No sugar in tea or coffee. I Like white fish better than any other sort.
NOW today as once a week ritual Fish and chips. The chips are cooked in vegetable fat
and the fish is cooked in the oven. I do eat nuts, but bad for my teeth and sometimes a small amount of dark chocolate. I don't drink alcohol of any kind, but occasionally
have a ciggy. I am not going to make myself miserable if I don't eat the right things.
:hugs:for all x

[MyNameIsTerry]

Are nuts a bad thing cholesterol-wise? They are full of healthy fats.

Coconut has healthy MCT's and capryilic acid in which I noticed was good for HDL.

Lobby! Had that last week. Carrots, parsnips and stewing beef.

(Oh, and despite all the press in recent years about Britain's binge drink culture, perhaps we may see Alf Garnett on this Xmas and his mates getting so hammered they can't walk straight. Yep, they used to get smashed back then too :whistles:)

[Phill2]

Yep the Mediterranean diet is supposed to be really good.
Heaps of fish and olive oil.