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Cholesterol frustrations ... help please!


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Both dh and I got our cholesterol checked and I am beyond frustrated with the results.

 

We eat the exact SAME thing, everyday. (Actually he eats a little more than me, but since he is 30+ lbs. more than me, that would be expected.)

 

Here are the numbers:

 

LDL: me - 143.....dh - 69

HDL: me - 41......dh - 57

trigs: me - 137.....dh - 96 (mine were at 197 last year, so this is good)

total: me - 211.....dh -145

 

Seriously!?!!? :glare:

 

As for supplements, I already take flax seed oil and add ground flax seeds to all my baking and granolas. I also take a multi-vitamin, b-complex, D, calcium/magnesium/zinc, & cinnamon. I am planning on adding in garlic and fish oil when I go to the store next.

 

My diet isn't poor, but can have some improvement, our goal for this year was to get away from processed food and eat more fresh and homemade. (I made homemade granola for cereal last week that makes me NEVER want to buy store-made cereal again!) I eat beef about 2-3 days a week (aways ground and mixed with something, like spaghetti or tacos), chicken 3-4 times a week, and vegetarian 1 day a week. I hate most fish, but have tried to include tuna as a lunchtime meal at least once a week.

 

DH and I workout together at the gym 4-5 times a week for 30-45 minutes. We were talking about upping it to 60 minutes for 2 or 3 of those workouts.

 

What else can I do? And yes, my dad has extrememly high cholesterol numbers and has been on a medicine for it for years. My grandmother was on cholesterol medicine for as long as I knew her. I want to avoid this at all costs. Please help me figure this out.

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First, there is no reason you (or any woman) should be on cholesterol meds. They have NEVER been shown to have any impact on women (as in preventing death...and extremely negligible effects on men).

 

It sounds to me that you probably have too many starchy carbs/refined carbs/sugars in your diet. That is usually the reason triglycerides go up.

 

Read Taube's book (either Good Calories/Bad Calories or Why we get fat).

 

Secondly, with a total cholesterol of 211 you are EXCELLENT. There has been absolutely NO clinical research that has ever supported low cholesterol = heart healthy. PLUS, the clinical research that has been done has shown the lower the cholesterol the higher the risk of cancer.

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Both dh and I got our cholesterol checked and I am beyond frustrated with the results.

 

We eat the exact SAME thing, everyday. (Actually he eats a little more than me, but since he is 30+ lbs. more than me, that would be expected.)

 

Here are the numbers:

 

LDL: me - 143.....dh - 69

HDL: me - 41......dh - 57

trigs: me - 137.....dh - 96 (mine were at 197 last year, so this is good)

total: me - 211.....dh -145

 

Seriously!?!!? :glare:

 

As for supplements, I already take flax seed oil and add ground flax seeds to all my baking and granolas. I also take a multi-vitamin, b-complex, D, calcium/magnesium/zinc, & cinnamon. I am planning on adding in garlic and fish oil when I go to the store next.

 

My diet isn't poor, but can have some improvement, our goal for this year was to get away from processed food and eat more fresh and homemade. (I made homemade granola for cereal last week that makes me NEVER want to buy store-made cereal again!) I eat beef about 2-3 days a week (aways ground and mixed with something, like spaghetti or tacos), chicken 3-4 times a week, and vegetarian 1 day a week. I hate most fish, but have tried to include tuna as a lunchtime meal at least once a week.

 

DH and I workout together at the gym 4-5 times a week for 30-45 minutes. We were talking about upping it to 60 minutes for 2 or 3 of those workouts.

 

What else can I do? And yes, my dad has extrememly high cholesterol numbers and has been on a medicine for it for years. My grandmother was on cholesterol medicine for as long as I knew her. I want to avoid this at all costs. Please help me figure this out.

 

You could cut out the ground beef 2-3 times a week. That's a lot. Substitute a vegetarian meal for those ground beef meals. If you must have beef or other red meat, go for a lean cut that is not ground. If you need the ground meat for your recipes, choose ground turkey. No more than once/week. Less if you can adjust.

 

Add in lots of vegetables and fruits if you're not already getting 8-9 servings per day.

 

Add in lots of beans & oatmeal or other sources of soluble fiber. The insoluble fiber has other important functions, such as bowel health, but the soluble fiber is helpful with cholesterol issues.

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For a quick result, I have a friend & a family member who both use red rice yeast (bought in the supplement section). It supposedly has the ingredient(s?) that statins are derived from. They both saw FAST improvement & were able to avoid scripts or being dropped by their docs. (Yes, that is the way it sometimes works these days. Both docs said they would lose reimbursements if the numbers weren't in line & the patients weren't prescribed statins. Therefore, they would not continue to take them as patients if they didn't comply or somehow get the numbers right on their own.)

 

Now, I understand RRY is controversial, some say it is/can be contaminated (by what, idk) & risky to take. I guess that is because supplements aren't regulated? I haven't researched this myself AT ALL.

 

I take some supps (not that one), so my thought would be to just search out a reliable source. I LIKE that supplements are not regulated. That just puts it on me to figure out what is safe, or how to get what I need from food. I think that is a good thing. Better than a script. But, that's just my personal opinion. Not a professional here.

 

I have a juicing book that touches a little on various foods that can help. If I have a chance I'll peek in it for you. Today is crazy busy with packing & getting ready to travel, though.

 

It's sad that we're being treated by this 'numbers recipe', the emphasis is all wrong in traditional health care right now. The numbers are not the problem, I swear. We're doing so much more harm than good with all these statins. I wish you weren't having to deal with this.

 

If you're back is against the wall with your MD, maybe try the RRY. Otherwise, I'd keep seeking.

 

Good luck to you.

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And yes, my dad has extrememly high cholesterol numbers and has been on a medicine for it for years. My grandmother was on cholesterol medicine for as long as I knew her.

 

Unfortunately, genetics play a part in what you are dealing with and why your numbers are not matching up with your husband's. I also deal with this and it is frustrating that what affects my relatives can have an impact on me. UGH! Keep up the good work of exercising, and eating well.

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I remember watching a video from a Dr (cannot remember where I got it, perhaps someone here will know) that talked about cholesterol.

 

Basically cholesterol isn't bad itself. It is how the body repairs itself. If there is high cholesterol, then there is inflamation somewhere. Sugar is one of the bigger causes of inflamation. When there is chronic inflamation, the cholesterol gets stuck in the vessels and cannot circulate back to the liver, it then goes rancid.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/the-cholesterol-myth-that_b_676817.html

 

this looked pretty good (the video I mentioned was better).

 

 

Here it is!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bW47NBFQGM

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First, there is no reason you (or any woman) should be on cholesterol meds. They have NEVER been shown to have any impact on women (as in preventing death...and extremely negligible effects on men).

 

It sounds to me that you probably have too many starchy carbs/refined carbs/sugars in your diet. That is usually the reason triglycerides go up.

 

Read Taube's book (either Good Calories/Bad Calories or Why we get fat).

 

Secondly, with a total cholesterol of 211 you are EXCELLENT. There has been absolutely NO clinical research that has ever supported low cholesterol = heart healthy. PLUS, the clinical research that has been done has shown the lower the cholesterol the higher the risk of cancer.

 

My doctor didn't mention meds, she said to try to lower it with diet and exercise. I know 211 isn't horrible, but it is 45 points higher than it was last year. I can't have it go up another 45 points without the doc getting worried. Thank you for the book suggestion, I'll request the book from the library today.

 

You could cut out the ground beef 2-3 times a week. That's a lot. Substitute a vegetarian meal for those ground beef meals. If you must have beef or other red meat, go for a lean cut that is not ground. If you need the ground meat for your recipes, choose ground turkey. No more than once/week. Less if you can adjust.

 

Add in lots of vegetables and fruits if you're not already getting 8-9 servings per day.

 

Add in lots of beans & oatmeal or other sources of soluble fiber. The insoluble fiber has other important functions, such as bowel health, but the soluble fiber is helpful with cholesterol issues.

 

I can't really do anything but the ground, we get 2 lbs. of it free a week. I always rinse the fat and use about 1/2 - 3/4 of a lb. per meal. I'd love to use turkey instead. But I can be sure to increase veggies and fruit. I'm making a strong effort to make homemade snack food that includes oats. And I'm a little embarassed, but I only really know how to use beans in chili, soups, or a pot of beans and ham. What else do people make with them?

 

For a quick result, I have a friend & a family member who both use red rice yeast (bought in the supplement section). It supposedly has the ingredient(s?) that statins are derived from. They both saw FAST improvement & were able to avoid scripts or being dropped by their docs. (Yes, that is the way it sometimes works these days. Both docs said they would lose reimbursements if the numbers weren't in line & the patients weren't prescribed statins. Therefore, they would not continue to take them as patients if they didn't comply or somehow get the numbers right on their own.)

 

Now, I understand RRY is controversial, some say it is/can be contaminated (by what, idk) & risky to take. I guess that is because supplements aren't regulated? I haven't researched this myself AT ALL.

 

...

 

Good luck to you.

 

I'll look into this one. Thank you.

 

Unfortunately, genetics play a part in what you are dealing with and why your numbers are not matching up with your husband's. I also deal with this and it is frustrating that what affects my relatives can have an impact on me. UGH! Keep up the good work of exercising, and eating well.

 

Yeah, it's what I figured. It's just the differnce between dh and my numbers seems a little unfair. ;)

 

 

I remember watching a video from a Dr (cannot remember where I got it, perhaps someone here will know) that talked about cholesterol.

 

Basically cholesterol isn't bad itself. It is how the body repairs itself. If there is high cholesterol, then there is inflamation somewhere. Sugar is one of the bigger causes of inflamation. When there is chronic inflamation, the cholesterol gets stuck in the vessels and cannot circulate back to the liver, it then goes rancid.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/the-cholesterol-myth-that_b_676817.html

 

this looked pretty good (the video I mentioned was better).

 

 

Here it is!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bW47NBFQGM

 

Thank you for the videos -- I'll check them out tonight when I have a longer bit of free time on my hands.

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For a quick result, I have a friend & a family member who both use red rice yeast (bought in the supplement section). It supposedly has the ingredient(s?) that statins are derived from. They both saw FAST improvement & were able to avoid scripts or being dropped by their docs. (Yes, that is the way it sometimes works these days. Both docs said they would lose reimbursements if the numbers weren't in line & the patients weren't prescribed statins. Therefore, they would not continue to take them as patients if they didn't comply or somehow get the numbers right on their own.)

 

Now, I understand RRY is controversial, some say it is/can be contaminated (by what, idk) & risky to take. I guess that is because supplements aren't regulated? I haven't researched this myself AT ALL.

 

I take some supps (not that one), so my thought would be to just search out a reliable source. I LIKE that supplements are not regulated. That just puts it on me to figure out what is safe, or how to get what I need from food. I think that is a good thing. Better than a script. But, that's just my personal opinion. Not a professional here.

 

I have a juicing book that touches a little on various foods that can help. If I have a chance I'll peek in it for you. Today is crazy busy with packing & getting ready to travel, though.

 

It's sad that we're being treated by this 'numbers recipe', the emphasis is all wrong in traditional health care right now. The numbers are not the problem, I swear. We're doing so much more harm than good with all these statins. I wish you weren't having to deal with this.

 

If you're back is against the wall with your MD, maybe try the RRY. Otherwise, I'd keep seeking.

 

Good luck to you.

 

Red Rice Yeast can affect the liver. If you are on it, you should a blood test about once every 3-4 months just to make sure it is not harming your liver.

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Yeah, it's what I figured. It's just the differnce between dh and my numbers seems a little unfair. ;)

 

 

I was 25. My total cholesterol was 280. I was 18-19% body fat and not eating meat (only chicken/fish/egg substitutes). I ate a lot of fruits and veg, whole wheat bread, Low-no-fat (even ate the fat-free "plastic" cheese. I did *everything* the way you were supposed to. I had been on that diet for 6 months. I was exercising 2 hours a day 6 days a week.

 

I was told to "lose some more weight, follow the cholesterol-lowering diet, and exercise more." :glare: I basically cried for a few hours in the car after that.

 

I totally get the feeling of "unfair." I am also the *only* person in my family (either side) with high cholesterol. I also have very blood pressure. Normal for me is 100/50 (even 9 mos. pregnant), but it is not abnormal for me to see 80/40 (and walking around, too).

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Eat an apple a day. Seriously, in Oct my cholesterol was 225. I read this article http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/14/an-apple-a-day-keeps-cholesterol-at-bay/ and started eating an apple everyday. In 2 months, my cholesterol was down to 188 with no other changes to my diet or exercise. I'm waiting to see if it will go down any further. If not, I might try 2 apples a day to see if that makes any difference. Far, far better than taking drugs for it.

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I remember watching a video from a Dr (cannot remember where I got it, perhaps someone here will know) that talked about cholesterol.

 

Basically cholesterol isn't bad itself. It is how the body repairs itself. If there is high cholesterol, then there is inflamation somewhere. Sugar is one of the bigger causes of inflamation. When there is chronic inflamation, the cholesterol gets stuck in the vessels and cannot circulate back to the liver, it then goes rancid.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/the-cholesterol-myth-that_b_676817.html

 

this looked pretty good (the video I mentioned was better).

 

Here it is!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bW47NBFQGM

 

 

 

And the kicker is that many people, in an attempt to reduce their cholesterol, will cut out proteins and fats and add more starchy carbs/sugar. Which in turn cause more inflammation and raise the cholesterol. They then decide that the diet is not enough and go on meds...

 

Also, gender equality aside, women just are not the same as men.

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I disagree with statements made by LisaK in VA.

There is not as much evidence for women since most of the people participating in the studies have been men. However, studies do show that cholesterol meds improve outcome in women with heart disease. More studies will be done with women to give a more definitive answer, but right now it doesn't look like there is any difference between men and women regarding results of taking cholesterol and outcomes. In addition, there is much evidence that cholesterol medications improve outcomes in the men.

 

Genetics likely has more influence than diet as your own study with a small sample showed.

 

If I were in your shoes, I would continue to improve my diet and increase exercise, but I would consider cholesterol medication (statin) if I needed it. The statin medications are extremely safe.

 

HTH. I don't like reading medical threads because of all of the inaccurate statements that are continually made on this forum. In general, I wouldn't advise anyone to ask for medical advice on this forum because most of the advice given here is bad. Sometimes the advice given is actually dangerous. Just my two cents...

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You could cut out the ground beef 2-3 times a week. That's a lot. Substitute a vegetarian meal for those ground beef meals. If you must have beef or other red meat, go for a lean cut that is not ground. If you need the ground meat for your recipes, choose ground turkey. No more than once/week. Less if you can adjust.

 

Add in lots of vegetables and fruits if you're not already getting 8-9 servings per day.

 

Add in lots of beans & oatmeal or other sources of soluble fiber. The insoluble fiber has other important functions, such as bowel health, but the soluble fiber is helpful with cholesterol issues.

 

Actually, the beef is bad for your cholestoral thing is a myth. The fat in beef is stearic acid, which increases good cholesterol more than bad, giving you a net win. NO need to get rid of it.

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There is not as much evidence for women since most of the people participating in the studies have been men. However, studies do show that cholesterol meds improve outcome in women with heart disease. More studies will be done with women to give a more definitive answer, but right now it doesn't look like there is any difference between men and women regarding results of taking cholesterol and outcomes. In addition, there is much evidence that cholesterol medications improve outcomes in the men.

 

Sincere question, do you know if there is any evidence that meds improve outcomes in women with high cholesterol but no evidence of heart disease? A few years ago, my doctor wanted to put me on Lipitor for borderline high cholesterol, but I refused. One of my sisters went on Lipitor, though, and it caused pretty severe side effects.

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Both dh and I got our cholesterol checked and I am beyond frustrated with the results.

 

We eat the exact SAME thing, everyday. (Actually he eats a little more than me, but since he is 30+ lbs. more than me, that would be expected.)

 

Here are the numbers:

 

LDL: me - 143.....dh - 69

HDL: me - 41......dh - 57

trigs: me - 137.....dh - 96 (mine were at 197 last year, so this is good)

total: me - 211.....dh -145

 

Seriously!?!!? :glare:

 

As for supplements, I already take flax seed oil and add ground flax seeds to all my baking and granolas. I also take a multi-vitamin, b-complex, D, calcium/magnesium/zinc, & cinnamon. I am planning on adding in garlic and fish oil when I go to the store next.

 

My diet isn't poor, but can have some improvement, our goal for this year was to get away from processed food and eat more fresh and homemade. (I made homemade granola for cereal last week that makes me NEVER want to buy store-made cereal again!) I eat beef about 2-3 days a week (aways ground and mixed with something, like spaghetti or tacos), chicken 3-4 times a week, and vegetarian 1 day a week. I hate most fish, but have tried to include tuna as a lunchtime meal at least once a week.

 

DH and I workout together at the gym 4-5 times a week for 30-45 minutes. We were talking about upping it to 60 minutes for 2 or 3 of those workouts.

 

What else can I do? And yes, my dad has extrememly high cholesterol numbers and has been on a medicine for it for years. My grandmother was on cholesterol medicine for as long as I knew her. I want to avoid this at all costs. Please help me figure this out.

If you get rid of the meat or seriously reduce, you will likely drop your cholesterol. You are eating a lot of meat.

 

If you get rid of the starches/carbs, you will reduce triglycerides.

 

Watch the documentary, "Forks over Knives". Really fascinating about what diet is doing to us, and what changing diet did for a number of people featured.

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Don't cut back on your red meat. It's not raising your cholesterol. Your biggest cholesterol problem is your trigs which are raised with high carbs. You need to lower your carbs. I ate no grains at all period and my triglycerides were in the 40's. All that fat gave me great cholesterol levels. Other than the obvious problem with your high trigs the numbers won't tell you as much as you'd really like to know. You don't know if the cholesterol is small and dense or light and fluffy. Not all cholesterol is alike. The dense cholesterol is what's bad though and it usually goes hand in hand with high triglycerides. I'd focus on lowering the carbs and in so doing your trigs.

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And the kicker is that many people, in an attempt to reduce their cholesterol, will cut out proteins and fats and add more starchy carbs/sugar. Which in turn cause more inflammation and raise the cholesterol. They then decide that the diet is not enough and go on meds...

 

Also, gender equality aside, women just are not the same as men.

:iagree: My mom did this, she seriously ate zero fat for six weeks (but paid no attention to sugar/carbs because that was not the dr.'s recommendation) and was then devastated and disillusioned that her cholesterol went up and now takes lipitor.:(

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Secondly, with a total cholesterol of 211 you are EXCELLENT.

 

I once read an article that cited many other articles from peer-reviewed journals that came to this conclusion. Older women with higher cholesterol were healthier, especially neurologically. When older women were given cholesterol lowering medication, their was an increase in death by accident and suicide.

 

A couple of years ago, I read a thread on this forum about naturally lowering cholesterol and there was a post from Jean in Wisc about how much her cholesterol went down from more natural eating, eating meat, etc. Something in that post hit me and jived with other things I'd been reading. I decided to go back to full-fat milk and butter. I cut out the canola oil and the healthy spread. I ate meat. A year later my cholesterol went down about 25 points and I had a great HDL/LDL ratio.

 

My cholesterol has always been borderline high, but my triglycerides are always really low. I don't know what that means in terms of my diet. Even with the change, that high/low split hasn't changed.

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I disagree with statements made by LisaK in VA.

There is not as much evidence for women since most of the people participating in the studies have been men. However, studies do show that cholesterol meds improve outcome in women with heart disease. More studies will be done with women to give a more definitive answer, but right now it doesn't look like there is any difference between men and women regarding results of taking cholesterol and outcomes. In addition, there is much evidence that cholesterol medications improve outcomes in the men.

 

Genetics likely has more influence than diet as your own study with a small sample showed.

 

If I were in your shoes, I would continue to improve my diet and increase exercise, but I would consider cholesterol medication (statin) if I needed it. The statin medications are extremely safe.

 

HTH. I don't like reading medical threads because of all of the inaccurate statements that are continually made on this forum. In general, I wouldn't advise anyone to ask for medical advice on this forum because most of the advice given here is bad. Sometimes the advice given is actually dangerous. Just my two cents...

 

Trying to weigh out various opinions... are you a medical professional? What's your basis for saying that most advice is bad?

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Really? Even ground beef?

 

yup, really.

 

Oh, and when I was a vegetarian and vegan my cholesterol was much higher than it is now. And now I eat beef a few times a week, eat real butter, cream on berries every day, full fat yogurt, etc. Oh, and bacon and eggs too. My cholesterol is excellent, instead of borderline high like it was in my college years as a vegetarian.

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I haven't read the other responses, but I will say that cholesterol issues are linked heavily to hereditary.

 

That being said, this months' PREVENTION has excellent suggestions on foods to help lower cholesterol -- lentils being one of them. Hence the lentil dish I am making for dinner tonight.

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Really? Even ground beef?

 

yup, really.

 

Oh, and when I was a vegetarian and vegan my cholesterol was much higher than it is now. And now I eat beef a few times a week, eat real butter, cream on berries every day, full fat yogurt, etc. Oh, and bacon and eggs too. My cholesterol is excellent, instead of borderline high like it was in my college years as a vegetarian.

 

I AGREE!! I know it's not what you usually hear when you talk about cholesterol though. Cholesterol in your food isn't your enemy, sugar, carbs, pretty much anything that comes in a box....that's what you need to watch out for. I would challenge you to really research Primal or Paleo diets and when I say diet, I don't mean the way you eat for a brief time to lose weight or pass a blood test, I mean lifestyle.

 

Cholesterol is actually good for your brain, brain development, mood, etc, etc.

 

FWIW, as an added bonus, DH and I also dropped about 10 lbs when we switched our eating habit about a year ago. It was only this past winter, when our overscheduled routine drove me back to eating carelessly that I packed 7 lbs back on. Neither of us are overweight, these small #'s are actually a lot for us.

 

http://www.squidoo.com/paleo-diet-cholesterol

 

http://thepaleodiet.com/faq/doesnt-a-meat-based-diet-like-our-stone-age-ancestors-promote-high-blood-cholesterol-and-heart-disease

 

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/press/primal-blueprint-10-essential-sound-bites/#axzz1j0SnS1FS

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Check out some of Gary Taubes' books (old article in NYT called What if it is all a Big Fat Lie is a good starting point). If you like heavier science, read Good Calories, Bad Calories. If you want something a little more user friendly, supposedly Why We Get Fat (and what to do about it) is very good and a little easier to digest than GCBC. He also has some excellent talks on cholesterol on youtube.

 

ITA that triglycerides are a major concern especially in women, and getting HDL *up* vs. worrying too much about your total. You might also want to read about LDL particle size and VLDL (which is calculated using triglyceride levels).

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oh yeah can sooooo relate....I'm on tricore and crestor for those issues....dh eats way way worse than I do and he has LOW cholesterol LOL he says it's because I don't feed him enough RED MEAT! LOL I don't eat alot of red meat and still have high cholesterol--dr said it's genetics in my case and a few months ago I really changed how I ate (I need to get back to it now)---and added in as much flax seed oil and flax as I can get-I started taking flaxseed oil supplements and instead of fish oil that I just can't stomach I started taking those little red KRILL OIL pills---not sure what did it but my cholesterol was below 200....can't wait to see what the next tests show.....now if I could just keep my sugar levels at normal I'd be happy...... :glare:

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You could cut out the ground beef 2-3 times a week. That's a lot. Substitute a vegetarian meal for those ground beef meals. If you must have beef or other red meat, go for a lean cut that is not ground. If you need the ground meat for your recipes, choose ground turkey. No more than once/week. Less if you can adjust.

 

Add in lots of vegetables and fruits if you're not already getting 8-9 servings per day.

 

Add in lots of beans & oatmeal or other sources of soluble fiber. The insoluble fiber has other important functions, such as bowel health, but the soluble fiber is helpful with cholesterol issues.

 

My research leads me to suggest nearly the complete opposite. I'd keep the recommendation of veggies, but *add* meat and quality fats/oils. I'd drop flax, granola, beans and not avoid fatty meats.

 

The nutritional data is a confusing topic.

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My favorite dessert is prime rib. :D So for me, Atkins is the way to go. Keeps my cholesterol low and my taste buds in heaven. :D

 

I eat low carb (when I'm not under the maximum stress) and my numbers are fantastic. :) (except for weight, but that is related to age, abuse by carb heavy diets, and something else I am trying to figure out. My guess is hormonal/thyroid).

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Well I now have a new perspective. My dh just had a heart attack at age 37. A few years ago his total chol. was 220. His doctor told him to run more and eat better. He started seriously training for races and within 6 months all his bloodwork was great just by diet and exercise. When he had the heart attack in Dec., his total chol. was 133. He had 2 blocked arteries. I would give anything to go back in time and have him start a statin a few years ago. All of the cardiologists we have seen believe that statins do more than just lower chol. They can help the condition of the arteries.

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Well I now have a new perspective. My dh just had a heart attack at age 37. A few years ago his total chol. was 220. His doctor told him to run more and eat better. He started seriously training for races and within 6 months all his bloodwork was great just by diet and exercise. When he had the heart attack in Dec., his total chol. was 133. He had 2 blocked arteries. I would give anything to go back in time and have him start a statin a few years ago. All of the cardiologists we have seen believe that statins do more than just lower chol. They can help the condition of the arteries.

 

I'm very sorry about your husband, but by that logic EVERYONE would be on statins, right? And they do have serious side effects.

 

There are many other risk factors for heart attacks, including high blood sugar (it tears up the arteries, setting the stage for a plaque/clot), high blood pressure, high inflamation, etc.

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My doctor didn't mention meds, she said to try to lower it with diet and exercise. I know 211 isn't horrible, but it is 45 points higher than it was last year. I can't have it go up another 45 points without the doc getting worried.

 

I'm thinking that maybe the high number was a fluke. Before you freak out about it, ask her to repeat the blood work for cholesterol. You may well be pleasantly surprised.

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Well I now have a new perspective. My dh just had a heart attack at age 37. A few years ago his total chol. was 220. His doctor told him to run more and eat better. He started seriously training for races and within 6 months all his bloodwork was great just by diet and exercise. When he had the heart attack in Dec., his total chol. was 133. He had 2 blocked arteries. I would give anything to go back in time and have him start a statin a few years ago. All of the cardiologists we have seen believe that statins do more than just lower chol. They can help the condition of the arteries.

 

I'm sorry about your dh's heart attack...but there is a LOT of information that doctors have not been told. Research dating back to the 50's (some of it goes back to the early 1800s). This research indicates that it is NOT total cholesterol that is the problem, but triglycerides/VLDL... especially the "B" particle type of LDL (small-dense type).

 

Two men could have the very same cholesterol numbers, and one would get heart disease/heart attacks and the other one would not. The difference was in the particle type (trigylcerides/VLDL, "B" particle type LDL). In around 86% of those people who had heart disease and heart attacks they had THIS type of LDL cholesterol.

 

FWIW, this dangerous type of cholesterol is triggered by high starchy carbs/sugar...not fats and meats. (I just finished this chapter).

 

It's absolutely amazing the things we aren't told, because they don't fit with what people WANTED to believe. Even when study after study says the same thing. There have been serious doubts about the Lipid hypothesis for decades... but they are just now FINALLY starting to get more attention.

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I'm sorry about your dh's heart attack...but there is a LOT of information that doctors have not been told. Research dating back to the 50's (some of it goes back to the early 1800s). This research indicates that it is NOT total cholesterol that is the problem, but triglycerides/VLDL... especially the "B" particle type of LDL (small-dense type).

 

Two men could have the very same cholesterol numbers, and one would get heart disease/heart attacks and the other one would not. The difference was in the particle type (trigylcerides/VLDL, "B" particle type LDL). In around 86% of those people who had heart disease and heart attacks they had THIS type of LDL cholesterol.

 

FWIW, this dangerous type of cholesterol is triggered by high starchy carbs/sugar...not fats and meats. (I just finished this chapter).

 

It's absolutely amazing the things we aren't told, because they don't fit with what people WANTED to believe. Even when study after study says the same thing. There have been serious doubts about the Lipid hypothesis for decades... but they are just now FINALLY starting to get more attention.

 

Lisa, I would love to know more about what you are studying. My dad has had 5 heart attacks, a triple bypass and a pace maker. He's been following doctors orders for YEARS and while it HAS kept him alive (Praise God) he's also been on meds and is constantly watching his cholesterol levels. Oh and he's also diabetic. He's a bachelor, so his "cooking" consists of making a sandwich. :glare: I have been trying to get him to see my side and eat Primal for a few months just to SEE what happens. As a diabetic, he really needs to ditch the grains and starches but he does it just enough to get by. I wish I could get him to move in, but then I'd lose my housekeeper/nanny (my mother, divorced for 25 years).

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Lisa, I would love to know more about what you are studying. My dad has had 5 heart attacks, a triple bypass and a pace maker. He's been following doctors orders for YEARS and while it HAS kept him alive (Praise God) he's also been on meds and is constantly watching his cholesterol levels. Oh and he's also diabetic. He's a bachelor, so his "cooking" consists of making a sandwich. :glare: I have been trying to get him to see my side and eat Primal for a few months just to SEE what happens. As a diabetic, he really needs to ditch the grains and starches but he does it just enough to get by. I wish I could get him to move in, but then I'd lose my housekeeper/nanny (my mother, divorced for 25 years).

 

I'm reading Taube's book "Good Calories/Bad Calories." In fact, I just finished the chapter on Diabetes and how heart disease is related. This book is not for the weak... I can't handle more than a chapter or two at a time.;) He has another book "Why We Get Fat...and what to do about it" that is supposed to be the "lighter version." In essence what Taubes is saying the research we don't hear about says (and he explains why we don't hear much about it, too), is what you are saying, to "eat Primal." To put this all into a quick sentence...

 

Western Diseases (gout, gallbladder, diabetes, heart disease, constipation, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, etc., etc.) have the same basic cause, but may manifest themselves differently in people... that cause is sugar and refined carbohydrates.

 

I would recommend your dad start with something like the documentary/comedy "Fathead" (you can find more at http://www.fathead-movie.com) including more books, doctors and gurus to help you out.

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Please don't go on statins especially for cholesterol as low as 211. I would suggest you don't go low-fat. You might consider eating more fat and adjusting the kind of fat you eat - more omega-3 (fish oil), omega-9 (olive oil, avocados) and yes, saturated fat (from coconut oil) with less omega-6 (corn oil, soybean [vegetable] oil).

 

Instead of checking cholesterol levels, I'd pay more attention to your homocysteine levels.

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Take out the carbs if you haven't already. Sugar is bad stuff. Check out your vitamin D3 levels as well as thyroid too(people with thyroid issues tend to have high cholestrol issues).

Watching Dr. Oz a few days ago. Those who have insulin resistance and low leptin issues tend to have higher cholesterol as well. If you chuck out the carbs and work on the insulin resistance it can help resolve the issue too. The main thing is to find out the reason WHY you have high cholesterol and resolve the problem.

But also remember cholesterol is not is as bad as its made out to be. I've heard of people walking around with much higher cholesterol numbers and don't have heart issues.

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I AGREE!! I know it's not what you usually hear when you talk about cholesterol though. Cholesterol in your food isn't your enemy, sugar, carbs, pretty much anything that comes in a box....that's what you need to watch out for. I would challenge you to really research Primal or Paleo diets and when I say diet, I don't mean the way you eat for a brief time to lose weight or pass a blood test, I mean lifestyle.

 

Cholesterol is actually good for your brain, brain development, mood, etc, etc.

 

FWIW, as an added bonus, DH and I also dropped about 10 lbs when we switched our eating habit about a year ago. It was only this past winter, when our overscheduled routine drove me back to eating carelessly that I packed 7 lbs back on. Neither of us are overweight, these small #'s are actually a lot for us.

 

http://www.squidoo.com/paleo-diet-cholesterol

 

http://thepaleodiet.com/faq/doesnt-a-meat-based-diet-like-our-stone-age-ancestors-promote-high-blood-cholesterol-and-heart-disease

 

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/press/primal-blueprint-10-essential-sound-bites/#axzz1j0SnS1FS

 

I thought I had said lean, grass-fed beef (as opposed to just lean beef) which is in line with these links. I am still thinking that your basic ground beef has yucky stuff in it, including hormones.

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First, there is no reason you (or any woman) should be on cholesterol meds. They have NEVER been shown to have any impact on women (as in preventing death...and extremely negligible effects on men).

 

It sounds to me that you probably have too many starchy carbs/refined carbs/sugars in your diet. That is usually the reason triglycerides go up.

 

Read Taube's book (either Good Calories/Bad Calories or Why we get fat).

 

Secondly, with a total cholesterol of 211 you are EXCELLENT. There has been absolutely NO clinical research that has ever supported low cholesterol = heart healthy. PLUS, the clinical research that has been done has shown the lower the cholesterol the higher the risk of cancer.

 

Yes, in terms of outcomes I don't know that cholesterol meds are all the helpful in preventing death. Lowering your cholesterol, yes. Lengthening your life -- not so much. I would not take cholesterol meds due to the side effets. My dad does, and lives with the side effects. (muscle pain, constipation, among others)

 

Keep at it with the lifestyle changes!

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I thought I had said lean, grass-fed beef (as opposed to just lean beef) which is in line with these links. I am still thinking that your basic ground beef has yucky stuff in it, including hormones.

 

Oh sure, it might have antibiotic residue, and more omega 6 than I would like. But the question was about cholesterol, and it has a neutral impact on cholesterol at worst. Grass fed is better for other reason though, mainly the omega 3 levels.

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I'm sorry about your dh's heart attack...but there is a LOT of information that doctors have not been told. Research dating back to the 50's (some of it goes back to the early 1800s). This research indicates that it is NOT total cholesterol that is the problem, but triglycerides/VLDL... especially the "B" particle type of LDL (small-dense type).

 

Two men could have the very same cholesterol numbers, and one would get heart disease/heart attacks and the other one would not. The difference was in the particle type (trigylcerides/VLDL, "B" particle type LDL). In around 86% of those people who had heart disease and heart attacks they had THIS type of LDL cholesterol.

 

FWIW, this dangerous type of cholesterol is triggered by high starchy carbs/sugar...not fats and meats. (I just finished this chapter).

 

It's absolutely amazing the things we aren't told, because they don't fit with what people WANTED to believe. Even when study after study says the same thing. There have been serious doubts about the Lipid hypothesis for decades... but they are just now FINALLY starting to get more attention.

 

And there are companies making LOTS of money off the statins...

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And there are companies making LOTS of money off the statins...

 

The same situation occurs with osteoporosis meds. They may increase bone density readings, but don't decrease the incidence of breaks. And they can have horrible side effects to boot. A friend of mine broke her wrist in 2010 and her left femur in 2011. While she was having PT for the femur break, the right femur broke. Her orthopedic doctor has determined the cause of the breaks to be Fosomax (her osteoporosis medicine)!

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Eat an apple a day. Seriously, in Oct my cholesterol was 225. I read this article http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/14/an-apple-a-day-keeps-cholesterol-at-bay/ and started eating an apple everyday. In 2 months, my cholesterol was down to 188 with no other changes to my diet or exercise. I'm waiting to see if it will go down any further. If not, I might try 2 apples a day to see if that makes any difference. Far, far better than taking drugs for it.

 

:iagree: I would also try metamucil, fish oil and resveratrol with your doctor's ok. Take other meds/vitamins 1 hour before or 2 hours after metamucil so as not to interfere with medications absorption. Also, more fiber via friuts and veggies and less refined carbs is good too.

 

I would not rule out statins if your doctor recommends them and other measures don't work since I do believe that the older ones are life saving. I believe statins work mostly via inflammation mediation. WebMD and Medscape have reliable info.

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I agree with the PPs about working on carb/insulin issues first. Besides obviously reducing carbs, I'd also work on eating "balanced" meals/snacks in which you never eat carbs without protein and fats to help smooth out the insulin response - your basic diabetic or pre-diabetic diet.

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I agree with the PPs about working on carb/insulin issues first. Besides obviously reducing carbs, I'd also work on eating "balanced" meals/snacks in which you never eat carbs without protein and fats to help smooth out the insulin response - your basic diabetic or pre-diabetic diet.

:iagree:

 

I thought the latest research in mainstream medicine has shown that cholesterol alone is a poor indicator of cardiac health. Blood sugar and family history are the things that are the more important risk factors.

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