9yo dd with high cholesterol?

[momtolgd]

Among other medical issues, dd (will be 10 in October) now has high cholesterol and high triglycerides. We followed the nutritionist's advice for 3 months, and her numbers got worse. So now the doc is giving us a few more months to get them down before she wants to start meds. I do not want to have to go the meds route for this. (Long story short, dd was on shots every 3 weeks for 2 years to suppress early puberty, and we now are letting puberty happen as it will...she also has issues with her ears and sinuses...don't want any more meds if we can help it.) Doc (a pediatric endocrinologist) also mentioned it could be a precursor to diabetes (which does run in DH's family.)

 

DH also has high cholesterol...mine and the other kids have not been tested.

 

I watched Fat Head, and now think we have been going about this all wrong for lowering her cholesterol. Have any of you gone low carb high fat/protein and gotten lower cholesterol results? I am afraid of trying something like this and finding that it made it worse and the doc putting her on meds.

 

Any thoughts from experience would be very helpful. So much of what I have read seems to contradict each other, and it is difficult to know which way to go here. :confused:

[ktgrok]

I did. I went high fat/low carb and my cholesterol dropped dramatically and my trigs were perfect.

[PiCO]

I watched Fat Head, and now think we have been going about this all wrong for lowering her cholesterol. Have any of you gone low carb high fat/protein and gotten lower cholesterol results? I am afraid of trying something like this and finding that it made it worse and the doc putting her on meds.

 

I have lowered my blood cholesterol and normalized my blood fat ratios by eating high fat / low carb. Many studies have shown that eating refined carbs raise your blood cholesterol levels. Your liver can produce way more cholesterol in a day than you could eat.

 

If I were in your shoes (trying to help a 9 yo dd who is on medication for various reasons,) I would search for a doctor that does not believe in the food pyramid. I think I saw a list on dietdoctor.com once, or maybe the Wheat Belly blog.

[tomandlorih]

My dad did.. I can't remember the actual numbers since this was a few years ago but it did work and I know for sure that he does not take medication for it still all this time later..

 

Also, A low carb/high protein diet is recommended to naturally control my PCOS which has it's roots in insulin resistance(an issue with diabetes too I think). My symptoms/attitude are MUCH better/more regulated when I eat (enough) good lean protein and lots of fresh vegetables, some fruit and limited dairy. And of course, severely limit sugar of any kind. :D (I do NOT use sugar substitutes except for a little stevia).

 

I have also taken herbs and minerals in the past for both of these that worked well. Oh and exercise will help regulate blood sugar also.

 

I'm sorry you and your dd is having to go through this. Good luck to you in your decisions.

[swellmomma]

dd13 has high cholesterol, we discovered it 2 years ago. There has never been mention of meds. DD is extremly underweight and petite so it was a shock. The dr's have just monitored her and otherwise she is extremely healthy. They have stayed fairly consistent though high so they just keep watching. I would see another dr before I agreed to any kind of meds like that in a young child.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I did. I went high fat/low carb and my cholesterol dropped dramatically and my trigs were perfect.

 

 

:iagree: Just make sure it is natural fat and not 'man made' fat!!

[redsquirrel]

I have a friend who was diagnosed with a genetic condition that results in very high cholesterol. They only discovered it because her mom had a test and it was so astronomical that they tested the kids. Both my friend and her brother have the condition. They have some other health problems from it as well.

 

Is this the situation with your daughter? If it is, I would want to talk to a doctor that is familiar with the condition before attempting to address it with diet.

[Cinder]

Dh has high cholesterol and had high trigs but his trigs were brought down significantly after he started eating a low carb diet. By low carb I mean he cut out sugars and most starches--bread, pasta, corn, potatoes, beans, baked goods, etc. He also increased his exercise. While his cholesterol hasn't changed much his trigs went down from over 1000 to under 150. And it all has helped keep his blood sugars in the normal range. I should add that meds did not seem to help his cholesterol levels at all (the numbers haven't changed since he stopped taking the meds years ago) and did not reduce his trigs to the extent that diet and exercise has.

[Stacy in NJ]

I'd try to get your dd an appointment with a doc that's tuned into low-carb living.

 

http://lowcarbdoctors.blogspot.com/

[jewellsmommy]

We have known that dd has high cholesterol since she was 7. These are her latest numbers:

 

Her LDL is 209 (yikes, should be no more than 109)

HDL is 63 (good, should be above 35)

Triglycerides 90 (good, should be below 149)

VLDL is 18

 

The cardiologist monitors her. She is very thin and active, but her cholesterol numbers have risen over the last 3 yrs anyway. Notice though that her trigys. are low though. The doc says that her cholesterol is the big fluffy kind, not the type that we have to worry about. Dd eats lower carb/higher protein and fat as a preference. She just prefers this type of eating. She has never been a rice or bread kind of girl. We use coconut oil and real butter instead of fake stuff. I try to limit refined foods, but I am not super strict. We still do things like go to Chickfila. But when we do, the kids get fruit instead of fries, I get salad...that sort of thing. We still eat occasional deserts.

 

I would not do meds! That is the bottom line here. Those meds are designed to limit the risk 10 yrs out, that is how they are designed. They are not made with children in mind. My docs have said that they have never found a case where it warranted prescribing those type of meds to a child. If your doc prescribes meds, please get a second opinion just to be sure.

 

I am not a doctor, but this is our experience.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

YES! High LDL, low HDL and High Triglycerides have always been an issue for me, I have insulin resistance and have been pre-diabetic.

 

But I FINALLY got it under control and got my numbers all within normal range last year. I stuck to my low carb, diabetic, meal plan and I ate. the. heck. out. of. avocados.

 

I put them in every salad, made guacamole frequently, put them on sandwiches and toast, etc. I ate them EVERY. DAY.

 

And BAM, my numbers went down into normal range and I got pregnant, which I had been trying to do for years.

 

We still eat avocados very often, just not every day and my numbers are still good :) We also eat a lot of coconut oil, the good stuff.

[HappyCrazyMama]

All I know is my mom followed traditional advise and even went overboard, for 6 weeks she at zero fat, if something had fat grams of any type on the label she would not eat it, she didn't pay any attention to carbs or sugar. Her cholesterol got worse but she didn't try low carb she just went on meds after crying about it.:(

 

I haven't been tested but I am sold on the carb/sugar/insulin link to cholesterol. Now if I would just eat that way.:tongue_smilie:

[LostSurprise]

Do you know what her numbers are?

 

I would probably do some research into what is boarderline and what is high cholesterol. If they seemed boarderline I would ask for a second opinion before starting medication.

 

My son has very high cholesterol (200s are normal for him..he's even been up to 400). He's on a special diet (it causes the numbers). He's monitored by a pediatric cardiologist. He doesn't take medication because it would aggrevate his condition.

 

Where are these numbers coming from? Is it a part of another condition? If in doubt talk to a cardiologist to make sure.

[celticmom]

The book Nourishing Traditions has alot of information about carbs causing cholesterol problems. There are also many, many recipes and cooking suggestions that may help in there.

[Unicorn.]

Dh's cholesterol numbers improved dramatically when he started using coconut oil on a daily basis. He puts it in his morning coffee, but you could add it to oatmeal, spread it on toast, or whatever. I found this gf buckwheat waffle recipe the other day, http://www.purefreshdaily.com/recipes/breakfast/chocolate-buckwheat-waffles and there is a recipe for coconut oil strawberry "butter" too. http://www.purefreshdaily.com/recipes/strawberry-coconut-butter

[Momof3littles]

With high tris and cholesterol, you might be interested in looking into particle size and pattern A vs. pattern B.

 

Typically a diet higher in naturally occurring saturated fat may lower LDL, or may actually cause a small rise, but that rise is offset by a larger particle size. Larger particle sizes are fluffier, less dense, and less sticky, and thought to be less dangerous than smaller, denser, sticker forms of LDL. If a person has high triglycerides, usually it is assumed they have higher VLDL (very low density lipoprotein, which is a form of LDL not always broken out on tests). If they do "test" for it, usually they just calculate the VLDL # by looking at the triglyceride levels. Higher tris=higher VLDL. You want a low # for VLDL. Some tests actually do measure for it directly (vs. calculating it based on the triglyceride level), but they are not very common at this point, and they are more expensive.

 

Some people naturally make more LDL, but they have denser, fluffier, less sticky particles. That's pattern A, and some consider it to be less dangerous even though the number may be a little higher. Other people tend to have the denser, stickier, smaller form of LDL known as pattern B, and that's thought to be more of a problem by some experts. High tris tend to go with pattern B.

 

WIth high tris and cholesterol, I'd watch closely for signs of insulin resistance, etc. as she gets older. (acanthosis nigricans, weight gain mostly in tummy area, irregular cycles or issues relating to PCOS, etc.)

 

Gary Taubes books are good for this topic, and if you are new to it, this might interest you as an intro. Basically, we may have oversimplified our ideas on lipids, and "good" and "bad" cholesterol.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35058896/ns/health-heart_health/t/bad-cholesterol-its-not-what-you-think/

 

This is an NYT article that was a precusor to G.Taubes' later books. He's refined his argument since then, but it might be worth a look to get an idea of what his books touch on with respect to cholesterol.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

 

eta: definitely look into whether there could be other causes. Thyroid issues can impact cholesterol numbers, for example, although at her age I don't know how common that would be. I'm not a thyroid guru.

Edited August 14, 2012 by Momof3littles

[Sandra in FL]

As the other posters have recommended, low-carb, high fat diet. Also a tsp of fish oil (Carlson's lemon-flavored is mild) and if those don't help, I'd try niacin (the one that causes flushing) - maybe start with 50-100 mg and build up to 200-250 mg (depending on her weight - 500 mg max for adults) per day unless under doctor's supervision.

[applethyme]

Dh had horrible high cholesterol. His doctor recommended a low carb and diabetic diet and now dh labs are normal.

[momtolgd]

Thank you all for the replies...you have given me more to research.

 

As for her numbers, here are the latest with 12 hour fasting:

 

Total cholesterol 195 (should be <169 for her age)

HDL 44 (ok, should be over 40)

LDL 109 (should be <100)

Triglycerides 211 (should be <200)

 

 

So they are not outrageously off, but enough to cause concern for this doc due to her age.

 

So now I also need to learn how to make low carb meals..it would benefit all of us it looks like. But how to break the sugar/carb addiction going on here?