Bringing down cholesterol (Read 1258 times)

I received a bit of surprising news from my doc after a cholesterol test (full panel, fasting 14 hours, sorry if I am getting names wrong)... My total is 267 (I don't have the breakdown, just what she left on a voicemail message), and she is very concerned. I am 30 yrs old, and she said she normally doesn't like to prescribe statins for women of child-bearing age, but that number needs to come down. While I wasn't planning on child-bearing, I absolutely don't want to go on a medicine for the rest of my life, particularly with some of the side effects I read about with statins. Anybody else have luck bringing theirs down without medicine? I have been running fairly consistently 30-35 miles a week for a few years, plus other sports (soccer, volleyball, an occasional swim or bike ride), so I rarely have a day where I don't spend at least 45 minutes very active. I am trying to bump up my miles just to get faster, but besides that, don't think I can do THAT much more to increase exercise. Which brings it all down to diet. I'm a healthy weight (125 at 5'3") but I suppose I probably have more rich desserts than more sedentary people who are at a healthy weight. I also don't shy away from dairy (cheese, yogurt, 2% milk), and I love butter, and have probably 3-4 egg yolks in a week. I guess I see a lot of room for improvement here, but I was just wondering if anybody else had been through this and what kind of results they were able to see...

Hi, Teresa! I'm another Teresa who had high cholesterol issues. Mine was 256 when I was your age. I got it down some, but it wasn't until I lost a lot of weight and started running a year and a half ago that it plummeted. Last August, it was 180! It's never been that low. It sounds as if my diet is very similar to yours. I guess you can work on your diet, but I know for some people it's really hard. My parents have ALWAYS had high cholesterol. My dad couldn't get his down, even though he exercised a lot and ate a good diet. His doctor told him that some people just have a genetic predisposition to it. I would get a second opinion on the medication. My doctor never suggested I take any, although I know thinking has changed some. DH takes Lipitor for it. Good luck, and I wouldn't freak out about it!

What is your cholesterol breakdown? Was this cholesterol a fasting? Your eggs, what kind of eggs are they (i.e., are they the cheapest eggs you can find or are they from true farm chickens who live in grassy fields rather than in cages)? What kind of butter do you use? Milk?

Not all butter is the same. Not all milk is the same. Not all eggs are the same. Don't go to the grocery store and buy the most expensive butter, dairy or egg with neat labels like "vegetarian chickens" or "free range" or "organic". It is hard to know what these mean. Instead, try to get these products from a local farm if possible and actually find out how the chickens and cows are raised. If the cows are grass fed and live"happy" out in the field and if their milk is delivered fresh to you, perhaps pasteurized but not homogenized, that is likely to be better for you. If the eggs come from chickens that live in the field, eating bugs from the cow patties rather than some feed, if the yolks are dark yellow or orange, then the eggs are likely to be better for you. Stay away from processed foods and especially processed fats. I think butter made in the traditional style (i.e., from fermented whole milk before being separated into the butter and the buttermilk) is easier on the body and less likely to raise cholesterol. All saturated fats and trans fats are likley to raise your cholesterol, even thought they contain no cholesterol.

Not all butter is the same. Not all milk is the same. Not all eggs are the same. Don't go to the grocery store and buy the most expensive butter, dairy or egg with neat labels like "vegetarian chickens" or "free range" or "organic".

I hadn't read this before I posted Guilty as charged.

Your butter sounds good. Try the local farm eggs (and go visit their chickens if you are inclined). Your HDL is fabulous. Your LDL is high. Your HDL:LDL ratio is okay, but could be lowered. Exercise increases HDL, and yours is higher than 99 percent of the population, so do not expect to increase running and improve your HDL. Your goal is to bring down your LDL. You can do this through diet. Avoid cholesterol, saturated fats, trans fats and simple carbs. Eat a lot of fiber and complex carbs. The cholesterol you consume should be as natural as possible. And of course, avoid all foods that make health claims. Chances are, they are not really "food".

Thanks Trent! I do appreciate the advice, and I will definitely take a visit to the local farm for eggs. I also think I could stand to cut out a lot of simple carbs from my diet, and I can live with that, I really didn't want to cut out things like butter and eggs though. I guess I wouldn't have minded you saying "get out there and run more. twice a day! Your problem will go away right away" but I pretty much figured my exercise wasn't a problem. I think my trend towards more real food has probably been influence by me lurking a lot of your food threads, so thanks for that too. Just have to push a little harder towards that with this news from my doc. Now I'm off to hunt down a more local source of milk...

Trent is correct (of course). Your HDL and ratio are good. I would NOT do the meds yet. Try to lose about 4 pounds (it can make a big difference- not that you need to....) and be a little more careful about your diet. SO much is genetic, though.

Thanks! I am actually trying to lose a few more. Maybe 5-10 pounds. My motivation before was just to get faster, and maybe letting my now hidden ab muscles poke out just a little bit. Meds frighten me, especially something a lot of people get on and have to stay on the rest of their lives, so I think I will shy away from them even if this doctor suggests it when I check back with her in 3 months.

Hi, I also have a family history working against me. Both for heart disease and diabetes. I've kept my cholestrol below 180 for years and I'll just offer some of my tips outside of exercise: EFAs: Buy a quality source. You need these. Best is Udo's pure flaxseed oil. Eat small frequent meals, 4-6x per day w/balance of good carbs and lean protein and good fats Old fashioned Oatmeal or steel cut oats every day - no junk cereals or pastries for breakfast Drink skim - no more 2%, it's not much lower in fat than whole. Ditch the cheese too. Sorry, I know it's a sacrifice but it's just bad for you Yogurt - most yogurt is sugar-loaded crap. Cottage cheese is better for you, higher in protein and lower in sugar. If you eat yogurt, Dannon Light & Fit is my choice or get plain, Greek style yogurt - it's the real stuff and sweeten it lighly yourself with a little honey or real fruit. Whole grains - I rarely eat white flour or sugar. I avoid processed foods as much as possible. commercial baked goods are just terrible. Healthy nuts like walnuts and almonds are great for your heart in moderation too. I find that watching your bad carbs and sugars is just as important for watching cholesterol as watching fats. The two work together to keep your blood sugar stable and your body working efficiently. Also, pay attention to your body composition more than your weight. Excess body fat on a thin person (skinny-fat) is bad too. Body fat is metabolically active and send signals to your body that affect your cholesterol levels. Good luck with all your efforts!!!!