lowering LDL cholesterol?

Hi all,

little update on me. I had some bloodwork done this past week and although I'm pretty healthy otherwise, I've been diagnosed with high cholesterol. My doctor sent me some information on lowering my LDL (bad) cholesterol and I've also been doing some on-line research on the subject. Has anyone here been diagnosed with high cholesterol? If so, what did you do to lower it? I really want to try everything I can to get my LDL number down, because I don't want to go on medication.

Thanks to all who reply!

Michelle...

did your doctor give you any nutrion help for that? The first thing would probably to be to watch what you eat... don't eat High Cholestorol foods.... Stay away from them!!! thats probably the only other way besides taking the Medications... My mom and husband take Lipitor.... I want him to ask his doctor about the crestor but we'll see :)

Michelle...

did your doctor give you any nutrion help for that? The first thing would probably to be to watch what you eat... don't eat High Cholestorol foods.... Stay away from them!!! thats probably the only other way besides taking the Medications... My mom and husband take Lipitor.... I want him to ask his doctor about the crestor but we'll see :)


Hi Meredith,

My doctor did send me some very helpful information about reducing my ldl cholesterol level which included a list of foods I should be incorporating more into my diet as well as foods I should avoid more. Also exercise is a wonderful way to help lowering LDL cholesterol. I admit I've been pretty lax in that department for the past several years. :o I figure that since now I'll be watching my diet and exercising more I'll get the added benefit of dropping few pounds. :)

Fish oil and garlic can help, as well as alot of fiber. Dark green leafy veggies and pounding the pavement! (i.e. exercise!) This also increases good cholesterol, HDL.

I have high cholesterol and diabetes. So far I was told by my doctor to be careful with what I eat. No more cassoulet, choucroutte, or chicken wings of course :mad: She told me to eat lots of fish (especially salmon, fresh sardines etc..) almonds are supposed to be good and also goose fat.

No more cakes or sweets, wine occasionally
Bummer !

No more cakes or sweets

I'll be sure not to tell that to the 4 kilos of Tiramisu we consumed while together...:eek:

Re: Cholesterol...

My husband has high cholesterol. He works out several hours a day, eats healthier than anyone I know, has never smoked, and is the ideal weight for his height...and he is only in his 30's...so, sometimes the cause is strictly genetics, which I would suspect plays a part in your situation because you are so young to have high cholesterol. Definetly, defintely work out...get your weight to the ideal amount for your height...eat healthy...and if that fails, get on some medication. The down side of medication is that it can have a negative affect on your liver or kidneys, etc...but this risk is usually better to take than the heart disease which can come from high cholesterol. So, get disciplined and make sure you stay on top of things!!!

Let us know how it works out!

I'll be sure not to tell that to the 4 kilos of Tiramisu we consumed while together...:eek:


Those were the days Amina. That was BEFORE the blood test that revealed diabetes :(

thank you lencarol, Aline and Amina for the words of advice.

I have been watching my diet for the past few days, reading food labels and such. It's a good thing a truly do enjoy a majority of the foods that I should be eating. :)

Actually, I found losing weight (when I set my mind to it!), very exhilirating, Bob's babydoll. I did not do it for a cholesterol problem, as you are, but losing some weight can help with cholesterol numbers and with lowering blood pressure for some people. Also I was more aware of what I ate, read more, learned more about nutrition and exercise, etc. So gaining knowledge helps to motivate as well. Once I got into an exercise routine, it became addicting, and would go out every evening to walk/run about 8 miles. During the day would do aerobics and weight lifting. Made such a difference also in my mental attitude!! :)

ITA with you, lencarol about the whole exercise and mental attitude connection.

I used to walk every day but then I began to "slack off" for a bit. Now that I know I have to watch my cholesterol and how excercise and losing weight helps lower it, I've been walking almost every day for about a week now. I know it's been only a week, but I actually "feel" healthier both physically and mentally. :)

Im a guy,57. I walk 4 miles per day,6 days per week. Even though I am overweight in knocked my LDL down and the good cholesterol went up. My wife however exercises regular,is not overweight and has to take the medicine (lipitor).The side efffects are minimal for her. I guess results vary in people. Cholesterol is only one risk factor of heart disease. Be concerned but dont loose sleep over it .

Dale

I was able to get my total cholesterol down from 235 to 197 in a year. How? FISH OIL!!!!!!! Plus, I stopped eating butter, and started eating this stuff called "Earth Balance" (no, not Smart Balance.)

I am also basically vegetarian. I eat a little meat once or twice a week, but the rest of the time I eat a vegetable based diet.

I take 1000mg of Norwegian Fish Oil a day. My doc told me to do this, and it worked......I was amazed! He didn't want to put me on a statin drug, because I do so poorly on most drugs, ie side effects etc.

Talk to your doctor, but fish oil is amazing stuff for a lot of things. I notice if I go off it for a couple of weeks, my mood is not as good.

I just started taking Fish Oil, at the insistence of my sister, who swears by it for her arthralgias. And that was my complaint as well. Previously had been taking EFAs, primrose, borage, flax combo oil. I don't think they have the omega 3 in them however. Have not noticed much difference, but will give it more time with the joints.

Last time cholesterol checked, was told it was fine, so maybe the EFAs helped with that. Also take garlic caps. I also don't eat alot of meat, several times weekly. Do use a protein shake daily though. Am trying to start a macrobiotic type diet, is very stringent and requires alot of stuff from the ocean (ick!) like kelp, kombu, wakame,etc. But need to find a palatable food plan I can stick with that will help get some weight off AND be a healthy one over a long period of time!:)

I posted on this a couple of days ago, you can go to the daily fitness, health, and diet tips to read more on it.

Lowering LDL cholesterol is not easy. Basically, you need to increase your HDLs which act as a scavenger of sorts and they will help clean out your arteries. One way to increase your HDLs is exercise. Aerobic exercise is the key here, running, jogging, etc. There are many options, and you may want to look in different places (gyms, YMCAs, private fitness centers) to find something that you enjoy.

Different aerobic exercises include: riding a bike, running, jogging, in-line rollerblading, Taijiquan (T'ai Chi, a martial art/health art), spinning classes, aerobics, etc.

If you are overweight, you also may need to do strength training. I'm not talking about getting "ripped" or anything, but strength training will help to build your lean muscle tissue and this in turn will increase your metabolism. Increasing metabolism is important in losing weight and a combination of strength training (nice, easy weights...you want muscle tone, not bulky biceps :) ) and aerobic exercise is the key to losing weight.

Additionally, a diet lower in trans-fatty acids (found in french fries, fried foods) and saturated fatty acids (found in beef, organ meat, etc.) is very important. A reduction in intake of these two fats of just 5% may lower women's risk of heart disease by over 40%, studies are showing. The importance of fat in the diet though is that fats are crucial to the body's function. Lowering SFAs and trans-fatty acids with an increase in unsaturated fats (found in canola oil, peanut oil, and the oil found in almonds) is needed. Unsaturated fatty acids are important because they help provide the body with essential fats that help with regular functions, as well as provide an energy source. An increase in these fats, with a decrease in SFAs and trans-fats will provide a healthier diet.

One caveat with fats though...everything in moderation. Less than 25% of the total daily caloric intake needs to be fats. Fats pack a lot of calories, so be careful and don't go overboard.

As I stated before, I've posted on this issue before in the daily fitness, health, and diet tips...you can read more about it in the Fats and Lipids section where I go into more depth and give more options for finding UFAs.

Have fun and get healthy!

I've never had a problem with high cholestral or high blood pressure. Maybe its because of my sluggish thyroid, I'm hypo. Mine is at 114, which is surprising considering how much I love chips and desserts, but I think its because I basically eat fish every day, I love salmon/flounder/tilapia and will choose that over chicken or beef. I love going to Costco and buying the whole slice of salmon and then coming home and cutting it into small portions, season it, wrap it in aluimium foil, freeze it and when I'm ready, take a piece out for dinner usually.

Although every so often I may have beef, but its only at the instance of my doctor since I was very anemic b/4 my surgery last november, hate taking iron pills. But now that I've had my post op check up last week and everything is good, I'm back to just fish mostly.

I also think my walking helps...now that I'm working in the city, and the job can be stressful, I tend to walk home more to alleviate tension and I'm overweight as well. So maybe I'm one of those predispose to lower ldl readings because my brother battles high cholesteral and he exercises every day and has always been thin, so go figure.

Paris

I have also had trouble with anemia as well. The doctor is right....beef does help. At times I can actually feel the anemia draining my body. I eat a nice steak, and I instantly feel better. I know that needs to be done in moderation though.

Paris (and I love your name, that's my daughter's name!) it sounds as if you are eating rather healthy, and walking is wonderful exercise. I would think having a sluggish thyroid is probably not helping your issues.

Good luck with getting your cholesterol in check.

Michelle

P.S. Cgillette - have I ever told you I love you? :D

Got total cholesterol from 260 to 206, LDL (bad) from 153 to 118, HDL (good) from 69 to 79. There is a huge genetic component to my tendency to high cholesterol. Things I did to get it down: Exercise! very little meat, eat fish, especially salmon, lots of vegetables, fish oil capsuls, no fried food, no dairy products, no eggs, no bread, very few sweets, try to buy organic whenever possible. If I had to get it down to a list of three, I would pick exercise, no dairy and no eggs. This worked for me. Don't know whether it would work for anyone else. My doctor knows that I am very conservative when it comes to taking medication, so when he told me that my cholesterol was high and he was required to strongly recommend medication, he said, "but, I know you won't do it, so I'll give you three months to get it down, and then we'll test you again and see where you are." He was astounded that I had brought it so far down. He also asked me how I did it. Said he was going to try to use my method to bring his own cholesterol down. He did. He's told me I'm one of his favorite patients because I am proactive when it comes to my health. Good luck!

did you mean to say from 260 to 206? I've never heard of anyone bringing down total cholesterol from 260 to 106 from diet alone, especially in 3 months. In fact, 106 is headed for dangerously low. If that's the case, I'd say the second reading is wrong and bears repeating. Your LDL and HDL sound like reasonable changes.
I'm a nurse, btw.

I got my total from 232 to 196 through diet and fish oil, but it took a year.

Oops! Thanks for catching that. I'll see if I can edit that.

adam is getting ready to discharge, used to run 7 miles a day until a knee injury in afghanistand required surgery, he is 26 and not heavy, his number is 240.

i was shocked but his fathers family (uncles) are not with us anymore due to heart attacks. we will need to work on this when he is home, thank you for the heads up on fish oil's, i wish i could take them (allergic).

in his case hereditary is a huge factor, we will deal with all of this in the new year when he is home for good.