Cholesterol and diet - You there haha?

[Dash man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivinsfan Are you having any side effects from the meds, IMO this doc does not have an open mind...especially about the HDL number. If it were me I'd find a different doctor.

I don't have any side effects from the statin drugs. I'm not sure why you think he doesn't have an open mind and I should look elsewhere. He's very good at listening and explaining his thoughts based on recent studies. He was quick to communicate results of my tests.


Enjoying life!

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Do you mean the bread not the butter?

Yes. Old habits and beliefs die hard.

[HFWR]

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/n...research-finds

Quote:

A large-scale clinical trial found that although niacin slightly improved levels of "good" HDL cholesterol, it didn't seem to benefit cardiovascular health, reports the study in the July 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Quote:

Side effects included a 55 percent increase in loss of blood sugar control among diabetics, and a 32 percent increase in new diabetes diagnoses, researchers found. Patients also suffered excess bleeding and infections, diarrhea, gout, skin-related effects and liver problems.

My doctor un-prescribed niacin for me because of these study results. It was prescribed to raise my HDL and lower triglycerides. It moved the numbers slightly. My only discernible side-effect was gawd-awful flushing, that I do not miss...

[HFWR]

Studies involving cholesterol-lowering drugs show that "just" lowering cholesterol does not improve outcomes. Statins do seem to have an effect, but it doesn't come specifically from altering lipid numbers.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/445150

Quote:

Hypocholesterolemic drug trials achieved only modest reduction of total cholesterol levels of about 10% compared with a 20% to 30% reduction with the statins. These drugs produce significant unpleasant adverse effects, suggested an increase of noncardiac mortality, and appeared to have no impact on total mortality.

[harley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR Niacin Doesn't Reduce Heart Problems, May Create Some, Research Finds – WebMD My doctor un-prescribed niacin for me because of these study results. It was prescribed to raise my HDL and lower triglycerides. It moved the numbers slightly. My only discernible side-effect was gawd-awful flushing, that I do not miss...

If I go through with dropping the niacin, I won't be missing the flush either. Sometimes DW looks at me and say "your face is purple!" Maybe that's why I thought it was good for me, because it made me miserable.

I've been hesitating dropping the niacin, because it actually me a huge difference for me HDL-wise. From under 25 to ~47 is a like an 85% increase! No amount of exercise and vegetables is going to accomplish that. But really, if it doesn't change the CV situation and has nasty side effects, who cares about HDL? Bye bye niacin.

[Fedup]

I don't know what my cholesterol numbers are and neither is my husband. His health has gotten better due to low carb, gluten free diet. He eats eggs and bacon everyday. Steak, lamb, and turkey for protein, no fish ever but he does take fish pills. Lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The more we stay away from doctors, the healthier we become.

[Dash man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fedup I don't know what my cholesterol numbers are and neither is my husband. His health has gotten better due to low carb, gluten free diet. He eats eggs and bacon everyday. Steak, lamb, and turkey for protein, no fish ever but he does take fish pills. Lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The more we stay away from doctors, the healthier we become.

Be careful on the fish oil pills. They've been linked to increasing risk of prostate cancer.


Enjoying life!

[Fedup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dash man Be careful on the fish oil pills. They've been linked to increasing risk of prostate cancer. Enjoying life!

Interesting. His parents took them but they didn't have prostate cancer. One had throat cancer because of drinking hot tea. But my husband takes turmeric which should mitigate some of that.
Is that because the fish oil pills are process in China? I checked to make sure mine are processed in the state of Washington.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dash man Be careful on the fish oil pills. They've been linked to increasing risk of prostate cancer. Enjoying life!

http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer...isk-study-says

Note the use of "might" and "suggests", though the numbers seem dramatic enough to me to warrant further study.

Quote:

One expert cautions that these new findings don't show a cause-and-effect relationship between prostate cancer and omega-3 fatty acids. "All of these studies on associations, which is what this is, are hypothesis-generating because they are looking back in time," said Dr. Anthony D'Amico, chief of radiation oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "It's not a cause and effect." The study would have to account for other risk factors for prostate cancer before it could be considered definitive, he said. These include family history, age and race, among others, D'Amico explained.

The more these things are studied, the more skeptical I become with regard to "magic supplementation". Vitamin C, vitamin E, lycopene, resveratrol, fish oil, etc., have been shown to be ineffective, or even harmful, in some cases.

[Fedup]

I've heard too much vitamin E is not good.

[braumeister]

As long as you take your supplement pills with plenty of dihydrogen monoxide, there shouldn't be a problem, right?

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister As long as you take your supplement pills with plenty of dihydrogen monoxide, there shouldn't be a problem, right?

Dude, I read somewheres that stuff'll kill you. Better be careful..

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister As long as you take your supplement pills with plenty of dihydrogen monoxide, there shouldn't be a problem, right?

I prefer mine malted...

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dash man I don't have any side effects from the statin drugs. I'm not sure why you think he doesn't have an open mind and I should look elsewhere. He's very good at listening and explaining his thoughts based on recent studies. He was quick to communicate results of my tests. Enjoying life!

You might not have noticed but I deleted that comment after I decided it wasn't my place to comment on your choice of doctors

My DH has some cardiac stuff and after meeting a few cardio docs I have the personal opinion that some of them are pretty dogmatic and want to say my way or the highway. We kept looking until we found the right one for him.

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fedup I don't know what my cholesterol numbers are and neither is my husband. His health has gotten better due to low carb, gluten free diet. He eats eggs and bacon everyday. Steak, lamb, and turkey for protein, no fish ever but he does take fish pills. Lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The more we stay away from doctors, the healthier we become.

Good to know. I just started a tweaked version of the paleo diet a few days ago - very similar to your DH's diet. Got the nudge from 2 chiros and another doctor.

[Dakotah]

A low carb diet can be very effective in controlling high cholesterol and LDL.
It seems counterintuitive but several studies show it works.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

[plsprius]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dakotah A low carb diet can be very effective in controlling high cholesterol and LDL. It seems counterintuitive but several studies show it works. Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

I thought that the paleo diet was primarily a way to lose weight quickly. From what I have read, it doesn't improve cholesterol LDL levels.

For example, see this article: How Paleo Diet Affects Lipid Levels | Runner's World which says,

LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol increased significantly when adults followed a Paleo diet for 10 weeks, even though they were exercising vigorously during that time, according to research that will be presented later this month at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Med.

[Fedup]

Paleo Diet is different from low carb. For example, bean is not allowed in Paleo diet.

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plsprius I thought that the paleo diet was primarily a way to lose weight quickly. From what I have read, it doesn't improve cholesterol LDL levels. For example, see this article: How Paleo Diet Affects Lipid Levels | Runner's World which says, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol increased significantly when adults followed a Paleo diet for 10 weeks, even though they were exercising vigorously during that time, according to research that will be presented later this month at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Med.

Thanks for the link.

The paleo diet is a great way to lose weight quickly. I started running 4 days a week in December on a normal diet and lost 8 lbs in the first 4.5 months. Got down to my previous low weight where I've run several marathons.

I went to a holistic doctor a week ago who put me on the paleo diet. I lost another 6 lbs last week on paleo.

I'm going in for blood work in 5 weeks. I expect cholesterol to be higher than normal due to the amount of meat I'm eating.

[ivinsfan]

Your number might be higher, but not necessarily due to meat consumption. Eggs were accused of making numbers higher for decades and the egg yolk was almost considered toxic. That thinking has been debunked.

This study followed 43 people not a decent sampling at all. It seems like a balancing act..decrease your body fat and probably lower your blood sugar and your chol number might rise...different people will have different goals.

If you care to share please come back and post your numbers ..are you feeling generally perkier on the paleo diet?