Need help: Not sure whether to start medicine on lowering cholesterol level

[ls99]

As I alluded in another thread, before taking statins read the disclosures very throughly and pay close attention to the what the words mean. Especially look for the disclosure about effecting life span.

 

[cantlogin]

I've cut down a lot on red meat, animal skin, shell fish, squid, goose liver, butter, milk, etc. (all the food I love). I mainly eat white meat, fruits and vegetables ... I still take my oatmeal everyday. ....

Someone in this thread mentioned about cutting carbs helped to reduce cholesterol. How does that help?

We've kicked this topic around a lot here over the last couple of years. Search on LCHF in this forum and you'll find quite a bit of discussion.

You need to do much more research if you believe those are wise choices.

I'm not a doctor, and I understand the limitations of anecdotes, but for myself, and others I know, a low carb, high fat diet combined with regular exercise has delivered dramatic results.

 

[RonBoyd]

a low carb, high fat diet combined with regular exercise has delivered dramatic results.

My point exactly.

 

[Carpenter1975]

My experience with Cholesterol

I agree with others you are going to get a miriad of answers. I thought I might tell my story and try to do so briefly. I was 36 give or take when I was told I should go on a statin. High Cholesterol and no other indicators. I fought it for a year or so trying to do more excercise etc... At one point I was successful but then didn't keep to it and my levels went back up. After a bit I finally succumbed to the idea of taking a Statin and at that time also went on an acid reflux medicine as it runs in my family. My Cholesterol levels improved immediately and my liver enzymes got worse. They have been monitoring my liver ever since I started the Statin's and will yours as well.

This year I ended up having a test and got sent for an ultra sound of my liver. Nurse called me and told me I need to stop drinking alcohol because my liver had some concerns. (I am a very casual drinker, meaning I might drink 1 drink a week on average) I will go weeks without drinking alcohol. This scared me, they keep telling me it's not the medicine but I know that it is. If I was a heavy drinker I might think otherwise.

Fast forward a couple weeks, during the last year we have been working with an allergist for my 2 year old son. He has some allergies and in the process I had mentioned some things that concerned me for myself and my families history. So I had blood work done for the allergist. Turns out I have a wheat sensitivity. I am not allergic to it but I have a high sensitivity to it. So the Allergist recommended a Glutamine powder. And after seeing my Testosterone levels being so low (thanks to the Statin) he told me that I should immediately get off the statin. My Vitamin D Levels were also lowered by the Statin.

First I was told to stop eating wheat. Stop taking the statin. I also stopped taking the Prilosec for my acid reflux because since I have stopped eating wheat I haven't needed it. I am now taking a Glutamin powder in the morning it's an over the counter natural powder that is supposed to heal my leaky gut. (yea I don't know how much I buy it) But I do know this, my energy levels are up, I feel better, and I don't need the acid reflux medicine that all of my uncles, my father, and my aunts need.

I also took up riding bicycle. I ride 2 to 3 days a week to my office which 1 way is 7.5 miles. Yes this has certainly helped my overal energy levels. I have lost 15 lbs and have a few more to spare. The first couple of weeks I was doing pushup's regularly and need to get back on that.

I will also note I have my blood work being drawn next week, so I should have a better idea of where I am at then.

The question for me has always been do I sacrifice my Liver to Lower my Cholesterol which is one of 5 indicators for heart disease? And the only 1 of 5 that I have.

I am not making any recommendations to you here, just telling my story. I am hoping that my biking to work has helped lower my cholesterol and that it will improve my story. It is also possible that the Wheat was causing problems as well raising my cholesterol as well. The story isn't over and when I can I will try to update.

 

[Carpenter1975]

I forgot to mention I do take fish oil as well. Putting it in the freezer helps get rid of the fish oil taste.

 

[braumeister]

The question for me has always been do I sacrifice my Liver to Lower my Cholesterol which is one of 5 indicators for heart disease? And the only 1 of 5 that I have.

AFAIK, there is no reliable research showing high total cholesterol to be a cause of heart disease. It's more in the realm of urban myth or "conventional wisdom."

 

[Carpenter1975]

AFAIK, there is no reliable research showing high total cholesterol to be a cause of heart disease. It's more in the realm of urban myth or "conventional wisdom."

As I stated it's one of the 5 Indicators. I have had opinion's from 3 different Doctors, and talked to numerous others diagnosed with high cholesterol. And I have done my own arm chair research. What have I concluded basically that I do what feels right to me. When I went on the medicine it was a reluctant decision. I was never really comfortable with taking the medicine. My total Cholesterol was high but so was my Bad Cholesterol which is what most Dr's worry more about. At least from my understanding. I could post my excel spread sheet showing all of my test but don't think that's necessary at this time.

One step I have taken for my son is to have his Cholesterol tested at a young age. We will continue to do so throughout his life to get a base line for what his Cholesterol should be. The research I have done has convinced me that not everyone's cholesterol is or should be the same. And that to truly know if your levels are high you need to have a long term base line to compare too.

Again I am not a Dr. Just a 39 year old that has been pondering, researching, and trying to understand what the Dr's are trying to tell me.

 

[kaneohe]

......................... After a bit I finally succumbed to the idea of taking a Statin and at that time also went on an acid reflux medicine as it runs in my family. My Cholesterol levels improved immediately and my liver enzymes got worse. They have been monitoring my liver ever since I started the Statin's and will yours as well.

This year I ended up having a test and got sent for an ultra sound of my liver. Nurse called me and told me I need to stop drinking alcohol because my liver had some concerns. (I am a very casual drinker, meaning I might drink 1 drink a week on average) I will go weeks without drinking alcohol. This scared me, they keep telling me it's not the medicine but I know that it is. If I was a heavy drinker I might think otherwise.

The question for me has always been do I sacrifice my Liver to Lower my Cholesterol which is one of 5 indicators for heart disease? And the only 1 of 5 that I have.

I think monitoring when you take a new medicine is always a good idea and, in my limited experience, is not always done. No experience w/ statins but when I started my first blood pressure Rx, I insisted on monitoring. Less than 2 wks after starting, I got a frantic call from the doc to stop.......seems that the liver enzymes had gone wild-------doubling/tripling almost overnight. After changing the class of BP medication, the problem disappeared. The offending medication is listed as one I have an allergy to in my medical records to this day..........must be bolded since I am always asked about it.

 

[jimnjana]

Wife asked her cardiologist yesterday about statin drugs. Long story short (the man can talk) ... he is on them and he knows most of the other cardiologists are on them. He talked about the myth of high cholesterol link to heart disease. The benefit from statins is they reduce inflammation in arteries which reduces the plaque buildup. In his opinion, most anyone with a family history of heart disease should be on them. I'm not a big fan of statins and have previously posted so, but I think the bottom line is if you haven't been able to cut your risk factors and have a family history of heart disease it makes sense to be on statins.

 

[lynxville]

In my case intense exercise, weight lifting, martial arts did nothing to help lower my cholesterol. Some benefit from walking. Your body makes chl so low fat diet did nothing. I also discovered that cutting chl pills in half worked just as well as whole pill. It all depends how high your chl is. But there are side effects from the pills. Just read something about fish oil, might not do anything good. But doctors do recommend it. Co Q 10 seems to help alleviate some muscle side effects of chl drugs. My doctor said to try it and it did help.

 

[Moscyn]

Thanks for everyone contributing to this page and I have also been reading other threads in this forum on related topic. I can only say that whilst I am still confused, I am still unwilling to be on meds to lower cholesterol. I don't completely understand the lower carbohydrate intake approach but have started lowering my carb intake - this is very difficult for me as I love rice, bread, buns and pasta. Increasing exercise level is easy for me as I really like exercising. I'll take another blood test in 4 or 5 months' time.


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[Lsbcal]

...I don't completely understand the lower carbohydrate intake approach but have started lowering my carb intake - this is very difficult for me as I love rice, bread, buns and pasta. Increasing exercise level is easy for me as I really like exercising. I'll take another blood test in 4 or 5 months' time. ...

I am the same type as you, love carbs and exercise. Am really not overweight. My lipids results are decent but not great, sort of on the edge there.

From the little I've seen on low carb diet research discussions, many of the people in the research studies are obese or very overweight. The studies also cover weight loss not just lipid results. So do the results carry over to the not-overweight people who want to improve their cholesterol numbers?

 

[John Galt III]

My GP is on statins and wants me to be also. But he agrees that good cholesterol numbers only increase the likelihood that you will be trouble-free in the heart department. He also agrees that many people with "horrible" cholesterol numbers never have cardio problems, and that lots of folks with great chol numbers do develop cardio problems. I have chosen not to go on a statin, mainly due to possible side effects. The argument I am buying lately is that inflammation of the arteries is what causes the chol to cause problems. Have heard that statins are antiinflammatory.

 

[robnplunder]

To Op,

Your C-level seems to be at manageable level with some life style change. Give it a try. The pills may have various side effects. I had to change my subscription 3 times before settling on one that does not have severe side effects.

 

[donheff]

I am the same type as you, love carbs and exercise. Am really not overweight. My lipids results are decent but not great, sort of on the edge there.

From the little I've seen on low carb diet research discussions, many of the people in the research studies are obese or very overweight. The studies also cover weight loss not just lipid results. So do the results carry over to the not-overweight people who want to improve their cholesterol numbers?

I was slightly overweight but not at all fat (or at least no one thought of me as having a weight problem). I went on a fairly strict LC diet (about 50 grams a day) for about six monts. I lost about 33 pounds in a few months and my triglycerides fell from a high of 137 to 52, My HDL rose from 63 to 93. My total cholesterol rose a bit from 202 to 227 BUT I stopped taking statins between those two reading so cholesterol should have gone up. From everything I have read most people can expect triglycerides to go down and HDL up on a LC diet. LDL not much change.

Over the past year and a half I have added some carbs back (primarily rice and potatoes, and a little bread with sandwiches and double meat bacon cheese burgers ) and have seen no impact of my improved weight or lipid numbers. My take away is that strict LCHF (like Atkins) is great for quick weight loss and lipid improvements but, at least for some non-obese people, may not be essential long term. Staying away from sugar and highly processed grains has been key for me.

 

[Moscyn]

My take away is that strict LCHF (like Atkins) is great for quick weight loss and lipid improvements but, at least for some non-obese people, may not be essential long term. Staying away from sugar and highly processed grains has been key for me.

Glad to note this. I am not overweight and triglycerides is good. And after reading on LCHF, I am trying to stay away from processed food. Currently I am on vacation in Japan, and it's really hard to stay away from rice!


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[RonBoyd]

it's really hard to stay away from rice!

Actually, Rice is a fairly decent source of Resistant Starch... provided it is cooled before consumption. (RS is a non-digestible carbohydrate.) That is why Sushi is so good for you. <chuckle>

Of course, Rice that is eaten while still hot is the type of carbohydrate that you are trying to avoid. On the other hand, there are some who say that re-heating Rice after a night in the refrigerator (Fried Rice, for instance) will remain a RS.

Research on Resistant Starch is just coming into it's own... along with Prebiotics. Google it.

 

[RonBoyd]

Resistant Starch and Rice... as in:

Rice and Bean Salad | Food Renegade

Be sure to read the sited article on Beans. (I'll add the Link here.)

Why Beans Are Hard to Digest & 8 Tips For Making Them Easier on the Belly – Nourishing Days

 

[braumeister]

I'll just add one more comment here.
As noted earlier, you should really ask yourself WHY you're concerned. Can you find any credible evidence that lowering your total cholesterol is a good idea?

Remember that half the people who show up at the emergency room with heart attacks have high cholesterol and half have low cholesterol.

 

[heeyy_joe]

Low carb, ditch the sugar! My borderline levels dropped big time.

 

[Chuckanut]

Statins lower cholesterol. No doubt about that. Is there evidence that they increase the lifespan of an otherwise healthy person who does not have diagnosed cardio vascular disease? That is my question.

Count me as another vote to cut carbs, especially sugar and those in highly processed foods. I did and my lipids improved (HDL up, Trigs down, blood sugar down, LDL about the same), and my reflux went away. No statins at this time.

Just my story. Take what you want and leave the rest.

 

[Chuckanut]

I'll just add one more comment here.

As noted earlier, you should really ask yourself WHY you're concerned. Can you find any credible evidence that lowering your total cholesterol is a good idea?



.

Good point.

Fwiw, I read the info sheet that is included with a well known statin. Nowhere did it indicate that the drug will increase the lifespan of a male who has not had CVD. Or improve quality of life for the same male.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[inquisitive]

Could you convert the cholesterol numbers into the other format? My values were not reported like this so I do not know how high the good/bad cholesterol is.

I think the question is, why is the cholesterol high? I read a book by Esselstyn (sp?) called the engine 2 diet, which is about a vegan diet with no oils, and people had dramatic improvement in their cholesterol values. It sounds like you are already exercising. Maybe go on medication if you cannot improve the values with lifestyle changes?

 

[Senator]

A friend swears by red rice yeast...

Try Red Rice Yeast. It's in a capsule form. It is supposed to help. That's what my Dr. said to try.

 

[Moscyn]

Could you convert the cholesterol numbers into the other format? My values were not reported like this so I do not know how high the good/bad cholesterol is.

I think the question is, why is the cholesterol high? I read a book by Esselstyn (sp?) called the engine 2 diet, which is about a vegan diet with no oils, and people had dramatic improvement in their cholesterol values. It sounds like you are already exercising. Maybe go on medication if you cannot improve the values with lifestyle changes?

Tot chol of 7.7 mmol/l is 297.29 mg/dl
HDL-chol of 1.8 = 69.498
Direct LDL-Chol of 5.3 =204.633
Chol/HDL ratio at 4.2 = 162.162

Reading this and other threads and other articles, I want to do more lifestyle changes before trying any medication. My numbers above have been largely the same for the last 9 years.


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