*Not* taking statins

[Amethyst]

I think there is much in what you say. So many of our common medications (statins, PPI's for GERD, meds for bone loss) "work" by interfering with very necessary, natural processes. And the side effects, over time, reflect that.

That doesn't mean I will ignore my doctor's recommendations - only that I will, instead of obediently filling Rx, assert my bodily uniqueness and ask many questions.

I am interested in the role of peer pressure in deciding what is Good and Bad for us. For example, ,it is presently popular to denounce sugar, yet people get their backs up when anyone points out that alcohol is also a systemic poison.

The entire subject is controversial. I am in the camp that believes CAD is caused by inflammation. Personally, I believe this inflammation is caused by high sugar intake and that cholesterol is an associative finding and not the cause. I have been full keto diet now for almost 2 years and am in perfect health. I eat less than 20 grams of carbs per day and so far no problems. It also looks like elevated cholesterol is a normal finding as we age. But we also see the results of a lifetime of bad eating and health habits. It takes years to become insulin resistant and of course, takes a long time to reverse that.

I believe statins are if not useless may actually cause problems. When you interfere with a normal body process there are consequences. Cholesterol is a necessary component and even if you eat zero cholesterol you can have elevated levels. The real evil is sugar.

 

[Archman]

..... Taking two pills just seems like asking for trouble,.....

I rely on these two pills, so I don't have to bother watching my diet.

 

[RetiredHappy]

What are your numbers? I use old fashioned oatmeal porridge every morning to keep my cholesterol down. Still have bacon and eggs too. This year my total chol was 'only' 230. Not too bad. Last year it was 210, because I was eating twice as much oatmeal. I had to cut back on the oatmeal due to digestive concerns. I take one capsule of fishoil per day to keep triglycerides down. Used to take more than one per day, but that causes a different problem I won't mention here. So, fish oil and oatmeal are my suggestions. My doc no longer nags me to go on statins, since I got my numbers down with diet.

Oatmeal has a ton of carb and it is ok if you limit to a cup. I rarely take oatmeal.

 

[Whisper66]

I just got my results back from my annual bloodwork.......

Your description in age and health is similar to mine except I don't have high blood pressure. 3 months ago, doctor wanted to put me on statins to lower my cholesterol. I decided to try diet first since statins had caused my joints to ache when I was on them before many years ago (also for high cholesterol).

Someone here mentioned Sten Eckberg youtube videos so I watched many of his and other like minded proponents of diet changes. Seemed to make sense to me. So here's what I ended up doing:

Eating 2 meals a day starting no earlier than 11 am and finishing by 6:30pm. Snacks between meals are fine. Outside eating hours, I just drink water.
Cut way, way back on refined sugar (candies, cookies, soft drinks, etc...)
Cut way, way back on carbohydrates (especially bread, potatoes ....)
Moved away from processed foods as much as practical toward natural foods.
Eat lots more vegetables
Eat more fruit
Chose lean meats over more fatty meats as much as practical (not much change from my choices before the diet changes).

I eat as much as I want during my eating hours. The result is I rarely get hungry. Below was the results for before / after 3 months...

Total Cholesterol - went from 231 to 191
HDL - stayed at 45
LDL - went from 158 to 128
Triglycerides - went from 149 to 84
Weight - dropped from 210 to 190

This has made me a believer that blood chemistry is quite adjustable (for at least some people) by changing eating habits. My current eating habits don't leave me hungry nor do I crave the sugary foods anymore. So I plan to just stick with these eating habits for now.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Your description in age and health is similar to mine except I don't have high blood pressure. 3 months ago, doctor wanted to put me on statins to lower my cholesterol. I decided to try diet first since statins had caused my joints to ache when I was on them before many years ago (also for high cholesterol).

Someone here mentioned Sten Eckberg youtube videos so I watched many of his and other like minded proponents of diet changes. Seemed to make sense to me. So here's what I ended up doing:

Eating 2 meals a day starting no earlier than 11 am and finishing by 6:30pm. Snacks between meals are fine. Outside eating hours, I just drink water.
Cut way, way back on refined sugar (candies, cookies, soft drinks, etc...)
Cut way, way back on carbohydrates (especially bread, potatoes ....)
Moved away from processed foods as much as practical toward natural foods.
Eat lots more vegetables
Eat more fruit
Chose lean meats over more fatty meats as much as practical (not much change from my choices before the diet changes).

I eat as much as I want during my eating hours. The result is I rarely get hungry. Below was the results for before / after 3 months...

Total Cholesterol - went from 231 to 191
HDL - stayed at 45
LDL - went from 158 to 128
Triglycerides - went from 149 to 84
Weight - dropped from 210 to 190

This has made me a believer that blood chemistry is quite adjustable (for at least some people) by changing eating habits. My current eating habits don't leave me hungry nor do I crave the sugary foods anymore. So I plan to just stick with these eating habits for now.

You don't need time restricted eating and can still get the same results. The key is limiting carbs to reduce triglycerides and eating leaner meats to reduce LDL.

 

[Koolau]

Ask your doctor.

What a concept!

Actually, he did say my cholesterol level was "good" but at the back of my mind is always this thought: If everyone has SOME cholesterol in their blood, there must be some level that IS too low. YMMV