Lowering cholesterol without statins - I did it!!!

[lucky penny]

Last December I started a thread asking if anyone had lowered cholesterol without statins (see below) since the numbers at my last checkup definitely got my attention. Thanks to everyone for the helpful, thoughtful, thought-provoking responses pro & con. Ultimately I was leaning towards starting statins, especially in view of family history. Then I had another good conversation with my doctor about whether a better diet & regular exercise could make a difference if I gave it a serious shot, and he was quite supportive of postponing the decision for a few months while I did.

Fast forward 5 months, and new numbers are in. WOW I am very happy!!!

Here they are (old numbers in parentheses, first from 2017, then 2015):

Cholesterol: 197 (258, 224)
Triglycerides: 70 (112, 73)
HDL: 71 (71, 61)
LDL: 108 (165, 149)

Happy that I turned things around, am hopefully going in the right direction & have developed some new, healthier habits. With the zeal of the newly-converted, I could go on at length, but let's just say I've been eating lots of salmon, spinach & oatmeal, fruits & veggies, a couple of avocados a week, nuts as a snack, no desserts. Not much bread (when I have a craving, I'll have a SMALL whole wheat everything bagel). A favorite, frequent indulgence is baked sweet potato fries. Maybe once a month, a slice or two of really good pizza. Maybe I've brainwashed myself, but I like eating this way now & I don't feel deprived at all.

And exercise too - at least 10,000 steps Every. Single. Day.

Please excuse the humble-bragging, but I do feel great. (And yes, I promise I will chime in with an update a few months from now, one way or another!)

<<I'm 71 & in excellent health, not overweight, taking no medications & I admit being a bit smug about that. My cholesterol was always good but started creeping up in recent years; doctor wasn't concerned, but in the last checkup the numbers were higher & he recommends starting statins. Ratios are good; HDL very good; other numbers, not so much. I'm inclined to wait a few months & be more conscientious about diet & exercise, which I really think I can do, then check the numbers again & avoid statins if there is significant improvement. Has anyone done this & turned things around? Or is there no reason to put off starting statins if the doctor recommends it?>>

 

[Another Reader]

You are an excellent example of why the blanket statin drug recommendations are wrong. No one should take those drugs, which have long term side effects, unless there is no alternative. Wherever possible, diet and exercise should be the first approach.

 

[Dash man]

Well, I’m on 40mg of Lipitor (or whatever the generic is called) and I’m happy. I had a cardiac calcium test score of 1036 a couple of years ago, meaning I have a 95% chance of a heart attack within ten years. The statin is doing its job and I don’t have any side effects that I know of. I’m just happy when both feet hit the floor each morning. Blood tests have been great and no other symptoms to speak of.

 

[Yarnstormer]

Hey that's great. Congratulations. I wouldn't mind if you went on at length about the changes you made. I need inspiration!

 

[sheldon cornped]

I had high cholesterol prior to being on Atorvostatin, oh about 5 years ago. I am now 64, consider myself to be in excellent health, eat right, play tennis 3 days a week and strength training 3 days a week. Am 6' 2" and around 215 lbs. and muscular. I love fish of all types. I do drink my fair share of IPA beer and red wine. I tried to wean off the statin about 6 months ago and got rechecked, however LDL jumped back up to prior levels. I went back on the statin, 20 mg and will stick with it. My father had high cholesterol, so I figure it is mostly genetic. The body just produces more of it than is desired. So you can do all the recommendations to the T and still have high cholesterol. Some of us just can't control it voluntarily. Keep up the good work.

 

[becca]

I've had similar results with similar actions. I am a 65 yo female. Not overweight, no medications.

Total Cholesterol 181 (prior two readings 223, 199)
Triglycerides 76 (123, 52)
HDL 60 (61,62)
LDL 108 (137, 127)

This has been a multi-year project. I think the thing that really made it go down to the current numbers is increasing my daily walking from 3 miles to 5 miles per day. A fit bit and walking buddies have helped me do that.

I eat oatmeal every day. I walk 5 miles almost every day (might miss a day once every two weeks). Yoga 2 or 3 times a week. Eat salmon once or twice a week. Hardly any red meat (maybe once every two months). Egg whites only. Lots of Nuts every day. My next goal is to eat a serving a beans every day.

Meanwhile my dh continues to eat his morning pop tart, spends the day riding in a golf cart, eats his burgers and continues to take his statin (sigh...he will probably outlive me).

 

[RunningBum]

I eat oatmeal every day. I walk 5 miles almost every day (might miss a day once every two weeks). Yoga 2 or 3 times a week. Eat salmon once or twice a week. Hardly any red meat (maybe once every two months). Egg whites only. Lots of Nuts every day. My next goal is to eat a serving a beans every day.

Sounds very healthy. I think the story has changed on eggs though. The drawbacks of eating the yolks are a lot less, and the nutrients in them are very high.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-egg-yolks-bad seems like a good summary.

 

[sturbridge]

I have genetically high cholesterol, its not my diet. I've always exercised vigorously everyday, have a very low intake of animal fats. My liver just makes a lot of cholesterol. I was able to reduce it about 10% so far in 2 months by taking over the counter plant sterols. My parents had both been on statins and had a miserable experience (memory fog and muscle pain) so I'm loathe to take them although my PCP would like me too. My cholesterol at max was still under 250 so borderline. My last provider was not concerned given other health factors, but new provider is quite aggressive.

 

[Another Reader]

I'm beginning to think that these provider organizations dictate what their employee doctors prescribe. For example, they get points for pushing mammograms even when there is no family history of cancer and no history of abnormalities in the patient. The mammograms achieve some preventative goal, probably foisted on them by the corporate parent or the federal government. The liability issue is probably a factor in this as well.

The newsletters from my provider organization tout how thorough their breast cancer screening is. Stroke and heart attack prevention are big headlines too, hence the pressure to prescribe statins.

There is no individualized health care today, except possibly the concierge doctors. You get what's good for the organization's patient population taken as a whole and what's good for the corporate parent.

 

[razztazz]

What's the death difference between your old numbers and the new numbers?

 

[Scuba]

Last December I started a thread asking if anyone had lowered cholesterol without statins (see below) since the numbers at my last checkup definitely got my attention. Thanks to everyone for the helpful, thoughtful, thought-provoking responses pro & con. Ultimately I was leaning towards starting statins, especially in view of family history. Then I had another good conversation with my doctor about whether a better diet & regular exercise could make a difference if I gave it a serious shot, and he was quite supportive of postponing the decision for a few months while I did.

Fast forward 5 months, and new numbers are in. WOW I am very happy!!!

Here they are (old numbers in parentheses, first from 2017, then 2015):

Cholesterol: 197 (258, 224)
Triglycerides: 70 (112, 73)
HDL: 71 (71, 61)
LDL: 108 (165, 149)

Happy that I turned things around, am hopefully going in the right direction & have developed some new, healthier habits. With the zeal of the newly-converted, I could go on at length, but let's just say I've been eating lots of salmon, spinach & oatmeal, fruits & veggies, a couple of avocados a week, nuts as a snack, no desserts. Not much bread (when I have a craving, I'll have a SMALL whole wheat everything bagel). A favorite, frequent indulgence is baked sweet potato fries. Maybe once a month, a slice or two of really good pizza. Maybe I've brainwashed myself, but I like eating this way now & I don't feel deprived at all.

And exercise too - at least 10,000 steps Every. Single. Day.

Please excuse the humble-bragging, but I do feel great. (And yes, I promise I will chime in with an update a few months from now, one way or another!)

<<I'm 71 & in excellent health, not overweight, taking no medications & I admit being a bit smug about that. My cholesterol was always good but started creeping up in recent years; doctor wasn't concerned, but in the last checkup the numbers were higher & he recommends starting statins. Ratios are good; HDL very good; other numbers, not so much. I'm inclined to wait a few months & be more conscientious about diet & exercise, which I really think I can do, then check the numbers again & avoid statins if there is significant improvement. Has anyone done this & turned things around? Or is there no reason to put off starting statins if the doctor recommends it?>>

Very impressive, congratulations! My MIL is almost 82. No Rx meds and very healthy. However she doesn’t drink and doesn’t eat much (mostly veggies & chicken if any meat at all). Not a lifestyle I’m likely to adopt.

So far my numbers are good except for weight. I know what I need to do but I’m not disciplined enough.

 

[COcheesehead]

I have genetically high cholesterol, its not my diet. I've always exercised vigorously everyday, have a very low intake of animal fats. My liver just makes a lot of cholesterol. I was able to reduce it about 10% so far in 2 months by taking over the counter plant sterols. My parents had both been on statins and had a miserable experience (memory fog and muscle pain) so I'm loathe to take them although my PCP would like me too. My cholesterol at max was still under 250 so borderline. My last provider was not concerned given other health factors, but new provider is quite aggressive.

I am in the same boat. My cholesterol is 219, HDL 96 and LDL 108.
I exercise every day, average about 12,000 steps. We eat clean and lean, but it has no effect on my numbers. I was born with it. My doctor did a scan of my arteries and says I show no signs of plaque. I am not on medication, the only one in my family who is not. He tells me to keep active.

 

[becca]

Yes I have read the new stance that eggs do not raise one's cholesterol. I'm just sticking with the egg whites because whatever I have been doing is working. Also it's not what you don't eat but also what you do eat that can lower your cholesterol. A good book (published in 2006) is Cholesterol Down: Ten Simple Steps To Lower Your Cholesterol Without Drugs.

 

[msieweke]

Congratulations lucky penny! That's good work. And because you did it without drugs, the only side effect is you become healthier .

 

[gerntz]

While I'm not an MD, everything I've seen is that you folks with 70's HDL are near bulletproof for heart disease. Were I there, wouldn't care if total was 250. But given I've never gotten out of 37-44 HDL, I'll stick to my statin even though total is 170.

 

[LastOfTheBoomers]

I am in the same boat. My cholesterol is 219, HDL 96 and LDL 108.
I exercise every day, average about 12,000 steps. We eat clean and lean, but it has no effect on my numbers. I was born with it. My doctor did a scan of my arteries and says I show no signs of plaque. I am not on medication, the only one in my family who is not. He tells me to keep active.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...expert-answers/cholesterol-ratio/faq-20058006

I think your cholesterol is very good based on the article above - I also have high HDL with a total over 200 and my PCP says it’s enviable.

 

[Teacher Terry]

You could not pay me enough to take a statin no matter how high the numbers. The studies do not demonstrate that heart attacks/stroke are reduced because you take them. I have reduced my numbers with over the counter plant ster too. My DH is always 250 and I knew someone that had 350 and died very old from natural causes.

 

[Aerides]

Congrats OP, those are great changes, and I'm sure overall you feel healthier. Those are exactly the right steps anyone should make, Cholesterol numbers or not.

While the recent studies show a correlation but not definite causation between numbers and symptoms, I don't think anyone would argue against the benefits from your changes.

 

[dadu007]

You could not pay me enough to take a statin no matter how high the numbers. The studies do not demonstrate that heart attacks/stroke are reduced because you take them. I have reduced my numbers with over the counter plant ster too. My DH is always 250 and I knew someone that had 350 and died very old from natural causes.

I'm with you. I call myself a "statin denier".

 

[braumeister]

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...expert-answers/cholesterol-ratio/faq-20058006

I think your cholesterol is very good based on the article above - I also have high HDL with a total over 200 and my PCP says it’s enviable.

I agree that ratios are better predictors than just the basic numbers. All the research I've seen indicates that these three ratios are meaningful and these values are indicative of relatively low cardiac risk:

Total Cholesterol/HDL: less than 5.

Trigycerides/HDL: less than 3.

LDL/HDL: less than 4.5

I'm one of those folks with genetically high cholesterol, but all my ratios are excellent (high HDL and low triglycerides) so I feel confident. My ratios were not always great, but they have been since I started a low carb, high fat diet. But that's another topic.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

I'm with you. I call myself a "statin denier".

same here, but I'm also officially "statin allergic" as my side effects were bad enough (ruined knee joints and memory fog) my doctor has me listed as "allergic to statins" in my medical records

 

[mamadogmamacat]

Not that i would ever take statins again, whatever my numbers, here they are:
in 6/2016 when my wgt was 210 lbs
Cholesterol: 232
Triglycerides: 141
HDL: 65
LDL: 139

in 6/2017 when my wgt was 200 lbs
Cholesterol: 228
Triglycerides: 119
HDL: 67
LDL: 137

During this time, i was losing wgt primarily by just eating less and putting up with the resulting hunger except of course for when i didn't so the wgt loss was very slow indeed

since 6/2017, I have gone lower carb using most of the advice found in books by a Dr Ludwig and a Dr. Davis, so i am very interested in seeing what my numbers will be in 6/2018.

 

[gerntz]

No one here that I read with HDL in the 40 +/- range have said they wouldn't take a statin. It's all 60+ folks. Lucky you.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

Interesting reading on statins here. For those without known heart disease, who took a statin for 5 years:

Benefits in NNT (number needed to treat)
- None were helped (life saved)
- 1 in 60 were helped (preventing heart attack)
- 1 in 268 were helped (preventing stroke)

Harms in NNT
- 1 in 50 were harmed (develop diabetes*)
- 1 in 10 were harmed (muscle damage)

As stated in the article:
"There is controversy about whether mortality is reduced by statins in this group. We do not believe so, but are aware that others interpret these data differently. "

 

[razztazz]

No one here that I read with HDL in the 40 +/- range have said they wouldn't take a statin. It's all 60+ folks. Lucky you.

35 is just fine. It was considered healthy and protective for years. If any "new studies" showed it should be higher that means they don't know what their talking about OR they are pimping for money. Either they were lying before or they're lying now. So, their word is useless and even dangerous on the subject. Things like this simply do not change from healthy to unhealthy just because they do another study.

That's why I always ask: So, what's the actual difference between this number or another number? What does it mean? And I never get an answer. Just some mumbling about "risk", which itself they are never able to define.