What supplements are people taking

[rocheen]

I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Take meds for blood pressure which I would like to get off. Wont take statins it was 8.4 in March. I take fish oil, ubiquinol, aged garlic, hawthrone, soy lecithin and VD3. Have thought about taking hempseed oil as well.

Am I taking too many for my condition and do you think they are doing any good. I am also doing low carbs.

[MikePollard]

Generally speaking I'd say you are doing ok. Not a fan of anything soy, but no big deal.

If you are going low carb it's important to make up the energy deficit with natural fats, not highly inflammatory seed oils.

To be better informed read Uffe Ravnskov book The Great Cholesterol Myths for free:

ravnskov.nu/CM?utm_source=S...

[rocheen in reply to MikePollard]

Thanks. Are you saying soy lecithin are infammatory seeds. Not sure if all lecithin has soy in it. Was told this would reduce cholesterol.

[MikePollard in reply to rocheen]

The take home is lose your fear of cholesterol.

Taking soy supplements to somehow influence its effects makes no sense. Just about all cells in our bodies make cholesterol. If you take in enough through diet then that down regulates cellular production and vice versa.

Just think for a moment of the foods of our ancestors who did not have to think of their diet. We are told that we should eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Well where do you think they would have got bananas, mangos, oranges, starfruit, avocado, grapes etc etc.

Weston Price in his research on the diets of indigenous populations showed an apple to a native of the Outer Hebrides - she didn't know what it was!

w8md.com/nutrition_vs_physi...

Best book on ancestral historical diets, and it's a free read. If you do nothing else, look at the photographs!

Argue as you like, our ancestors could only survive on energy dense foods - and that necessarily involves eating fat laden meat/fish etc.

[rocheen]

Thanks. Its hard not to worry when the doc says you should take statins but I have said No. Said Yes to blood pressure meds as I think its important that this is kept down but would love to come off them.

[sandybrown]

Three years ago my blood test showed high cholesterol and high blood glucose. Statin did reduce the total cholesterol but side effect, lot of pain therefore gave up after three months!

Life style change, food intake control and going to the gym is helping me, I am a fitter person now days. I am afraid I do not take any supplements as I do not believe in them!

I use coconut oil, butter on toast, or eggs and eat full fat yogurt for breakfast. Have given up on porridge. For lunch green vegetables and tomatoes. For dinner rice and curry (fish, chicken and vegetables) two or three times a week. maintaining my weight as well unable to come down because I love a pint!.

My GP says we need to monitor cholesterol and blood glucose numbers. Only time will tell, if there were any damage to my body by high cholesterol and high blood glucose I have to face it and may be consider medication.

My wife had to have 24 hour blood pressure monitor because of variations in blood pressure. Going to the gym has helped my wife, no more issues with blood pressure and no medication.

Good luck with your lowering of cholesterol numbers.

[Kwanjang]

I stopped taking statins after getting side effects. I now take "cholesterol maintenance" pills from my health good shop. Porridge everyday. Walnuts daily. Olives or olive oil. Oily fish two or three times a week. oh and yogurts with plant sterols (I buy the own brand versions. Same amount of sterols much cheaper)

Got my level down from 5.8 (on statins) to 3.4 (without statins) in six months.

Told my GP and he didn't know what to say. Except well done. Lol

[rocheen in reply to Kwanjang]

Hi which pills do you use.

[Kwanjang in reply to rocheen]

They are Actually called, cholesterol maintenance, the company that makes them is called solaray

[DakCB-UK in reply to Kwanjang]

Take care with own-brand plant sterols. At least one of them (Morrisons?) contains less than most. Read the labels.

[Kwanjang in reply to DakCB-UK]

Yes, I do read the labels, and generally use either Asda or Sainsbury's. However, whatever the level of plant sterols they have, they are working, so doesn't really matter does it?

[Withattitude in reply to Kwanjang]

Fantastic and well done!

[lillywhites]

take niacin it works better than any statin meds

[Kwanjang]

Oh, I forgot to say in my previous reply that I do a lot of exercise, including a lot of running.