How to Determine Which Diet is Best for Lowering Your Cholesterol

[sos007]

Low fat, high carbs; high fat, low carbs, paleo, Mediterranean...the dietary guidelines are numerous and confusing. Some people swear by one or another and the medical community is stuck on low fat diets. The truth is different for each of us because of our genetic make up.

Diet recommendations from the medical community and the media are generalizations. If you want to know the best diet for yourself, you must get a gene test for the Apo E Genotype.

Here's a link to a research piece - you don't have to read the whole thing, just go to pages 4 and 5 which contain a chart that shows the optimal diet for each genotype:

lipidcenter.com/pdf/Apo_Ev2...

Once people realize that determining their Apo E genotype is critical to diet implementation we can stop getting these broad generalizations on how and what you should eat.

What is interesting in the chart is that for those with the Apo E3/E3 genotype, lifestyle modification is sufficient for cholesterol control and statins are NOT required. However, for some other genotypes, statins ARE required, and yet for others, only CERTAIN statins work.

Do a Google search and find out where you can get a test to determine your Genotype so you no longer have to speculate whether or not you need to be on statins and what your optimal diet should be.

[sandybrown]

If the human body produces 80 % of cholesterol on demand and 20 % from food intake, my how question is "What is the reduction in cholesterol from food intake?"

The second questions " How can the food intake control the body on the 80% of cholesterol production on demand?"

There has been many article on regular exercise, food in take and drinks intake control for healthy life. Some make good reading!

Final question, "why is human body demanding for more cholesterol?"

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to sandybrown]

The answer to your questions is in the link I provided. It is a matter of gene sensitivity. The recommendations in the link were not solely on food consumption - they also related to need for exercise, sensitivity to alcohol, and statin use - depending on Apo E Genotype.

Reading the whole document might help you better understand. You may also try this website:

gbhealthwatch.com/GND-High-...

You may also wish to read the book featured in this website:

integrativemedicineinc.com/...

[Bazza1234 in reply to sos007]

If I read the first link correctly - being of 100% caucasian extraction, it seems that 80% of caucasians fall under the E3/E3 and E3/E4 genotypes? - which the webpage then goes on to suggest a "balanced" diet of equal quantities of fat and protein and double quantities of carbohydrates - which is basically as I have understood for decades. Once again - I must say that I don't like the use of the term carbohydrates as used in most of these articles because of the vast generalisation. There is a big difference between a can of soda loaded with sugar and a bowl of oat porridge

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to Bazza1234]

You'll only know with certainty if you do the gene test. Apo E4 also raises the spectre of Alzheimer's risk...interesting stuff.

[DakCB-UK in reply to sos007]

At first glance, it looks like E2 and E4 both seem to be associated with increased TG. I have low and surprisingly stable TG, so am I right to suspect I'm E3/E3? Disgustingly common, yet again!

[Markl60 in reply to Bazza1234]

I agree Bazza, I restrict Carb's but the simple variety only not complex carb's like porridge

[DakCB-UK in reply to sandybrown]

What is the reduction in cholesterol from food intake? Pretty much nothing in my experience. The NHS used to advise limiting cholesterol intake (restrict consumption of egg yolks and so on) but it seems that most people's bodies adjust cholesterol production to compensate, so it's no longer part of the guidance.

How can the food intake control the body on the 80% of cholesterol production on demand? Well, we know food intake can influence cholesterol production and conversion in various ways: from functional foods like stanols and sterols that dupe the body into thinking it's getting cholesterol from food, through old-fashioned bile acid sequestrants that make the body step up cholesterol conversion to replace the acids, to statins which are still essentially a refined form of a food that inhibits production. Then there's all the claims about various diets affecting various people in various ways, which are probably mostly true for them but it's hard to know who should eat what diet.

Why is human body demanding for more cholesterol? It might not be. In people with damaged cholesterol receptors on the liver, it's that the body is underestimating how hard it needs to work to remove enough.

[sandybrown in reply to DakCB-UK]

Let us hope some one will write an answer to your questions!

[bobaxford]

The link is not complete so unable to access

lipidcenter.com/pdf/Apo_Ev2...

[bobaxford in reply to bobaxford]

Sorry, with a cut and paste it did access the pdf

[DakCB-UK in reply to bobaxford]

I went to lipidcenter.com/pdf/ and picked the Apo_Ev2 one from the list shown.

[Markl60]

Hi, I am an APOE 3/4 which if the research is correct makes me more susceptible to HD. I do not taken any medication and yet my HDL is 1.8 mmol (thats quite high), LDL is 3.0 mmol and Triglycerides very low if I recall about 0.8. My APO A and APO B are all excellent along with CRP. My achilles heal seems to be Homocyteine which if I do not take Vit Bs to get it down to around 10 has in the past crept up to 21. The one other poor reading I have is LPLAC2 which comes out at 210 which is in the lower end of the poor region. I have been unable to make a dent in LPLAC2. My alcohol intake is about 3 glasses of red wine per week.

In relation to the article despite being a 3/4 I do not seem to suffer from low HDL or excessive LDL, oh and by the way my oxidised LDL readings are low too. But all this does connect with a point I have made before which is perhaps Dean Ornish has had success with his low fat dietary approach because given the fact that he is dealing with HD patients, the majority of them are likely to be 3/4 or 4/4 and as such will respond to a low fat diet.

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to Markl60]

Are you exercising for at least 30 minutes each day? That might be your missing link.

[Markl60 in reply to sos007]

I walk at least 10,000 steps each day for sure and I do 10 minutes of interval running up a hill about twice a week. I also do a 10 minute routine in the morning which involves stretches and push ups. I have moved away from the distance running I used to do towards shorter bursts

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to Markl60]

It's good that you're taking 10,000 steps per day. However, exercise should involve a sustained elevated heart rate over 120 bpm for 30 minutes per day. Interval training is also great as long as you're pushing hard during the exertion portion of the training. Ideally about 15 minutes of interval training is required 3 days per week. The other days though still require 30 minutes of exercise.

[Markl60 in reply to sos007]

I am not so sure these days about the prolonged vigorous exercise idea. If heart disease is caused by endothelial injury and if this is related to sheer stress of blood flow across the artery wall then prolonged increase in blood pressure during exercise would add to this damage. I agree that no exercise is equally as bad. Perhaps there is a sweet spot ?.

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to Markl60]

Exercise releases nitric oxide which is a vasodilator. According to the APO E3 genotype both aerobic and anaerobic exercise are beneficial. Endothelial dysfunction and damage is caused by inflammation and LDL oxidation.

I would not consider the exercise regimen I outlined as being extreme.

[Markl60 in reply to sos007]

I agree but exercise causes inflamation, going out for a 10k run will induce large levels of inflamation. The running craze started around the late 70's so we have a decent amount of data by now and if it was heart protective then runners would be showing up as little or no heart disease.

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to Markl60]

Yes, but 10K is an extreme level of exercise. I too have read that extreme exercise causes damage.

[DakCB-UK in reply to sos007]

Indeed. If you can run 10k in 30 minutes then you may have a future in sport...

[jitendra000557]

it think if you stop eating oily food and also less sweet...it might help you in decreasing your cholesterol level in you body...!!1

[pump321]

I am no expert and in real need of help regarding my cholesterol but I always thought that oily fish was supposed to be good for high cholestrol. I have been eating salmon quiet lot lately. I am so confused about cholesterol. Mine was last tested in May this year and it came back : 7.2 mmol/L (3.6-5.0). I don't understand what this means. I am a novice here and any help would be appreciated.

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to pump321]

Oily fish is good for you. Keep eating salmon. However, restrict consumption to 2 meals per week due to mercury and other heavy metals in fish. Try and buy 'wild' salmon, or any 'wild' fish whenever you shop.

Read my post:

healthunlocked.com/choleste...

[pump321 in reply to sos007]

Thanks sos007 for your reply 2 days ago and the linked post. I am having trouble receiving replys to my posts as they usually come through in my email box but lately they have stopped and I don't know if I have any replies. I guess I will just have to log into Health Unlocked and check every day to see if I have any messages. I wonder why this is happening. Thanks again for your help.