I went for a routine MOT at the gym, this highlighted that I was as fit as I had hoped due to running at least 2 times a week. Good blood pressure, low glucose, excellent resting heartbeat..... then came the cholesterol check, the machine simply said 'HI' (nice and polite I thought). subsequently I have been to the doctors to get an accurate reading and it has shown to be over 10.
There is a family history going back at least 2 generations, so I feel a bit cheated that it is not my doing
Is anyone else in this boat I am 41 and have taken my first statin last night. My diet is changing as my wife and I discover more about this.
Wondering if anyone else has a similar situation.
Thanks for reading!
S
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luvin_life
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Please look at the website for Dr Esselstyn. He and many other doctors in the USA believe hereditary heart problems can be reversed by diet. I have been following his method for two years.
you need to ask you GP for a qrisk or JBS3 risk analysis and fully explain the results and what life style change is necessary to control cholesterol.
There is another post you can read on QRISK.
Depending upon the dosage your total cholesterol can come down very quickly!
MOT health check at a GYM!!, GYM equipment are not calibrated and the people who use them are not qualified, Chemists do testing, and are very accurate.
Bluecrest screening private do offer a number of packages, may be worth the money to find out more on health. You GP can also do a quality health check, just ask your GP.
Saturated fats can be consumed IF, you 'eliminate' simple carbohydrates from your diet and enter a ketogenic state, while exercising daily. In this state, your body burns fat for fuel instead of glycogen (generated by sugars and simple carbs).
Otherwise, saturated fats being calorie dense, may contribute to a gain in body fat. A healthy person, should not have excess body fat and must have a waist size appropriate for their build.
Like anything else, moderation is important, over-indulgence in anything is unhealthy.
There is a raging debate at the moment about whether saturated fats are harmful or not some think not others suggest it depends on your personal makeup. Doctors I trust are against them whilst other doctors I trust say they are fine. Until this gets more firmly nailed I am avoiding as it is pretty easy to do so
hello luvin-life. You should be aware that the manufacturers of the statin drugs have recently lowered what are considered to be the the safe limit for cholesterol for one reason only and that is to sell more of the drugs. As has already been stated, diet is more important than pills and certainly don't listen to the outdated advice to avoid saturated fats. Have a look at: healthscams.org.uk/saturate... You might also like to see an article about statin drugs to enable you to make an educated decision: healthscams.org.uk/are-stat...
The total cholesterol value is of little significance. Provide us with your detailed breakdown between, triglycerides, fasting glucose, HDL-C, LDL-C, non-HDL. If you have it, provide your Neutrophil and Lymphocyte values which would be under the white blood cell category of a blood test.
LDL-C, is a calculated value, not directly measured, yet this is what the medical community targets as a bio-marker for risk of heart disease. LDL-C is also a composite value comprised of subfractions, the most important of which is VLDL (very low density lipoprotein). Only the VLDL component of LDL-C is of concern as that's the component that is atherogenic (causes plaque build up).
VLDL can be estimated by taking your triglyceride value and dividing by 2.2. The resulting value should be below 0.77 but optimally below 0.2258. Therefore, lowering your triglycerides, is of far greater importance than lowering overall Total cholesterol or LDL
The other important criteria is LDL-P, or particle number rather than LDL-C which measures volume. The more LDL particles in your blood stream, the higher the probability of endothelial damage and plaque accumulation. There's a blood test to measure Apo B and ApoA-1. These values will provide you with the balance between atherogenic Apo B and anti-atherogenic ApoA-1. Apo-B is greatly influenced by triglycerides as well. Your APO-B value should be below 0.9, and the ratio of Apo-B/ApoA-1 should be below 0.81.
Evidence shows that half of all heart attacks and strokes occur to people with normal or even optimal levels of LDL-C. Therefore there must be some other cause of heart attacks and strokes - blood clots. The propensity for your blood to clot can be measured in blood tests for 'fibrinogen' and 'homocystein'.
Triglycerides are the fats in the blood stream caused by the consumption of sugar, and simple carbohydrates. Therefore the dietary regimen required to better control your risk of heart disease is the virtual elimination of sugar, and all other sweeteners; white flour products - white bread, white pizza dough, and white pasta; white rice and white potatoes, fruit juices, alcoholic beverages (red wine, a few times a week is fine) and soft-drinks (including those with artificial sweeteners).
You need to increase your consumption of antioxidant-rich fruits, like blueberries and all other berries, apples and oranges. Increase your consumption of fish - 2 times per week. Reduce consumption of red-meat and increase consumption of vegetables, especially broccoli, spinach and arugula - rich in folate (vitamin B9). All animal proteins are calorie dense so optimally you should only have one meal per day with an animal protein.
Legumes (beans, chick peas, lentils) and Greek yogurt, (plain, 0% or 2% fat) are excellent alternative sources of protein, as are egg-whites and nuts - walnuts, almonds, among others.
EXERCISE
Exercise produces nitric oxide which dilates your arteries and reduces blood pressure. It also improves the pumping efficiency of your heart and contributes to fat burning and a reduction in triglycerides.
Running twice per week is good, but is not enough. If you enjoy running then try to increase it to every other day. Ideally, you need to get a total of 30-60 minutes of exercise daily. A brisk walk will suffice. You may wish to consider alternating one day running, one day walking.
Resistance training is also important - push-ups are an example of resistance training you can do with your own body weight if you don't want to go to a gym.
ALTERNATIVES TO STATINS
A healthy diet and exercise is your best option. You can also use supplements which help with the reduction of triglycerides. Turmeric and green tea both help with the reduction of triglycerides.
Niacin was the 'go to' cholesterol lowering agent before the invention of statins. You may consider starting with 500 mg and assessing how your body tolerates it. It causes a minor hot flush after 30 minutes which dissipates in intensity after you get used to it.
Although not proven, there is some evidence that combining 2 grams of the amino acid (available as a supplement) Lysine with 2 grams of Vitmain C, on a daily basis. This regimen might lower your Lp(a) (lipoprotein 'a' - atherogenic lipoproteins).
Other important supplements include Vitamins D,E, B12, B6, and B9 (Folic acid), as well as fish oil.
If you wish to learn more about my journey from a triple bypass to optimal health you can see all of my posts here:
I agree, an inflammatory diet is the culprit and not necessarily saturated fats. However, your assertion that your dad's heart is healthy despite 3 heart attacks is medically impossible.
Hello luvin-life. Can I invite you to read the post I put up an hour or so ago for "rosiesheebs" as I think it largely applies to you. I would add just one comment as regards the gym which I am not against except to remind you that no animal living on it's proper food takes exercise, rather it rests to preserve it's heart. Even a domestic cat being fed on raw meat etc will spend two thirds of its life sleeping. The key to good health is food; Hippocrates said let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.
STOP taking your statin!!!! Do your own research on this poison pill. You, if you have no serious heart ailment, do NOT need a statin. It's a huge scam!! Wake up please.
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Help!! advice needed, total cholesterol levels 9.1!!
34yrs and having a heart bypass
Lowering Cholesterol 
statins and muscular pains.
New here and concerned about statins
