And so it begins ....: Hi all, I went... - Cholesterol Support

Cholesterol Support

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And so it begins ....

luvin_life profile image
17 Replies

Hi all,

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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17 Replies
Whatagame77 profile image
Whatagame77

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.

luvin_life profile image
luvin_life in reply to Whatagame77

Thanks I will take a look, I am not overly happy popping a pill a day so will research alternatives.

luvin_life profile image
luvin_life

thanks I will ask my GP

sandybrown profile image
sandybrown

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.

When you say your diet is changing, in what way?

Good luck.

luvin_life profile image
luvin_life in reply to sandybrown

Hi thanks I have had it checked at doctors. diet changes are currently involving avoiding sat fats and trans fats. Other info when the books arrive

sos007 profile image
sos007Ambassador in reply to luvin_life

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.

Markl60 profile image
Markl60

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

Tibblington profile image
Tibblington

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...

I hope that helps a bit.

Tibblington profile image
Tibblington

Well said Dottie2011.

sos007 profile image
sos007Ambassador

ABOUT YOUR BLOOD-WORK

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:

healthunlocked.com/user/sos007

Good luck!

AlexandriaUK profile image
AlexandriaUK

Hi you say you have been prescribed statins, what dose have you been given

luvin_life profile image
luvin_life in reply to AlexandriaUK

Hi 40mg

sos007 profile image
sos007Ambassador

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.

sos007 profile image
sos007Ambassador

That doesn't mean his heart is healthy. An echo-cardiogram will provide clinical evidence of the health of his heart.

Tibblington profile image
Tibblington

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.

I hope that's helpful.

luvin_life profile image
luvin_life in reply to Tibblington

Thanks I will take a look. I like the gym so not a chore :) I appreciate your time

jimmy6p profile image
jimmy6p

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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