I was having a blood test for something else but turned out that my cholesterol levels were v high. Now I am confused as i am moderately active and my diet was not too bad. But with a high cholesterol of 6.93 where LDL value is 5.2 and HDL 1.23. i have a history of high chol and heart disease ( in 40) in my family and my dad got heart attack and heart by pass eith clogged arteries. do u think I need cholesterol lowering medicines or just diet changes are enough. I HAVE a BMI in normal range and i have normal weight. i was only informed by staff member from my GP to change diet and given a leaflet. I dropped a msg later that my family have heart disease but they didnt bother. Now i just want to know if i am at risk, then Is it a good idea to visit GP and insist on this issue
risk of heart disease .. medicine? - Cholesterol Support
risk of heart disease .. medicine?
Simple.... See a doctor... Get advice... Implement recommendations. I fooled myself i was ok.... BANG... HEART ATTACK... it aint nice. Good luck. Let us know how you get on.
Yes thats what i worry about now...
Make an appointment and ask that very question. It's what we pay them for. There are pills you can take and there is also lifestyle changes. But it's in your head now and will nag at you. So go and see them get it clear.
Mine was very high 8+ and I asked to be left off meds and, lose Weight get healthier eating, Excercise.
I was told it wouldn’t come down by itself but it did I got it to 5.
5 is good, anything above isn’t, but in your case and family history I wouldn’t just sit back I would most definitely get plenty of good advice, but like the others say if you need the meds it’s best to take them.
It’s said that GP’s get a payment for every person they put in meds for Cholesterol.
Saying that being on them is a necessity for some people. Get advice and read up in it before any decision making. Good luck xxx
thanks for ur response. how long did it take to come to 5? what type of diet changes did u do?
I have all my blood test print outs however my blood test was done due to some other reason and not cholesterol. It just got identified. thanks everyone. I think I will visit the GP now. Its just that GP appointments are v difficult to arrange. but now i can see its really important
which specific test results are more relavant?
Your GP have your medical records, please for a QRISK or any other risk analysis, ask for a full explanation of results, your GP can vary one to two parameter to get better results.
Daily use of good quality olive oil can help. This is from my experience, I always use two table spoons of olive oil in my food, cinnamon, turmeric as well in tea spoon quantity.
I am using olive oil for past 12 years and also use tumeric n cinnamon in our food daily.
read the book protein power by the dr, Eaves best info on cholesterol.
Welcome to our forum. Plaque accumulation in the arteries begins in the first decade of life. The rapidity with which that plaque accumulates depends on your dietary and lifestyle habits.
From a dietary perspective, the biggest threat to your health is caused by sugar, simple carbohydrates, and processed foods.
Watch these two videos:
Follow the Mediterranean Diet (get yourself a book).
Sugar and refined carbohydrates are addictive. Most people don't even realize they are addicted. The most difficult part of dietary change is stopping the sugar and carbs.
This process will take 2-3 weeks. During this period you will become agitated and short-tempered - it is temporary.
Once you break the addiction, you will feel much better.
Learn to cook for yourself - use whole foods - don't rely on processed foods that you simply warm up.
Avoid white pasta, white rice, white bread and pizza dough, and white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are fine.
Fill your plate with legumes (beans, lentils, chick peas and green peas). Greek recipes for these legumes will make this food desirable and tasty.
You don't need a large amount of animal protein. You can do just fine with 3 oz of animal protein per day.
It is best, if you choose animal protein, to buy grass-fed or pasture-raised beef, lamb or goat. Use only free-range, no hormone, pasture-raised chickens, and their eggs.
Avoid all things fried - it oxidizes the oil.
For salad dressing use only extra-virgin olive oil with some lemon juice along with a little salt and pepper (to taste); Most salad dressings contain sugar, even balsamic vinaigrette contains sugar.
Eat at least one large salad daily with, ideally, arugula - you can add whatever other vegetables you like to your salad along with a small amount of cheese (gouda, jarlesberg, have the highest levels of vitamin K2).
Eat lots of green leafy vegetables as well as broccoli,
Eat a variety of nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds) daily along with fruits such as blueberries, blackberries or apples;
Do not eat cereal for breakfast unless it is unprocessed oatmeal.
Go on Google and learn about Ceylon cinnamon, curcumin, Omega 3 fish oil, and CoQ10.
Learn about liposomal vitamin C and cholesterol.
Learn about eating salmon and other cold-water fish.
Good luck.
thanks thats really helpful. I will look into whatever you have recommended me. howevee i have a few things in mind like raking omega 3, 6, 9 suppliments (vegetarian one) and salmon and egg etc.... i posted a reply below
I dont know about CRP or homocysteine test. however others are below.
HBA1C - 5.4 (normal range 3.3 -6)
Triglyceride - 1.04
HDL -1.23
LIPID PROFILE
' 6.93 -Serum Cholesterol
1 .04 -Serum Trlglyceride
' 1.23 -Serum HDL-Cholesterol
5.70 - Serum Non HDL-Cholesterol
5.2 -Serum LDL.Cholesterol
5.6 -Serum Choi/HDL Ratio
THYROID FUNCTION TEST
Serum TSH - 3.13 (0.34 - 5.6)
Serum FT4 - 12 (7.5 - 21.1 )
VITAMIN D PROFILE
Serum Total Vitamin D - 67 ( adequate)
(25 nmol/L - Deficient
25 - 50 rmol/L - Insufficient
S1 - 75 nmol/L - Adequate
)75 nnol/I, -
Optimal
)220 rulvtol/L -
Toxic
what would u recommend? I had these tests done when i was taking lots of iron and hair supplements. i was also on higher dose of 10,000 ug dose of biotin.
can i eat salmon or eggs with yolk? they contain saturated fats too. how much of pumpkin and sunflower seeds to consume per day. I have never been a sugar/sweet lover. I am not fond of breads or baked items. however I loved eating once ot twice only on weekend, sometimes crisps etc and i ate 1 egg daily.
Is omega 3 suppliment helpful? i have currently got vegetarian omega 3, 6 and 9 and it provides total 322mg per day...
I use Omega 3 fish oil supplements daily. Focus on the label to get as much EPA and DHA as possible. Wild-caught salmon oil is best but there are several other high quality options. Cod liver oil is also excellent.
can we get salmon oil supplements easily from over the counter? I will check. Vegetarian suppliments do not contain EPA or DHA and some people say dont get omega 3 with 6 and 9, as 6 and 9 body doesnt need.
I don't live in the UK and cannot answer this specific question. Here in North America Fish oil supplements are available over the counter.
Salmon, trout and arctic char are all cold-water fish that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids which are essential to good cardiovascular health. You can eat wild-caught versions of each of those fish up to 3 times per week. Be careful of going over that amount as many fish have now been contaminated with Mercury.
Eggs, including the yolk are nutritional powerhouses. My research says that you can eat up to 4 eggs per day (avoid frying - boiling or poaching is optimal). That said, I currently eat 2 boiled eggs twice per week for breakfast, the rest of the week I will have a slice of multigrain German bread with organic, unsalted, unsweetened almond butter. I drizzle my almond butter with a touch of Greek honey (less than 1/4 teaspoon) and then add a dusting of Ceylon cinnamon powder.
Crisps, or as we call them in North America, chips, are a processed food. These are unhealthy and should be avoided. Would you smoke a cigarette on weekends if you were otherwise a non-smoker?
If you wish to make exceptions to a healthy diet I would do so once a month or less frequently than that.
Processed foods disrupt your gut microbiome which affects your hormonal functions. The less you interfere with your hormones, the better.
Eating or not eating crisps is not about longevity but about health-span - keeping healthy for as long as you live without the need for medical interventions whether pharmacological or surgical.
Best of luck.
Thank yoy so much for your reply. can we take egg yolks? i miss egg yolks as I thoughts its eggs which is causing high cholesterol. I ate 4- 5 eggs per week maximum. The first thing I stopped eating now is egg yolks as I was under impression that yolks are high in cholesterol.
I will focus on taking salmon twice a week though. I have started taking 3 walnuts and a teaspoon full of pumpkin and sunflower seeds a day and i take 1/4 avacado. other than that i am not using much fat.
TSH in a healthy person is around 2- 2.5. Your T4 is low in range and the most important thyroid test for T3 was not done - SIGH ! The T4 needs to convert into T3 so will be low too. Low T3 is often implicated in raised cholesterol and is needed in EVERY cell of the body. In days gone by - if cholesterol was raised - the thyroid was treated. Pre statins of course ! Cholesterol is not the cause of heart issues as mentioned above. Please read The Great Cholesterol Con - by Dr Malcolm Kendrick. Website of the same name ...
I am one of those that had raised cholesterol - also a thyroid problem. 😊
the normal range given in tests for TSH is (0.34-5.6) mIU/L and mine is 3.13. T4 range is (7.5-21.1) pmol/L whereas mine is 12. And yes T3 is not tested. Also i was taking a high dose of biotin 10000 ug i believe which usually interferes with thyroid test. Told this to GP but she said no your tests are fine
do u think i should have my throid tests again including T3.
Yes I do - NHS rarely test T3 but you can have it done privately through various companies. Go to - ABOUT TESTING - in the link below - and then click Private Testing ...
Yes I am aware of the ranges but it still applies that your TSH is high and your T4 is low. Yes it would be good to stop biotin a week before your next test. Maybe have your thyroid anti-bodies TPO & Tg tested to rule out Hashimotos. Low thyroid could be causing hair loss too. I have been a member here on Thyroid UK for over 7 years so have learned a great deal from the 100,000 members there 😊
Oh ok. Thanks. I will request my GP to test them again in my next tests.
Doubt very much the T3 will be tested in the NHS - ummm ! I wonder why when it is the most important test. Probably so they can keep you in the dark and prescribe things you do not need if your thyroid was performing wel.
Thank you so much for such an informative responses.
yes for trigly ( 0.8 - 1.7) and mine is 1.04 whereas for HDL it is >1 and mine is 1.23
thank you. I know I am being over worried/analytical but i want to have all the right information. I know nobody can 100% restrict the diet forever but I want to do it for a short while and then back to healthy balanced diet as you have recommended.
Hi,
I saw this while searching through the internet and thought I would join to see if I can help you and others by making you aware of this new food supplement which impacts on the microbiome to reduce cholesterol levels.
The site is:
The product is Cholbiome X3, you can see the positive reviews and read about the product there.
My levels were not high And my results were:
Total 4.9 from 5.4
HDL 1.7 from 1.5
LDL 2.7 from 3.5
Triglycerides 1 stayed the same
Cholesterol to HDL Ratio 2.9 from 3.7
- Decrease of 10% overall but even more impressive:
- Decrease of 30% in LDL - bad Cholesterol
- Increase in HDL - good cholesterol.
Amazing product! Very happy with results.
Hope this helps you and others!
The Blair Government introduced a scheme they called QOF which involved doctors looking through their list of patients and sending appointments to any that they hadn't seen for some while. The doctor would check two things, cholesterol level and blood pressure. If they prescribed drugs for the treatment of either or both then there was a financial reward given to the doctor or his practice. To make it easier for the doctor the pharmaceutical industry lowered the "safe" level of cholesterol; that way they would increase their sales. Together the doctors and the pharmaceutical industry give the patient a good dose of fear so that they will do as they are told.
The more enlightened members of the medical profession know that it can be dangerous to lower cholesterol levels and moreover nobody knows what a particular patient's level ought to be.
I would strongly recommend that you have a look at an article explaining cholesterol which you can find at: healthscams.org.uk/heart-su... There are other articles linked to this one and you can find them by looking down the list provided on their home page.
The best advice really is not to worry which is what the medical profession want you to do.
sorry i cant open this link or website
I've copied the URL again in the hopes that you can open it as the article written by a heart surgeon as it is really very revealing and interesting. Please let me know if it opened O.K.
Dr. James Lefanu reveals so much that is going on in the health service in his book "Too Many Pills".
Tibbly. healthscams.org.uk/heart-su...
thanks. yes i also read that in a book that its not just fat or high cholesterol, its mainly sugar and bad carbs which cause inflamation
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