High blood pressure, high cholesterol - Oops

[gardenshed1]

Just moved house and a new doctor did the usual blood tests as a new patient. Together with blood pressure monitoring, I am now told I have high blood pressure and my cholesterol is extremely high. Tried statins 10 years ago, which made me look and feel like an old lady. Now I am trying again, due to this new doctor saying the drugs have changed. Not sure what will happen, but also I am hoping to adopt the Mediterranean style diet and hopefully, with a bit of effort, give up on the sugary snacks. Any advice would be appreciated from like-minded people

[gardenshed1]

Thank you for that, luckily I have access to my results and see that my cholesterol was registering at 5.4 and my triglycerides are 4.10. I am having a liver function test again in 3 weeks so will see how I get on with the statins and change of diet.

[suki65 in reply to gardenshed1]

Opti omega 3 helped to bring my triglycerides down and plant sterols

[sandybrown]

Total cholesterol= LDL + HDL + Triglyceride/2.19 in UK unit of measurements.

The formula used is reasonably accurate providing total triglyceride

levels are below 4.5 mmol/l, but unreliable when triglycerides are

high due to the effects of triglyceride – remnant particles which

will be included in VLDL and IDL cholesterol measures.

5.4= LDL + HDL + 1.87

There may be other numbers in your records, when you access your results you can check.

a ration or non- cholesterol values.

So just for example a lipid profile may look like this:

Total cholesterol = 5 mmol/l

LDL cholesterol - calculated = 2.27 mmol/l

HDL cholesterol = 1.2 mmol/l

Triglyceride = 0.7 mmol/l

There is an increasing movement particularly in the USA to use

the term non-HDL cholesterol to cover the harmful elements of

the lipoprotein profile including triglyceride rich remnant particles

derived from VLDL and IDL as well as LDL.

You may need to address your triglyceride, Speak to your new doctor, ask the question what can you do to reduce your triglyceride?

giving up on free and hidden sugar in food and drinks may be a starting point and also regular exercise.

[gardenshed1 in reply to sandybrown]

Thank you. This is all new to me and I will speak to my doctor as you suggest. Upping my exercise and will look to reduce the hidden sugars as you suggest.

[sandybrown in reply to gardenshed1]

An explanation:

What do the readings mean?

Blood cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood, often shortened to mmol/L.

As a general guide, total cholesterol levels should be 5mmol/L or less for healthy adults or 4mmol/L or less for those at high risk.

However LDL levels should be 3mmol/L or less for healthy adults or 2mmol/L or less for those at high risk.

An ideal level of HDL is above 1mmol/L. A lower level of HDL can increase your risk of heart disease.

NHS choices said: “Your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL may also be calculated.

“This is your total cholesterol level divided by your HDL level. Generally, this ratio should be below four, as a higher ratio increases your risk of heart disease.”

People diagnosed with high cholesterol are advised to make changes to their diet and increase the amount of exercise they do.

In your case, the total cholesterol is 5.4 and LDL + HDL is 3.53.

Write down all the questions you want ask your doctor and answers.

A food diary can help to identify the hidden and free sugar food.

Take care.

[gardenshed1 in reply to sandybrown]

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain to me. I am now keeping a food diary and also writing down questions for my next doctors visit.

Kind regards

[Marz]

It was pointed out to me that my cholesterol readings were raised at the same time as my Low Thyroid was diagnosed back in 2005. Good thyroiūd treatment resulted in lowered lipids and I have not tested since.

Statins are not good for women I have read. Also check the NHS website where it mentions testing and treating the thyroid before taking statins.

You may wish to access the works of Dr Malcolm Kendrick - his blogs/books/YouTube ... he wrote the book - The Great Cholesterol Con 😊

Cholesterol rased or otherwise is one small part of the puzzle. Happy reading.

[gardenshed1 in reply to Marz]

Hi Marz, yes I too have heard statins are not good for women. Having tried them once before with disastrous results, I am willing to try for the three weeks before my next blood test and then will make an informed decision. I will mention the thyroid issue when I go to the doctors, another one to add to my list, I did have most of my thyroid removed many years ago, so it may be one to look at. I appreciate your time and will also access the works of Dr Malcolm Kendrick.

Take care

[Marz in reply to gardenshed1]

Ah so there's a link. Are you on Thyroid medication ? Often within the NHS they only test the TSH ( a pituitary hormone ) and the FT4 - a storage hormone produced by the thyroid. The MOST important Active hormone is rarely tested - the FT3 - and if this is low in range then many issues can arise. Every cell in the body needs T3 - the brain has first call - then the gut/immune system - and then the heart.

So if the FT3 test result is low in range then there simply is not enough to go around all those trillions and trillions of cells.

Did your GP suggest you also take CoQ10 and VitK2 - Statins use the same pathways in the body and blocking them is not a good idea CoQ10 is the energy every cell needs and VitK2 is important as it directs calcium away from the arteries and into the bones. Calcium is one of the causes of atherosclerosis - and there is a Research Paper out there linking Statins to Atherosclerosis ! Sadly your Doc will not be aware of the connections I have mentioned. I have been on the Forum - Thyroid UK for over 7 years so am aware how little the Docs know when it comes to Thyroid - sadly.

The main role of a Statin is mainly anti-inflammatory I have read - well VitD is too !

Have you ever wondered why Dementia and Alzheimers are on the rise - well our brains are over 25% cholesterol and need good fats to keep nourished ... People dying in hospital also have low levels of cholesterol research has shown. Also remember Docs are well rewarded for prescribing statins without considering the underlying causes.

If you wish to check me out you can click onto my pic/name above and read my Bio in a couple of minutes !

Your TSH is good around 2.5 and the FT4 and FT3 are good in the upper part of the ranges. You are legally entitled to copies of all your test result with ranges - so you can keep a Wellness File ! Surgeries should now have your records on-line - so worth asking. You may need enhanced access for test results so take some ID with you next time. i live in Crete where we keep all our records - very grown up - and enables you to monitor your own progress and check what has been missed ...

Raised blood pressure can also be a Hypo symptom. It is not a condition on it's own but a symptom of an underlying cause. Magnesium ?

[suki65]

Hi have you tried plant sterols and opti omega 3 xx

[gardenshed1 in reply to suki65]

Interestingly enough I have been reading lots of information regarding Omega 3 and I thank you for the advice. Not sure about plant sterols yet - still researching. I do appreciate your help

Take care

[sos007 Ambassador]

Welcome to the Cholesterol forum. To the right under 'Pinned Posts' there is one titled 'How I conquered Heart-Disease and What I Have Learned in the Process'.

Read that and follow the guidance.

There is no short-cuts to good health - it requires a healthy diet and daily exercise.

Sugar is not a treat, it is toxic to the human body. In the long-run sugar and refined carbohydrates cause all manner of diseases including heart disease, and in the short-run it disrupts your gut microbiome which affect your body's hormonal function.

The hormones it disrupts can regulate your state of mind as well as slow your metabolism making it easier to gain weight and store fat.

Giving up sugar/simple carbs will take 2-3 weeks as it/they are addictive. Once you break the addiction it becomes easy to avoid these things.

Learn to cook for yourself and avoid all processed foods.

Buy a Greek cookbook as that is the foundation of the Mediterranean Diet and focus on the recipes that feature legumes and vegetables. You can have animal protein as long as it is from healthy sources - grass-fed, pasture-raised, free-range etc...

Good luck.

[gardenshed1 in reply to sos007]

Thank you. Will source a Greek cookbook.

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to gardenshed1]

Here's a highly rated Greek cookbook that I bought for myself:

3greeksisters.com/thecookbo...

[gardenshed1 in reply to sos007]

Thank you. This looks so good.

[sandybrown]

Give the following food a try, coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil, green leaf veg cooked in oil, nuts, avocado, fish , butter and full fat milk.

[gardenshed1]

Thank you, I am trying all except the green leaf veg cooked in oil. Will try and add this in.

[sandybrown in reply to gardenshed1]

Make sure that the oil is not over heated, correct temperature to cook the veg!

Try mixing butter and ghee.

[gardenshed1 in reply to sandybrown]

Perfect, will give that a try