I have high cholestral (7.2) but cannot take statins. I exercise 6 days a week and am careful with what I eat. What can I do?

[LindyW]

[Hidden]

Last September had blood test my cholestrol reading was 6 I can't take statins and if I could I prefer not too. I cut down on my fats, biscuits which I adore was limited, cakes and chocolates also. Back I went in January for a repeat test managed to reduce it to 4.3. If I can do it you can. Good luck x

[LindyW in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your suggestions. I will certainly try to cut down on fats and hopefully repeat your success, well done!

[Hidden]

Thanks if I can do it you can.

[YvonneD]

A member of this forum recently recommended taking soya lecithin capsules and, for 25 years, I have been taking Kyolic garlic tablets. Even though I have FH, these do work for me.

If reducing your fat intake (the cheap option) does not work then maybe you could try these natural remedies.

[Krivda]

Eliminate all biscuits and sweet things. Consume only olive oil, rice oil walnut, rapeseed and sesame oils .

[betabalance]

Hi LindyW,

Well this might put some noses out of joint...but oh well.

The advise you've received thus far is very much oversimplified. Yes absolutely reduced the processed fats in your diet from things like biscuits (not that you said you eat things like this anyway - you say you eat healthily). What I want to know is what do you think eating healthily is?

Reducing bad fats - by this I mean refined processed fats (not all saturates are bad). Will likely be a good thing. However you may already be eating low fat, and in fact this could be your problem. I would recommend (but I need to see how you are currently eating) that you significantly reduced your carbohydrate intake (particularly sugars). This will benefit your cholesterol levels significantly.

I talk to so many people who think they are doing well because they eat low fat - its proven itself not to be the answer.

Add foods high in soluble fibre such as vegetables, pulses, legumes and oats. To every meal if you can.

If you want to spend money on something on top - then stick to something that has scientific evidence that it works, not anecdotal advice.

Best of Luck (and please feel free to ask any questions)

BetaBalance

[malcolmp in reply to betabalance]

At last some sensible advice on on diet.We should all be looking more into the cause rather than the symptom.How can high sugar products be advertised as being healthy because they have no fat.This is totally bonkers and misinformation.

Would you recommend a more plant based diet as opposed to the present over consumption of meat that people eat in the western hemisphere.When talking to a lot of people in a group i found that most of the group thought of protein as meat,fish and eggs. Beyond that they did n't have a clue and yet plant based proteins have so many benefits over meat and dairy based proteins.

As for fats our bodies require certain levels of fats,even saturated fats as an energy store.If you take away or reduce the fats to very small amounts you have to consume more carbohydrates for energy.Which is even more damaging to your body than a lot of the fats.

This is probably the reason that we have so many people suffering from type 2 diabetes in my opinion.But that's only my opinion.

[sandybrown]

Hello,

Many factors. Your age, sex, height, weight, other medical conditions. What were the results of total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglyceride?

Life style change and going to the gym can help you to reduce cholesterol, there is a point in our life we need medication to bring cholesterol down.

Going to gym and life style change has helped me. Eating, beetroot, roasted garlic cooked spinach, boiled soya been, sprinkling of cinnamon, turmeric on cooked food can also help and oily fish can help to bring down cholesterol. All these are available for super market now days. French Rockport cheese can also help. It is very difficult to start, once you start then there is no problem. This is from my experience over the last 24 months. Have managed to bring cholesterol down but not there therefore have been taking station for 4 weeks now.

Good luck.

[stopgo]

My G.P. told me not to bother about the total Cholesterol figure as its only a guide to them to start looking into the reasons behind it.benecol products really work but at a cost. !!

[Penel]

Reducing processed food, especially sugar, will improve your cholesterol levels.

chriskresser.com/the-most-i...

Benecol contains hydrogenated vegetable oil which is not a natural fat, your body cannot use it and it is likely to do you harm.

bmj.com/rapid-response/2011...

[janjae]

read up on the benefits of taking co-q10, vitamin b3, red yeast rice and fish oil but do speak to a doctor as well

[malcolmp in reply to janjae]

Good advice.Would also suggest adding vitamin d3 to that list.The co-q10 is also good for people who are on statins,because the statins reduce your bodies production of co-q10.

[betabalance]

An aside...which no one bar me will probably find interesting so I apologise.

seems funny to me how sceptical and cynical people are about the food and pharma industries and yet so many are happy to chip in with recommendations of supposed natural products that might be of benefit (all of which, lets not kid ourselves are made available for purposes of commercial gain - I speak from experience).

Of all the supplements listed in the thread above only one has an approved health claim (and that is to maintain a healthy level not reduce an unhealthy one). Who knows which one?

There is also a fair bit of confused information above - taking a healthy food and applying the wrong supposed health benefit. But I don't mind these as a healthy food is a healthy food so there is no issue of eating something that helps your inflammation markers if you have raised cholesterol.

I'm not a fan of sterols of food fortified with them but Penel your link on Benecol is also unfair. It's from 2001. If you look on their current website they list trans fats and they are very low stated as "trace". I agree on the underlying point on weighting of Omega 6 to Omega 3 mind. You'll never see me having marge - this one or any other. I agree it's good to inform but we shouldn't mislead - although no danger of a liable charge on a forum.

Just some boring scientific observations - I apologise

BetaBalance

[sandybrown in reply to betabalance]

Hello,

what are you saying! Food, we intake to live, where does it com from? real food,

please offer positive help.

[betabalance in reply to sandybrown]

Hi Bala,

Sorry my turn to not understand what you are saying?

You'll see I've offered some, hopefully useful, advice about 5 posts up. Like Richbod below I'm disappointed that the OP has not received great help from the community this time (although providing some more info would have helped).

Lifestyle advice should always be given before anything else.

BetaBalance

[Penel in reply to betabalance]

Didn't notice the date! Trying to find a reputable source of information.

[Richbod]

At the risk of being unpopular some of the replies need taking not too seriously. If you are exercising regularly, watching your fat intake and your levels are still high then you need to know if you have FH! If so then medication MIGHT HELP but you will need to see if you feel ok with them or not, but supplements will not have too much effect. You do not say whether you have any alcohol intake - this can adversely affect your levels, particularly triglycerides!. There are other medications, eg fibrates, which might help especially if you take the best parts of the info re supliments given earlier. Co enzyme Q 10 is usually to help reduce side effects of statins . If it's down to FH then life style changes are your best bet! Best of luck. WHATEVER WATCH OUT FOR SIDE EFFECTS,THEY CAN BE WORSE TAN LEAVING THINGS ALONE!

Richbod

[sandybrown in reply to Richbod]

Hi,

Medication, every one have side effect!. please take a look at 4S study.

[patch14]

I have found due to my having to follow a dairy free diet for the last two years that this has affected my cholesterol levels. Although my total is more or less the same my LDL levels have gone down and my HDL levels have gone up. My triglicirides are more or less the same, less than 1. Whether or not this is just me or is a sign of something to consider I don't know but worth a try! I believe that we eat far too much processed food, including margarines, and the more "natural" a product is the better, whether it is saturated fat or not. Eat a balanced diet with as little mucked about food the better, with your five a day and watch the fruit juices (too much is too much fruit sugar - eat the whole fruit) and you should see an improvement. All the best

[Richbod in reply to patch14]

Totally agree. If you don't have FH then life style is MOST important - you are what you eat ( and drink ! )

Richbod

[malcolmp in reply to patch14]

Some good advice patch.My fathering laws dad is in his nineties and has always had fried breakfasts all of his life.It seems like a high carb breakfast is maybe not the best way to start the day.Even the heathier milks that boast reduced fat have lower levels of calcium and increased sugars.Sounds like a recipe for disaster in my opinion.

As for the fruit i totally agree with you,but we must not forget the value of eating more vegetables,especially the green ones.

[patch14]

Many thanks Concerned, it's good to know that I am not the only one with "radical" views on diet. Is it radical or just common sense? I wonder.

[Hidden]

So instead of all the Flora and Benecol which are after all still margarine and unatural,[and frankly I think they taste horrible] can we still use unsalted butter without sending our numbers through the roof? Our parents and grandparents ate it with no apparent ill effect.

[DakCB-UK in reply to Hidden]

Butter is unnatural - ever seen a cow churning itself? At least marg is unsaturated.

[patch14]

I have had to resort to Soya marg because of my problem with dairy but if you follow your butter argument you shouldn't have flour or bread! Seriously though, there are no additives in butter except a little salt and a lot of elbow grease (if you have ever churned butter by hand!). Humans have been exploiting the world around us for millennia and with that comes the ability to alter but and sadly adulterate the food we grow and raise.We just have to use our brains and choose the lifestyle we think is best for us.

Do what you think is best for you, and read as much as you can about the pros and cons of cholesterol submission and the health risks of all and every medication that is prescribed and all the best to you.