My Cholesterol is not going down. - Cholesterol Support

Cholesterol Support

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My Cholesterol is not going down.

amasad profile image
12 Replies

Am 34 y.o. M. 185cm 85kg. my total Cholesterol 7.57, Triglycerides .94 ,HDL 1.35 , LDL 5.88 ,VLDL .43 , CHOL/HDL Ratio 5.68.This is my second test, I found out that I have high Cholesterol almost 6 month ago and since am bodybuilder and used to consume high amounts of protein on daily basis and I love all kind of shellfish which I don't consume every day but at least 3 times a week but in huge amounts. I watch my diet carefully now high in vegetables, fruits, white meat and fish low on Carbs and sugar. exercise regularly. No symptoms of any sort. I smoke not more than 5 ciggies a day, 20-40 ml of cognac once a week. I take some fish oil (omega 3) Multi vitamins high on B complex, royal jelly, amino acids. but still my Cholesterol did not drop, its the same numbers I had on the first test, but I might of made mistake the night before the test I rewarded my self with a lot of shellfish on dinner at 10 p.m. and heavy desserts on 1 a.m. white wine and cognac. then later 1 can of Soda drink at 4 a.m. I had 2 hours of sleep and collected my blood for testing at 11 a.m.

I know its not ideal circumstances for testing but I should of seen some sort of improvement.

Please give your logical opinion

p.s my father has high Cholesterol and few strokes first one when he was almost my age

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amasad
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12 Replies

Hi Amsad....are you serious.....cholesterol blood test has to be fasting to be of any use....do it again.

amasad profile image
amasad

I agree BUT read (simple cholesterol test)

How is high cholesterol diagnosed?

You need a blood test to check your cholesterol. There are several kinds of tests:

A fasting cholesterol test is the most complete test because it measures all of the fats in your blood, including LDL and HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. You cannot have food for 9 to 12 hours before this test.

A direct LDL test measures your LDL level only. You can have this test done at any time, even if you recently had a meal or snack.

A simple cholesterol test can measure total cholesterol and HDL. You can eat before this test. Sometimes doctors do this test first.

sandybrown profile image
sandybrown

Hello,

Take a step back and look at your results, Google and then compare the results. May be another test with no drinks for 48 hours, simple food intake before 7PM! Blood test (fasting, full) the following day, blood taken in the morning. Once you have the numbers then come back to this site. I am afraid life style change required!

BMI check? waist to highest ratio? blood pressure? blood sugar?

Good luck and take care.

amasad profile image
amasad

Hi bala,

Am going to do that for sure, but the question really is. How long would it take to get cholesterol under control, I did every thing by the book and more am still where I started. I can't belive that my 6 month work is gone for a dinner and a drink.

webMD site says:

A simple cholesterol test can measure total cholesterol and HDL. You can eat before this test. Sometimes doctors do this test first.

If I understand correctly the numbers I got might not be 100% accurate but its clear indication of where I am.

I have Googled and compared my numbers and its high even for an indication.

The way I see it, am still young and I don't want to use any medication just yet, and the more I research I get more confused. some claim a new research found that a 6.5 mmol/L total cholesterol level is OK. Am not sure who is right and who is wrong.

I feel healthy I have no problem whats so ever but cholesterol seems like a risky business

My BMI is 23.8 and my fat ratio is 18% targeting 14%, I used to be 31%, blood sugar 102, am not sure what was the blood pressure value its not written here but I think its normal

patch14 profile image
patch14

I know you are a bodybuilder and need the excess of protein, but maybe you are pushing your body beyond its limit? The signs that despite your diet and exercise regime your C figures are not chaning could be an indication of this. To me, this is a sign that your body is rebelling against this regime and perhaps you need to tweek it by, maybe cutting out the cigarettes completely, eating earlier at night and having your weekly "short" earlier in the evening. Doing a daily walk in the fresh air instead of so much working in the gym. This will relax the body and encourage endorphins. I sometimes think that working hard in the gym becomes a battle of wills with your body and is not healthy to the chemicals in the body resulting in stress. Stress is, in my mind, one of the major causes of illhealth and the higher figures of your C are an indication of something else going on. Anyway, these are just my opinions and I hope you find a way to help your body and lessen the stress on it.

Sonyajba profile image
Sonyajba

Amasad

The food and drink you had before the test would definitely affect your results, although to what degree is unknown.

Some recent research shows it's very little so there are those in the medical profession that use non fasting tests.

Yours was meant to be a fasting test but as you ate and drank this will affect the results, it does depend on what you consumed and reading you post I'm worried about the sugary drink, I'm sure this didn't help. Did you inform med staff that you had eaten and drank?

Please don't think all your hard work has been for nothing.

You say you've googled info re cholesterol levels etc, can I suggest you do the same but this time search " cholesterol Con" or " Cholesterol Myth" it may open your eyes to realise that cholesterol isn't evil it's necessary to maintain my health.

My level was 7.5 and my father died of heart attack at 55 years

Statins took my level to 3.1 and almost killed me, been off statins for 5 months and feel great, I'm not interested what my cholesterol level is now, as the research I've carried out over these past months has shown me the truth re cholesterol.

sandybrown profile image
sandybrown

Can I eat and drink before having a blood test?

It depends on the type of blood test you’re having. The healthcare professional who arranges your blood test will tell you whether there are any specific instructions you need to follow before your test.

Blood cholesterol tests (lipid profile)

Do not eat anything and only drink water for 10-12 hours before having blood cholesterol tests (lipid profile).

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that can build up in your arteries and increase your risk of conditions such as heart disease.

There are several different cholesterol tests. When these are done together it’s called a lipid profile. A lipid profile tests the levels of:

•‘good’ (HDL) cholesterol

•'bad’ (LDL) cholesterol

•total cholesterol

•triglycerides (other fatty substances)

If you're just having a triglycerides test, do not drink alcohol for 24 hours before the test (you'll also need to fast as explained above).

The Health A-Z has more information about diagnosing high cholesterol.

Hi Amasad, nearly 2 years ago my total cholesterol was 6.8 and I was advised to go on statins. I refused and said I would bring that figure down (hopefully) by changing my diet. I was on a low-fat diet and worked out that I needed to eat more of the good fats, I used rape seed as I don't like olive oil. I also eat an oat based breakfast most days, and eat more almonds and walnuts. Today I learnt that my total cholesterol is 4.8 and I am delighted with my efforts. Good luck with your efforts, and do fast before your test!!

Syrahrose

malcolmp profile image
malcolmp

Hi Amasad

From what i have read you seem to be concerned about your low readings on your hdl score.Depending on which research you go by,some would say that your ldl score is within a safe zone.Of course the research that i have read indicates that cholesterol is not part of the problem,but is in truth part of the repair mechanism to inflammation in the arteries.This might explain why you feel perfectly healthy and yet you have worrying cholesterol levels.As mentioned earlier your lifestyle(ie bodybuilding) can cause inflammation in the body due to build up of lactic acid.Which i am sure you are aware.The choice of supplements you are taking shows that you have some knowledge of nutrition,but there are other supplements that can reduce inflammation and boost your bodies antioxidant levels and reduce free radical damage.

Of course smoking wont do your arteries any good at all,but that has to be a decision that you have to make for yourself.If you want to give up i'm sure your gp can guide you to someone who can help you with that goal.

Wish you well and hope you avoid going down the medication route.

amasad profile image
amasad

Thank you every one for your help and support, Ill start first with a retest and Ill share that with you all.

Thanks,

Ahmad

Sonyajba profile image
Sonyajba in reply to amasad

Ahmad

I forgot to say stay away from any foods marked ' Low Fat ' or ' cholesterol lowering' these contain very high amounts of sugar to replace the fat.

Replace cooking oil with old fashioned lard or better still goose fat, no vegetable oil.

Sorry this all sounds completely opposite to what we've all been lead to believe but it's a fact and you should see a difference following these simple suggestions.

Coconut oil is fantastic so if you can add that to your diet.

Good luck

in reply to Sonyajba

I'm absolutely with you regarding anything 'low fat' or 'cholesterol lowering'. There is far, far too much sugar in low fat produce.Is this part of the reason there is so much obesity I wonder. Regarding fats - don't forget to ditch the flora, benecol and other margarines - use BUTTER instead. It tastes better !!

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