High cholestorol

[Flippi]

Treatment with thyroid hormone often lowers the cholesterol levels in patients with hypothyroidism - is it true? Has anybody actually been able to lower their cholesterol levels with thyroid treatment? I am 59 y old, my cholesterol has been high (at about 6) for decades and now it is 7,1. My TSH levels have been ranging between 4,5-7,5 mLU/L since 2022. FT3, FT4, D-vit, B-12, folate etc is all good. I have decided to wait and see, I have not started to take the treatment.

[RedApple Administrator]

Flippi, Hypothyroidism most definitely can cause high cholesterol. If hypothyroidism is the cause of your high cholesterol, then treating the thyroid disorder is likely to lower your cholesterol level. But it's not guaranteed as there are other causes of high cholesterol.

If you would lke more help, do post the actual details of your recent thyroid test results, including thyroid antibodies.

[Flippi in reply to RedApple]

My TSH is 5, 86, TPO IgG 454, FT4 13.4, (cholesterol 7.1, non-hdl 5,6, HDL 1,5, LDL 5,4, triglycerides 1,4). I do not take any treatment for hypothyroidism yet.

[JumpJiving in reply to Flippi]

 Flippi Yes, your LDL cholesterol is high. The answer from  Jaydee1507 provides good information. You might want to talk to your GP, but you might want to specify up front whether or not you want to take statins. If you agree to taking statins, ask what you can do in order to eventually stop taking them. Any decent GP should try to have a way of getting patients off any medication that they start if possible. Hopefully other approaches would make statins unnecessary, but that largely depends on you.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Flippi]

Do you have a reference range for your TSH result of 5? Numbers in brackets after your result.

FT4 also needs a reference range if you can add that?

Its not clear what your TPO result is which might show autoimmune hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's as its also called.

In the early days of Hashi's blood numbers can swing between being almost OK and above range or even below range. It can be years before results are permanently above range for TSH.

When hypo we get low stomach acid which means we cannot absorb vitamins well from our food, regardless of a great diet. For thyroid hormone to work well we need OPTIMAL levels of vitamins.

Have you recently or could you ask your GP to test levels of ferritin, folate, B12 & D3? Private tests are available, see link for companies offering private blood tests & discount codes, some offer a blood draw service at an extra cost. thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...

There is also a new company offering walk in& mail order blood tests in London, Kent, Sussex & Surrey areas. Check to see if there is a blood test company near you. onedaytests.com/products/ul...

Only do private tests on a Monday or Tuesday to avoid postal delays.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Flippi]

Flippi, with a TSH of 5.86 (and previously higher), it is likely that you are hypothyroid, which may well be contributing to your high cholesterol readings. Rather than worrying about your cholesterol levels, it seems sensible to strongly consider starting treatment for the thyroid. If thyroid is the cause, cholesterol will eventually sort itself once thyroid treatment is optimised.

Is there a particular reason why you're delaying treatment for hypothyroidism?

[Flippi in reply to RedApple]

I tried L-Thyroxine 50 mg for about a month or less but I reached a point where I never been a more angry, irritable person than I was at that time. I thought that maybe it was triggered by treatment. "Use thyroid hormone for a brief period of time,If you feel better, you can continue with treatment. If not, then stop." is what they often write on web, this is if the TSH level is between 4mIU/L and 10mIU/L health.harvard.edu/blog/for... . My GP first suggested me to wait and see, then prescribed 25 mg L-Thyroxine, which didn´t work for my TSH , then raised it to 50 mg which seemed to cause me some problems. I am just not sure if the treatment brings any significant benefit.

[JumpJiving]

Flippi I assume your 7.1 level is for Total Cholesterol? What are you levels for LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides?

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

Many members ask questions about blood results related to raised cholesterol so I have tried to put together a small amount of information that I hope informs.

Cholesterol is just one modifiable risk factor for heart attack, stroke & peripheral arterial disease.

Other modifiable risk factors are:

Diet - eating too much saturated fat. A Mediterranean type diet can help. bbcgoodfood.com/health/heal...

Physical inactivity - try and be more active, join a local walking group, exercise classes tailored to your energy level etc Local councils often have well-being hubs that might be able to point you in the right direction of what’s happening locally to you.

Smoking - ask your GP or pharmacist about stop smoking groups near you.

Alcohol intake above recommended levels - men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-ad...

Obesity - difficult when under replaced or low FT3 but the Mediterranean diet might help.

Which brings us to hypothyroidism, and under replacement can cause raised cholesterol.

The NHS states:

If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), treatment may be delayed until this problem is treated. This is because having an underactive thyroid can lead to an increased cholesterol level, and treating hypothyroidism may cause your cholesterol level to decrease, without the need for statins. Statins are also more likely to cause muscle damage in people with an underactive thyroid.

nhs.uk/conditions/statins/c...

If your GP hasn’t tested your FT3 or even FT4 then its recommended to buy a private test so that you can know the full picture of your thyroid health. When you have the blood results start a new post for members to comment. See link for companies offering private blood tests & discount codes, some offer a blood draw service at an extra cost. thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...

There are other companies such as OneDay Tests & Randox (cheap). Check to see if there is a blood test company near you. onedaytests.com/products/ul...

Only do private tests on a Monday or Tuesday to avoid postal delays.

Recommend asking your GP what your Qrisk3 score is:

qrisk.org/

Explanation of Qrisk3 score: hornchurchhealthcare.co.uk/...

Some of the background story behind the statins controversy: telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0...

How do statins prevent heart attacks and strokes: bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

Natural alternatives to statins: bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

Improving lipid management to reduce cardiovascular disease and save lives, some statistics:

england.nhs.uk/long-read/im...

There are also alternatives to statins which aren’t quite so effective but worth a discussion with your GP about them if you are higher risk of a cardiovascular event.

[JumpJiving in reply to Jaydee1507]

Jaydee1507 Where you said "Diet - eating too much unsaturated fat", that should say saturated, not unsaturated.

[greygoose in reply to Jaydee1507]

Research into the traditional MedDiet has shown it may reduce our risk of developing conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are all risk factors for heart disease.

High cholesterol is not a factor for heart disease. And it is a symptom, not a condition. (Same for high blood pressure.)

And eating any kind of fat does not raise cholesterol because cholesterol and fat are two entirely different substances, and fat does not magically turn into cholesterol when you eat it.

[elaar in reply to greygoose]

My take on it was (I haven't read up on it for a long time, so excuse any mistakes):

Whilst High Cholesterol isn't directly responsible for Heart Disease/Strokes etc, Atherosclerosis is. A key component of Atherosclerosis plaque is oxidised LDL caused by free radicals. The exact mechanism for this process is still unclear, but I assume they believe that less serum LDL-C equates to a lower attack surface?

[greygoose in reply to elaar]

Yes, the LDL would be there. But you have to ask yourself why is it there. As I understand it, cholesterol is natures sticking plaster. The body needs it to regenerate and repair and damage. So, when arteries are damaged the cholesterol goes and covers up the damaged area whilst it heals. Once the damage is healed, the cholesterol is absorbed into the cell walls - which are made of cholesterol, anyway. So, it actually protects from heart attacks. Which is why low cholesterol is more dangerous than high.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

But if you're really interested in cholesterol check out Dr Malcolm Kendrick's books and blogs.

[JumpJiving in reply to greygoose]

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) released from bone marrow regenerate damaged blood vessels

[Janine159]

Hi I started off with high cholesterol and I asked when started on thyroid medication if they could check my levels when I had my blood tested .and it has come down each time. I don't know the latest ones as no-one checks unless I ask . Then at the phone call reviews for thyroid they then see the cholesterol check and try to push statins on me .Saying I need them my argument was that I have underactive thyroid that can cause high cholesterol and high bp..both of which would resolve hopefully once my thyroid treated adequately . One Dr did agree with me not taking statins and agreed that that was the usual.way to go treat thyroid then the cholesterol if still high. . Then the next review I had a diff gp.Saying you would benefit from taking statins. I said other Dr agreed with me you treat the thyroid first. I can only assume they do get more money for getting you on statins as I already had various aches pains walking problems the last thing I needed was to be having other mystery pains from statins. No-one would believe me or do anything about. That's my experience anyway.

[Bearo]

Yes, my total cholesterol level fell when I started Levo.