Any good ways to lower cholesteorol?
 

I had blood work done a few weeks ago. I had been out of town and had eaten out a lot so the numbers are worse than they'd normally be.

Any good ideas for lowering cholesterol or affecting any of the other numbers?

Here they are:

cholesterol 263 (should be below 200)
tryglyceride 172 (should be below 150)
HDL cholesterol 57 (good cholesterol, great number!):)
LDL cholesterol 172
cholesterol/HDL ratio 4.6 (normal is 0.0-5.0)

My platelet count was 139 (normal is between 140-400)
urea nitrogen was 27 (normal is 7-25)

All other numbers for my test were fine and the doctor said if he were an insurance company, he'd give me the most coverage and the lowest premium based on my overall pysical condition.

Thanks!

Does it feel kinda weird knowing me on such a molecular level?? :D

Damn it, everytime I think someone's talking about me! :-D

Hey Spock,

THANKS for the information!!

I've been doing basically the same thing you're doing since learining my cholesterol levels. You and I are the same age and also don't have family history of heart disease, so maybe I'll have similar results. One problem area I know I have is that I LOVE meat. I eat around five smaller meals a day, usually with some kind of meat. I rarely eat red meat, though the two daily sandwiches are turykey and ham.

I cut out mayonnaise, am eating a lot of bean filled meals (good thing I bought that air purifier from Biodine for my room! :)), added real garlic to recipies, and added a lot of veggies.

I and am also taking a product called Cholesterin. It's simply 900 mg of alfalfa extract. Bad cholesterol is supposed to bind to it in the stomach, through the intestine, and be eliminated.

Hopefully it'll help. I'm leaving for Europe on the 23rd and want to get myself tested before the vacation. It's not so easy on vacation to eat right.

BTW, this is all because I am STILL trying to get health insurance. I don't want to submit cholesterol numbers above 200 and be declined.

I have been on Lipitor for a long time and it has gotten mine down to around 182.

Mine was 291 when I had it checked and my doctor wanted me to go on the "pills". I refused and told her to let me try and put in under control. So, this is what I do:
Regular exercise - walk 2 miles a day everyday on the tread mill for 30 minutes at 4.1 mph. Work out with weithgts 5 days a week.
Breakfast - oatmeal with honey, or cheerio with half nad half. No sugar. One glass of orange juice.
Meals - cut down on red meat, eat plenty of fish and veggies. Only consume items label with no cholestrol.
Vitamins - one vitamine E a day as anti-oxident.
Supplements - 2 to 3 cups of hot tea (green or black) each evening.

When I re-checked 3 months later, my level was down to 198. My doctor was surprised and I have been staying on the same routine for two years now and the level has not risen. I am due for another annual next month.

Good luck to you.

sflori,

i can tell you one thing - your life life insurance rate will be double at that cholesterol level. i've been there, done that - i wound up taking the insurance extension offered by my previous employee (beyond COBRA). not sure about health insurance - they must use similar tables. i've tried all that stuff over 10 years with diet and exercise and the most i could make my cholesterol go down was 20 points - from 270+ to 250+. i started taking a "supplement" that was an extract of red yeast rice which in reality is a "statin" like lipitor or zocor. i got it down to under 200 this way but i decided that i would try to see if i could get my cholesterol down without a "statin" because those meds have an impact on your liver. i have started on the atkins diet - not to lose weight but primarily to see how it would affect my cholesterol. one of the benefits observed with this system is a lowering of cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well - inspite of the "high fat" foods! it is really not a fad diet but a different approach to your food and body chemistry. the whole point behind it is to control sugar/carbohydrates so that your body is primarily operating on a fat burning as opposed to carb burning metabolism.

i don't intend to start a debate on this since it is highly controversial not just socially but even politically. i am willing to share what information i have found to date.

yeah, it's true that on this diet you can eat fatty foods like bacon, eggs, cheese and steak! there are some caveats to elevated cholesterol though, which i am looking into...

they say red wine can help protect you against (bad) cholesterol ...

Thanks for all the help, guys.

Like eleau, I excersise regularly. I do free-weights twice a week and aerobic (45 minutes on an excersise bike) four days. It may change +/- a day depending on the schedule (one day free-weights to two days aero). I also drink a cup of green tea daily and have a protein shake that has mulit-vitamins in it every morning.

That's what I've been doing for a few years. The excersise has been steady for a while.

It may be somewhat genetic. My father died nearly five years ago a month after he turned 64. He never excercised, drank, and smoked as much as five packs a day. To say that's a large part of my motivation to stay healthy is an understatement. So I excersise a lot, don't smoke, and drink very little. But since he lived without excersise and both drank and smoked, I don't know if his problems were genetic or because of the way he lived.

I'll post results after I get tested again.

There definately is a genetic componant to this.
At 39 I ended up in the hospital having an angioplasty. Not a fun experience! My cholestoral was over 400:eek: My doctor said I had basically cream in my veins.
Lipitor brought it down to about 250, but had to give it up. Had bad side effects. I'm now on Provacol. So far so good. You need to find what works for you.
My wife and I have pretty much the same diet(bad) and the same activity level(not enough). We're both a good 50/60lbs over weight from what we shouild be at our age. But yet her cholesterol is perfect, as well as the other stuff.

I never heard any numbers pertaining to how high & when things went bad. But as to the family history, it wasn't until AFTER I went thru this that my uncle told me that there is a history of heart didease in that side of the family. Glad I heard that after the fact:rolleyes:
There are lot's of factors that contribute to the problem besides just Cholesterol, as has been discussed. My triglycerides were sky high too(don't remeber the numbers now) as well as my HDL and LDL levels all wrong.
Another factor is life style & stress level. At the time, my stress level had been very high for some time. Long, long story. Severe family problems. I would lay in bed at night, and literally lay there shaking. Also had just gone thru a job change, not by choice, (another long story) which kinda messed with me.
I think that's one reason I tend to avoid arguements and conflict now. I had enough of it for a life time.

Lebenz-Yah. Kind of a wake-up call. To see the look on your doctors face when you start describing having a tightness in the chest and shoulders when you try to do something such as mow the lawn:eek: I think he went white! Had me in a cardiologist within a couple hours. Many tests before they found the blockage. It was something like 95% closed off. I had a heart attack on the table when they fed the guide wire in for the balloon that they use to expand the artery. That guide wire is about as thick as a hair on your head.

Nothing to mess with guys! Take care of yourselves!

I'm ashamed to admit I'm not practicing what I preach here. Well, not completely anyway. After all that fun, I "got religion" and went on the right diet, started an excercise program, ect. It's been 6 years since, and I've slipped. I really got fed up with food that had no taste;) (ever try no-salt ketchup :eek: ) And excercise doesn't agree with my achy joints anymore. (That's one reason I was looking into fencing, looking for a "low impact" form of excercise) But I do eat alot more salads then I used to, and take lot's of various vitamins. Went to non-fat milk (white water:D ), non-fat yogurt, cut WAY back on my salami & sausage intake, drinks lots of water, ect. So right now I'm probably doing about 50% of what I really should be doing.
The wife & I are now considering trying Yoga as an excercise. Anybody do that? Does it work?

I think any exercise is good, including yoga. But in order to fight the bad cholestrol, you need to raise the good one. The only way to do that is prolonged exercise (i.e. heart rate). Yoga helps reduce stress and stretch your muscles. I think for any effective solution, you need time to explore what options work best. Unfortunately, we usually do not have time because by the time we find out we are in trouble, the condition is already grime.

My cholestrol is due to both genetic and diet. My mother and brother both have high cholestrol and they are on medication. I eat out way too often and I believe that contribute to my problem.

Mountain biking is really big around here. I actually live in a mountain bikers heaven (I guess). I just have this wussy thing about outdoor activities with the endless rainy weather we have here. (I know...excuses, excuses) But lets' see...get wet, or die young.......hmmm
You guys are making me think about this more than I have for some time.:D

When I get fast food, I get it with no mayo. Wopers go from 45 grams of fat to 7 without mayo. It helps. I also trim the fat on steaks.

I need to exercise.

Wow!:eek: Mayo adds THAT much, eh? I'll remember that.

Back to Lebenz- So what are your options? Just wait till something shuts down or explodes? That's kinda scarey.
They had a heck of a time tracking down my clog. I can't remember what all they did test-wise now, but I had several different ones. Nothing showed up with the first tests. But the fact I about passed out after only about a minute on the treadmill at the cardio clinic told them there really was something going on.

Lebenz,

Yeah, I already excercise a lot on the bike. At least three times a week, I get on the Lifecycle and do the "fat burn" program. It says for me to keep my heart rate at 118, but that's too easy. I've been an avid bicyclist since high school.

I do 45 minutes at 145 bpm and sweat through my clothes. Feels great. I follow that by over 70 sit ups on a decline bench with free-weights. The other days are upper-body free weights. I've neglected my legs because my knees ache when I lift.

We thought about a stationary bike-thing, but where the heck to put yet another piece of furniture in our cracker-box of a house. And my knees too are the bigest joint problem. (Had to give up the treadmill)

Rick,

If I remember correctly, Nordictrak sells some pretty nice pieces of excersise equipment. I think they have some kind of contraption for jogging that doesn't require any knee movement. It also folds up so it can be stored under a bed after use.

Ah, cool! Thanks. I'll take a look-see at what they have.:)

Eat sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes
The omega 3 pills are good for you.
Be careful on the Vit E.... it is toxic at a lower level than many realize..

I'm not sure how I'll be able to cut out food during that time. A typical day for me is working until 4 or 5, returning home, and going to the gym (going there for upper body after this post). After the work-out, I wait one hour to let my body continue to comsume fat cells, then eat dinner around 8 or 9. I usually have a cup of green tea and maybe a small snack around 11 or 12 then go to bed.

If I don't eat every two hours or so while awake, my body gets all out of wack. Dizzy, irritable, can't think.... I keep away from sugar as much as possible.

As for Atkins diet, I'll never do that for two reasons. First, I'm not the least bit over weight. Second, I only have one kidney, so I wouldn't put it at risk on a diet that may be hard on the kidneys.

The diet has worked well for my brother-in-law in the past. But he hasn't kept up with it and his weight has come back.

They're pretty expensive. I'd look in the want ads. People buy these things, then never use them.

I've thought about it, but I think I lean more towards being hypoglycemic. I probably should get tested, though. I'm not thirsty all the time either.

Stefano I wondered the same thing as Spock. I would get a blood sugar test too. Diabetes is not something you want to screw around with.

stefano,

just a comment on atkins. yes, by all mean - if there is an existing or predesposition towards some physiological problem then you shouldn't. also, using it as a way to lose weight is the absolute wrong way to go because when you go off it - all the effects are reversed.

some additional comments - most of what has been suggested in terms of diet modification on this thread reflects a decrease in sugar and processed starch/carbohydrate intake. kidney beans, oats etc are all sources of carbs, but are higher in dietary fiber which the body does not absorb. this is directly related to your triglycerides and that part of your cholesterol profile ought to take a hit. your LDL will also take a hit because there will be less carbs to convert to fat (that which isn't burned off).

one last comment is the observed fact that once your body switches to fat burning, food craving goes away. i believe that is why it is so difficult for low fat diets (which are high carb) to succeed - because you keep stoking that carb burning furnace that keeps wanting more!

HTH

Jim,

Yeah, I plan to get tested for that too. At least I'll know if I'm diabetic (though I doubt it), hypoglycemic, or hyperglycemic. Maybe I have diabetes II. Either way, it's good to know. My grandmother died of alzheimers which has been shown to be related to diabetes.

Joe,

Thanks for the advice. I try to keep away from sugars as much as possible. Carbs too, but being Italian, that's difficult when a couple plates of spaghetti are so good! :) I've definately been eating more beans lately and staying away from meat more and more.

For sugar use splenda (with sucralose) - it's a great product!

The answer to the pasta problem is preparing them al dente! (5 minutes) which makes the carbs harder to absorb. There are also some lower carb pasta products coming out and lastly there are these "carb blockers" that inhibit the effect of starch enzymes...

Cheers.

All the work involved in eating right alone is a work out!:D
Good info there. Do you take the 1-a-day aspirin and Niacin? Those are also supposed to help keep the blood thinner so it doesn't clot at the narrowings(is that a word?).
Back when I was trying to "do it right", I lived mostly on non-fat yogurt, chicken, water and celery by the bunches. Any time I got the least hungry, I grabbed a couple stalks of celery. Plus I was working out a couple hours a day. I dropped something like 30 lbs in a month and a half or so, and my blood test was the best it had been for years. I had a very high energy level, slept good, and overall felt great. But then the joint aches came on with a vengence. I had to completely give up any excercise for a long time. It was finally attributed to a couple things. One was the Lipitor, which in fine print says that's one of the side effects. Next was my blood test showed positive for the arthritis markers. Next of course was I just plain overdid it. I haven't gotten back at it since.
Also found out that the Ibuprofen I take for the joint aches counter-acts the effectiveness of aspirin in acting as a blood thinner. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Yah, I talked with the doc about my Ibu intake. He said to drink plenty of fluids(which I do), and make sure I get in for my regular blood tests.
I was wondering about glucossamine. I'll try it.
Does the time release Niacin still give you "the rush"? I was taking straight niacin for awhile, and had to give it up. I take niacinimide now, which has another ingrediant(can't remember now what it is) to counteract the rush. I saw the time release stuff, and was gonna give it a try. My doc wasn't too crazy about the niacinamide, as he wasn't sure if I would get the same benifit from it.
I'll try walking again. The worst aches I get are my knees, and it's getting into my left hip now. So I've been a bit leary of too much walking. Some days at work I'm on my feet all day long, with a lot of walking back and forth around the shop. Some days I come home and just have to play couch potato the rest of the day. I'll get some of the glucossamine and see if it helps. I'd love to give up the Ibu all together.

Don't hate me, but...

I've never had a problem with too much weight. If there is one, it's keeping the weight on. Last month, after being sick, I didn't get to the gym for about three weeks. I also ate less because I was sick. I lost a about seven pounds! What makes that worse is that it was probably muscle weight.

I can still definately benefit from lessening the intake of fats though. As for the caloric intake, I can eat a lot during the day, but keep it to several smaller meals. That, along with the regular excersise, keeps my metabolism high-- I think. I also don't have a family history of obesity on either side. That's LUCK!! :p

Right now I'm around 158. I'm 5'8" and have a small skeletal frame. (I can touch my thumb and forefinger around my wrist!)

Hey Stefano,

Had I known you were hitting the beans, I might have recommended a bigger Biozone:-)

But seriously, have a look at Covert Bailey's books.

One thing he mentions is to watch your breathing more than your heart rate. My heart is slightly larger than average so it pumps less to get the same bloodflow. Sitting in my doctor's office, my resting heart rate was a 56 bpm. Usually, a person's heartrate elevates in that situation due to stress.

Anyway, if you have a smaller than normal heart, your heart rate quickly gets up into the "correct" range but you really are not getting the full effect of exercising. A person like me might keel over at higher bpm's.

Covert's advice is that if you want to burn fat while exercising, you should be able to sing, "God bless America," in one exhale. If you can't sing it in one exhale, you are going too fast. Slow down.

How's that for a little trivia.

Keep up the good work.

Regards,

Just those words, or the entire verse? :) When I do aero on the excercise bike I keep it set so that my heart is beating at 145bpm and ride for 45 minutes three to four times a week. I can breathe pretty normally at this rate, though I sweat a lot.

I'm glad I've always had a good strong heart. The other day I took the blood pressure test at the grocery store. It was 99/69 at 62bpm. I took the test late in the afternoon.

Thanks for the advice!

I'm going to take one of the drug store tests in a few days to see if it's coming down. I want to get it tested at the doctor's office next Friday before I leave on vacation to europe.

We'll see.................

At CVS/any decent gocery store, you can buy a unit that lets you give yourself a cholesterol test. The unit has a little finger prick and then you drop a few drops of blood onto one of its supplied pieces of paper. After a minute or so it'll tell you your total cholesterol number. It's not as accurate as the doctor's test and I don't think it tells you LDL and HDL percentages, but it will give you a pretty good ballpark number.

They run about $15 and have two self-tests in each box.

Hi Strefano,

Just "God Bless America" -- not the entire verse.

If you take a breathe between Bless and America, you are going too fast and not buring fat.

Best,

a word of caution on those test kits (i think the one commercially available is cholestrak). they are a spot check at best. even if you are in the 200 - 240 "borderline high" zone you may still be ok if your hdl's are at a good level. of course anything over 240 needs attention. you can also have a 200 reading but have an elevated risk from having your triglycerides and ldl's up.

i'm surprised that nobody has looked into controlled/low carbing. there is growing support for it in the medical fields since the science behind it is sound. there is unfortunately a lot of politics involved which tends to cloud the issues. a case in point is tracy's situation. i would be alarmed that at such a low weight body fat is an issue. if you look into the mechanics of this problem of "the body producing too much fat" it may give you an insight into the mess. can you guess what the body creates the fat from? hint - it's certainly not from protein! and yes, of course if you exercise then the body will burn up the carbs so it won't get converted to fat...

I remember getting my body fat percentage taken at a government agency "health" program. I forget what mine was, somewhere around 12% I think. One of my co-workers, who is extremely skinny, measured a higher percentage than I!

I suppose even if you're really skinny, if you don't have muscle to offset the fat, your fat percentage can still be high.

True. It's best to look at the ratio of lean body mass to fat mass. This will tell you something. I have to ignore the BMI charts as my exercise regiment includes reistance training three times a week. Even though my body fat % is less than 8%, I still cannot get below 180lbs (I'm 6'0") due to the weight workouts.

Build lean muscle mass and lose fat. That's the key. Eating lots of red meats and dairy products is not so good. Also, don't eat hydrogenated fats. They're REALLY bad. Artery cloggers of the worst kind. Ritz crackers, fries, etc.

I love burgers, but have adjusted to veggie burgers and no mayo. I use mustard and spices to add flavour. Don't order a salad and cover it in a creamy dressing. Make sure you get protein though. Lentils and beans, some nuts (peanuts have a bad rep, but are actually not too bad in moderation). I buy prepared veggie dogs and burgers that are low cal, low fat and high protein. Makes the BBQ season a happy one!

I use egg substitutes, and never fry anything. For meat dishes I eat chicken breast (skinless only!) and lean pork.

Eat smaller meals more often. Cut down on complex sugers. Fruit and veggies, stock up on 'em. I find Bananas a really good snack after resistance training as they aid muscle healing. Green veggies by the truck load! Brocolli, spinach, and so on.

Don't start a cario-vascular workout at too high a level. People get discouraged fast, and quit. I started at just 2.5mph on the treadmill for 30 minutes three times a week, and within no time was tearing the thing up. Ignore the super-fit folks and go at a pace that's comfortable for you.

And don't kill yourself eating well. Indulge a craving every now and then. We ahve a great greasy-spoon breakfast joint, and every once in a blue moon, we go and PIG out. Bacon, ham, eggs, toast, pancakes, the WORKS. And no guilt about it. Don't race to the gym to work it off. Enjoy yourself. Why live a long life if you're miserable all the time?

Man! You've got that right! Everything in moderation is the key.

I love peppers, broccoli, and spinich. I really haven't had to change my diet that much because I ate pretty well to begin with. Basically what I've done is to add more veggies and beans, and cut out some of the meat. Never eat that much red meat anyway, but have stopped having to have some meat in every meal.

I have a Myoplex Deluxe low-carb protein shake daily for breakfast. 42 grams of protein and a bunch of vitamins too. I eat several small meals throughout the day also. Because of my work, I don't always know when I'll be able to eat, so I always pack a couple turkey sandwhiches. One of the cameramen at Reuters Television started a rumor among the crew that I set my alarm every morning for 5:00am so that I can get up to eat another sandwhich!! :)

Since I eat several meals a day, people think I eat like a horse. I don't-- they just always see me eating and assume that. I just don't cram two pounds of food into my stomach three times a day like a lot of people do.

Good way to begin is to find out why you have elevated cholestrol. Is it something you are doing that is making it go up or is it something intrinsic?

High LDL and total cholestrol are risk factors for Coronary Heart Disease. Which means blocked blood vessels with atherosclerotic placks that cause the blockage of blood supply to your internal fuel pump ( heart ) which is a specialised muscle. Once it dies due to lack of air that is carried in your blood it is scarred for life and unable to contract to push blood going to your vital organs. It can not regenerate. YOU only have one of it. You have to go to ORGANS 'R' US to get a used one from someone who unfortunatly has no use for it anymore.

HDL is protective against atherosclerosis - which is major cause of heart disease and kills most americans, primarily due to our high fat low fiber diet. HDL is increased by moderate alcohol (1-2 drinks/day) but not excessive alcohol intake, estrogen, and exercise.

I hope this helps ...
Atherosclerosis is responsible for 50% of deaths in USA and 1/3 of deaths between ages of 35-65 y

HDL is decreased by smoking, androgens, progestrone, and hypertriglyceridemia.



Life style modification is step I which inlcudes decrease intake of calories, cholestrol, and saturated fats in the diet, decrease alcohol and smoking, above all excercise. At least 3 months before starting any drug therapy.

Drug therapy,
first line -- niacin and/or cholestyramine
best --- HMG CoA- reductase inhibitors are most effective especially if cholestrol > 300 mg/ dl ( which usually means familial hypercholesterolemia.

HDL is protective against atherosclerosis - which is major cause of heart disease and kills most americans, primarily due to our high fat low fiber diet. HDL is increased by moderat alcohol (1-2 drinks/day) but not excessive alcohol intake, estrogen, and exercise.

Atherosclerosis is responsible for 50% of deaths in USA and 1/3 of deaths between ages of 35-65 y

HDL is decreased by smoking, androgens, progestrone, and hypertriglyceridemia.

Does any take Garlique?

Garlique contains garlic (Allium sativum), which may be beneficial for detoxification, immune response, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, heart disease, circulation, fatty deposits, arteriosclerosis, arthritis, asthma, cancer, candida, infections of the eyes, ears, throat, respiratory infections, coughs, hoarseness, colds & flu, insomnia, digestion, fungal infections, viral infections, and colon health.

It is suppose to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

I am going to try it and see if my cholesterol goes down..

:D

Garlique=lower cholesterol
 

WOW, How long were you on the Garlique???

Use a good brand of synthetic oil. Change it often. Don't worry, be happy.

the other supplements that have significant cholesterol lowering characteristics are panthetine, niacin (use the no-flush version), and lecithin. there are products out there now that have these in combination...