Your doctor just told you your cholesterol sucks and won't give you drugs.
What do you do? Preferably without consulting Google.
Lower your dietary fat intake, exercise regularly, lose weight if you need to.
I make oatmeal or oat-bran items part of my breakfast.
I take lecithin supplements.
I eat more greens and more beans.
I make sure I get daily exercise.
And I thank my doctor for not putting me on one of those meds.
liseey02, be specific. What kind of fat, because surely limiting dietary fat intake could also include heart-healthy fats, unless olive oil really is causing plaque build up in our arteries.
Nomo, why oat-bran? Because of the fiber? Do you restrict any other carbohydrates to compensate for the increase in oat-bran products?
I don't really know why - I've just been told that the oat bran is the part of oats that helps lower cholesterol.
And I don't eat all that many carbs in the first place. So it would be like taking away my half of sweet potato and replacing it with the oats.
But if you were eating a lot of sugar, cutting that way down would help a lot.
More vegetarian foods, less animal products. Higher fiber, lots of whole grains, more exercise.
stick to mono and poly unsat fats. eliminate trans fats and HFCS, limit sat fats to 10% of calories (approx).
MOre complex carbs, less simple carbs .
Worked for me.
Google is your friend, don't run away from it. All your questions can be easily answered, just type "ways to reduce cholesterol".
I meant reduce your total fat consumption. Always best to get your fat from healthy sources like olive oil, fish, nuts, etc.
Original Post by nomoreexcuses:
I make oatmeal or oat-bran items part of my breakfast.
I take lecithin supplements.
I eat more greens and more beans.
I make sure I get daily exercise.
And I thank my doctor for not putting me on one of those meds.
Oat bran does help with cholesterol, but you aer better off with whole oats if you can.
Garlic also helps with cholesterol, but real garlic is best, as you want the whole thing.
I got nothing except I like your new picture. It looks like they just called your name on The Price is Right.
Lose weight if you're overweight, exercise regularly, and don't let more than 10% of your calories come from saturated fat. You can buy Nicotinic acid over the counter. It's supposed to decrease your VLDL (very low density lipoportein) levels which in turn can decrease your LDL levels. It can also potentially increase your HDL levels and decrease your triglyceride levels. It has some side effects, mostly flushing of the skin which can be decreased if you start by taking a low dose or take Aspirin 30 minutes before. It can also cause nausea and diarrhea. If you do decide to take it, you should call your doctor and tell he or she that you plan on taking it and ask them to suggest a dose. It can be potentially toxic to your liver in high doses and it's probably best to get blood tests done after taking it to make sure it's not causing any liver damage. You can look it up more on the internet and make sure you don't have any health problems that its use is contraindicated in.
thecrankyone, why are you reducing your saturated fat intake to 10%?
kevin, hopefully if I'm ever on The Price Is Right I'll have at least brushed my hair and be wearing something other than scrubs for a change.
Work with me here guys! Tell me every last bit of information your doctors have told you about cholesterol reduction and what you've learned from your own research in the past, with as much detail as possible.
P.S. My cholesterol is immaculate.
rachelwert, why resort to supplements when dietary changes can be made that will have no annoying side effects or potential liver damage? Ease? Lack of knowledge of other methods? And why reduce saturated fat to 10% or less?
The ratio is really the most important, good to bad cholesterol and frankly I wouldn't want to be on meds. I've heard too many scary stories about the side affects :( I have dealt with this issue for some time and just really started working on it a couple of years ago. I do take fish oil and used to eat oatmeal every day, now I eat paleo which includes a lot more fats, so I stick to the healthy ones. They say dietary cholesterol really doesn't have that much to do with blood cholesterol, your liver makes cholesterol too. Basically you want to raise your good cholesterol, exercise helps with that. I also take a baby asprin every day since I flunked the calcium score test I did a couple of years ago. Means I have more calcium in my coronary artery walls and could indicate a higher risk of heart disease. Here is a link to some info for you :)
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/search-results /?cx=004987908667488763946%3Akd-fp2c7jek& cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&q=cholesterol +mark%27s+daily+apple&oq=cholesterol& aq=0&aqi=g10&aql=1&gs_sm=1&gs _upl=2484l4250l0l8703l11l11l0l4l4l0l172l814l0 .5l5l0
cholesterol is naturally produced by the liver
it's never been proven that high cholesterol causes heart attacks or heart disease
the most important thing that affects your cholesterol level is genetics - cholesterol in only about a third of people is affected by their dietary intake
So Nomo, if cholesterol is genetics and produced by the liver, one can assume if you have a great liver that loves you dearly, you can eat all of the dietary cholesterol you want and never have a care in the world.
Why is it, then, that when you have high cholesterol the doctors will tell you to reduce your dietary cholesterol, specifically the saturated fat?
Original Post by cellulitedelight:
Why is it, then, that when you have high cholesterol the doctors will tell you to reduce your dietary cholesterol, specifically the saturated fat?
Because, as far as I understand, that was the accepted truth for years. Not everyone has gotten the memo.
Original Post by cellulitedelight:
So Nomo, if cholesterol is genetics and produced by the liver, one can assume if you have a great liver that loves you dearly, you can eat all of the dietary cholesterol you want and never have a care in the world.
Why is it, then, that when you have high cholesterol the doctors will tell you to reduce your dietary cholesterol, specifically the saturated fat?
It's probably not 100% genetics. But genetics is probably determining about 90-95% of it.
So it's not unwise to eat the generally healthful foods that have been shown to lower cholesterol - it will certainly do no harm. If you can scare people into eating better by threatening them with booga booga cholesterol, it's as good a way as any to get people to eat better.
And I don't know if doctors know how to determine whether you're in that third of people for whom dietary intake *is* more of a factor. So might as well try it. I'm pretty sure there's not a low-cost genetic marker test for that trait. And you should be eating more fiber anyway, even if your cholesterol is fine. You've got a colon too, you know.
Original Post by cellulitedelight:
So Nomo, if cholesterol is genetics and produced by the liver, one can assume if you have a great liver that loves you dearly, you can eat all of the dietary cholesterol you want and never have a care in the world.
Why is it, then, that when you have high cholesterol the doctors will tell you to reduce your dietary cholesterol, specifically the saturated fat?
Ignorance?
I found out when I was like 35 that my cholesterol was high. I was already a healthy weight, so I changed my diet and started doing some cardio. Nothing happened. I tried for like 3 years to reduce it with lifestyle, and because of my age and low general risk factors the Doc went along with it. After a while it he prescribed meds and I'll be on them forever. The pamphlet had all these old people on it, made me mad.
A lot of helpful responses so far. Thanks guys. (: Feel free to keep 'em coming.
Original Post by immabee:
Original Post by cellulitedelight:
So Nomo, if cholesterol is genetics and produced by the liver, one can assume if you have a great liver that loves you dearly, you can eat all of the dietary cholesterol you want and never have a care in the world.
Why is it, then, that when you have high cholesterol the doctors will tell you to reduce your dietary cholesterol, specifically the saturated fat?Ignorance?
I found out when I was like 35 that my cholesterol was high. I was already a healthy weight, so I changed my diet and started doing some cardio. Nothing happened. I tried for like 3 years to reduce it with lifestyle, and because of my age and low general risk factors the Doc went along with it. After a while it he prescribed meds and I'll be on them forever. The pamphlet had all these old people on it, made me mad.
I'm no doctor. And you should research it for yourself. But I suspect that cholesterol meds might do more harm than good, especially since high cholesterol in and of itself does *not* lead to heart disease or cardiac arrest. But check into it. See what you think. If you could stop taking that med, would you?
