Cholesterol Questions

[Muki]

My hubby just back his blood test results (routine physical) and everything is great except his cholesterol. It's 265!!!!!!!! He's only 43! We know the basics, like there is no cholesterol in veggie etc, but we need more info. I've been searching the net as we wait for his next doc appt - but thought I'd ask here if anyone can give me some tips as to what may have worked for them. He has very bad eating habits (all junk). I attribute that to him being a single dad for many years and not having someone to take care of him. Well - he has me now (smiles) and he's willing to make the necessary changes. Any suggestions???? Thanks in advance! :)

[Willow]

My cholesterol is high also. It's 240. My doctor said that because I'm only 35 she doesn't want to put me on medication for it so she wants me to exercise more and make changes in my diet. I don't eat meat so there wasn't anything to really cut back on there. I love junk food which of course we all know is bad so if he at least cut down on that it would help. My parents both have high cholesterol so I think it runs in the family. I started seeing a nutritionist in March and she gave me a nice book with the food exchanges which has helped a lot. If he eats more lean means and vegetables and cuts back on fast foods if he eats them that should help.

[Katt]

Once he gives up junk food and starts exercising, it should come down, and his HDL should go up (The good cholesterol). Unless of course his cholesterol problems are genetic. When he got his numbers, did he get all the numbers, or just a total? There is the good cholesterol, which you want to be high, and bad cholesterol. (you probably already know that, but I figured I should throw it in for those that are reading and don't ;))

Most people don't realize that there is a common misconception about certain foods, such as eggs, red meat etc. It's the polyunsaturated fats that cause large amounts of arterial plaque. Only a very minute amount comes from saturated fats.

If he can lower his cholesterol, without meds, that would be best. The statin drugs can be dangerous and there is no proof they will actually reduce a person's risk of heart disease.

Anyway, hope ya'll get it figured out and he gets the numbers down. :)

[catssass]

Go to GNC, Walmart,etc. and get some "POLICOSANOL 10 mg." it is a natural form of the prescription cholesterol meds given by doctors, and it works, my DH has high cholesterol and his Dr. wanted to put him on a prescription med with tons of side effects and we did some research and found this and have been using for over 6 mos., his numbers have dropped 58 points in 6 mos. with no diet changes( he works a crazy schedule so its very hard for him to eat healthy), give a try and check it out online...Good Luck!

[Muki]

Thank you ALL for your help .... now I have a few more questions:

Patchouli: could you tell me the name of the book you have with the food exchanges?

Katt: are you saying eggs and red meats are not as bad as I think????? (You will make him one happy camper if this is what you are saying!) His HDL is great but his LDL needs to come down.

catssass: Thank you for the tip - we are all for natural ways vs medication!

You guys (generically speaking) are the best! :D :) ;) :rolleyes: :) ;) :D

[DivineMsDi]

I had a physical in March and mine was high...250? I was worried, but it runs in my family. I lost weight before this (and still hope to lose more). I try to eat more fruits and veg.

Now....here's the thing I learned. I was working out to Denise Austin and she had a segment about high cholesterol. She said to avoid the bad fats like Katt said. You want to stay away from foods with partially hydrogenated oils. (check on crackers, cookies, some cereals, that sort of thing).

Good luck.

[Katt]

Thank you ALL for your help .... now I have a few more questions:

Katt: are you saying eggs and red meats are not as bad as I think????? (You will make him one happy camper if this is what you are saying!) His HDL is great but his LDL needs to come down.

You guys (generically speaking) are the best! :D :) ;) :rolleyes: :) ;) :D

That's exactly what I'm saying ;) Let me get you a couple articles..hope you feel like reading LOL

This info was posted at the other board I go to, because we are always having to defend the WOE. Whenever I hear..."You are going to have a heart attack", or "Wow, your arteries must be really clogged by now", I tell them about my cholesterol that is down quite a bit, and then give them this info.

The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging
Volume 5, Number 3, 2001

Diet and Coronary Heart Disease: Findings from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals' Follow-Up Study

F.B. Hu, W.C. Willett

....
Cholesterol and eggs

.... To avoid elevations in blood cholesterol and reduce Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) risk, the public has been advised to consume no more than 300 mg cholesterol daily and limit consumption of eggs which contain about 213 mg cholesterol per egg. Surprisingly, there is little direct evidence linking higher egg consumption and incidence of CHD among 117,933 subjects in the NHS and HPFS, we found no evidence of an overall positive association between moderate egg consumption and risk of CHD in either men or women.
The null association of egg consumption with risk of CHD observed in these studies may be somewhat surprising, considering widespread belief that eggs are a major cause of heart disease.One egg contains about 200 mg cholesterol, but also appreciable amounts of protein, unsaturated fats, folate, B vitamins, and minerals. It is conceivable that the small adverse effect caused by cholesterol is counterbalanced by potential beneficial effects of other nutrients.

1: J Am Coll Nutr 2000 Oct;19(5 Suppl):556S-562S Related Articles, Links
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11023007&dopt=Abstract

After adjusting for demographic (age, gender and ethnicity) and lifestyle variables (smoking and physical activity), dietary chol. was not related to serum cholesterol concentration.people who wereeating > or = 4 eggs/wk had a significantly lower mean serum cholesterol concentration than those who reported eating < or = 1 egg/wk (193 mg/dL vs. 197 mg/dL, p < 0.01). More frequent egg consumption was negatively associated with serum cholesterol concentration (beta = -6.45, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In this cross-sectional and population-based study, egg consumption made important nutritional contributions to the American diet and was not associated with high serum cholesterol concentrations.

*thanks to Dana at LCF for the info ;)*

[Katt]

Study: Low-Fat May Not Be Best for Heart
By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A relatively high amount of fat in the diet may be a boon to a healthy person's cholesterol levels, a small study suggests. On the other hand, limiting fat intake too much could have the opposite effect.

Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo found that when 11 healthy but sedentary adults followed a very low-fat diet (19 percent of calories from fat) for three weeks, they saw a drop in their HDL cholesterol -- the "good" cholesterol believed to protect against heart disease.

In contrast, three weeks on a diet that provided 50 percent of calories from fat boosted participants' HDL levels, according to findings published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

To circulate in the blood, cholesterol must be attached to a protein, forming a complex called a lipoprotein. HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, molecules carry cholesterol away from the arteries and to the liver to be cleared from the body. Experts believe that an HDL level of 60 or more helps lower the risk of heart disease, while a level lower than 40 raises the risk.

The new findings suggest that adequate fat intake can help ward off heart disease by raising HDL.

"That isn't to say we think everyone should be on a 50-percent fat diet," study co-author Dr. David R. Pendergast told Reuters Health.

But, he said, the findings do indicate that moderation, and not tight restriction, is the way to go. According to Pendergast, that means getting about 30 to 35 percent of calories from fat -- at or slightly more than the level health officials currently recommend.

But he also stressed the importance of calorie balance, which means eating only enough to meet the body's calorie expenditure. Fat has more calories per gram than either carbohydrates or protein, and if a person takes in more calories as a result of eating more fat, weight gain may follow.

While saturated fat is blamed for raising "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, Pendergast said it may in fact be the combination of lots of fat and too many calories that makes for unhealthy cholesterol profiles.

In his team's study, the high-fat diet -- rich in foods such as red meat and olive oil -- provided roughly the same number of daily calories as participants' regular diets, which contained about 30 percent of calories from fat.

The 19-percent low-fat diet had fewer calories, and men and women in the study lost a small amount of weight while following it. Their HDL levels, however, were significantly lower on this diet than on the high-fat one-an average of 54 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), versus 63 mg/dL, Pendergast and his colleagues found.

What's more, the high-fat diet did not boost LDL cholesterol beyond the levels participants had on their regular diets.

Although the men and women followed each diet for only three weeks, Pendergast said he does not think the cholesterol effects are "transient."

He and his colleagues had previously conducted a similar study with endurance runners, in which a very low fat intake had negative effects on HDL cholesterol and on immune function. Pendergast said this research suggests that both healthy, sedentary people and healthy athletes are "probably not well served" by diets very low in fat.

Whether high- and low-fat diets have the same effects in obese individuals or those with cardiovascular disease is not yet clear, he noted.

As for why a high-fat, calorie-conscious diet might bump up HDL levels, one theory is that dietary fat leads to higher levels of the chief HDL transporter protein, ApoA1.

SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Nutrition, April 2004.

[Willow]

Patchouli: could you tell me the name of the book you have with the food exchanges?


The book that the nutritionist gave me is called "Exchange Lists for Weight Management". I don't know if it's something you could buy in a store or if it's only available through a nutritionist or dietician. On the inside of the front cover it has a number to call for more information about healthy meal plans. You can speak with a registered dietician. Here is the number. 1-800-366-1655.

[Muki]

Thank you thank you thank you!

This is great information to get me started. I'll call that number at lunch time and see if they can send me the book or at least tell me where I can get a copy. I don't mind reading at all, Katt - as a matter of fact I love to read!

Thanks again. A special prayer going up for you angels! :)

[Willow]

Thank you thank you thank you!

This is great information to get me started. I'll call that number at lunch time and see if they can send me the book or at least tell me where I can get a copy. I don't mind reading at all, Katt - as a matter of fact I love to read!

Thanks again. A special prayer going up for you angels! :)


You're welcome! :)

[schsa]

Ok, I hate to diet and I really hate cholestrol because that total figure doesn't mean that much until you get it broken down into how many big particals and how many medium and how many small (my doctor gave me a chemistry lesson when he was explaining all of this). Some people have naturally low cholestrol and can eat anything like my BIL and my boss. And then there is me. No fat milk, low fat everything else, and I am on Lipitor and Zetia to keep my cholestrol down.

I think it's a conspiracy by the low fat milk people.

[Katt]

No problem :) I hope he is able to find something that works for him, and is able to get those numbers down. :)