Lowering Chloestrol (spelling?)

[Darla253]

Does anyone have any tips on lowering high cholestrol? Mine is 538 and needs to come down. The doctor didn't tell me much at all. Ugh.

[ajrsmom]

I would suggest low- carb dieting. Research the plans that are out there---South Beach, Atkins ....etc or just simply a low-carb plan of your own. This should help. My cholesteral went from 190 to 170 in 2 months on the South Beach Diet. I havent had it checked again since starting Atkins

Im curious though, since your cholesteral is so high, did your Doctor recommend any medication? I would voice my concerns to him and tell him that you want more information on how to deal with this.

Dont forget to add in some exercise with the low-carbing.

Good Luck to you. Keep us updated on your progress.


Tami

[Darla253]

Thanks for the reply. My doctor didn't want to put me on any medication just yet and thought I'd be able to control it with diet but he forgot to tell me what kind of diet. LOL. He's a Doogie Houser so I'll forgive him because of his age..........
I've done the Atkins, didn't stay on it long but am going to try the south beach diet. I actually found out it was high when I went to the plastic surgeon to have some scars removed that had turned white. Come to find out it being high will do that. So I went and got it checked and sure enough.
Right now I can't eat any meat. I have major problems with constipation (severe) and that's the number one food that does it. I always thought it was dairy until I finally did some searching. But, as soon as this is over and I'm back to myself I'll be able to diet again. Oh Lord, I hate to diet!!!!!!!

Again, thanks for your reply.

[ajrsmom]

I hope that everything works out for you.

You are welcome to join us on the low carb dinner plans thread.

http://www.familycorner.com/forums/f...?s=&forumid=46


We talk about the different plans that we are on, what works for us and what doesnt, exchange recipes and give support to each other.

I started low carbing for the same reasons....to lose weight but I didnt want to take a lot of the meds. that my endo. doc. said that he would have to put me on if I didnt lose the weight.


Keep in touch and let me know how things are going for you.


Tami

[pam333]

HI. I was told a few months ago that my cholesterol was too high and was immediately put on medication. And my # was only in the 200's, not the 500's. And a doctor at Dartmouth-Hitch**** told me in can NOT be lowered enough just by diet. Otherwise I would haved opted not to take med. That's just to tell you a different experience than yours. I'm not saying what's right and what's wrong. I'm not a doctor.
However, I would like to suggest (as friend, or as a 66-yr-old grandmother-like) that eating meat is probably what raised your chol. so high. It comes from saturated fat you eat, mostly. I eat smaller portions of meat and larger portions of vegies,etc. And until I was 65 my chol. was OK. But I am overweight now (probably 20-30lbs). However I have never been on a "diet". I don''t eat dairy because I am lactose intolerant, which sometimes happens when you get older. But I don't care because dairyhas a lot of saturated fat in it.
Sorry to ramble on, what I started out to say was I think a low-fat diet would be best for you. And I would double check about taking medication. I am usually against taking meds. but my dh is alive because he takes chol. meds and others after 4 heart attacks and by-pass surgery.

[MKS]

I would be very careful b4 starting a low carb diet. Many people lean heavily on the meat/eggs/cheese aspect of that diet. Those are things you would want to stay away from. If the 500 figure is not a misprint, I really would check with a second Dr. Although, you could call your current Dr for the information you need, that is a pretty huge over sight for a count over 500.

[Debbie F.]

Just in to share an idea my sil told me about. She was told her cholesterol was too high, but she didn't want to go on the rx drugs as they can supposedly do damage to your liver--so she opted to try garlic pills. They are not prescription--just generic garlic pills. After 9 months, her cholesterol dropped from 280 to 220. She also started walking every morning. I think the exercise did help alot, but even her doctor was surprised at the drop in her cholesterol levels at the 9 month mark. She swears by the garlic pills. Plus, her LDL (bad cholesterol) levels have dropped too. She hasn't made too many other dietary changes, so I just thought this advice might be something to consider.

[Lifestar]

Darla,

You need to go back to Dr. Doogie.. and make sure you get a little more information.

First of all...did you have a fasting blood test drawn? (If not, your cholesterol numbers are meaningless, and while you need not panic, you do need to have them re-checked...

If it WAS a fasting number, it is indeed very high. The standard is to have the overall number bhelow 260 without medication.. and below 200 for diet control alone.

You also need to find out the "fractionated" numbers. There are different types of cholesterol in your bloodstream. Some good, some not so good and some worse... The fractionated numbers will tell you how much of each type of cholesterol you have circulating in your blood..

There is HDL, LDL vLDL and Tryglycerides. Put all together they make up your overall number. When doctors compare the ratios of good cholesterol ( HDL ) to bad cholesterols, you have the ratio. Knowing the ratio is more important than the overall number. A ratio of greater than 35:1 is optimal.

YOu can raise your HDL, and or lower your tryglycerides and LDL's through a combination of diet, exercise and medications.

Carb intake has a TREMENDOUS impact on lowering tryglyceride levels, so if your tryglycerides are high, a low-carb diet will help..but it will INCREASE your LDL levels.

You HAVE to KNOW what your specific problem area is, or you run the risk of doing more harm than good. It's more than a number game... it's a maatter of heart-health. What's good for your neighbor, isn't necessarilly what's good for you.

Find out what your blood work shows and then pick the best plan, based on your results.

Good luck, and if I can give you any more info, just ask!

Another good resource for cholesterol info is the American Heart Association. www.americanheart.org

Val

[ajrsmom]

Well said, Val


Thanks!

[Chef Kevin]

Hi Darla (and all),

Been a while since I've dropped in here, life has been incredibly busy... which I guess, is a good thing...

Anyway, as to lowering your cholesterol...

Years ago my Mom had to lower her cholesterol drastically and started using an herbal granular supplement called "Lecithin" that really did the job for her. It's readily available at health food stores. Check with "Doogie" about it, and ask some more questions regarding your diet. He should be able to either answer your questions, or refer you to a trained dietitian that can.

BTW...Great Information, Val!

As to diets, I don't entirely subscribe to the low-carb systems, although I do use my own version on occasion to drop 5-10 lbs. quickly. I don't believe they are good long term programs. I prefer to eat either Mediterannean or Asian styles, which are mainly plant based and use smaller portions of meats, which are high in saturated fats.

I also use lots of fresh garlic, also a great natural reducer of cholesterol, as well as an immune system booster. Not to mention it tastes great

I actually wrote a couple articles for the last two issues of my ezine about carbs and such. If you're interested, go to:
http://www.cooking-solutions.com/ezinearchives.html
and take a look...
*Note to moderator- Amanda gave me permission to post my ezine on the boards.

Good luck on your mission, Darla. Remember, we're all in this together...