Cholesterol

[strawberry]

Hi All

I've had a cholesterol problem on and off for years. bout 18 years ago I got diagnosed as having a cholesterol problem, for the first time. The doctor recomended I go on the Pritican diet. I did this as well as studying the Pritican program, lots of walking and in about 6 months I go back to the doctor and my Cholesterol is normal.

Last month I go down to Bangkok for help with my diabetes problem and my cholesterol (total) comes out at 202 which is slightly above the max. normal.

Some of you folks gave me some great advice for my diabetes problem ,excercise for instance. So I buy a pair of 3 K dumbells and start to do some small exercise with these as well as working on my spare tyre and also some yoga asana's. That takes me from 15 minites to 20 minutes in the morning. Later on in the day I take a bike ride for up to an hour and try to make it a minimum of 40 minutes.

Now Ive changed my diet eating smaller meals, no fats and lots of salads eating about 6 times a day. 28 days, after my tests of last month, I confidently go back for more tests but shock my cholesterol tests at 230.

So the reason I ask ''what is it'' is can I assume that cholesterol hangs in around the cells in the body and as I exercise they slowly break loose causing me to show a hi cholesterol. Anyone know.

By the way my BG is working out ncely and thanks for all the good advice I got.

Joe

[Digger]

Try and avoid fatty or dairy products wherever possible. I understund butter and cheese's are some of the worst culprits. Also one part of an egg (but can never remember which part it is) and full fat milk. Vegtables are good as is fruit. I think that white fish is good as it white meat but red meat is relatively bad. So basically if you have fried greasy breakfast every day, cheese on toast for lunch and big steak with french fries for dinner, your on the wrong diet!!!

[waldwolf]

strawberry - The following is a post I made in an earlier thread here.

Approximately 80 percent of the bodies cholesterol is made by your liver. Your liver produces an enzyme which your own body then uses to produce cholesterol. The so-called cholesterol lowering drugs like Lipitor and Pravastatin actually inhibit the livers production of this enzyme, thereby causing the liver to takeup more of the bloods cholesterol.

Saturated fat raises your blood cholesterol level more than anything else in your diet. Therefore, the best way to reduce your blood cholesterol level is to reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat. All animal products, such as milk and butter contain high levels of saturated fat. This also applies to fish and shellfish (shrimp, lobster, etc.) but especially meat.

Unsaturated fat actually helps to lower cholesterol levels when it is substituted for saturated fat. Polyunsaturated fat is found in the oils of fish and shellfish (often referred to as fish oils, or omega-3 fatty acids), however, there is little evidence that omega-3 fatty acids are useful for reducing LDL-cholesterol levels. While "oily fish" such as herring, salmon, and mackerel contain the highest levels of polyunsaturated fat, the use of fish oil supplements are not recommended for the treatment of high blood cholesterol, because it is not known whether long-term ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids will lead to undesirable side effects. Tests (in women) showed omega-3 does provide some "blood thinning" qualities, which may aid in the prevention of strokes and heart attacks.

As our good Dr. Pepe has stated many times, when it comes to good health its all about DIET...DIET...DIET

As you are a diabetic, you should first obtain your doctors approval/recommendations on any diet change.

cheers

[Dragonman]

I have had high cholesterol for 25 years and have studied practically every shred of evidence on the subject.Even on seeing specialists they will only quote you known statistics but cannot give you definitives.

Cholesterol is not necessarily related to diet.I have in the past run up to 80 miles a week, cut out the relevant fats,etc.etc.Now with little exercise, due to an arthritic condition,my cholesterol is the same. My form is hereditary.You say you do not eat fats.I hope you mean you have cut down, as this will cause far more damage than elevated cholesterol!

I was given the choice of statins which can be a great help in lowering the chance of heart disease but have their own problems.It is a choice for the individual. Keep tabs on your blood pressure and have an ECG once a year.Eat reasonably,including fats but not to excess.Keep off prawns(difficult for me),liver.kidneys.Eat fatty meats on a limited basis(once or twice a week).

Most of all stay stress free,don't let it get to you.Don't forget,since you seem to live in Thailand like me you have a much greater chance of seeing your maker at the hands of an insane Thai driver.

[klx]

hi, my mother has problem with cholesterol.

We known a lot about it, but after visiting this

website http://cholesterol.bizhat.com, we have

found a simple true information about it and a

lot what we known before is false.

[vinny]

I'm currently reading an interesting book on Cholesterol at the moment. This book may help you and your doctor too. It's called:

"Cholesterol Control Without Diet! The Niacin Solution",

by William B. Parsons Jr., MD. It's published by Lilac Press, Scottsdale, Arizona, ISBN 0-9662568-6-7. First Printing 1998

For more information, see Cholesterol Control Without Diet

[sbk]

  Cholesterol is not necessarily related to diet.I have in the past run up to 80 miles a week, cut out the relevant fats,etc.etc.Now with little exercise, due to an arthritic condition,my cholesterol is the same. My form is hereditary.

Dragonman, this is so true. My mother was vegan for 15 years (and pretty good about it too) and still had a heart attack by the age of 60. Hers was hereditary. Her doctor told her she had delayed her heart attack but regardless of what she had eaten, it was still going to happen .

[lopburi3]

There does not seem to be one size fits all or even the same degree of danger for the same levels but in different people. Niacin has long been used but with huge side effects for many people. But there are those who believe vitamins and such are "natural" and to be preferred to medicine. I believe most authorities now recommend statin type drugs for the majority of us who have danger factors in our history. My wife and I both take simvastatin, and like the aspirin a day for heart attack, believe it is the thing to do.

[Sheryl]

Now Ive changed my diet eating smaller meals, no fats and lots of salads eating about 6 times a day. 28 days, after my tests of last month, I confidently go back for more tests but shock my cholesterol tests at 230.

So the reason I ask ''what is it'' is can I assume that cholesterol hangs in around the cells in the body and as I exercise they slowly break loose causing me to show a hi cholesterol. Anyone know.

By the way my BG is working out ncely and thanks for all the good advice I got.

Joe

Actually the cholestrol level alone does not give a complete picture. It is important to know the LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels. Basically, LDL is "bad" cholesterol while HDL is "good", and the ratio between them is important. A surprising number of doctors seem to have not kept up on this and will look just at the total cholesterol (TC), which is wrong. A slightly high TC is not a bad sign if your LDL is within normal limits and HDL is on the low side. There is actually a risk scale that uses these values and you chop off a full point if the HDL is high enough. If you can tell me what those 3 values were I can advice you better. Also -- I assume these levels were done completely fasting? Because any food intake (even green tea) will throw these values off.

Your diet sounds pretty good already. Avoid red meats and chicken skin (skined chicken and fish OK) and egg yolks. The whites of eggs are fine, what I do is to make omelets and scrambled eggs with egg whites and then just a part of 1 yolk (e.g. whites of 2 eggs plus 1/2 yolk of one, works fine and cuts the cholestrol in half). The excess yolk mixed with olive oil makes an excellent hair conditioner.

Oh and another point -- take care what type of oil is used in anything you eat that is fried. Olive oil and Canola (available at Villa Market) are best. Most of the oil sold in Thailand (and all of the oil used by street vendors & most restaurants) is the bad kind. So when eating out, avoid fried dishes if possible.

it is true, as other posters said, that diet is only a small factor in cholesterol levels hence the use of cholesterol lowering drugs but your level is not so high as to require that. Anyway be interested to hear the HDL/LDL and triglyceride breakdown.

[chuchok]

Sheryl,

Why is it that on a high protien diet consisting of all the bad things that you mentioned, my LDL dropped significantly?

[Sheryl]

Sheryl,

Why is it that on a high protien diet consisting of all the bad things that you mentioned, my LDL dropped significantly?

Not sure, but one of the ideas behind the high protein diets is that because fat delays stomach emptying & enhances the sense of fulness, and also because avoiding processed carbs gets you off the blood sugar yo-yo, you end up feeling satisfied with less food hence total intake is less. This theory proves true for some but didn't for me...I managed to eat just as much as ever & actually gained weight...but many people do respond the way the books promise. It may also have something to do with stabilized insulin levels although the relationship between that and lipids is unclear.

Anyhow what's most important is what happened to your HDL and triglycerides as those 2 are the best markers of future heart problems (in terms of lab values, that is. History of heart disease in the family is also important).