Tips to reduce chloresterol (LDL) level

[misterphil]

I was diagnosed with high cholesterol HDL and low cholesterol LDL about 4 years ago. I looked on the internet to find out how to lower it and come up with that if you use olive oil in your cooking, it scrapes the cholesterol of the linings of your arteries. So after 6 months of using only olive oil for cooking and also taking olive oil capsules I had no bad cholesterol. I also stopped eating out for a while as I didn't know what they were cooking with, probably cheap ass vegetable oil. Omega 3 is a good supplement for high cholesterol. Oatmeal too, quaker oats and the like.

You can also use Lipitor to bring your cholesterol levels correct, but you must change your diet and lifestyle as this is just a temporary fix.

Your first sentence makes no sense at all.

You have three types of cholesterol and triglycerides.

HDL is high density lipoproteins - this is your good cholesterol and the higher this is the better.

LDL is low density lipoproteins - this is reputedly your bad cholesterol but this is under debate (once oxidised by free radicals it probably is bad however).

vLDL- very low density lipoproteins - the one to avoid.

Triglycerides - fat carried in the blood by the vLDL which accumulates as visceral fat which surrounds your vital organs and lies in your abdominal region (gut)

It was 4 years ago, so cant remember exactly, but it was all messed up and I got it sorted out.

Well done - good for you!!

Yeah, very good ey?

[Jonmarleesco]

Cholesterol occurs naturally in the body. The issue is dietary cholesterol, which is generally a by-product of animal derived foods, but in particular egg yolks and shellfish; though you don't actually need to cut either out; just down, substantially.

At 146, your LDL - the so-called bad cholesterol - isn't that high as the guideline Thai figure is 131; though my cardiologist likes the idea of it being under 100. I am surprised your doctor hasn't recommended statin-based medication, but perhaps he's waiting on any results from a diet change.

And, yes, exercise makes a difference.

[Leung Falang]

Studies show that only 15% of your cholesterol comes from your diet. Diet and exercise can help, but at some point, most of us need statins. There are six of them that can affect you differently-some become stronger if used with grapefruit or pomelo. Your doctor can help you chose a safe and cost effective statin.

Doctors like these results best:

LDL 0-100 HDL >40 Triglycerides <150

[goatfarmer]

Cholesterol occurs naturally in the body. The issue is dietary cholesterol, which is generally a by-product of animal derived foods, but in particular egg yolks and shellfish; though you don't actually need to cut either out; just down, substantially.

What a primitive cave we live in.

Why would you want to reduce your cholesterol if it's around 240?

Why cut down on eggs? They are the most nutrient-dense food on the planet.

Do you really think that dietary cholesterol will significantly affect your serum cholesterol?

Have any of you correlated your thyroid status to your serum cholesterol levels?

[SICHONSTEVE]

Cholesterol occurs naturally in the body. The issue is dietary cholesterol, which is generally a by-product of animal derived foods, but in particular egg yolks and shellfish; though you don't actually need to cut either out; just down, substantially.

What a primitive cave we live in.

Why would you want to reduce your cholesterol if it's around 240?

Why cut down on eggs? They are the most nutrient-dense food on the planet.

Do you really think that dietary cholesterol will significantly affect your serum cholesterol?

Have any of you correlated your thyroid status to your serum cholesterol levels?

At last someone who knows what they are talking about - as for the "the doctor will tell you which one of the 6 statins to choose from" poster, Oh dear!!! an early grave for him, methinks!!

[Borzandy]

Thanks for this helpful topic. I'm in a similar position. Living in Thailand for 13 y, it took too long to realize that everything is fried using palm oil (most of the time not fresh oil)

[Tolley]

Cholesterol occurs naturally in the body. The issue is dietary cholesterol, which is generally a by-product of animal derived foods, but in particular egg yolks and shellfish; though you don't actually need to cut either out; just down, substantially.

What a primitive cave we live in.

Why would you want to reduce your cholesterol if it's around 240?

Why cut down on eggs? They are the most nutrient-dense food on the planet.

Do you really think that dietary cholesterol will significantly affect your serum cholesterol?

Have any of you correlated your thyroid status to your serum cholesterol levels?

I certainly wouldn't worry over those levels.

You could cut down on the fried foods and white rice as a general health kick but your numbers are not such a huge problem.

HDL/Tricly ratio is more important as is weight blood pressure etc

[ThaiTrav]

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Good topic, I'm in a similar position

Bad:

Eggs, the yolks especially. This is probably the #1 contributor to high LDL levels, so no more phad Thai, no more fried eggs on pad krapow, etc.

Seafood (except fish), the worst offender being squid, but mussels, oysters and other shellfish also best avoided.

Red meat, especially processed and fatty meat such as burgers. A lean, good quality steak wouldn't be too bad but a McDonald's burger would be terrible

Anything deep fried

Anything fried in palm oil

Fatty dairy foods: Cheese, full fat milk, butter, mayonnaise, etc.

Offal (liver, kidneys, etc.) and this therefore also falls under burgers, sausages and the like.

Processed meat such as salami, streaky bacon, cold cuts.

Any other fatty meat so avoid chicken skin, fatty pork, etc.

Good:

Fish of any kind (but not deep fried, but even that would be better than deep fried other meats)

Ginger

Garlic

Green tea

Dark chocolate (apparently, but this seems to be a bit disputed)

All fruit and veg in general (as long as not fried in palm oil or whatever)

Grains and fibre

Nuts

Pulses

Also do 150 minutes aerobic exercise per week. I've now started doing 30 minutes every day mid-week. Cod Liver Oil tablets also help apparently.

I think some good Thai dishes would be:

- Isaan salads such as somtam

- Kai pad khing (chicken fried in ginger)

- Pad pak ruam

- Nam prik

- Kua kring and other non-seafood, non-deep fried southern Thai food

I must admit that a lot of the LDL increasing ingredients do crop up an awful not in Thai food, and a lot of street food uses palm oil apparently.

You don't need to live like a complete health freak though. Beer, for example, doesn't contribute to LDL levels (but affects triglyceride I think).

Have you left anything tasty and good that can eat.

[TonyBkk]

Good topic, I'm in a similar position

Bad:

Eggs, the yolks especially. This is probably the #1 contributor to high LDL levels, so no more phad Thai, no more fried eggs on pad krapow, etc.

Seafood (except fish), the worst offender being squid, but mussels, oysters and other shellfish also best avoided.

Red meat, especially processed and fatty meat such as burgers. A lean, good quality steak wouldn't be too bad but a McDonald's burger would be terrible

Anything deep fried

Anything fried in palm oil

Fatty dairy foods: Cheese, full fat milk, butter, mayonnaise, etc.

Offal (liver, kidneys, etc.) and this therefore also falls under burgers, sausages and the like.

Processed meat such as salami, streaky bacon, cold cuts.

Any other fatty meat so avoid chicken skin, fatty pork, etc.

Good:

Fish of any kind (but not deep fried, but even that would be better than deep fried other meats)

Ginger

Garlic

Green tea

Dark chocolate (apparently, but this seems to be a bit disputed)

All fruit and veg in general (as long as not fried in palm oil or whatever)

Grains and fibre

Nuts

Pulses

Also do 150 minutes aerobic exercise per week. I've now started doing 30 minutes every day mid-week. Cod Liver Oil tablets also help apparently.

I think some good Thai dishes would be:

- Isaan salads such as somtam

- Kai pad khing (chicken fried in ginger)

- Pad pak ruam

- Nam prik

- Kua kring and other non-seafood, non-deep fried southern Thai food

I must admit that a lot of the LDL increasing ingredients do crop up an awful not in Thai food, and a lot of street food uses palm oil apparently.

You don't need to live like a complete health freak though. Beer, for example, doesn't contribute to LDL levels (but affects triglyceride I think).

I am afraid that there is a lot of bad advice here!!

The absolute worst advice is Canola oil - this is absolutely disastrous for the body, almost certainly the worst oil out there.

The two oils to consume are virgin olive oil for marinades and light cooking and organic cold pressed virgin coconut oil for cooking.

What is the doctor thinking about when he said stop eating coconuts?

What people should realise is that cholesterol isn't bad for you - in fact the body needs it. Dietary cholesterol plays an insignificant part in your cholesterol level anyway. What you need to guard against is inflammation as that is the REAL kille and results from ingesting too much omega 6's from cooking oils such as canola oil and other refined vegetable oils!!

If your diet has too much cholesterol in it your body (which makes up to 80% of the cholesterol) compensates by producing less.

For your health, reduce your simple carbohydrate intake, do not eat refined (factory produced foods) - anything out of a packet, carton, box and avoid anything that is low sugar, low fat, or has diet or healthy somewhere on the label.

Eat oats (not the instant kind though), avocado's, vegetables, fruit (slightly less so), nuts, seeds, eggs (especially the yolk), and avoid sugars and cereals (especially wheat and corn based ones).

Kefir and other fermented foods are good for you (apple cider vinegar with the mother) and consider taking milk thistle (I take ultrathistle).

I reduced my cholesterol (before I realised that it wasn't really necessary to do so) from 270 to 150 (too low) in 1 month simply through diet and some exercise. I halved my triglycerides at the same time - this is more dangerous than your LDL levels BTW.

If I was to proffer up one bit of advice it would be: NEVER TAKE STATINS as they are unnecessary and are killers into the bargain as they deplete life giving COQ10 and cause heart problems and strokes as well as a host of side effects.

Check Dr Mercola's website for health advice as he is a guru on this kind of thing and will put you in the picture as to what you should be doing. I followed his advice and cured a catalogue of things wrong with my body and blood profile. I was on the verge of being pre-diabetic and now my blood sugar levels are normal. Same with my liver function markers, my inflammation has gone, my blood pressure was 155/90 now it is 115/70 (pulse of 55), as mentioned my cholesterol was 270 - it went down to 150 and I let it rise to 204 (200 is considered normal).

What's more my energy levels and feeling of well being has been transformed and I feel 30 years younger. Dr Mercola is the answer!!!!

As a RN I really have a hard time taking most things Dr. Mercola preaches as serious, he has a habit of stating his own personal opinion as scientific fact with zero research to back up his claims. The FDA is after him for making misleading claims and for running aggressive direct marketing claims through his website, they have also warned his company to stop making illegal claims (i.e without running scientific trials) that his products can prevent and treat diseases.

I would be highly critical for anyone to promote a quack like "dr" Mercola, and feel its my duty as a health care professional to urge anyone to thoroughly reconsider taking any of his advice as truth, consult your doctor before giving up any pharmacological medication before buying his own brand homeopathic alternative medication through his website.

[Zodaka]

I was diagnosed with high cholesterol HDL and low cholesterol LDL about 4 years ago. I looked on the internet to find out how to lower it and come up with that if you use olive oil in your cooking, it scrapes the cholesterol of the linings of your arteries. So after 6 months of using only olive oil for cooking and also taking olive oil capsules I had no bad cholesterol. I also stopped eating out for a while as I didn't know what they were cooking with, probably cheap ass vegetable oil. Omega 3 is a good supplement for high cholesterol. Oatmeal too, quaker oats and the like.

You can also use Lipitor to bring your cholesterol levels correct, but you must change your diet and lifestyle as this is just a temporary fix.

Your first sentence makes no sense at all.

You have three types of cholesterol and triglycerides.

HDL is high density lipoproteins - this is your good cholesterol and the higher this is the better.

LDL is low density lipoproteins - this is reputedly your bad cholesterol but this is under debate (once oxidised by free radicals it probably is bad however).

vLDL- very low density lipoproteins - the one to avoid.

Triglycerides - fat carried in the blood by the vLDL which accumulates as visceral fat which surrounds your vital organs and lies in your abdominal region (gut)

Type two LDL is the dangerous one. I don't know if that's the same as vLDL. Type two is bad for you as its the one that sticks to your arteries near your heart.

[thepool]

I note someone here says rice contains cholesterol !

Nutrition Facts

Rice, white, long-grain, cooked

Amount Per 1 cup (158 g)

Calories 206

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.4 g 0%

Saturated fat 0.1 g 0%

Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g

Monounsaturated fat 0.1 g

Cholesterol 0 mg 0%

Sodium 2 mg 0%

Potassium 55 mg 1%

Total Carbohydrate 45 g 15%

Dietary fiber 0.6 g 2%

Sugar 0.1 g

Protein 4.2 g 8%

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 1% Iron 1%

Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 5%

Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 4%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Sources include: USDA

[simon43]

Well, except for the bread if your blood glucose is high --- did they check that for you?

Yes, I had a complete health check-up. Blood, blood glucose, heart, liver, kidneys etc etc all completely normal. Only issue was my choresterol level....

Simon

PS - I can understand why my LDL is high. My typical breakfast is an omelette made with 3 eggs and a glass of full-fat milk (because it tastes better than low-fat milk).

PPS

OP seems to like the fried rice.

Actually no! For several years, I have been at the mercy of my well-meaning but totally dysfunctional Thai family of my ex, who cook whatever is at hand, which generally means rice and more rice, with some rice thrown in on special occasions....

As from next month, I am moving into my own little house/hotel, and I'm installing a kichen and cooking facilities that will enable me to prepare my own meals, using my own ingredients.

So cocoa-flavoured oats, grilled fish, fruit, vegs and nuts, all washed down with copious amounts of green tea should set me in the right direction...

[mrfaroukh]

Most things bad or good is almost been covered here. I am going to tell you something else. Change your life style. Start with early morning walk of at least one hour. then if you have swimming pool jump into it and in the evening do some gym.

Reduce your stress what so ever. Stress is one of the main cause for any health issue even cancer. Many people even eat more when they are stress.

Avoid putting salt on anything. I never add salt to anything I eat, no matter if the taste is good or not.

If you go to Thai restaurant and they going to prepare the meal in front of you (many restaurant do that) then tell them no oil, sugar and salt.

If you making food at home use the best olive oil. It is good for reducing your bad cholesterol. Walnuts are also very good for the same reason.

Avoid all kind of milk product, use only skim if you have to.

If you have to eat egg, then eat only boiled egg (white).

If you are interested in meat then eat only grilled meat (chicken, fish) no skin.

Eat lots of vegetables. Best food you can have for lunch and dinner is a bowl of vegetable soup, 150 grams of mix salad (no salad dressing), two pieces of fruit (apple, pineapple, papaya, watermelon) no banana or grapes and specially no mango.

I can also advise you to spend some money and join some health spa. I am going to one every year for a month to detox my body from any kind of poison. It will cost you almost 1500 Baht a day (including executive room, massages, yoga, all meals and drinks, other treatments). I lost 14 kg in 40 days. My diabetic is gone for ever ( I was suffering from diabetic type 2 for 6 years and having medicine), I had started hyper thyroid which has also gone. And the most important thing is after this 40 days I have changed all my life style. Couple of times in a year I eat junk food against 20 times a month. Looking much better now. And i go there for a month every year. This place is called www.jindalnaturecure.org which is in Bangalore city in India. It is a very nice, clean, organized place and they are very serious about what they do. You are not allowed any kind of food, cigerates, drinks to bring with you. If seen they kick you out. Now choice is yours.

My only problem now is that my good Cholesterol is low and I am trying to increase it by exercise, good food,. If anyone has any suggestion Please don't hesitate.

Also Flax Seed is very good for reducing bad cholesterol and increasing the good one.

Good luck

[m1kael]

Good topic, I'm in a similar position

Bad:

Eggs, the yolks especially. This is probably the #1 contributor to high LDL levels, so no more phad Thai, no more fried eggs on pad krapow, etc.

Seafood (except fish), the worst offender being squid, but mussels, oysters and other shellfish also best avoided.

Red meat, especially processed and fatty meat such as burgers. A lean, good quality steak wouldn't be too bad but a McDonald's burger would be terrible

Anything deep fried

Anything fried in palm oil

Fatty dairy foods: Cheese, full fat milk, butter, mayonnaise, etc.

Offal (liver, kidneys, etc.) and this therefore also falls under burgers, sausages and the like.

Processed meat such as salami, streaky bacon, cold cuts.

Any other fatty meat so avoid chicken skin, fatty pork, etc.

Good:

Fish of any kind (but not deep fried, but even that would be better than deep fried other meats)

Ginger

Garlic

Green tea

Dark chocolate (apparently, but this seems to be a bit disputed)

All fruit and veg in general (as long as not fried in palm oil or whatever)

Grains and fibre

Nuts

Pulses

Also do 150 minutes aerobic exercise per week. I've now started doing 30 minutes every day mid-week. Cod Liver Oil tablets also help apparently.

I think some good Thai dishes would be:

- Isaan salads such as somtam

- Kai pad khing (chicken fried in ginger)

- Pad pak ruam

- Nam prik

- Kua kring and other non-seafood, non-deep fried southern Thai food

I must admit that a lot of the LDL increasing ingredients do crop up an awful not in Thai food, and a lot of street food uses palm oil apparently.

You don't need to live like a complete health freak though. Beer, for example, doesn't contribute to LDL levels (but affects triglyceride I think).

I can agree on the most things on the BAD list exept the egg. That egg is bad is an old myth that is hard to bust.

As for my self, I eat 2 eggs a day and have never had any problem with high cholesterol. On the other hand, I visit the gym regurlarly and run a few times a week.

Please read the following article regarding the egg. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/dain-wallis/eggs-healthy-food_b_2968318.html

- Mikael -

[FNQ]

The best thing to reduce it is a daily bowl of porridge for breakfast. It soaks up all the bad cholesterol

This is true as mine is coming down, it takes a couple of months to show in the results .

In addition I was told that mixing a small amount of Chia ? Seeds in oats is very good.

[JimHuaHin]

I have similar issues.

My doctor in Thailand told me I need to exercise - I walk for about an hour a day and spend an hour gardening, I inform him ..... not enough says he ... need to get heart rate up .... swim for 15-30 minutes a day says he!!

Also eat a handful of almonds or walnuts a day ... but I already eat nuts as I am a vegetarian ... try just almonds instructs my doctor.

Fish oil is also apparantly good ... though I have not tried it yet ... waiting to see how the meds the doctor gave me work.

Stop smoking also helps.

In Australia, my GP suggested I eat Basmati rice, rather than jamine rice .... and that did seem to have some impact before I moved here .... but have been unable to locate Basmati rice in Hua Hin.

Good luck.

[dantilley]

OP seems to like the fried rice.

Actually no! For several years, I have been at the mercy of my well-meaning but totally dysfunctional Thai family of my ex, who cook whatever is at hand, which generally means rice and more rice, with some rice thrown in on special occasions....

As from next month, I am moving into my own little house/hotel, and I'm installing a kichen and cooking facilities that will enable me to prepare my own meals, using my own ingredients.

So cocoa-flavoured oats, grilled fish, fruit, vegs and nuts, all washed down with copious amounts of green tea should set me in the right direction...

Rice in general is good, no need to avoid it if your main aim is to reduce LDL cholestoral. As long as it's not fried, it will be a good filler and a healthy food to base meals on.

[canman]

What worked for me:

limit intake of white food; rice, pasta, potatoe & bread.

Increase oily fish intake; salmon, sardines and mackerel

Handfull of almonds and walnuts each day

Green tea

Eliminate all sugar except for fruit

Eat 90% pure cocoa. For a chocolate lover the almost pure cocoa taste took some getting used to but really enjoying it now.

Take fish oil and flaxseed oil supplements

Take CoQ10 and Red yeast Rice supplement (a natural statin)

Take Pomegranate extract

Trying to give up the smokes and cut down alcohol intake but not doing to well on that front.

Lost 12Kg

I dont have my numbers to hand but they were really bad, cardiologist insisted I take statins. I said give me 4 months and we check again. After 4 months my numbers were well withing the recommended guidelines and the doc was impressed.

Edit to add: After 15 years of taking them I am off BP meds and BP holding within an acceptable range.

[SICHONSTEVE]

I was diagnosed with high cholesterol HDL and low cholesterol LDL about 4 years ago. I looked on the internet to find out how to lower it and come up with that if you use olive oil in your cooking, it scrapes the cholesterol of the linings of your arteries. So after 6 months of using only olive oil for cooking and also taking olive oil capsules I had no bad cholesterol. I also stopped eating out for a while as I didn't know what they were cooking with, probably cheap ass vegetable oil. Omega 3 is a good supplement for high cholesterol. Oatmeal too, quaker oats and the like.

You can also use Lipitor to bring your cholesterol levels correct, but you must change your diet and lifestyle as this is just a temporary fix.

Your first sentence makes no sense at all.

You have three types of cholesterol and triglycerides.

HDL is high density lipoproteins - this is your good cholesterol and the higher this is the better.

LDL is low density lipoproteins - this is reputedly your bad cholesterol but this is under debate (once oxidised by free radicals it probably is bad however).

vLDL- very low density lipoproteins - the one to avoid.

Triglycerides - fat carried in the blood by the vLDL which accumulates as visceral fat which surrounds your vital organs and lies in your abdominal region (gut)

Type two LDL is the dangerous one. I don't know if that's the same as vLDL. Type two is bad for you as its the one that sticks to your arteries near your heart.

Yes, vLDL is indeed the dangerous one that causes plaque to become sticky and block your arteries!!

[Krataiboy]

Studies show that only 15% of your cholesterol comes from your diet. Diet and exercise can help, but at some point, most of us need statins. There are six of them that can affect you differently-some become stronger if used with grapefruit or pomelo. Your doctor can help you chose a safe and cost effective statin.

Doctors like these results best:

LDL 0-100 HDL >40 Triglycerides <150

Expecting to find the answers to complex questions relating to cholesterol and statins on this Forum is optimistic to say the least

As some of the postings show all too clearly, there is an awful lot of misinformation out there being peddled as fact.

So where DO you go for help.

Your GP is not, unfortunately, necessarily the most reliable source - any more than is Big Pharma, who have ways of getting doctors to push their cholesterol-related products.

My advice, as someone who has been through the mill of conventional cholesterol treatment for high blood pressure, is to do some extensive independent research before committing to a "cure".

You may end up popping bills, or instead stepping up your bacon and egg consumption (both are recommended by different factions in the cholesterol debate). But whatever action you take will at least be based on a comprehensive review of the facts,rather than snippets of fact and a lot of fantasy.

Google is an obvious starting point to access the views of experts of all kinds - doctors, scientists, nutritionists etc - and YouTube offers many videos covering all aspects of the Great Cholesterol Controversy.

Good luck with finding a healthy solution to your cholesterol "problem" (which, by the time you have done some digging you may find is not a problem at all!).

[oldsailor35]

My great grandmother never listened to all this crap, she lived to 108.

My grandmother never listened to all this crap , she lived to 98

My mother never listened to all this crap and she passed away last year at 96

I don't pay much attention to all this crap and i am going well at 78.

Wonder what the average lifespan is for all the diet experts in here.

[goatfarmer]

Good topic, I'm in a similar position

Bonsidered normal).

What's more my energy levels and feeling of well being has been transformed and I feel 30 years younger. Dr Mercola is the answer!!!!

As a RN I really have a hard time taking most things Dr. Mercola preaches as serious, he has a habit of stating his own personal opinion as scientific fact with zero research to back up his claims. The FDA is after him for making misleading claims and for running aggressive direct marketing claims through his website, they have also warned his company to stop making illegal claims (i.e without running scientific trials) that his products can prevent and treat diseases.

I would be highly critical for anyone to promote a quack like "dr" Mercola, and feel its my duty as a health care professional to urge anyone to thoroughly reconsider taking any of his advice as truth, consult your doctor before giving up any pharmacological medication before buying his own brand homeopathic alternative medication through his website.

Being a 'healthcare professional' is hardly a recommendation when there is so much official disinformation on the subject of cholesterol and the causes of heart disease.

[goatfarmer]

Studies show that only 15% of your cholesterol comes from your diet. Diet and exercise can help, but at some point, most of us need statins. There are six of them that can affect you differently-some become stronger if used with grapefruit or pomelo. Your doctor can help you chose a safe and cost effective statin.

Doctors like these results best:

LDL 0-100 HDL >40 Triglycerides <150

Expecting to find the answers to complex questions relating to cholesterol and statins on this Forum is optimistic to say the least

As some of the postings show all too clearly, there is an awful lot of misinformation out there being peddled as fact.

So where DO you go for help.

Your GP is not, unfortunately, necessarily the most reliable source - any more than is Big Pharma, who have ways of getting doctors to push their cholesterol-related products.

My advice, as someone who has been through the mill of conventional cholesterol treatment for high blood pressure, is to do some extensive independent research before committing to a "cure".

You may end up popping bills, or instead stepping up your bacon and egg consumption (both are recommended by different factions in the cholesterol debate). But whatever action you take will at least be based on a comprehensive review of the facts,rather than snippets of fact and a lot of fantasy.

Google is an obvious starting point to access the views of experts of all kinds - doctors, scientists, nutritionists etc - and YouTube offers many videos covering all aspects of the Great Cholesterol Controversy.

Good luck with finding a healthy solution to your cholesterol "problem" (which, by the time you have done some digging you may find is not a problem at all!).

I concur.

I would also add that cholesterol, far from being a toxin, as the myth would have you believe, is one of the most essential molecules in your body for such functions as the production of steroid and sex hormones, the proper functioning of the immune system both innate and adaptive, to maintain the integrity of every cell wall in your body and to create bile acids for the digestion of fats. Reduce it at your peril.

[SICHONSTEVE]

What worked for me:

limit intake of white food; rice, pasta, potatoe & bread.

Increase oily fish intake; salmon, sardines and mackerel

Handfull of almonds and walnuts each day

Green tea

Eliminate all sugar except for fruit

Eat 90% pure cocoa. For a chocolate lover the almost pure cocoa taste took some getting used to but really enjoying it now.

Take fish oil and flaxseed oil supplements

Take CoQ10 and Red yeast Rice supplement (a natural statin)

Take Pomegranate extract

Trying to give up the smokes and cut down alcohol intake but not doing to well on that front.

Lost 12Kg

I dont have my numbers to hand but they were really bad, cardiologist insisted I take statins. I said give me 4 months and we check again. After 4 months my numbers were well withing the recommended guidelines and the doc was impressed.

Edit to add: After 15 years of taking them I am off BP meds and BP holding within an acceptable range.

Congrats!!Looks like you did the same thing as me with equal success - I eat 99% Lindt dark chocolate every day, have brown rice, take COQ10, ultra thistle, sea buckthorn, krill oil, vitamin D3, ALA, NAC, omega 7, artichoke, chromium, potassium, zinc and magnesium supplements, eat loads of nuts (pistachio and macadamia in particular)), seeds (pumpkin and sunflower), drink coconut water, herbal and green teas, only use organic virgin coconut oil and virgin olive oil, have an organic lemon/fenugreek seed, 12 spice (cinnamon, turmeric + 10 other selected spices) combo tea every morning and it cured ALL my ills - plus I lost a stone in weight (even though I wasn't particularly overweight at 81Kg) without doing any exercise or taking a single prescription drug.

I went to see my doctor and he gave me a thorough check up with ultra sound (he found that I had NAFLD) or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, high blood sugar levels, high blood pressure elevated cholesterol and liver markers as well as high inflammation!!!! I also had no energy, felt like 'death warmed up' EVERY MORNING - he simply said to me in good English (for a Thai) "OK, that's what is wrong with you" "now go and look it up on the internet and fix yourself"!! Brilliant advice - thanks to him and Dr Mercola I am healthy, pain free, feel like a teenager health wise (and I'm 57 YO)!!!

Just one final thing - two friends of mine developed type 2 diabetes at pretty much the same time. One of them asked me to help them and the other took the doctors meds. He has completely reversed his diabetes in just under 2 months and she is still suffering!!!!

He also had a massive argument with his doctor and he retreated like a little sheep at the onslaught!!

[uptheos]

What worked for me:

limit intake of white food; rice, pasta, potatoe & bread.

Increase oily fish intake; salmon, sardines and mackerel

Handfull of almonds and walnuts each day

Green tea

Eliminate all sugar except for fruit

Eat 90% pure cocoa. For a chocolate lover the almost pure cocoa taste took some getting used to but really enjoying it now.

Take fish oil and flaxseed oil supplements

Take CoQ10 and Red yeast Rice supplement (a natural statin)

Take Pomegranate extract

Trying to give up the smokes and cut down alcohol intake but not doing to well on that front.

Lost 12Kg

I dont have my numbers to hand but they were really bad, cardiologist insisted I take statins. I said give me 4 months and we check again. After 4 months my numbers were well withing the recommended guidelines and the doc was impressed.

Edit to add: After 15 years of taking them I am off BP meds and BP holding within an acceptable range.

Warnings

Pomegranate juice may increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis for patients on statin therapy possibly due to the inhibition of CYP 450 enzymes

Diabetic patients should be careful because of the sugar content of pomegranate.

Maybe he didn't know what you were taking or didn't know the interaction.

http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/herb/pomegranate

[laislica]

I note someone here says rice contains cholesterol !

Nutrition Facts

Rice, white, long-grain, cooked

Amount Per 1 cup (158 g)

Calories 206

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.4 g 0%

Saturated fat 0.1 g 0%

Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g

Monounsaturated fat 0.1 g

Cholesterol 0 mg 0%

Sodium 2 mg 0%

Potassium 55 mg 1%

Total Carbohydrate 45 g 15%

Dietary fiber 0.6 g 2%

Sugar 0.1 g

Protein 4.2 g 8%

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 1% Iron 1%

Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 5%

Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 4%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Sources include: USDA

You are 100% correct, carbs do not "contain" cholesterol - your body uses carbs to make cholesterol!

Search the web for the UK's BBC series "The truth about food"

Learn how to reduce hardening of the arteries and cure ED with raw crushed garlic - It worked for me at 70!

Read up on glycemic index, the rate at which carbs are turned into sugar.

Look into the connection with why booze can only be processed by the liver and the sugar Fructose - AKA HFCS.

(Booze makes you fat yeah? So does fructose)

Funnily enough, this series and Dr Mercola seem to agree a hell of a lot.

Since the FDA are run for and by the big companies, maybe his "Truths" may hurt the profits of the big companies.

The fact that the FDA supported tobacco for years proves what a complete bunch of untrust worthy people they are.

[SICHONSTEVE]

What worked for me:

limit intake of white food; rice, pasta, potatoe & bread.

Increase oily fish intake; salmon, sardines and mackerel

Handfull of almonds and walnuts each day

Green tea

Eliminate all sugar except for fruit

Eat 90% pure cocoa. For a chocolate lover the almost pure cocoa taste took some getting used to but really enjoying it now.

Take fish oil and flaxseed oil supplements

Take CoQ10 and Red yeast Rice supplement (a natural statin)

Take Pomegranate extract

Trying to give up the smokes and cut down alcohol intake but not doing to well on that front.

Lost 12Kg

I dont have my numbers to hand but they were really bad, cardiologist insisted I take statins. I said give me 4 months and we check again. After 4 months my numbers were well withing the recommended guidelines and the doc was impressed.

Edit to add: After 15 years of taking them I am off BP meds and BP holding within an acceptable range.

Congrats!!Looks like you did the same thing as me with equal success - I eat 99% Lindt dark chocolate every day, have brown rice, take COQ10, ultra thistle, sea buckthorn, krill oil, vitamin D3, ALA, NAC, omega 7, artichoke, chromium, potassium, zinc and magnesium supplements, eat loads of nuts (pistachio and macadamia in particular)), seeds (pumpkin and sunflower), drink coconut water, herbal and green teas, only use organic virgin coconut oil and virgin olive oil, have an organic lemon/fenugreek seed, 12 spice (cinnamon, turmeric + 10 other selected spices) combo tea every morning and it cured ALL my ills - plus I lost a stone in weight (even though I wasn't particularly overweight at 81Kg) without doing any exercise or taking a single prescription drug.

I went to see my doctor and he gave me a thorough check up with ultra sound (he found that I had NAFLD) or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, high blood sugar levels, high blood pressure elevated cholesterol and liver markers as well as high inflammation!!!! I also had no energy, felt like 'death warmed up' EVERY MORNING - he simply said to me in good English (for a Thai) "OK, that's what is wrong with you" "now go and look it up on the internet and fix yourself"!! Brilliant advice - thanks to him and Dr Mercola I am healthy, pain free, feel like a teenager health wise (and I'm 57 YO)!!!

Just one final thing - two friends of mine developed type 2 diabetes at pretty much the same time. One of them asked me to help them and the other took the doctors meds. He has completely reversed his diabetes in just under 2 months and she is still suffering!!!!

He also had a massive argument with his doctor and he retreated like a little sheep at the onslaught!!

Some excellent posts starting to appear!!

Eggs, like beer are good for your cholesterol and not bad BTW!!

Organic, free range eggs are one of the most nutrient density rich foods on the planet and raise the good cholesterol whilst the LDL, vLDL remain unchanged. Beer also raises the HDL whilst the LDL remains unaltered (it does raise the triglycerides though which is not good). I try to eat 2 eggs every day for my health and drink beer because I enjoy it.

Big pharma and the FDA are the biggest con men in the corporate world - the FDA is stacked full of ex-pharma, ex-Monsanto executives and they recommend passing killer drugs on falsified studies, only publishing favourable data (often exaggerated or false) as has been admitted by scientists on numerous occasions, in order to make profits to the detriment of it's customers ie: YOU!! but not me BTW!!

Statins are the biggest lie of them all and are ruining people's lives (from the abundant side effects) and killing people from strokes and heart attacks - precisely what they are supposedly protecting you from, ironically!!!

Eating an apple a day is reckoned as being as good at lowering the cholesterol as statins (without any side effects).

Another thing that is excellent is oats (with cinnamon sprinkled on the top) - beware not to eat instant oats though as these are highly glycaemic due to the processing.

.

[SICHONSTEVE]

I note someone here says rice contains cholesterol !

Nutrition Facts

Rice, white, long-grain, cooked

Amount Per 1 cup (158 g)

Calories 206

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.4 g 0%

Saturated fat 0.1 g 0%

Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g

Monounsaturated fat 0.1 g

Cholesterol 0 mg 0%

Sodium 2 mg 0%

Potassium 55 mg 1%

Total Carbohydrate 45 g 15%

Dietary fiber 0.6 g 2%

Sugar 0.1 g

Protein 4.2 g 8%

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 1% Iron 1%

Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 5%

Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 4%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Sources include: USDA

You are 100% correct, carbs do not "contain" cholesterol - your body uses carbs to make cholesterol!

Search the web for the UK's BBC series "The truth about food"

Learn how to reduce hardening of the arteries and cure ED with raw crushed garlic - It worked for me at 70!

Read up on glycemic index, the rate at which carbs are turned into sugar.

Look into the connection with why booze can only be processed by the liver and the sugar Fructose - AKA HFCS.

(Booze makes you fat yeah? So does fructose)

Funnily enough, this series and Dr Mercola seem to agree a hell of a lot.

Since the FDA are run for and by the big companies, maybe his "Truths" may hurt the profits of the big companies.

The fact that the FDA supported tobacco for years proves what a complete bunch of untrust worthy people they are.

I think that us 'oldies' seem to be a bit wiser than some of the 'statin brigade' - if everyone did a bit of research then this world would be a healthier place and big pharma's profits would take a dive!!!

[SICHONSTEVE]

What worked for me:

limit intake of white food; rice, pasta, potatoe & bread.

Increase oily fish intake; salmon, sardines and mackerel

Handfull of almonds and walnuts each day

Green tea

Eliminate all sugar except for fruit

Eat 90% pure cocoa. For a chocolate lover the almost pure cocoa taste took some getting used to but really enjoying it now.

Take fish oil and flaxseed oil supplements

Take CoQ10 and Red yeast Rice supplement (a natural statin)

Take Pomegranate extract

Trying to give up the smokes and cut down alcohol intake but not doing to well on that front.

Lost 12Kg

I dont have my numbers to hand but they were really bad, cardiologist insisted I take statins. I said give me 4 months and we check again. After 4 months my numbers were well withing the recommended guidelines and the doc was impressed.

Edit to add: After 15 years of taking them I am off BP meds and BP holding within an acceptable range.

Warnings

Pomegranate juice may increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis for patients on statin therapy possibly due to the inhibition of CYP 450 enzymes

Diabetic patients should be careful because of the sugar content of pomegranate.

Maybe he didn't know what you were taking or didn't know the interaction.

http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/herb/pomegranate

Oh dear!!

You rather flunked that one I'm afraid.

He doesn't drink pomegranate juice he takes EXTRACT (there won't be much sugar in a couple of tablets) and the idea is that you DON"T TAKE statins as they are downright dangerous and bad for you!!!

Statins deplete your COQ10 - this is an essential life giving co-enzyme which is made by the body but depletes with age - if the level gets too low you die, simple as that!! If you supplement with COQ10 - make sure that it is ubiquinol and not ubiquinone as this is more bio-available.

[SICHONSTEVE]

My great grandmother never listened to all this crap, she lived to 108.

My grandmother never listened to all this crap , she lived to 98

My mother never listened to all this crap and she passed away last year at 96

I don't pay much attention to all this crap and i am going well at 78.

Wonder what the average lifespan is for all the diet experts in here.

I'm 57, so I'll tell you in 50 years time!!!

Also, your grandmother and all of your other long living relations never used to eat burgers and other fast foods with HFCS and added toxins in it, did they? Just a thought.