High Cholesterol...

Secteur

...6.3 (also raised LDL - "the bad cholesterol", but thankfully normal HDL "good cholesterol" and triglycerides).

Bloody hell, how did that happen?

I now regret even more the years of abuse I gave my body before it became "my temple" 18 months ago...

Worst of all, I'm only 33!

Presume genetic as my diet, although not perfect, is pretty darn good. And i'm teetotal.

Frank the tank

I have high cholestrol both bad and good and I'm now on Simvastatin to control it. Cholestrol levels are just one perameter as a guide to your health, if everything else is ok don't worry about it. Mine was 10.2 or something like that but I'm not overweight, drink moderately,eat sensibly, and ride my bike regular. I'm a non-smoker (never have done) and my resting heart rate is 44bpm. Even the Dr couldn't figure why my cholestrol was so high.

jim453

Cholesterol worrries me slightly, how would I know if mine was bad? are there symptoms or do I need a blood test? If it were bad, what's the worst thing that can happen?

mouth

last time mine was checked it was 1.5

dw300

Just call your doctor and say you want it tested. It's just a blood test. They'll probably check a few other things from the same sample in that test suite. It blocks up your arteries, which raises your blood pressure, and a blockage can lead to heart attack and stroke.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9152.php

Mouth wrote:

last time mine was checked it was 1.5

"Although the risks are rare, low levels of LDL cholesterol may increase your risk of:

Cancer
Depression
Anxiety
Preterm birth and low birth weight if your cholesterol is low while you're pregnant


Ideally, your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels should fall in these ranges:

Total cholesterol below 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or 5.2 millimoles per liter (mmol/L)
LDL cholesterol below 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L) — or below 70 mg/dL (1.8 mmol/L) if you're at very high risk of heart disease."

MattC59

jim453 wrote:

Cholesterol worrries me slightly, how would I know if mine was bad? are there symptoms or do I need a blood test? If it were bad, what's the worst thing that can happen?

Down to the docs for a quick blood test. I keep meaning to go and get one as I have a rather a penchant for cheese.

There are no direct symptoms, but as for the worst that can happen; it clogs your arteries, which can never be good !

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cholesterol/Pages/Introduction.aspx

jim453

MattC59 wrote:

jim453 wrote:

Cholesterol worrries me slightly, how would I know if mine was bad? are there symptoms or do I need a blood test? If it were bad, what's the worst thing that can happen?

Down to the docs for a quick blood test. I keep meaning to go and get one as I have a rather a penchant for cheese.

There are no direct symptoms, but as for the worst that can happen; it clogs your arteries, which can never be good !

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cholesterol/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Brilliant, one more thing I now know I really should do but almost certainly never will.

Anyway, I'm properly skinny, extremely fit and don't drink or smoke, (ok, the odd beer or two), so I'm bound to be fine, yes?

Cheese, salted butter and white bread are my favourite foods though. And eggs.

Is this likely to present a problem?

team47b

Go to the chemist/Boots get a home test kit. About 10 of your pounds.

MattC59

jim453 wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

jim453 wrote:

Cholesterol worrries me slightly, how would I know if mine was bad? are there symptoms or do I need a blood test? If it were bad, what's the worst thing that can happen?

Down to the docs for a quick blood test. I keep meaning to go and get one as I have a rather a penchant for cheese.

There are no direct symptoms, but as for the worst that can happen; it clogs your arteries, which can never be good !

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cholesterol/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Brilliant, one more thing I now know I really should do but almost certainly never will.

Anyway, I'm properly skinny, extremely fit and don't drink or smoke, (ok, the odd beer or two), so I'm bound to be fine, yes?

Cheese, salted butter and white bread are my favourite foods though. And eggs.

Is this likely to present a problem?

Sorry Jim, sounds like you're f*cked ! You may as well take up drinking and smoking. Fry all of the above in lard if you can.

jgsi

Anything else, you care to worry us all with on a Friday morning?

crescent

I also have high cholesterol (round about 7.2 last month, as it has been for some time now). Mind you, I'm from Glasgow where single figures pretty much grants you freedom of the city.
I have regular medicals for my job and it always gets picked up. I have a fairly healthy diet and swim and cycle 4-5 times a week, each. I'm 45 and not overweight - BMI is 25-26. Familial history is more likely to cause it than anything else. My parents and my older sister both had/have high cholesterol and are on statins. I'm desperately trying to avoid that but may have to succumb. The doctor is not particularly worried about it because my BP is normal and I have never smoked. I am currently taking Soya Lecithin tablets as a natural cholesterol reduction method and using Flora pro-active spread. I have another test next week so will be interested to see if it has any effect.
Doctor did say that by regular cycling I am taking a huge step in the right direction to mitigating it - do you think he might prescribe me a new bike???

Cheers

team47b

A healthy BMI is considered to be between 20-25. Being nearer to 20 will mean a lower cholesterol level.

A healthy diet should not include much saturated fat, some people consider that they have a healthy diet and yet they eat saturated fat twice a day every day.

Increase your fibre as this will help reduce cholesterol. Brown bread/pasta/rice more veg etc

Genetics does play a part but family diets tend to be similar.

It's not what you take to lower your cholesterol, it's down to what you eat, prevention being better than looking for a pill to 'cure' it.

Crapaud

This cholesterol malarkey puzzels me. I was unfit (wasn't cycling) and was on a 'pie and sausage diet'; sausages, bacon, eggs and bread formed the main part of my diet, fiber was something that clothes were made from and fruit and veg formed such a small part of my diet that, to all intents and purposes, it was nil. I don't drink, but I smoke. My cholesterol when tested was 3.5.

:?

team47b

some peoples liver simply produce less cholesterol than others

keef66

Every time mine is tested it comes out about 7 point something. Then they invariably send me for a proper fasted test where they measure HDL, LDL and triglycerides separately. This always shows the high total figure was due to elevated triglycerides.

Then we go through my other risk factors:

Never smoked, never been overweight, always been pretty fit, low BP, rarely drink and eat a pretty good diet. No family history of early cardiovascular disease (although my mum smoked herself to death).

We talk about statins and fibrates a bit, then decide to do nothing and have it tested again in a year

dw300

I'd just like to point something out to people, that occurred to me while reading this thread ..

FIT ≠ HEALTHY

Frank the tank

dw300 wrote:

I'd just like to point something out to people, that occurred to me while reading this thread ..

FIT ≠ HEALTHY

Really!

dw300

Frank the tank wrote:

dw300 wrote:

I'd just like to point something out to people, that occurred to me while reading this thread ..

FIT ≠ HEALTHY

Really!

You don't think it needed pointed out?

I'm surprised by how many people think that because they ride a bike, that they are immune to health risks and don't need to eat well.

fuzzynavel

Have a look at this cholesterol primer...very informative if you can get past the American measurements.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread4723.html

Frank the tank

dw300 wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

dw300 wrote:

I'd just like to point something out to people, that occurred to me while reading this thread ..

FIT ≠ HEALTHY

Really!

You don't think it needed pointed out?

I'm surprised by how many people think that because they ride a bike, that they are immune to health risks and don't need to eat well.

I meant you can be "fit" i.e. be able to perfom and recover quickly from physical exersion,but, have an underlying health issue. Thus being fit whilst simultaniously unhealthy.

vitesse169

I have 'elevated' cholesterol... did have high BP also. Since Nov '11 have visited the Dr and practice nurse about 5 times and had the tests done etc. All the advice on diet/drink/exercise done... Now have BP of 130/75 and cholesterol of 4.5 - just reduced the hard cheese intake, a little less beer/wine/gin and life is now a real goer....

Fastlad

My Cholesterol was always in the low 4's. I cycled and hillwalked regulary THEN i suffered a 80% blockage of the left descending artery. It was the last thing my GP or i expected, given my age, lifestyle. I had to have a stent fitted to open the artery. This subject has ruled my thoughts for the last 18 months. So i can say with complete certainty......That high cholesterol (THE cause of heart disease) is caused by the western diet. My doctor wanted to put me on statins because he wanted 25% off my score of 4.2!!!!!! I refused and cut all the crap out of my diet. The result? It went down to 3.8 within weeks!!!! Heart disease IS a food borne illness that need never exist. All animal proteins are directly responsible for blocking your arteries. Check out Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and prepare to hear the TRUTH!!!

DrKJM

Fastlad wrote:

My Cholesterol was always in the low 4's. I cycled and hillwalked regulary THEN i suffered a 80% blockage of the left descending artery. It was the last thing my GP or i expected, given my age, lifestyle. I had to have a stent fitted to open the artery. This subject has ruled my thoughts for the last 18 months. So i can say with complete certainty......That high cholesterol (THE cause of heart disease) is caused by the western diet. My doctor wanted to put me on statins because he wanted 25% off my score of 4.2!!!!!! I refused and cut all the crap out of my diet. The result? It went down to 3.8 within weeks!!!! Heart disease IS a food borne illness that need never exist. All animal proteins are directly responsible for blocking your arteries. Check out Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and prepare to hear the TRUTH!!!

Tell this to my 15+ year veggie, non-smoking, moderate drinking,running, cycling, squash playing, heart attack suffering friend. Shit happens even if you live the 'perfect' life. Get checked. Listen to your doc.

Fastlad

Veggie, you say? But was he eating all the so called healthy spreads? butter? milk? cakes? biscuits? OILS?? All full of artery disease causing fats and transfats, high in Cholesterol!!! Shoot just doesn't happen! IF his heat attack was caused by artery disease, it's all diet related. I.E Cholesterol. Arteries don't just narrow on their own, for no reason.

fuzzynavel

Fastlad wrote:

Veggie, you say? But was he eating all the so called healthy spreads? butter? milk? cakes? biscuits? OILS?? All full of artery disease causing fats and transfats, high in Cholesterol!!! Shoot just doesn't happen! IF his heat attack was caused by artery disease, it's all diet related. I.E Cholesterol. Arteries don't just narrow on their own, for no reason.

Did you know that dietary consumption of Fats/cholesterol has very little to do with high blood cholesterol numbers....over 75% of your cholesterol is produced in your own liver..

here's a source..http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/111/21/e360.full

Fastlad

Yeah sure, the body produces cholesterol. Even more reason to watch the western, cholesterol laden diet!! Say for example, one was to adopt a plant based diet, containing no oils or animal,dairy products for a month or so, the total cholesterol score would drop like a stone!! The thing that perplexes me is the ignorance of the Doctors in this country. For years i was told my cholesterol was fine as it was fairly low. Utter nonsense!!!! Then i tell my cardiologist it's ONLY 4.2, AND he wants 25% off that!!! Somebody's telling lies, somewhere, or they genuinely just don't know! The best thing to do is get your diet sorted and bring the cholesterol down as low as possible. Cheese, cakes, ALL meats, oils (including the so called healthy olive oil) biscuits, butter, margarine etc. all contribute to high cholesterol.

Secteur

Well I have a pretty good diet - tons of fruit & veg and grilled chicken etc, but I know that I have been guilty of little "treats" - sometimes two a day - just a small cake here, a biscuit there. Although it wasn't much in terms of volume, it added up and was responsible for holding back my weight loss and now I think also for the hi cholesterol (at least in part).

My dad had high cholesterol and I think there is some genetic component too, which I am not sure will be that modifiable without a statin...

Anyway, I have now vowed to cut out all the treats (which I always felt guilty about anyway) and have a truly "perfect" diet for 6 months to see how much I can change it myself.

team47b

by 'perfect' do you mean you are going to avoid saturated fat like the grilled chicken?

dw300

You'll only have to hold on for another decade or two till they get the nanobot production down to affordable levels.

team47b

There are two main types of fat – saturated and unsaturated. Eating foods that are high in saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels in the blood. Most people in the UK eat too much saturated fat.

Foods high in saturated fat include:
meat pies
sausages and fatty cuts of meat
butter
ghee
lard
cream
hard cheese
cakes and biscuits
foods containing coconut or palm oil

Eating foods that contain unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat can actually help reduce cholesterol levels.

Try to replace foods containing saturated fats with foods that are high in unsaturated fats, such as:
nuts (e.g. almonds and cashews)
seeds (e.g. sunflower and pumpkin)
vegetable oils and spreads (e.g. sunflower, olive, corn, walnut and rapeseed oils)

Trans fats can also raise cholesterol levels. Trans fats can be found naturally at low levels in some foods, such as those from animals, including meat and dairy products.

Artificial trans fats can be found in hydrogenated fat, so some processed foods such as biscuits and cakes will contain trans fats.

Fibre and cholesterol

Soluble fibre may help reduce the amount of cholesterol in your blood.

Good sources of soluble fibre include:
oats
beans
peas
lentils
chickpeas
fruit and vegetables

Secteur

team47b wrote:

by 'perfect' do you mean you are going to avoid saturated fat like the grilled chicken?

Since when is grilled chicken high in saturated fat?

(by grilled, I mean I do it on a Lean Mean Grilling Machine, and I eat it with a sprinkle of salt and other seasoning - negligible calories / fat / anything else).