Shawn,

I'm one who, untreated, suffers from hypercholestemia. The way my doc describes it, you can only control your serum cholesterol level by 15-20% of its natural level through diet and exercise.

Before meds, my serum cholesterol was around 400. That means I could run 10 miles a day and eat nothing but salad, and you know what my number would be? 320, at best.

Some of us are just genetically predisposed to this, and the the "statin" drugs are very good at controlling them. Last time I had mine screened it was 180 (less than 6 months ago).

No big whoop. Talk to the doc and get on one of the many meds designed to help.

Try the fish oil if you like - I hated it. It's meant to boost your high-density lipoproteins. That's a good thing. But I detested the side-effects which, without getting too detailed, occur in the men's room.

Cod liver oil's quite good, the only problem is Greenpeace hanging around complaining about the slick.

I just took myself off of Lipitor.  My doc doesn't know yet, but at my last appointment with her I told her I was haveing a lot of leg pain and difficulty walking.  She kind of poo-poo-ed it, but after another week of it I just decided I wouldn't take any more.  After a week off of it I am now running stairs two at a time where I had been going up one at a time pulling myself up by the railing.  As you know for the pain to get to the point it is noticeable to us it has to be getting up there!

All I'm saying with this it to watch out for the side effects.  It doesn't affect us all that way, but there is a significant portion of us that have this trouble.

Jerry

Jerry...dang it...I don't need this worry now....

Time after time after time we have ALL heard (and KNOW)...DON'T stops your meds without doc supervision....

Shawn, sorry to hijack your thread...WOW...no bacon for thee...fruits and veggies...PLEASE...Docs these days don't say much...when they do, LISTEN bro'...

And Jerry, I expect to hear...aw shucks...ok...I'll tell her the probs and we will work this out...PLEASE?

Best,

Jon

QnHeartMM wrote on Jun 30^th, 2009 at 10:39pm:

By what percentage was he able to lower it (if you don't mind me asking)?

I'm always interested to find out if others have been able to blow my doctor's theory out of the water by lowering it more than 20% of it's peak number through diet and exercise alone.

If your triglycerides are leading the way, your problem is most likely related to the amount of carbs in your diet, or the way your body handles carbs.

My trigylcerides went from the 250-300 range to well below 100 when I cut way back on the carb intake and did a bit of walking.

My former boss injured his neck/back, and instead of surfing, he was hobbling around and started packing on the weight. His triglycerides went over 500. Doctor told him it was 'genetic' and he needed statins.  He took statins for a month, stopped drinking sweet tea and eating rice, and on his six month follow up, his triglycerides and cholesterol were normal. The doctor was amazed to hear that the boss didn't realize that he was supposed to refill the prescription and only took it for a month -  according to the doc, the condition was permanent and he was going to advise statins for the rest of the guy's life! Oops.

With numbers like that, Shawn, you have more to worry about than just a heart attack - you likely have insulin resistance and are headed for diabetes.

Insulin does more than move sugar into a cell - it also tells the liver to produce more cholesterol. When triglycerides are high, so are sugar levels, and the pancreas is generally producing lots of insulin. Cut down on carbs, and the triglycerides almost always drop quickly, and the LDL drops as well, but takes more time.

Quote:


America is eating less fat and more carbs, and obesity and diabetes are getting more and more common.  Hmm.... and no mention of the change in the type of fats we eat - a big increase in n-6 fats from corn and soy, which are inflammatory.  


Brew wrote on Jun 30^th, 2009 at 4:58pm:


Fish oil does not usually affect HDL at all.  It is best at lowering triglycerides, reducing inflammation associated with atherosclerosis, and lowering the risk of arrhythmia problems. We buy plain cod-liver oil by the bottle and take it by the tablespoon (Icelandic tradition) - but my wife only takes it first thing in the morning, right before breakfast. Otherwise she burps it up.  Adding some fiber (pectin or psyllium) will usually keep the fat from being burped up and improve absorption, and those types of fiber can lower LDL as well.  

The two most common treatments for low HDL are niacin and fibrates. Drinking alcohol in moderation usually raises HDL. 1-2 eggs a day will usually raise HDL without having much of an effect on LDL.  Saturated fat also improves HDL, especially in people with insulin resistance who cut back on carbs.  

Also, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and low HDL is associated with low magnesium levels - which is pretty typical among clusterheads.  

Don't sweat it, Brew - its just coffee and talk, no big whoop.  And I think you are right to doubt the 20% figure - there are blogs written by cardiologists that I follow, and they claim that 90-95% of people can get their lipids into the ideal range with diet and exercise ... if it is the right diet.  Similar case for high blood pressure - most people with mild or moderate hypertension could lower it dramatically with something like the DASH diet, but the typical response is a prescription.  Which isn't the worst thing in the world, but probably isn't the best.

Brew wrote on Jun 30^th, 2009 at 10:44pm:



I'll check with him, he's still sleeping now, and will check in with you later.

I do double red cell blood donations every 4 months, they suck out blood, centrifuge it, and squirt everything back into you except the red! (It's actually pretty cool and you only have to go in half as often!)

They kept sending me links to this "check your wellness profile" so I finally did. My cholesterol levels...

1-2007- 186
5-2007-193
9-2007-203
1-2008-213
5-2008-215
9-2008 239...%$#^% ...this is when I logged on. Went to doc to get complete work up. Good news was my good cholesterol was high, bad news was so is my bad! Went hard core, dumped red meat, started a daily fish oil capsule, (generic Safeway 1000 mg) and tried a daily flaxseed oil capsule. I didn't tolerate the flaxseed capsule.....talk about frequent bathroom visits!!! ....so I switched to whole flaxseed.(see the shake below!) A bit gentler on the tummy.

I work out 3-4 days a week. On workout days I do the following shake:
8 oz skim milk, 2 scoops whey protein powder, 1 cup uncooked rolled oats ground to flour in a coffee grinder, and 2 tablespoons flax seed ground up in the coffee grinder. Non work out days it's the Cheerios breakfast. I rarely eat red meat anymore....Lord I miss my ribeyes..And I'm pretty hard core fanatic on my daily diet, 10 servings a day of fruits, vegetables and nuts, the results so far:

1-2009- 193
5-2009-186    roughly a 22% drop.

Prior to January of 2007 they didn't record cholesterol on the blood bank web site so I do not know how fast it went up on me. Last time I had it checked was at my 30 year old physical....sigh..., 19 years ago, and it was in the 180's.

This getting old business has not impressed me so far!

Joe

I can only hope that the trade-off between that diet and pleasure derived from the ribeyes is worth it to you. If it is, go for it.

Some of my life philosophies that come into play here are (not aimed specifically at you, Gooeyseppi):

1. Eat real food, but don't be a fanatic about it.

2. Don't be a fanatic about anything.

3. Don't worry so much about being fat. Fat feels great in bed.

4. Don't allow your diet to be fear-driven. If you're listening to the voice of fear, it drowns out the positive voices you should be listening to, and the voice of fear will put you in an early grave (i.e., it has a real effect on the body).

5. Eat because that's what you like to eat. Period.

I hope I haven't overstepped my bounds and opened myself up to be corrected again. After all, this is just coffee talk.

This is all very interesting.  I think I'll have my numbers checked in about 2 months.  I'm curious to see what they'll be!