which foods will help reduce cholestrol

sophieschoice

I've read that even following a healthy diet your cholesterol level will only decrease by 1% as cholesterol is manufactured in the liver.
As I have recently been diagnosed too I've been reading up on it.
I know there are arguments for and against trying to reduce your levels but I found this article most thought provoking.

http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm

tara747

I am not sure how OCD can affect your motivation to exercise? Sorry, not trying to get at you, just wondering how they are linked. My knowledge of OCD must be more limited than I thought (work colleague has OCD and she has told me quite a lot about it).

cuddlymarm

Hi

I was recently told that my chlorestorel level is too high ( 5.5) but that it might be related to my underactive thyroid (which can mean extreme tiredness ) but I imagine your GP will have tested for this. It might be worth asking though. I haven't been put on statins cos my GP says controlling by diet is better if possible.

Good luck
Cuddles:rotfl:

iceicebaby

I heard that porridge (oats) can help

pjk_3

I'll second "sophieschoice" and ask

Is it really a problem or it is just something your doctor thinks is a problem based on what he's been told by drugs company reps plying their wares?

More and more evidence seems to be showing that a lot of the things that have been "proven" in medicine are not proven at all.

I had a friend who got so obsessed about her high-ish cholesterol that she cut out ALL the fat from her diet - made her a nightmare and her cholesterol levels kept rising. She became stressed and depressed because she kept "failing" at a game that wasn't worth playing.

It's worth knowing that some very important hormones are made from "bad" LDL cholesterol so for people to call it bad is simply wrong - it's a vital substance in fact. Also, some doctors believe that a far better indicator of heart health is a "homocysteine" - which can be measured with a blood test. I believe a recent study (sorry I haven't got the details to hand) showed that only 50% of patients admitted to A&E with heart attacks had raised cholesterol.

If you want to be more healthy, forget cutting the fats and cut out sugars instead - they are far more of a problem. You might notice a very nice change in energy and mood.

Stompa

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cholesterol/Pages/Treatment.aspx

Pennylane

I can recommend a very interesting book by Dr Malcolm Kendrick (British GP) called "The Great Cholesterol Con". It really is an eye-opener. He's also on YouTube talking about cholesterol.

Pennylane

cuddlymarm wrote: »

Hi

I was recently told that my chlorestorel level is too high ( 5.5) but that it might be related to my underactive thyroid (which can mean extreme tiredness ) but I imagine your GP will have tested for this. It might be worth asking though. I haven't been put on statins cos my GP says controlling by diet is better if possible.

Good luck
Cuddles:rotfl:

Is this 5.5 your Total Cholesterol? If so, it's only slightly above the normal target level.

Some GPs are now looking at the bigger picture - like do you smoke? are you overweight? do you take regular exercise? All alongside having high cholesterol. Then they work out what your CRA (Cardiovascular disease risk assessment) score is. I got mine down from 22% to 12% in the last year and down from a much higher figure about 5 years ago.

Other GPs still just dole out the statins.:rolleyes:

curlygirl1971

5.5 is nothing to worry about especially if you are otherwise fit and healthy.

Oats, pulses, soya and plant sterols all lower cholesterol. But some of these need to be taken in the right quantities to make a difference - soya milk on your cereal won't make a difference but soya milk and a portion of soya beans or tofu everyday probably will. Eggs, shellfish and offal contain cholesterol some of which our bodies absorb. Our livers covert Saturated fats into cholesterol - so lower your saturated fat intake.

Incidentally, I love soya milk with porridge oats - I think it makes them creamier than skimmed diary. (However higher fat content than skimmed) I really didn't think I would like it but gave it a go, tried a few different ones and was pleasantly surprised. My favourite is Mr T's unsweetened.

I've seen frozen soya beans in a couple of the supermarket. They don't have a strong taste - I mix them with peas, add them to stir-frys, curries and stews

best of luck

cuddlymarm

Hi

Thanks to Pennylane and Curlygirl

I know that my levels aren't too bad but I am overweight and suffer from joint pain as well as an underactive thyroid. My GP said I should aim more for a healthy diet and hopefully as I lose weight things will improve. I know that I need to badly lose weight and quite frankly I think he is trying to get me to deal with a problem before it gets worse if you see what I mean.

I think all anyone can do is aim for a healthy diet and try not to stress about it (because this sends me straight for the biccie tin) Difficult at this time of year though with all the xmas treats still lying around

Have a lovely day everyone
Cuddles:rotfl: