High cholestrol

floss2

chocomonsta wrote: »

eating oats are supposed to help by soaking/removing bad cholesterol and ???? was it almonds or is that an old wives tale!

Oats do work - when my cholesterol was 8.4 in 2004 I began eating oat cereal & yogurt daily, cut out most cream & butter and processed foods & pastry. My cholesterol came down to 7.1 in 3 months and is now it is a much more balanced 4.9, only through diet. Almonds can also help to an extent.

For anyone wondering how I managed to avoid statins, my blood pressure was "too low" to warrant them, and I didn't fall into the danger area on the blood pressure v cholesterol chart.

peachyprice

OP, also bear in mind that 'high' cholesterol is only one contributing factor of an increased risk of heart disease. Smoking, drinking, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, family history also need to be taken into account.

My cholesterol is about the same as your, but I don't smoke, rarely drink, have normal blood pressure and zero family history, the only area I'm lacking in a little is exercise. I sure as hell won't be taking statins and suffering the awful side effects to remove the one and only contributing factor.

margaretclare

CW means conventional wisdom or, the thinking of the time.

There's a huge amount of misinformation and what almost amounts to hysteria, whenever the word 'cholesterol' is mentioned. It's worth remembering that we NEED cholesterol, for many different body processes and functions! See http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/cardiovascular/cholesterol/how-the-body-uses-cholesterol.htm

Nick_C

About 4 years ago I was diagnosed with high BP, and told that unless I got it under control by weight loss I would need to go on medication.

My total cholesterol at the time was 6.1

Two years ago my cholesterol was down to 5.1 - probably the result of a daily 30 minute brisk walk.

At the begining of 2012, I started on the Atkins diet and (apart from holidays) I've been on it ever since. I've gone from 104Kg to 84Kg (BMI down from 32.4 to 26.2). However, I've been eating a lot of fatty meat, cheese, and eggs, and I was concerned about the effect this might have had on my cholesterol. I had it checked 4 weeks ago and it is down to 4.1. My BP is also optimal.

To summarise, I think losing weight and getting exercise is more important than what you eat.

badly_dubbed

Id say it was AS important....if not more.

The quality also has to be there....a cabbage is great for you....a cabbage grown in contaminated soil...isnt.

NigeWick

mazza245 wrote: »

BTW, what does CW mean in your replies please?

Conventional Wisdom. Just because most doctors follow convention doesn't make them right. I started looking into my health and fitness last year and have taken personal responsibility for it. My doctor wants me to go back on statins. No chance. March last year I took two blood pressure medications, statins and a steroid inhaler for late onset asthma. I also had a blue emergency case inhaler to carry with me. At 5' 11" I weighed 17st 2lbs. I changed what I eat from CW high carb low fat to wheat, rye, barley & oats free low carb higher fat, dropped 62lbs in a year and now take no medications at all. I just wrote a short Kindle book on how I did it and will do another on fitness and strength training for long term health.

NigeWick

Nick_C wrote: »

To summarise, I think losing weight and getting exercise is more important than what you eat.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one. What we put in our bodies can keep us healthy or make us ill. Loads of exercise makes us likely to eat more and it takes a LOT of exercise to work off a pound of fat. About like running a marathon in fact.

Don't get me wrong, I exercise for the benefits it offers but apart from walking, I only do about 20 minutes a week of high intensity body weight strength training.

mazza245

I don't smoke, drink rarely, am not overweight, have low blood pressure but I think my Mum had high cholesterol so I am doomed, am I?

Thanks, Peachy price, I sound the same as you. I have upped my exercise, cut down on butter, milk etc. We were eating quite a lot of red meat so we've cut down. I don't want to make my life miserable but obviously something is wrong as in the last few years, several diseases have appeared without me knowing anything was wrong! I have asthma now as well.


I really don't know what to do but I do know I don't want to take statins.

horngkai

By and large, the best way to keep one person healthy is through a balance lifestyle, ie by having a healthy diet and exercise. British culture is currently heading down the road of the Americans and obesity is becoming such a big problem. With obesity comes metabolic syndrome which includes problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, fatty liver and so on.... The most difficult part of treating this epidemic problem is most people REFUSED to change their lifestyle and rather rely on pills.

Taking statins is not the end of the world. There are more people on statins that does not have side effects than people that have them. The evidence of taking statins are very strong and it does reduce future risk of developing cardiovascular disease. If one has other risk factor for cardiovascular disease and has high cholesterol, I personally will not shy away from statins even if I can change my lifestyle and reduce my cholesterol that way. Statins reduce LDL and increase HDL, couple that along with exercise, that will make one's LDL/HDL ratio or whichever ratio you want to use better than just lifestyle changes alone. If high cholesterol is your only risk of cardiovascular problems, then go with lifestyle changes alone will probably be enough. Though the hard part for British, again, is to take that step to change their lifestyle.

mazza245

Well, they've given me six months to see if I can do it with diet and exercise so I suppose I should take this opportunity first and then decide. I do take on board the whole body health idea, the only trouble is, I like butter, milk etc. Anyway, we are trying very hard. I am just concerned that, meanwhile, I am clogging up my arteries with cholesterol and as I have family history of heart disease, I am naturally concerned about it.

I have friends who are taking statins and haven't suffered any side effects and who tell me to just take the damned tablets and eat what I want!