High cholesterol

[eleanorrigby]

I just want to get an idea of what some random people think about high cholesterol, statins, natural remedies etc.

 

What are you trying and what are your results?

 

If you are not doing anything to treat it, how's that working for you so far?

[Robert Z]

I just want to get an idea of what some random people think about high cholesterol, statins, natural remedies etc.

 

What are you trying and what are your results?

 

If you are not doing anything to treat it, how's that working for you so far?

 

One of the easiest things you can do - Metamucil, three times a day once you're adjusted to it. That provides 100% of your soluble fiber for the day, which is about all anything besides drugs can do. Not sure about my cholesterol now but my blood pressure is down to what it was when I was young man.

 

The latest evidence shows that statins provide little to no benefit.

Millions taking statins 'needlessly' - Telegraph

[Mr Scorpio]

I just want to get an idea of what some random people think about high cholesterol, statins, natural remedies etc.

What are you trying and what are your results? If you are not doing anything to treat it, how's that working for you so far?

 

My doctor told me during my last physical that I had slightly high cholesterol. However, he also mentioned several times that the methodology behind calculating cholesterol has resulted in the threshold being lowered several times over the last thirty years (i.e. -- what is considered high now would be normal back when).

[eleanorrigby]

My doctor told me during my last physical that I had slightly high cholesterol. However, he also mentioned several times that the methodology behind calculating cholesterol has resulted in the threshold being lowered several times over the last thirty years (i.e. -- what is considered high now would be normal back when).

 

I've read this as well. I wonder what cholesterol numbers would make a doctor worry about his patient.

[Forever Learning]

One of the easiest things you can do - Metamucil, three times a day once you're adjusted to it. That provides 100% of your soluble fiber for the day, which is about all anything besides drugs can do. Not sure about my cholesterol now but my blood pressure is down to what it was when I was young man.

 

The latest evidence shows that statins provide little to no benefit.

Millions taking statins 'needlessly' - Telegraph

 

I will have to give this a try. My cholesterol is decent but could be better. Luckily no blood pressure problems yet

[RickFox]

I have had high cholesterol (in the high 300s) for quite some time, also high BP as well and most of it is hereditary. My mother has had high cholesterol for over 30 years now and refuses statins.

 

After doing much research and reading and reading, I am not concerned with cholesterol levels per se' but what I was most concerned with in regards to me was high triglycerides. I don't drink and I suffered a bad bout of pancreatitis as at one point my levels were over 900. The fat in the blood, thickening, working harder to get it thru, that is my concern and that is the only reason I finally let them put me on a statin designed to primarily lower triglycerides and I monitor myself carefully and make sure I take enough CO Q10 every day.

 

Sometimes diet is not enough as the body just produces cholesterol at a high rate but again, read up on cholesterol and it's not the evil thing it's made out to be, just as saturated fat has now been found to be beneficial to cell structure (everything changes every week in regards to health...imagine that).

[eleanorrigby]

Rick, how is your mom doing? Does her high cholesterol appear to affect her in any way?

[eleanorrigby]

Anyone taking niacin or red rice yeast?

[FitChick]

I take niacin as part of Life Extension Mix tablets (multivitamins). I used to take red yeast rice but until you mentioned it, realized I haven't had it in months. I haven't taken vitamin E (gamma) in a long time either. Yet a recent extensive blood work-up showed my HDL:LDL ratio is beyond excellent, as are trigllycerides tho' I eat far too much sugar.

 

The overall cholesterol number is irrelevant. It's the RATIO of HDL:LDL that is important. If your doc is going by the old rule of "total cholesterol must be under 200" find a new doctor who keeps up with research.

 

Also have your CRP and homocysteine levels tested because they are inflammation markers and inflammation is what causes heart attacks. Both of my parents died of heart disease and took statins but I don't see the need. There is more and more research showing that just adding turmeric, a spice, to your diet, lowers inflammation in the body. I have used it in curry powder and alone on eggs and fish for years.

 

I eat a lot of fish, eggs, nuts and olive oil. Lots of natural fats. I think it's down to having balanced hormones, frankly. People get more diseases as they age because their hormone levels plummet.

[thefooloftheyear]

I take niacin as part of Life Extension Mix tablets (multivitamins). I used to take red yeast rice but until you mentioned it, realized I haven't had it in months. I haven't taken vitamin E (gamma) in a long time either. Yet a recent extensive blood work-up showed my HDL:LDL ratio is beyond excellent, as are trigllycerides tho' I eat far too much sugar.

 

The overall cholesterol number is irrelevant. It's the RATIO of HDL:LDL that is important. If your doc is going by the old rule of "total cholesterol must be under 200" find a new doctor who keeps up with research.

 

Also have your CRP and homocysteine levels tested because they are inflammation markers and inflammation is what causes heart attacks. Both of my parents died of heart disease and took statins but I don't see the need. There is more and more research showing that just adding turmeric, a spice, to your diet, lowers inflammation in the body. I have used it in curry powder and alone on eggs and fish for years.

 

I eat a lot of fish, eggs, nuts and olive oil. Lots of natural fats. I think it's down to having balanced hormones, frankly. People get more diseases as they age because their hormone levels plummet.

 

THIS^^^

 

I recently had a full blood workup. Cholesterol level at 137/ I cant recall the good/bad percentages but they were well in line. And with a family history of heart disease and high BP/Cholesterol.it even surprised the dr. This is in spite of the fact that I eat tons of red meat(lean), 3 dozen eggs(mostly whites) a week and on..I dont eat butter or fried/salty foods. I do keep very fit and have a pretty low BF #(11-12%). Im 47 YO male.

 

Its amazing how many things "fix" themselves when the body is functioning as it should. Clean diet and exercise is the key, imo.

 

Good luck

 

TFY

[Robert Z]

Taking cholesterol lowering medication is not a good choice. If you want to naturally reduce cholesterol you can eat less meat and fried foods. Eat more vegetables and fruit which are known to lower cholesterol.

 

 

 

Cholesterol Facts vs. Myths | The Dr. Oz Show

 

Low total cholesterol and increased risk of... [J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003] - PubMed - NCBI

 

 

WaterCure | Scientific Documents

 

Vegetable and fruits are good mostly because they contain soluble fiber. This is why Metamucil is such a good supplement for the diet.

 

General Mills proudly advertises that their product, Cheerios, may help to lower cholesterol. This is because one serving contains about 0.3 grams of soluble fiber. One rounded teaspoon of Metamucil has 2 grams of soluble fiber - worth about seven bowls of the almighty Cheerios!

 

So taking Metamucil three times a day is worth over 20 bowls of those oh so healthy oats!

 

For years I never even considered taking the stuff because it is a mild laxative, but it's not like taking exlax and that is not its main function. This is a fiber supplement, not a laxative.

Edited May 16, 2013 by Robert Z

[eleanorrigby]

We have been fighting this cholesterol for a few years now.

He had total cholesterol of 260, then we ate oatmeal for a month and it went down 50 points.

 

Then it went back up to 280.

 

We did oats, niacin, and RRY and it went down to under 200.

We ran out of the niacin and RRY for a month and he's back up to 300.

 

I've been reading that high cholesterol being bad is a myth and what I'm reading makes sense, but I'm still nervous and wondering if I'm advising him correctly to avoid the statins.

 

His BP is great, always has been, but he had open heart surgery (valve replacement) in 2011 and I just get nervous that maybe he should be on statins.

But then I get nervous reading how harmful they are, memory loss, liver probs, muscle probs. Plus he's already on warfarin for the rest of his life, we just don't want to add another lifetime medication if it's not necessary.

 

It's so hard to decide what is the best course of action.

[amaysngrace]

Two tablespoons of ground flax seed daily should do the trick. I get mine at GNC and keep it in the freezer so that it doesn't lose it's potency.

 

One Tbs in oatmeal or a smoothie and you never even know its in there but it's health benefits are truly amazing. It cleans out your arteries.

[Robert Z]

Two tablespoons of ground flax seed daily should do the trick. I get mine at GNC and keep it in the freezer so that it doesn't lose it's potency.

 

One Tbs in oatmeal or a smoothie and you never even know its in there but it's health benefits are truly amazing. It cleans out your arteries.

 

Flax seed contains 4 g of fiber in a two tbsp. serving; 2 g of soluble and 2 g of insoluble fiber.

 

Read more: Are Ground Flax Seeds Soluble Fiber? | LIVESTRONG.COM]

 

So yes, it is an excellent source of soluble fiber, but you need more than two tablespoons per day to get your daily allowance. You would need about six per day.

[amaysngrace]

So yes, it is an excellent source of soluble fiber, but you need more than two tablespoons per day to get your daily allowance. You would need about six per day.

 

That's not true. It hasn't even been recognized by the FDA for its nutritional value.

 

But whatevs.

[FitChick]

We did oats, niacin, and RRY and it went down to under 200.

We ran out of the niacin and RRY for a month and he's back up to 300.

 

I just get nervous that maybe he should be on statins.

But then I get nervous reading how harmful they are, memory loss, liver probs, muscle probs.

 

So why aren't you doing what worked before -- niacin, red yeast rice and oatmeal or oatbran? Read what the Mayo Clinic says about red yeast rice. The reason BigPharma is against this ancient yeast is because it does what statins do only cheaply and safely compared to their killer drugs.

 

If you stand to inherit a lot of money, let him take statins. My mother took statins. She is dead.

 

Research turmeric and heart disease. He should be taking that as well.

[Robert Z]

That's not true. It hasn't even been recognized by the FDA for its nutritional value.

 

But whatevs.

 

That is what allows GM to claim that Cheerios can or may reduce cholesterol [all 0.3 grams of it LOL!]. And what you were recommending was just a source of soluble fiber. There is nothing magic about it.

[Robert Z]

Here is a bit about what we know about soluble fiber.

 

Evidence suggests that soluble fiber is more effective at lowering cholesterol, but both types of fiber are important for your health. One of the ways soluble fiber may lower blood cholesterol is through its ability to reduce the amount of bile reabsorbed in the intestines. It works like this: When fiber interferes with absorption of bile in the intestines, the bile is excreted in the feces. To make up for this loss of bile, the liver makes more bile salts. The body uses cholesterol to make bile salts. So in order to obtain the cholesterol necessary to make more bile salts, the liver increases its production of LDL receptors.

 

These receptors are responsible for pulling cholesterol out of LDL molecules in the bloodstream. Therefore, the more bile salts are made from the liver, the more LDL cholesterol is pulled from the blood. There is more to be learned about the relationship between soluble fiber and cholesterol, however. It is also possible that one of the short-chain fatty acids produced by the fermentation of soluble fiber in the large intestines may inhibit the amount of cholesterol produced by the liver.

 

Research has shown that increasing soluble fiber by 5 to 10 g a day reduces LDL cholesterol by about five percent. Oat bran and oatmeal, as well as psyllium and barley, are rich in beta-glucan, a soluble form of fiber, which has been shown to lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.

Discovery Health "How Dietary Fiber Lowers Cholesterol"

[amaysngrace]

That is what allows GM to claim that Cheerios can or may reduce cholesterol [all 0.3 grams of it LOL!]. And what you were recommending was just a source of soluble fiber. There is nothing magic about it.

 

Okay then don't eat it. I was recommending it to Eleanor Rigby anyway.

[FitChick]

My chiropractor doesn't recommend Metamucil, which is psyllium, because it is too rough on the intestinal lining and also can constipate you if you don't drink enough water. I prefer getting fiber from foods because I get other vitamins and benefits in addition to the fiber. Summer time is great because all the fruits and veg are at their peak. Can't wait to buy some bing cherries!

[eleanorrigby]

So why aren't you doing what worked before -- niacin, red yeast rice and oatmeal or oatbran? Read what the Mayo Clinic says about red yeast rice. The reason BigPharma is against this ancient yeast is because it does what statins do only cheaply and safely compared to their killer drugs.

 

If you stand to inherit a lot of money, let him take statins. My mother took statins. She is dead.

 

Research turmeric and heart disease. He should be taking that as well.

 

We just started it again, we had run out. It was just a shock to see his cholesterol shoot up higher then it's ever been after not taking those supplements for a couple of months.

[RickFox]

Rick, how is your mom doing? Does her high cholesterol appear to affect her in any way?

 

 

She's actually good, I won't say great but she's doing well for a woman who is 75. She does have some blockage in her carotid but at this point in the game, she is not concerned about it.

 

She is very picky on what she eats and how much, and has regulated her diabetes with diet now for God knows how many years.

[dreamingoftigers]

We just started it again, we had run out. It was just a shock to see his cholesterol shoot up higher then it's ever been after not taking those supplements for a couple of months.

 

Following Eat to Live has done wonders for my father's heart health.

 

Eleanorrigby, I just tried replying to a PM you sent me a bit ago.

 

I am sorry, I am HORRIBLE at responding to my PMs. But it saying that you aren't receiving them. Is that an error?

[eleanorrigby]

Following Eat to Live has done wonders for my father's heart health.

 

Eleanorrigby, I just tried replying to a PM you sent me a bit ago.

 

I am sorry, I am HORRIBLE at responding to my PMs. But it saying that you aren't receiving them. Is that an error?

 

I'll be able to receive them again in a few days... I was bad. lol

[PogoStick]

Natural does not equal healthy. I hate that meme! Go get a natural venomous snake bite and tell me how that works for you.

 

Red yeast rice is a natural source of Lovastatin. Of course it lowers cholesterol, just like taking prescription Lovastatin. The difference is there are not anywhere close to similar quality controls with RYR. Some products may have 10x the dose of another.

 

If you want "natural" remedies then get rid of processed foods. Eat lots of fruits and veggies. Reduce bodyfat and practice regular vigorous exercise.