On exercise, I think this is key. Does not have to be a lot, but something to keep your body in tune. I am 67 yo, have the same BP as when I was 16. Typically 116/76 or so. I fully believe eating protein every day is beneficial, but I can feel when I have had too much of a good thing. I then back off for a day or two. Only take a multivitamin occasionally, but lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

On statins, I do hear some bad stories about them, and so would recommend diet and exercise 100x over statins.

I've always eaten whatever I want and my cholesterol has never been above 206. Currently @ 164. Genetics I guess. All my grandparents/aunts/uncles had heart disease or diabetes. Maybe I'm adopted?

quote:

Originally posted by FishOn:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I eat real oatmeal- steel-cut pinhead oats. I haven't had rolled oats or instant since I don't know when.

Those are good. You can still enjoy meat if you eat the lean stuff. Grilled chicken breast burgers, pork tenderloin, and once in a while a sirloin steak can all be enjoyed.

This is what I’ve been doing the last year. Combined with drastically upping my vegetable and fiber intake, cutting out sugar as much as I can, and trying to get a walk in every day, my numbers have greatly improved. I’m down 56lbs since April, and I don’t even know for sure how much since last summer. Probably real close to 100.

Basically, I’ve had to pretend things like cheeseburgers and fried chicken simply don’t exist while my body adjusts to the new input and routines. It sounds bleak, but it’s discipline, and it needs exercising, too.

I take a statin (40mg every other day). I walk every morning, and have essentially given up on fried foods. I am a meat eater, and that won't change.......I just don't fry it. I lost some weight and all of these things have my cholesterol well within normal limits. When I had my heart attack and triple bypass, I considered that a significant emotional event!!! It was up to me to change my life style, or die......just that simple.

There are a few people who are hyper responsive to dietary cholesterol. For most people there is little correlation between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol. Most of the health professionals I know recommend moderate exercise and a balanced diet with as many raw foods as possible and little to no processed foods.

I would suggest starting there and seeing where you are in six months. I’ve been following this plan for years with good results. I still eat steak and bacon here and there but I make a lot of smoothies (fruit, yogurt, milk, and a couple of handfuls of spinach - you can’t taste it), and I try to make sure I have a serving of vegetables at dinner that’s as big as my serving of protein. broccoli, green beans, asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper, roasted on a sheet pan at 425 for 10-12 minutes is a staple. I’m not dogmatic about it, but I’m consistent.

You don’t have to turn your life upside down or become a vegan, just make some conscious changes and you’ll be surprised how those will compound over time.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

I had a physical last week and my doctor was telling me about an imaging procedure they can do now that identifies plaque building up. She said it was very inexpensive without insurance, like $100 or so. I don’t know if it’s just a local thing to me, or but I think She was describing it as widely available. She recommended it in the next few years.

^^^^^^^^^
Diagnostic testing makes sense when there is a reason for it. What was her particular concern? There are many factors that contribute to heart disease besides cholesterol. Genetics plays a big role as does lifestyle.

Me, specifically, genetics. Father and uncle both had quadruple bypasses in their 60s.

But my point was if it’s a hundred bucks, seems like a no-brainer at some age. How many people have you heard of having major blockages with no real idea beforehand?

I had high triglycerides and cutting out most of the sugar worked for me. Your liver makes more fat then you could ever consume. Sugar and carbs are what raises cholesterol.

My observation is that genetics and family history can play a large role, but it isn’t the whole tale. So, I’ll relate these.

Dad is 6’1” and was at the time around 195 ish. 2012 he had his heart attack.. his cholesterol was in the 80s most of his life. Super low. But, so was his HDL. What his cardiologist told him that the important metric was the ratio of the LDL\HDL than the absolute values. That was in 2012. Been solid since.

Mom was terrible breeding stock. I got her high cholesterol. Always in the low 200s. I tried a near vegetarian diet for 3 months... dropped 3 points. This was a time I was in good shape, biking a lot, etc. 6’, 200 then, and now. Docs agreed that genetics was playing a hand, here’s your simvastatin. But, my HDL was pretty good.

2018, feeling pains in the chest. Off and on, several weeks. At regular doc, mention this. They do EKG, set me up with cardiologist. He sets up a stress test and within 15m, he wants to schedule cath lab. Shrinking the story, follow up after the cath lab, he said “You’re fine. I don’t need to see you for another 20 years. Everything looks great.” (I’m 50 now). Recovery nurse told me “Yep, I had an experience just like that. Turned out, I just hated my job.”

Still on the statin.

What’s it all mean? There isn’t one answer. Stay off your ass, eat a little less, kiss the wife and scratch the cat.

quote:

Me, specifically, genetics. Father and uncle both had quadruple bypasses in their 60s.

But my point was if it’s a hundred bucks, seems like a no-brainer at some age. How many people have you heard of having major blockages with no real idea beforehand?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
OK Family history. As long as your doctor is suggesting it. Most, but not all blockages have symptoms. However you could have a blockage in the LAD without significant symptoms like David Letterman did before his bypass. Good luck.

My doctor told me my cholesterol was genetic not dietary.

I tried a bunch of different statins and they all gave me joint/muscle pain except vytorin.

https://www.drugs.com/vytorin.html

I take the generic version and it is still very expensive. I use Good Rx app on my phone to get it at about half what my insurance wanted to charge me for copay.

It brought my numbers down from over 200 to normal.

I have recently reduced my carbs and walk around 4 - 5 miles a day. I dropped about 25#s

The number drop was the drug, the rest just makes me feel better overall.

I’ve been on a low dose statin for about 16 years (I’m now 50). My rise in cholesterol was a side effect of chemotherapy for testicular cancer which thankfully, is a distant memory. My total cholesterol is now in the 160’s with the HDL, triglycerides, and LDL also within the desired ranges.

Similar suggestions regarding diet as others have posted. I eat more meats and proteins (including bacon and eggs) and try to minimize the carbs. As much as I like bread, I feel much better when I don’t eat it at all or at least very infrequently. For the meats, I eat much more fish, seafood, and chicken than red meat. For snacks, I eat dried veggies, nuts (pistachios and almonds predominantly), and dark chocolate for something sweet.

Good luck as you settle in on a diet that works for you and leaves you satisfied while promoting better cholesterol. I found early on that if I went too heavy toward the vegetarian side I would snack too much and often become ‘hangry’. Honestly, I believe the food pyramid most of us were taught as kids should be inverted.

Michael

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I had a physical last week and my doctor was telling me about an imaging procedure they can do now that identifies plaque building up. She said it was very inexpensive without insurance, like $100 or so. I don’t know if it’s just a local thing to me, or but I think She was describing it as widely available. She recommended it in the next few years.

Frankly, I don’t put a whole lot of stock in the cholesterol dance. You can find a study to say whatever you want it to say.

I believe you're referring to a cardiac CT for calcium scoring. I had one not long ago and it was less than $75 for the CT and a Radiologist to interpret.

Oatmeal every AM with cinnamon and no sugar or maple syrup. Fresh ground nutmeg on occasion as well.

Oatmeal knocks out cholesterol
apparently Cinnamon helps control blood sugar quite a bit.


As mentioned before, I'll also vote for regular exercise and broccoli.

quote:

Originally posted by kz1000:
I've always eaten whatever I want and my cholesterol has never been above 206. Currently @ 164. Genetics I guess. All my grandparents/aunts/uncles had heart disease or diabetes. Maybe I'm adopted?

I have borderline high cholesterol and am taking a cholesterol medication, yet I try to eat very healthy. I have a bad heart valve so I have to see my cardiologist every two years and he is a highly regarded cardiologist. He says as far as cholesterol, it is absolutely genetic. Yes, if you seriously ate a ton of horrible foods then it would affect your cholesterol, but in the end it is really your genetics.

Eat healthy. Fruit, veggies, and I eat a lot of fish, all different kinds. Usually grill or sauté it. Breakfast I eat egg whites, protein waffles and chicken/turkey sausage. No soda, no fast food, and only in a blue moon, restaurant food. I try to eat a fruit serving with every single meal of the week. Very little to no bread, lots of grilled chicken salads (with an apple), brown rice on the reg.

Then exercise. I lift 5-6 days a week and do lots of cardio. But you don’t have to get hardcore. A 2 mile walk a day on the low end. A stationary bike doing 45 minutes a day. Lots of way to get exercise.

Since starting Keto/low carb high fat-no sugar diet in 2019, my cholesterol numbers have never been better. I was in not so good shape prior to that. HDL went from 38 to 49, LDL went from 122 to 88, and overall cholesterol went from 174 to 146. That and Ive lost 40lbs with no change in daily exercise or activity for thhe most part. Eat the bacon cheeseburger minus the bun, add some avacado and a lettuce wrap if you want, and stay away from the sugary sauces. Gotta give up that oatmeal too.
You can retrain your body to burn fat for fuel, whereas most people are forcing thier body to use sugar and carbs- which it is not biologically engineered to do at all.

The question Para asked has been derailed a bit but I’ll throw in another book on the topic. The The Great Cholesterol Myth. One author is Dr. Stephen Sinatra, a cardiologist. He claims cholesterol is not the problem and inflammation due to things like sugar is the problem. It’s worth reading.

You can't take just any cheap fish oil and expect it to work. You need a fish oil that is high in Omega 3 (anti-inflammatory) and low in Omega 6 (pro-inflammatory) since we already get too much Omega 6 in our normal diets. Puritans Pride Triple Strength is the best I have found for value and quality.

https://www.puritan.com/purita...h-oil-1360-mg-016128

https://www.amazon.com/Puritan...ega-3/dp/B00B8XDPZK/


Cut out all sugars, especially sugary drinks, and minimize carbs. Essentially eat like a diabetic, think about how to control your blood sugar and insulin levels with what you eat. Eat quality protein with each meal, try to get most of your carbs from veggies and fiber-rich fruits. The book "The Obesity Code" by Jason Fung is excellent, I also listened to the audio book.


When you do eat eggs, consume eggs that are high in Omega 3. Egglands best are our favorite and they taste delicious. I eat 30-35 of these eggs each week and my bloodwork is great (despite my parents having high cholesterol). Several studies have shown that cholesterol in eggs does not raise your blood serum cholesterol levels.

https://www.egglandsbest.com/product/classic-eggs


Use real butter when cooking, avoid the margarine trans-fat poison. That stuff will kill you.


Choose lean grass fed beef. It has a much better Omega 3 profile compared to corn fed beef. High Omega 6 = high inflammation = bad for arteries.

https://www.healthline.com/nut...mega-6-omega-3-ratio


Cut out the heavily processed meats like salami, sausage, etc. These are always included in the "red meats" when studies show "red meat" is bad for you and they do cause health issues when consumed in high amounts. However lean grass fed beef high in Omega 3 is absolutely not bad for you. It's dishonest to group that with nitrate-filled lunch meats when studying "red meat". The starchy baked potato loaded with all the toppings that you eat with the lean steak is what you have to watch out for.


Find any form of exercise that you enjoy and start a normal routine. It doesn't matter what it is, you just need to do something to get moving.

Once a month we make a big salad
With
Romain, celery, cucumbers, black olives, cherry tomatoes, radish's, cauliflower, carrot ,peas and kohlrabi.

Takes longer to make than to eat.

Low dose Lipitor, works fairly well for me.