What is the most effective way to lower Cholesterol?

[LookingGood!]

I should re phrase it to the best way to lower borderline cholesterol.

I have a history of fluctuations in my overall cholesterol number from below 200 to 249> (2001).
I work out 6 days a week in the form of powerlifting/power bodybuilding, softball, cardio but cant seem to lower my cholesterol to the 150 level.I am awaiting my next reading.

I never took Red yeast rice b/c I wanted to see if I could lower it with diet and exercise alone.
I took plant sterols and policiosanol but didnt stay on them long enough to see my reading.
Gugilipid: not on it long enough either.
Currently taking fish oil pills 2400 mg a day (2 pills a day)eat fish 2 times a week. No red meat, maybe 1 time a month, no butter, trans fat etc. I watch my diet very well. I also take an assortment of vitamins.

Can anyone share their experiences?

 

[sublime]

I have successfully gotten my blood preasure in check amongst other things with a vegan mostly raw diet. Cut out red meat and refined foods and I think you will be surprised by the results.

"Better living through natural foods."

 

[Strat54]

Dietary Recommendations
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. These contain fiber and antioxidants. Soluble fiber has been shown to reduce LDL and total cholesterol if you consume five grams to 10 grams daily. Good sources of soluble fiber include beans; lentils; oats; barley; apples; citrus fruits; pears; brussels sprouts; carrots; and flaxseed. If you are not allergic to soy products, they also reduce cholesterol levels

Must You Avoid All Fat?
Olive oil has been found to lower LDL cholesterol. Extra virgin olive oil is rich in antioxidants that protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation
Fish containing omega-3 fatty acids, A handful of almonds, walnuts or cashews are recommended.

herbs for Cholesterol Management
Green tea
Garlic Bulb
Ginseng
turmeric
Cayenne
Aloe Vera
Gaurana
Echinacea Root
Gugulipid
Policosanol

 

[Bryan]

In general, I think people are a little too fixated on cholesterol levels.

Bryan

 

[Armando Jose]

maybe argan oil its usefull to treat problems with cholesterol.

Armando

PMID
16020940
16019008
15380909
14522427
10967715

 

[docj077]

Like Bryan said, people are far too concerned about cholesterol. Your body requires it for cell membranes, to make hormones, etc. It's the lipoproteins that carry the cholesterol that people should concern themselves with and having a high LDL or a low HDL is cause for concern. Oxidized LDL is obviously bad for you, but you need a few other processes to occur before it truly causes damage.

The main process that people should be concerned with is hypertension (essential or secondary). It causes the vessel damage that allows the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and the like. A low salt diet is what is needed to begin with, but once you have high LDL or low HDL, then a low fat and low cholesterol diet should be the direction that any given person should take combined with low salt intake.

 

[LookingGood!]

Like Bryan said, people are far too concerned about cholesterol. Your body requires it for cell membranes, to make hormones, etc. It's the lipoproteins that carry the cholesterol that people should concern themselves with and having a high LDL or a low HDL is cause for concern. Oxidized LDL is obviously bad for you, but you need a few other processes to occur before it truly causes damage.

The main process that people should be concerned with is hypertension (essential or secondary). It causes the vessel damage that allows the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and the like. A low salt diet is what is needed to begin with, but once you have high LDL or low HDL, then a low fat and low cholesterol diet should be the direction that any given person should take combined with low salt intake.

Thanks for the response! I agree with you and Bryan wholeheartedly. I think it's the ratio of HDL/LDL that matters most. If that's the case I am good as my HDL are above 50 and LDLs are below 130.
The overall number doesnt carry as much weight. The problem I have is that MDs are so quick to prescribe the statins which work effectively but have deleterious long term effects such as liver toxicity and rhabdomyolysis which is not something I want. I am totally fixated with the low salt, low saturated fat diet. Always did it.
Do you think it's a republican conspiracy? Think about it, the sale of statins always goes up when the republicans are in office. Who is one of the biggest supporters of the republicans.....the drug companies!

whats your take on the supplements that were mentioned?

 

[LookingGood!]

Dietary Recommendations
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. These contain fiber and antioxidants. Soluble fiber has been shown to reduce LDL and total cholesterol if you consume five grams to 10 grams daily. Good sources of soluble fiber include beans; lentils; oats; barley; apples; citrus fruits; pears; brussels sprouts; carrots; and flaxseed. If you are not allergic to soy products, they also reduce cholesterol levels

Must You Avoid All Fat?
Olive oil has been found to lower LDL cholesterol. Extra virgin olive oil is rich in antioxidants that protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation
Fish containing omega-3 fatty acids, A handful of almonds, walnuts or cashews are recommended.

herbs for Cholesterol Management
Green tea
Garlic Bulb
Ginseng
turmeric
Cayenne
Aloe Vera
Gaurana
Echinacea Root
Gugulipid
Policosanol

Strat,

Thanks for the research. I take 75% of your recs. I dont do the tumeric (good for arthritis too) cayenne on down. I did policosanol but did monitor it long enough to see a change. I basically lowered it thru a strict healthy diet and increased cardiovascular work. What was your experience?

Thanks again!

 

[docj077]

Like Bryan said, people are far too concerned about cholesterol. Your body requires it for cell membranes, to make hormones, etc. It's the lipoproteins that carry the cholesterol that people should concern themselves with and having a high LDL or a low HDL is cause for concern. Oxidized LDL is obviously bad for you, but you need a few other processes to occur before it truly causes damage.

The main process that people should be concerned with is hypertension (essential or secondary). It causes the vessel damage that allows the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and the like. A low salt diet is what is needed to begin with, but once you have high LDL or low HDL, then a low fat and low cholesterol diet should be the direction that any given person should take combined with low salt intake.

Thanks for the response! I agree with you and Bryan wholeheartedly. I think it's the ratio of HDL/LDL that matters most. If that's the case I am good as my HDL are above 50 and LDLs are below 130.
The overall number doesnt carry as much weight. The problem I have is that MDs are so quick to prescribe the statins which work effectively but have deleterious long term effects such as liver toxicity and rhabdomyolysis which is not something I want. I am totally fixated with the low salt, low saturated fat diet. Always did it.
Do you think it's a republican conspiracy? Think about it, the sale of statins always goes up when the republicans are in office. Who is one of the biggest supporters of the republicans.....the drug companies!

whats your take on the supplements that were mentioned?

Herbs are nice, but taking a simple multivitamin everyday is probably a better idea. Niacin will raise your HDL, but it'll also make you flush and rather uncomfortable.

It's tough to do, but go out and buy yourself some regular old cheerios or some powerbars with as much fiber (soluble) as you can get. Then, get some tropicana orange juice and drink the juice with the cheerios for breakfast. For lunch, get yourself some lowfat yogurt, an apple or grapes, and try to drink something low in sodium...water, for instance. For dinner, eat more fish (not deep fat fried) and chicken. Lay off the beef if you can help it or eat smaller servings. No fried foods, no fast foods, and nothing high in fat or cholesterol. Also, eat more brocolli, carrots, and celery. As often and as much as possible.

If you're going to eat a crappy meal make sure that you preload with vegetables or some bread (wheat, high fiber, etc.). That way, if you have something with cholesterol in it, soluble fiber will bind the cholesterol and insoluble fiber will make it pass through your body faster.

 

[CCS]

barley flower has a lot of both types of fiber, and procyanidin B3. A tasty toping for your oatmeal is unsweatened cocoa.

 

[the_swami]

I agree with the other posters about cholesterol not being as 'dangerous' as people think. The main thing you want to change with your diet is adding strong antioxidants like grape seed extract (or drink two glasses of red wine, not white, each day), green tea is also good, and so is soy. Cholesterol must become oxidized before it can clot and form plaque, antioxidants help prevent this. Also, digging deeper, virtually all disease processes involve elevated free radicals in the disease process. So in that sense, strong antioxidants are like panaceas. Almost everyone agrees now that red wine is the key to the 'French Paradox'. Grape seed extract (oligomeric proanthocyanidins) are also anti-aromatase and will help keep your estrogen levels lower...

 

[IBM]

Why dont you reduce your meals to half and eat fruit instead?

 

[bubka]

cut out the sugar, saturated fats, trans fats, red meat, eat more foods rich in fiber, eat more fish

like others have said though, cholesterol is 80% made by the body, not from diet, so you are mostly stuck with what mom and dad gave you

 

[LookingGood!]

Like Bryan said, people are far too concerned about cholesterol. Your body requires it for cell membranes, to make hormones, etc. It's the lipoproteins that carry the cholesterol that people should concern themselves with and having a high LDL or a low HDL is cause for concern. Oxidized LDL is obviously bad for you, but you need a few other processes to occur before it truly causes damage.

The main process that people should be concerned with is hypertension (essential or secondary). It causes the vessel damage that allows the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and the like. A low salt diet is what is needed to begin with, but once you have high LDL or low HDL, then a low fat and low cholesterol diet should be the direction that any given person should take combined with low salt intake.

Thanks for the response! I agree with you and Bryan wholeheartedly. I think it's the ratio of HDL/LDL that matters most. If that's the case I am good as my HDL are above 50 and LDLs are below 130.
The overall number doesnt carry as much weight. The problem I have is that MDs are so quick to prescribe the statins which work effectively but have deleterious long term effects such as liver toxicity and rhabdomyolysis which is not something I want. I am totally fixated with the low salt, low saturated fat diet. Always did it.
Do you think it's a republican conspiracy? Think about it, the sale of statins always goes up when the republicans are in office. Who is one of the biggest supporters of the republicans.....the drug companies!

whats your take on the supplements that were mentioned?

Herbs are nice, but taking a simple multivitamin everyday is probably a better idea. Niacin will raise your HDL, but it'll also make you flush and rather uncomfortable.

It's tough to do, but go out and buy yourself some regular old cheerios or some powerbars with as much fiber (soluble) as you can get. Then, get some tropicana orange juice and drink the juice with the cheerios for breakfast. For lunch, get yourself some lowfat yogurt, an apple or grapes, and try to drink something low in sodium...water, for instance. For dinner, eat more fish (not deep fat fried) and chicken. Lay off the beef if you can help it or eat smaller servings. No fried foods, no fast foods, and nothing high in fat or cholesterol. Also, eat more brocolli, carrots, and celery. As often and as much as possible.

If you're going to eat a crappy meal make sure that you preload with vegetables or some bread (wheat, high fiber, etc.). That way, if you have something with cholesterol in it, soluble fiber will bind the cholesterol and insoluble fiber will make it pass through your body faster.

Doctor!!!

This just in! I just got my numbers back, they went in the wrong direction. I am baffled. 3 yrs ago: total 249, my HDL were around , close to 50, LDL were 140. My triglyerides were 299. (too much snapple, gummy bears etc) I didtnt do as much cardio either, just powerbodybuilding, martial arts/boxing. So since then I made major lifestyle changes:

More fiber: Flaxseed meal in my oatmeal,
Cardio 3-5 times a week.
No butter, salt, margerine: substituted with Benecol/smart balance spreads
added fish to my diet 2 times a week ie Salmon/talapia
added fish oil pills 2400mgs a day along with my multi vitamin/mineral
dabbled with policosanol/gugulipid/plant sterols but not long enough to see a change.
Few cups of green tea a day
Alot of spring water
Glucosamine/chondriotin: does this have any negative effect?
Lysine 1500mg a day
MSM 1-3 g a day
B complex
soy milk/rice milk instead of regular milk
min to no cups of coffee, only once in a while (socially)
Drink more red wine but not everyday maybe 2-3 times a week, mostly with dinner.
Red meat maybe 0-1 time a month. Only special occasions
Today I get my results:
total cholesterol: 247
HDL 42 (down after all this work????)
LDL 180 ( up after all this work????
Triglycerides 124 down from 299...major improvement!! only positive
C-reactive protein: 0.1 reference range < 0.8....very good!!!
BP: 122/80

So my question is what the hell is going on here?? I made the lifesyle changes and the total doesnt change, the hDL go down 2 points, the LDLS go up 34 points !! It's supposed to be the other way around for crying out loud. I am beside myself here b/c I worked so hard with my diet, exercise etc. I never eat anything bad.
My possible attributions: I eat out alot but always request no butter ans light to no salt. I eat alot of chicken along with fish (2 times week)
Also, can stress from work do this???
My dad had an MI when he was 46 but he smoked for 28 yrs prior and didnt really exercise, had alot of stress, didnt channel it well etc. Since then which is 20 yrs ago, he is very healthy, maintains his weight, tkes lipitor but originally as a preventive, never went off b/c the MD is so conservative (aint broke dont fix it, cover my *** MO) so we really cant use him as a genetic factor b/c of the H/o of smoking. I am the opposite of him in terms of fitness and watching what I eat.
I have to go see my Doctor next week but cant b/c I have to have my shoulder scoped so it will be a few weeks but I dont want the statins at all. There are too many sides.

Am I screwed????

 

[Bryan]

I agree with the other posters about cholesterol not being as 'dangerous' as people think. The main thing you want to change with your diet is adding strong antioxidants like grape seed extract (or drink two glasses of red wine, not white, each day), green tea is also good, and so is soy. Cholesterol must become oxidized before it can clot and form plaque, antioxidants help prevent this.

Absolutely! The evidence suggests that LDL cholesterol doesn't start to form atherosclerotic plaque unless and until it becomes oxidatively modified. Therefore, a key approach to fighting atherosclerosis should be keeping an adequate level of antioxidants in the bloodstream at all times, 24/7.

It astonishes me that people continue to focus on more simplistic issues like the absolute levels of total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, etc. Why don't they take it to the next higher level of understanding and examine the actual biochemical processes involved as to HOW and WHY certain cholesterol fractions lead to heart disease? Simply to obsess on a simple notion like "getting your cholesterol down" should have become passé years ago.

Bryan

 

[CCS]

I'm glad I read this post.

 

[LookingGood!]

I agree with the other posters about cholesterol not being as 'dangerous' as people think. The main thing you want to change with your diet is adding strong antioxidants like grape seed extract (or drink two glasses of red wine, not white, each day), green tea is also good, and so is soy. Cholesterol must become oxidized before it can clot and form plaque, antioxidants help prevent this.

Absolutely! The evidence suggests that LDL cholesterol doesn't start to form atherosclerotic plaque unless and until it becomes oxidatively modified. Therefore, a key approach to fighting atherosclerosis should be keeping an adequate level of antioxidants in the bloodstream at all times, 24/7.

It astonishes me that people continue to focus on more simplistic issues like the absolute levels of total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, etc. Why don't they take it to the next higher level of understanding and examine the actual biochemical processes involved as to HOW and WHY certain cholesterol fractions lead to heart disease? Simply to obsess on a simple notion like "getting your cholesterol down" should have become passé years ago.

Bryan

Do you know why Bryan? It's b/c AMA created this hypocrisy! I have no intentions of taking Statins. There have not proven to prevent MIs. I will take my blood work over b/c something may be very wrong here. A yr ago I was excellent.
Bryan: have you ever heard of anyone taking fish oil pills and getting an adverse affect? There are some people whose Trigs went down but there LDLS went up. I may be one of them.
Also, in response to your support of the grapeseed extract/antioxidants etc, how do we know they are effective? I drink green tea regularly and put the GT extract into my spring water when I am working. Also, I drink soy milk in my oatmeal, in my protein shakes and sometimes in my cheerios.
Do you take them in pill form? Droplets into water???

 

[docj077]

[quote="the_swami":b70e2]I agree with the other posters about cholesterol not being as 'dangerous' as people think. The main thing you want to change with your diet is adding strong antioxidants like grape seed extract (or drink two glasses of red wine, not white, each day), green tea is also good, and so is soy. Cholesterol must become oxidized before it can clot and form plaque, antioxidants help prevent this.

Absolutely! The evidence suggests that LDL cholesterol doesn't start to form atherosclerotic plaque unless and until it becomes oxidatively modified. Therefore, a key approach to fighting atherosclerosis should be keeping an adequate level of antioxidants in the bloodstream at all times, 24/7.

It astonishes me that people continue to focus on more simplistic issues like the absolute levels of total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, etc. Why don't they take it to the next higher level of understanding and examine the actual biochemical processes involved as to HOW and WHY certain cholesterol fractions lead to heart disease? Simply to obsess on a simple notion like "getting your cholesterol down" should have become passé years ago.

Bryan

Do you know why Bryan? It's b/c AMA created this hypocrisy! I have no intentions of taking Statins. There have not proven to prevent MIs. I will take my blood work over b/c something may be very wrong here. A yr ago I was excellent.
Bryan: have you ever heard of anyone taking fish oil pills and getting an adverse affect? There are some people whose Trigs went down but there LDLS went up. I may be one of them.
Also, in response to your support of the grapeseed extract/antioxidants etc, how do we know they are effective? I drink green tea regularly and put the GT extract into my spring water when I am working. Also, I drink soy milk in my oatmeal, in my protein shakes and sometimes in my cheerios.
Do you take them in pill form? Droplets into water???[/quote:b70e2]

Actually, statins are proven to not only lower cholesterol, but also to reverse the atherosclerotic process. They may cause rhabdomyolysis releasing myoglobin into your body, which will shut down your kidneys, but dammit, they work for most people and it keeps those with CAD in the clear until something better comes along. Targeting HMG-CoA reductase is a tricky business, but a lot of these drugs prevent cholesterol absorption in the small intestine, as well.

There's something you're missing with your lifestyle and you need to figure it out. Getting older means that your body will start to rule you and not the other way around. It's quite possible that it's simply your genetics kicking in.

 

[LookingGood!]

[quote="the_swami":dde44]I agree with the other posters about cholesterol not being as 'dangerous' as people think. The main thing you want to change with your diet is adding strong antioxidants like grape seed extract (or drink two glasses of red wine, not white, each day), green tea is also good, and so is soy. Cholesterol must become oxidized before it can clot and form plaque, antioxidants help prevent this.

Absolutely! The evidence suggests that LDL cholesterol doesn't start to form atherosclerotic plaque unless and until it becomes oxidatively modified. Therefore, a key approach to fighting atherosclerosis should be keeping an adequate level of antioxidants in the bloodstream at all times, 24/7.

It astonishes me that people continue to focus on more simplistic issues like the absolute levels of total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, etc. Why don't they take it to the next higher level of understanding and examine the actual biochemical processes involved as to HOW and WHY certain cholesterol fractions lead to heart disease? Simply to obsess on a simple notion like "getting your cholesterol down" should have become passé years ago.

Bryan

Do you know why Bryan? It's b/c AMA created this hypocrisy! I have no intentions of taking Statins. There have not proven to prevent MIs. I will take my blood work over b/c something may be very wrong here. A yr ago I was excellent.
Bryan: have you ever heard of anyone taking fish oil pills and getting an adverse affect? There are some people whose Trigs went down but there LDLS went up. I may be one of them.
Also, in response to your support of the grapeseed extract/antioxidants etc, how do we know they are effective? I drink green tea regularly and put the GT extract into my spring water when I am working. Also, I drink soy milk in my oatmeal, in my protein shakes and sometimes in my cheerios.
Do you take them in pill form? Droplets into water???

Actually, statins are proven to not only lower cholesterol, but also to reverse the atherosclerotic process. They may cause rhabdomyolysis releasing myoglobin into your body, which will shut down your kidneys, but dammit, they work for most people and it keeps those with CAD in the clear until something better comes along. Targeting HMG-CoA reductase is a tricky business, but a lot of these drugs prevent cholesterol absorption in the small intestine, as well.

There's something you're missing with your lifestyle and you need to figure it out. Getting older means that your body will start to rule you and not the other way around. It's quite possible that it's simply your genetics kicking in.[/quote:dde44]

Yes, they do work for alot of people but I was cynical about prescibing them to almost everyone which is what I am see alot of lately. I mean, my numbers are not terrible( to me yes) but the patient that has TC of 300-500, LDLS of 200-300 and HDLs < 35 is definitely the group that would benefit from a possible prolonged life.
Are there special test that can be done that most Internist/gp do not perform routinely?

What do you think of my LDLs at this time of 180 up from 140. Can fish oil pills cause this?

Thanks again.

 

[LookingGood!]

I agree with the other posters about cholesterol not being as 'dangerous' as people think. The main thing you want to change with your diet is adding strong antioxidants like grape seed extract (or drink two glasses of red wine, not white, each day), green tea is also good, and so is soy. Cholesterol must become oxidized before it can clot and form plaque, antioxidants help prevent this.

Absolutely! The evidence suggests that LDL cholesterol doesn't start to form atherosclerotic plaque unless and until it becomes oxidatively modified. Therefore, a key approach to fighting atherosclerosis should be keeping an adequate level of antioxidants in the bloodstream at all times, 24/7.

It astonishes me that people continue to focus on more simplistic issues like the absolute levels of total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, etc. Why don't they take it to the next higher level of understanding and examine the actual biochemical processes involved as to HOW and WHY certain cholesterol fractions lead to heart disease? Simply to obsess on a simple notion like "getting your cholesterol down" should have become passé years ago.

Bryan

B,

Is there evidence that this works or all hype? I looked thru google/ask.com and minimal research.