High Cholesterol

[Catrina]

Cant understand it. Just come back from seeing the nurse at the doc's because my cholesterol is 7.8!!! She has given me a list of things I can eat and things I should cut down on. No more takeaways, pies, cakes biscuits pastries chips sausages, pates, whole milk, cream, ice cream, butter.

I never eat takeaways, bought pies, cakes and biscuts, whole milk cream or ice cream or butter. I dont like chocolate, but I do like crisps.

I occasionally have chips, home made and not microwave or oven chips. We have bacon or sausage at the weekend if we are at home I drink in moderation so why the h**l is my cholesterol so b****y high.

She asked me if I do any exercise. I mountain bike, walk, do pilates once a week, and have the allotment and do a bit of cleaning for a couple of people as well as my own. Isn't that enough. I am really fed up today with this so I am off up to the allotment to get rid of my frustration as she want to see me in three months and then I will have to go on Statins as she doesnt think that I can change my cholesterol in that time. So I have to try really hard now cause I am already taking tablets for IBS and a Hiatus Hernia so no more tables

Any ideas what I can do would be gratefully received.

[garygc2008]

Sorry to hear that. Do you eat a lot of Eggs, liver, kidneys and prawns? Afraid the only advise i can give is fruit up, veg up and eat plenty of pulses and protein rich breakfasts.

[mcsee]

Catrina - Next time you see your Doctor for a follow up Cholesterol test, ask if he can check your Vitamin D levels as well.

I've also heard that taking Fish Oil capsules can be of some benefit with high Cholesterol levels.

[dan1979]

Do you eat a lot of Eggs, liver, kidneys and prawns?

You're wrong if you think eating those foods would cause high levels of blood cholesterol (see FSA website cholesterol pages).


Did they give you the ratio? That's more important than the overall number.

I wouldn't fret over it (stress raises blood cholesterol levels), the massive majority of people who have heart attacks have 'normal' cholesterol levels.

The only reason you hear so much about cholesterol is because it's the only contributory factor they can actually put a number on, other things like genetics are far more important.

What is your fat intake like? Do you eat intensively farmed meat/eggs? What cooking oils/spreads? Eat much fish, nuts?

[garygc2008]

I'm not saying they cause it, but they are naturally higher in different types of cholesterol in comparison to other foods..... thats all. Fatty foods do cause more damage over a shorter period. Problem is, far too many people have different opinions on everything and then everyone gets completely confused. I'd just try a varied balanced diet.

[Headfry]

I eat lots cheese, butter, and the odd take away- my cholesterol level was checked and results were flagged up for being very low.

I can only think most of it is in your genes. sorry you are having problems Catrina

[Flummery]

There does seem to be a genetic factor. Mr F had his checked a year or two back and was told to eat or avoid certain foods to prevent it going higher than it is. However, the nurse said she had one patient whose level was through the roof. He changed his diet and was virtually living on fruit and it came DOWN to 9! Poor chap.

[Catrina]

They said that my chance of having a heart attack in the next 10 years was 6% my good cholesterol was 2.5 ish and my bad was 5.

I dont eat liver or kidneys I eat a little bacon at the weekend and the occasional sausage again at the weekend. I dont eat butter now only the low fat stuff. I probably have one or two eggs a week, prawns about once a fortnight.

We have cut down on red meat which we tend to eat alot of in the winter but rarely in the summer. We have lots of salads, new potatoes, fish, chicken, wholemeal bread, low fat mayo, baked beans, veggies, no bought pies or sausage rolls or takeaways.

I have had a lot of stress recently as my brother in law abroad is in late stage pancreatic cancer and he is more like my brother than my brother in law so I am finding it very upsetting at the moment. My sister has also got raised levels but my twin sister absolutely refuses to have the test.

I dont see what else I can do to lower it. I am going to start a low GI diet and see if that helps. Thanks for all your suggestions I will keep you informed as to what happens.

[dan1979]

I dont eat butter now only the low fat stuff.

A lot of the 'low fat' stuff is worse than butter, it's heavily processed, full of additives and damaged vegetable oils (which are seriously bad for you).

Your diet sounds pretty good but unprocessed food should be the priority above anything that claims to be healthy.

Replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated might sound good but usually it's the wrong kind of polyunsaturated fat, the kind that there is way too much of in the typical diet so you end up even worse off.

[Jardiniere]

i take statins .......i dont believe you can properly reduce your levels by diet alone because it is almost always a genetic thing...doesnt mean you dont try to eat a good diet but it takes the anxiety out of it....i take pills for high blood pressure as well...my mum died from a stroke (she was 90). Now why should i have high blood pressure if it isn't genetic? i'm not stressed.......

[Catrina]

I suffer from Fybromialgia which causes pain and exhaustion. Pain to my muscles and real tiredness when doing things. At the moment I have it under control having Bowen treatment. But if I take Statins I am told that
this causes muscle pain and give that I already have that when not having Bowen treatment I dont want to take the tablets.

[Tam]

Soya reduces cholesterol and some of the soya milks now are quite pleasant - I prefer the ones sweetened with apple juice.