Apparently, unhealthy levels of it are hereditary and it looks like I've got that shit.

I'm sure there are others here who are dealing with this nonsense, so please feel free to share any of the crappy foods you can eat with this stuff.

Sorry to hear that.

These are all the obvious ones, but I lowered my cholesterol a ton by eating a lot of oatmeal (steelcut, but I think almost any oatmeal will help), blueberries, and salmon.

I'm trying to eat more sardines, herring, etc., too. And I take a fish oil supplement.

cholesterol is fat in the blood stream

that bein said. i have high chol. i tried

to do the walk thing and eat right, but

with my agae (56) and my pre-disposition

all i can do s take a pill (pravastatin sodium)

nightly, and i am good. all my levels are back in

sinq.

i've heard that flax can help

Bad cholesterol is a muthafucka. I watched this documentary on diet last night and they made three groups of people eat fast food or Mediterranean food (pasta,olive oil, fish, vegetables etc.) or typical German food ( Bavarian white sausage with sweet mustard and pretzels, sauerkraut, meat and potatoes) and believe it or not, a few weeks later all three groups had the same blood test results.

Of course things might be different in the long run if you stick to a certain diet but I believe the hereditary factor is much bigger than we thought. But I still believe that a good diet, and oats in particular, can help reduce the bad cholesterol. My doc said I had bad cholesterol but the good cholesterol levels are pretty high so that they counterbalance the bad stuff. I eat a lot of olives, fish, veggies and olive oil in abundance,and oatmeal, but I don´t really think about my cholesterol levels.

Working out and eating well are very important. Cholesterol can be beneficial, too. Without cholesterol your sex hormones would be pretty low. And foods that are high in cholesterol don´t necessarily raise your cholesterol levels.

I´d stay away from statins (medication to lower your cholesterol).

I was just prescribed something for cholesterol; my pizza, hamburger days, subway sammiches days or so over. I'm not speaking of the chain "Subway" either. I've cut back on the fried food, baking skinless chicken and fish and eating for the mos part from the "health section" of restaurant menus when I go out. Though I'm putting aside one day out of the week were I can eat any damn thing I want. Oh, I have to drop twenty five pounds so now I have a trainer, I don't like him either.

Thanks, guys.

I have a friend lowered his significantly by cutting out dairy and red meat.

He was young and thin, and his number was very high, so obviously he had a hereditary predisposition. But diet (and possibly exercise) made a big difference.

I'm on Lipitor. Don't.get.on.this.shit.

Raise good cholesterol by exercising and lower bad cholesterol with dietary changes.

I go high cholesterol, and it runs in my family. Mine really fluctuates due to what I eat. If I eat tons of steaks, it goes up cray high.

With some people it's a little bit high and that's just how they're built. But if it's ridiculously high, DANGER.

I just got tested for it a month ago, and I was high, but not alarm time high. I do eat eggs every day with the yolks. I could take out the yolks if I wanted to lower it.

My mum, poor thing has that - she eats nothing but the healthiest stuff, gets like 2 hours of exercise each day and STILL has to take medication for her blood cholesterol levels.

My dad on the other hand eats whatever, does whatever, and his are really good.

So far, I'm taking after my dad, mine are very good also though, admittedly I eat very healthy.

I have it too. But its now gotten to the point where its its not threatening me anymore, as long as I excercise, be careful about what I eat and take my medicine.

I have hereditary high choresterol. My mom has it and all 3 of my kids have it.

I refused to get into the pills. I asked my doctor to give me a year to do it on my own, and I dropped 60 points simply by eating better and exercising.

I just had a physical last month, and my levels are high again, BUT my "good" cholesterol levels are so high that they balance out the "bad".

Foodwise...I stopped eating bacon every day (cutting out my daily bacon and Coca-Cola portions really did wonders)...but God gave me a very active digestive system, so I don't need all that fiber and Cheerios.

Man...I miss bacon.

I have hypercholesterolemia, though I only found out after having a heart attack!....

...Now I take statins and keep one eye on my diet... and I should pay the gym a visit now and again

I don't really think about it anymore

Folks should get there cholesterol checked no matter how young or old and no matter how healthy or unhealthy they think they are.

thin ppl have high cholestrol 2

ThisOne said:

thin ppl have high cholestrol 2

yes we do...

KingBAD said:

ThisOne said:

thin ppl have high cholestrol 2

yes we do...

Tell me about it.

Okay, so...the first thing you need to know is that the total cholesterol number is meaningless. Let me repeat that: total cholesterol is meaningless. Take no action based on your total number.

What's important are your ratios: total cholesterol/HDL, and LDL/HDL.

Do the math, then compare to the charts:

[img:$uid]http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g216/rebecca8273/HDL-1.png[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g216/rebecca8273/HDL.png[/img:$uid]

• Since 75% of cholesterol is manufactured in the body, dietary changes may have little effect (unless you lose a lot of weight - and then only maybe).

• Cholesterol is a healing substance (your body uses it to repair damage). For example, people who are undergoing chemotherapy often find that their cholesterol level goes sky high - their body's attempt to repair the damage being caused by the chemo. I know two people whose cholesterol did that and their idiot doctors put them on statins to lower their readings. Both contracted rhabdomyolysis and now have permanent heart damage.

• Cholesterol rises naturally with age - again, because it is a healing substance. (As we age, our bodies have more damage to fix.) There is some evidence to suggest that cramming down cholesterol levels may increase the risk of cancer. Women over 50 shouldn't take them (not least because they no longer work) - and no one over 70 should. Interesting aside here: My 80-year-old dad (who took statins for years until his liver enzymes rose to a level where they took him off) has a doctor who recently tried to put him on cholesterol meds again - despite his liver enzyme readings and the fact that he has no heart disease. My mom looked the doctor right in the eye and said, "Okay. If he does nothing - how long will it be before might have a problem with a blockage?" The doctor said, "Oh, probably ten years - or maybe never." So they want to put my dad on potentially damaging meds because he might have a heart or arterial problem when he's 90?! Seriously?

Try like anything not to take statins - the side effects can be horrible. Rhabdomyolysis (or milder muscle pain), depression, brain fog and sleep disturbances are just a few of the things you may experience. If you enjoy a drink now and then (and people who become depressed on statins - like my dad - probably will), add elevated liver enzymes to the mix.

A very good book that will give you a view you are unlikely to hear from the medical establishment (ie, pill pushers) is The Cholesterol Myths by Uffe Ravnskov. It's out of print, though - so it may be hard to find. He also has an updated (and simplified) version called Fat and Cholesterol are Good For You. Searching on either of those titles at Amazon will put you on to other excellent titles by reknowned lipid biochemist Mary G. Enig and Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, to name two.

Genesia said:

Okay, so...the first thing you need to know is that the total cholesterol number is meaningless. Let me repeat that: total cholesterol is meaningless. Take no action based on your total number.

What's important are your ratios: total cholesterol/HDL, and LDL/HDL.

Do the math, then compare to the charts:

[img:$uid]http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g216/rebecca8273/HDL-1.png[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g216/rebecca8273/HDL.png[/img:$uid]

• Since 75% of cholesterol is manufactured in the body, dietary changes may have little effect (unless you lose a lot of weight - and then only maybe).

• Cholesterol is a healing substance (your body uses it to repair damage). For example, people who are undergoing chemotherapy often find that their cholesterol level goes sky high - their body's attempt to repair the damage being caused by the chemo. I know two people whose cholesterol did that and their idiot doctors put them on statins to lower their readings. Both contracted rhabdomyolysis and now have permanent heart damage.

• Cholesterol rises naturally with age - again, because it is a healing substance. (As we age, our bodies have more damage to fix.) There is some evidence to suggest that cramming down cholesterol levels may increase the risk of cancer. Women over 50 shouldn't take them (not least because they no longer work) - and no one over 70 should. Interesting aside here: My 80-year-old dad (who took statins for years until his liver enzymes rose to a level where they took him off) has a doctor who recently tried to put him on cholesterol meds again - despite his liver enzyme readings and the fact that he has no heart disease. My mom looked the doctor right in the eye and said, "Okay. If he does nothing - how long will it be before might have a problem with a blockage?" The doctor said, "Oh, probably ten years - or maybe never." So they want to put my dad on potentially damaging meds because he might have a heart or arterial problem when he's 90?! Seriously?

Try like anything not to take statins - the side effects can be horrible. Rhabdomyolysis (or milder muscle pain), depression, brain fog and sleep disturbances are just a few of the things you may experience. If you enjoy a drink now and then (and people who become depressed on statins - like my dad - probably will), add elevated liver enzymes to the mix.

A very good book that will give you a view you are unlikely to hear from the medical establishment (ie, pill pushers) is The Cholesterol Myths by Uffe Ravnskov. It's out of print, though - so it may be hard to find. He also has an updated (and simplified) version called Fat and Cholesterol are Good For You. Searching on either of those titles at Amazon will put you on to other excellent titles by reknowned lipid biochemist Mary G. Enig and Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, to name two.

Thank you, Genesia!

I’m borderline on all of my cholesterol #s except triglycerides (which are always great) but my doctor has not advised me to do anything about it yet.

I eat a vegetarian diet, egg yolks once or twice a week and full fat cheese once or twice a week. I never spread butter on anything and rarely cook with it.

If it gets worse than it is, I’ll probably have to try meds as I don’t think my diet could change that significantly.

hmmm... looking at the ratio charts I'm low to average risk.

Guess I'll keep doing what I'm doing. Perhaps that's why my doctor says not to worry about it.

CarrieMpls said:

I’m borderline on all of my cholesterol #s except triglycerides (which are always great) but my doctor has not advised me to do anything about it yet.

I eat a vegetarian diet, egg yolks once or twice a week and full fat cheese once or twice a week. I never spread butter on anything and rarely cook with it.

If it gets worse than it is, I’ll probably have to try meds as I don’t think my diet could change that significantly.

Your numbers might improve if you did eat butter, natural full-fat cheese and whole eggs. Your ratios would almost certainly be better (since eating ample fat and fewer carbs tends to raise HDL).

Personal choice - and YMMV, of course.

I have the hereitary type and refuse to take the medicine. I eat pretty well and there shows no difference. I'm retesting this next month and will decide.

mzsadii said:

I have the hereitary type and refuse to take the medicine. I eat pretty well and there shows no difference. I'm retesting this next month and will decide.

i tried exersise, but at 56, it's too little

to late. one pill a night, i can do that

but shit, i qwit exersisin.

I haven't checked mine in a while, the last I got a full examine the good and the bad were in average range. But over these past few months, I've been putting away the dairy in unusually large quanities and I'm sure it has skyrocketed. My nails are looking better though. So I think mine would be more dietary than hereditary. I've been blessed to make to almost 50 without need any types of medication, outside of upset stomach issues. But I am getting hints that my luck is running out.

morningsong said:

I haven't checked mine in a while, the last I got a full examine the good and the bad were in average range. But over these past few months, I've been putting away the dairy in unusually large quanities and I'm sure it has skyrocketed. My nails are looking better though. So I think mine would be more dietary than hereditary. I've been blessed to make to almost 50 without need any types of medication, outside of upset stomach issues. But I am getting hints that my luck is running out.

Why would you think that? There is no causal link between consuming dairy and high cholesterol.

Genesia said:

morningsong said:

I haven't checked mine in a while, the last I got a full examine the good and the bad were in average range. But over these past few months, I've been putting away the dairy in unusually large quanities and I'm sure it has skyrocketed. My nails are looking better though. So I think mine would be more dietary than hereditary. I've been blessed to make to almost 50 without need any types of medication, outside of upset stomach issues. But I am getting hints that my luck is running out.

Why would you think that? There is no causal link between consuming dairy and high cholesterol.

The high fat content, cheeses, ice cream, all the not so good stuff. There's other things too I guess a lot of nuts, cause for a while I took my meat eating to one serving per day.

morningsong said:

Genesia said:

Why would you think that? There is no causal link between consuming dairy and high cholesterol.

The high fat content, cheeses, ice cream, all the not so good stuff. There's other things too I guess a lot of nuts, cause for a while I took my meat eating to one serving per day.

There is nothing wrong with eating fat, as long as it is an intrinsic part of a food. (Eating manufactured fats is what's bad.) There is nothing wrong or dangerous about eating milk or cheese. Ice cream (because of high sugar content), not so much.

Nuts are good for you, too.

Genesia said:

morningsong said:

The high fat content, cheeses, ice cream, all the not so good stuff. There's other things too I guess a lot of nuts, cause for a while I took my meat eating to one serving per day.

There is nothing wrong with eating fat, as long as it is an intrinsic part of a food. (Eating manufactured fats is what's bad.) There is nothing wrong or dangerous about eating milk or cheese. Ice cream (because of high sugar content), not so much.

Nuts are good for you, too.

Sure in moderation it all is okay, but not in the way I've been doing it here lately, I'm not a kid anymore with a revered up metabolism and I forget that. I have issues sometimes.

Okay, from what I've been reading, the most important thing to cut down on is trans fat, followed by saturated fat. Apparently, the amount of cholesterol in an item is less important than these?