Advise on Sky High Blood Cholesterol

[cornykev]

Hi all, I had my bloods done three weeks ago and my Doctor told me my results were very high, 9.9 which meant nothing to me at the time but now know how seriously high they are. I also went in for a cardial catheterisation yesterday but the resuts are good with all the arteries being clear. Does anyone have any advise on what to eat and what to cut out. I asked the hospital for a diet sheet but the info is minimal. 

I'm not a fish person but do eat salmon so have been eating more of this as well as rolmop herrings
Cut out all biscuits , cakes and crisps
Changed to olive oil based marg
Fruit and fibre cereals

Anything else anyone can add to the list or offer any other advise thxs in advance.   
 

[cornykev]

[Obelixx]

It may seem counter intuitive but eating avocadoes is known to reduce cholesterol.   Oats are very good too and can be eaten as porridge or muesli.   Salmon, trout, mackerel, herrings are all very good but better eaten fresh than pickled like roll mops.   Fresh walnuts, almonds and pecans can all help but not salted or sugared forms.    Extra virgin olive oil is good too and I firmly believe a little butter is better for you than any margarine.  Eat plenty of richly coloured vegetables and fruits and garlic as well as pulses such as kidney and pinto beans.   Enjoy an occasional glass of red wine.

Avoid processed foods of any sort as they contain all sorts of trans fatty acids and or palm oil which are known to cause cholesterol.   

[Palustris]

This has good info
http://heartuk.org.uk/cholesterol-and-diet/six-super-foods-for-lower-cholesterol

[Tee Gee]

This was the answer I got from a nurse when I asked her why we have cholesteral in our bodies in the first place, this was her reply:

All grazing animals e.g. horses, cattle and sheep have high cholesterol levels as this is needed to aid the digestion of vegetable matter, in other words we need to 'graze' 

Could this be the reason  the advice we often get is:  to eat as much green stuff as we can, particularly raw stuff like lettuce etc.

Or put another way our five or more a day!


It would seem if we do not eat in this manner we get a build up of Cholesterol.

It sounds a logical story but I do not know if it is true for the simple reason I do not eat too much green stuff I prefer. a mixed diet,

Strangely enough my Cholesterol is always quite low, usually below three!

I have asked what would be considered too low a level and as yet I have not had a definitive answer.

I go for my MOT tomorrow as it happens so I might ask the question again to see what sort of answer I get, if in fact I get one!

Sorry I can't be more helpful than that....Tg

[Ellen K]

Many of us on here have had bad news, the good new is your arteries are OK and that's really great news.

What I've been told (by the ladies on the T2 Diabetes team) is that if you score red in one risk factor, you have to work on getting all your risk factors in to the green.  These are blood pressure, cholesterol and blood fats, blood glucose, smoking and drinking, BMI and waist measurement.  So it's lifestyle changes for you now mate and there is lots of info out there. 

You can eat cholesterol lowering foods (they suck the cholesterol out of your liver if you eat enough of them)   But definitely what Obbelix said - stay away from processed "low fat" foods because they are full of sugar and sometimes not even that low in fat.

And of course give the statins a fair chance.

Take care.

[cornykev]

Cheers all for that, I've upped my veg intake, broc, cabbage, carrots and cauli nearly everynight
Making juice drinks with, oranges, apples, grapes, pears, pinapple, kiwi's, etc
Eating salmon and mackeral, noted the rolmops
Snacking on nuts, raisens and cranberries
Benicol yogurt drinks are on the menu
Always used olive oil and changed butter to bertolli
Lost about 6 pounds in last 3 or so weeks.

Thanks for the link Palustris.   

[Paulines7]

Kev, 9.9 is very high.  I assume you fasted for 12 hours before your blood test and abstained from alcohol for 24 hours? 

I had the results of my cholesterol test last week and am 7.5, the highest I have ever been.  I am going back on statins now as I have a heart condition.  I asked the registrar who gave me my results if I should change my diet as I am on low carb for my diabetes, but she said it wouldn't make any difference as it is the liver that is producing the cholesterol.  She told me to carry on with my diet as my HbA1c (a test for blood sugar levels over the past 3 months), has reduced significantly since diagnosis and she is very pleased with that.

Are they going to put you on statins, kev? 

[Obelixx]

Well done Cornykev on your change of diet and your weight loss.   Both should lead to a reduction in blood pressure and a reduction in bad cholesterol and a healthier outcome for you and your family.

[picman]

Cornykev This is more of a challenge than advice , write a list of ALL the types of food and drink available ! ie Cereals .. Bread , pasta , rice, cake etc etc, Meat .. Beef, Chicken ... as many categories and items as you can think of,  quite a list  .. now list (higlite) the ones you eat regularly ... then aim to  improve your list.   

[cornykev]

9.9 is very high Pauline but the numbers meant nothing until I asked others who have high BC
I fasted and no Alcohol for at least 5 days
I've been on Simvastatins for 3 weeks now and been told to change them up by the heart doc
My blood pressure was OK at the docs and the hospital
Cheers all, Corny.   

[Golach]

Be very careful with Statins.  They have irreversible side effects.  Watched my late husband suffer terribly because of them.  Plenty information on the internet about their (usually hushed up by docs) side effects.  Personally, I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.

That said, if you want to lower your cholesterol quickly and without side effects, try Soya Lecithin - you'll get it in Holland & Barratt or any good health food shop.  My brother's cholesterol was on the high side a few years back and his doc, who amazingly doesn't believe in Statins suggested the Soya Lecithin.  Only took two weeks to drop his cholesterol down to a normal level.

[Paulines7]

Golach, I have taken lecithin supplements for several years now and yet my cholesterol is high.  I have avocado most days for breakfast and avoid saturated fats.  I also eat a lot of broccoli, cauli, cabbage and courgettes yet I am now back on statins.

I agree with what you say about statins, Golach and I was determined not to go back on them, but I made deal with the Registrar that if my cholesterol went above 5.0, I would go back on them.  So far I have no ill effects from them but then I am on a small dose. 

Pleased to hear your bp is fine, Kev.

[cornykev]

The doc changed my statins to atorvastatin, I know what your saying Golach but the heart doc says I need these to bring my levels right down and my diet will never be enough on it's own. I don't read the side affects advise any more, most meds will tell you strokes, heart attacks, diarrhea, stomach cramps etc, but will ween off these when the levels come down. Still its changed the way I eat, like Pauline I've been eating cauli, cabbage, broccoli, carrots with most meals. Salmon and Mackerel now regular meals and my juicer is getting through quite a few Apples, Satsumas, Grapes, Pears, Kiwi's and Pineapples. My weight is coming down slowly. I've lost 8 pounds since my first blood tests were taken 5 weeks ago and my BP was OK when I went to the docs last week. 

[Paulines7]

I am on Atorvastatin too, Kev. 

You have done well to lose so much weight; I wish I could do the same!  The time of year helps as there is so much to do outside and I have lost a lb or two since the weather has improved. 

[cornykev]

I think its what I have cut out as well Pauline, no more dumplings, Yorkshire puds, rice, normal pasta, bread, alcohol, butter, biscuits, crisps, cakes, pies and takeaways
Cut down on potatoes and red meat.   

[cornykev]

Hi all, I've had my results back for my latest blood test and amazingly my blood chloresterol levels are down to 2.6
I asked the doc if this was right as I was hoping for a 5 to 6 count
She said that I was still on the statins for life which I was dissappointed with, me thinking I could control it with my diet.
The weights crept up a few pounds but I've been away to Yarmouth with my mates a few weeks ago and just come back from Vegas with the missus and twelve friends.   

[Ellen K]

Very glad to hear your good news Kev.  Yes it's surprising difficult to stay motivated and not go back to old habits.  Don't lose sight of how important it is.  As the ladies have said to me "the problem is that, by the time you start to feel it, it is far too late to start doing stuff to improve it".  So when I stray, I still remember that and don't give up. 

But you have to enjoy life too. Take care.

[laurieuk]

I had five heart bypasses about 19 years ago and used to go swimming with the local heart group there was a nurse who sometimes swam with us with a cholesterol level of 16. She said some people have a natural high level and she had no special treatment .