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has anyone had success with this? My doctor put me on niacin to lower it, but the side effects were awful, so I'm tempted to try changing my diet...which isnt that bad really. But I want to add all the things you read about to lower my numbers. I already dont eat red meat (maybe once a month) but I want to add fish, oatmeal, olive oil, walnuts, etc to my diet to see if that lowers it.
I'm not overweight, with in the norms anyway. but my numbers were quite high.
Then start doing it! Tell the doctor to give you 1 month to see some results---and if you can't (and some folks simply can't--their body produces it!) then start taking the prescription!
Yes, I have. Dropped my numbers by 15points in just two months. Try eating oatmeal or pine nuts cooked fresh. Nothing processed, pre-packaged or instant. Eat this every day for breakfast.
Another very important factor - exercise. Like anything, this requires consistency to work. No jumping off the wagon with store bought cookies, no adding sugar and salt. Voila! It will work. Now, it might not lower your numbers enough to where your doc is comfortable with it, but that's between you two.
You can definitely lower cholesterol with dietary/lifestyle changes. It's important to remember that only foods derived from animals contain cholesterol. So that means reducing/eliminating cheese, dairy products, eggs and such,in addition to reducing meats and poultry. Make ice cream a very rare treat. Note, this doesn't mean eliminating all these, just reducing, though the more you reduce, the better the results.
Garlic and onions are good for lowering, too. If you don't like the taste of fresh garlic (one clove/day), you can take garlic capsules (800 mg garlic powder/day).
Vitamin C (500-1500 mg/day, 500mg 3x day) and chromium (80 mcg/day) have been used, with good effect, for lowering cholesterol, too.
Exercise and a good amount of fresh water all benefit, too.
Hope this helps--it helped me. Most of this advice comes from a wonderful book, Vitamins, Minerals, and Alternative Healing by Sherry and G. Thomas Sullenfuss M.D.
Then start doing it! Tell the doctor to give you 1 month to see some results---and if you can't (and some folks simply can't--their body produces it!) then start taking the prescription!
That's what happened to my husband...he tried the diet, garlic, the oat bran, gave up cheese and eggs, ate fish, exercised, lost weight (he was thin to begin with) and when he went back to get checked...his numbers actually went up! Guess he's one of those people whose body produces it!! He's now on medication and his numbers are great!
Red Yeast Rice combined with CoQ10. Google it, its been very effective. I would also suggest taking a high quality cod liver oil/fish oil to reduce triglycerides. Also keep in kind diets high in carbohydrates also raise cholesterol.
Last edited by CleanCutHippie; 12-30-2008 at 11:32 PM..
Red rice yeast is a statin and you can have the same side effects as on a Rx statin.. Right on the CoQ-10, get some of that and take it every day. Statins deplete this from your body and every cell in your body needs it.
Now, I lowered mine with diet. I quit the statins and only allowed mine to be checked twice in 3 years... The first time I let them check it to see if I was doing any good on my diet... It had come way down from the pre-statin numbers but still what they call "high".. However, I was really pleased with it (250).
Several months ago, I got to feeling really bad.. heart pounding in my chest and light headed, went to the doctor and did blood work to see what was going on. Cholesterol check said it was 228 so I knew what my problem was.. That is to low for me. I feel the best when mine is around 250 so I have increased my fat intake and am feeling 100% better. I am one of those with the inherited high cholesterol and I got mine down by eating right and taking fish oil, using only real butter and olive oil for fats along with eating healthy.
I cooked everything from scratch so I would know what I was getting and you would be surprised what you can leave the fat out of or replace it with olive oil and never know the differance. I ate red meat once a week, baked fish and chicken once a week and oatmeal with cinnamon & walnuts every morning. Mostly I ate fruit, vegetables and beans like I did when we were kids.. I lost 45 pounds in that 3 years too!
Forgot to add, read the lables on everything! If you see partically hydrogenated oils on it, don't touch it! They are just as bad for you as trans fats, I am waiting for the day they ban this like the tran fats.. Don't understand why they haven't yet..... and nobody ever mentions this when discussing cholesterol... I have never heard a doctor ever say those words "partically hydrogenated oils".
And DO remember, they can still put trans fats in our prepackaged foods and not have to put it on the label if it is .5grams or less PER SERVING so pay close attention to serving size!
your numbers sound like mine...even when I was running marathons my best total was 222, which is considered high, now with out running its a little over 300.
I'm doing to do the same, starting eating walnuts and oatmeal, and use olive oil when I can and other such stuff.
Forgot to add, read the lables on everything! If you see partically hydrogenated oils on it, don't touch it! They are just as bad for you as trans fats, I am waiting for the day they ban this like the tran fats.. Don't understand why they haven't yet..... and nobody ever mentions this when discussing cholesterol... I have never heard a doctor ever say those words "partically hydrogenated oils".
And DO remember, they can still put trans fats in our prepackaged foods and not have to put it on the label if it is .5grams or less PER SERVING so pay close attention to serving size!
Partially hydrogenated oil and trans fat are the same thing, it's basically shortening.
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