cholesterol -help?

Question

I have just had my yearly cholesterol results and I have gone up 2 points despite a fairly rigid diet. I am 5' 5" and weigh 125lbs, I take 20mg statin tabs daily, drink pomegranet juice and only use pro-active spreads - no chocolates etc. HELP how can I bring my level down?

Answer 1

Physical exercises will be of great help, even juggling 30 minuets a day. Drinking green tea (about 10 cups a day) will also help, or even u can have the green tea extract tablets (OTC item).

Answer 2

The ratio of LDLP/HDLP (good and bad cholesterol) is more important than the absolute level. So impossible to comment on information given.

Unfortunately diet make very little difference to cholesterol (unless you are eating prawns everyday) as your liver is just so good at making it's own. A balanced diet is sensible, but will not lower cholesterol dramatically.

Also all statins are not the same, 20mg atorvastatin is more effective at lowering LDLP than 20mg simvastatin.

Discuss with medical practitioner. Suggest increase dose of statin (if appropriate) to at least 40mg of simvastatin or equivalent.

Answer 3

Is your high cholesterol caused by food or family history? If family, a rigid diet can only go so far. You'll have to take cholesterol medicines. If your high cholesterol is caused by food, there's an ancient Chinese herbal remedy you can try. My uncle when from 250 to 198 drinking this. He buys dried Hawthorne fruit from a local Chinese herb store. It's not processed, just dehydrated fruit. He then boils them in water until the water turns red. A sandwich bag of the fruit can produce about 10 cups of the juice. My uncle just refrigerates it and drinks a glass morning and night. He drinks this for about 3 months and his cholesterol dropped. After that, he just drinks for 2-3 days every month only and was able to keep it low.

Answer 4

Firstly, establish whether the cholesterol figures you have been given, represent 'good' cholesterol and not the bad stuff!

Many people have the ability to produce more of the stuff than others, no matter what stringent intake they are on.

Try not to double the dose of the statin, it can produce very unpleasant side-effects.

Most importantly, take 75mg aspirin everday after food plus garlic extract. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Raised cholesterol is a bigger risk factor for cardiovascular disease in men than women. A more important risk factor in women is the level of triglycerides in the blood.

A diet high in soluble fibre, (from vegetables and fruit) may help to reduce "bad" cholesterol by binding to it in the gut and excreting it in faeces, this way it is not reabsorbed from the gut back into the blood.

As someone mentioned earlier, stress has a big impact on many systems in the body including cholesterol. Try something stress relieving like yoga or meditation

Dietary considerations

· Olive oil as principal source of fat
· Diet centred round plant food: Fruits, beans, vegetables, potatoes, whole grain breads, pasta, nuts and seeds
· Foods that have been through a minimum of processing:- Whole foods
· Fresh seasonal foods
· Fresh fruit as dessert instead of sweets with concentrated sugars (sweets max 2x per week)
· Dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt) consumed in small amounts daily
· Fish eaten regularly 3 x per week
· Poultry and eggs max 4 x per week
· Red meat in small amounts and good quality lean meats (venison is a good choice)
· Wine alcoholic beverage of choice and drank with food
· Eat nuts and seeds as snacks especially walnuts and almonds


The combination of both omega 3 (from oily fish) and olive oil in abundance in the diet and avoidance of other fats (from animal and processed food sources) has been proven to lower cholesterol. There is a direct link between the consumption of omega 3 fats and heart disease. More omega 3 = less chance of heart disease.

Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds have been shown to have a cholesterol lowering effect. Nuts are also high in the protein arginine. This improves the flow of blood and reduces clot formation. Walnuts are especially effective.

Fruit and Veg
Fruit and veg are good sources of antioxidants. Antioxidants give fruit and veg their colour. These help stop cholesterol sticking to the artey walls. Lycopene is an important antioxidant found in tomatoes. The tomatoes must be cooked, otherwise the lycopene stays locked in and is not usable by the body. Although lycopene is an important antioxidant, it is important to eat a wide range of coloured fruit and veg as antioxidants work together and a variety is more protectative than any one alone.

Answer 6

stress can have anegative effect on cholesterol levels. if you are maintaining a healthy diet which is low in animal fats, exercise regulary and take your statin medication as prescribed, have a look at your general stress levels. A reduction in stress may bring about a reduction in cholesterol

Answer 7

you sound as though you are doing a really good job in controlling your cholesterol. but it may just be the way you are, some people are more predisposed to getting high cholesterol than others and dont forget it is hereditary. if the doctor was concerned he may alter your medication. keep up the good work and stop worrying. dont forget to include fibre in your diet.

Answer 8

My cholesterol was 5.8 my doctor put me on simvastatin 40 mg and less than 3 weeks later it's 3.4. Maybe you aren't on a high enough dose and if you have familial cholesterol - diet won't help very much.

Answer 9

i would check on the juice you drink,, i am not sure if it raises your levels,i do know that cranberry juice does,as you are good useing proactive spreads ,which are very good fpr lowerin gyour cholestral.

Answer 10

apples, bluberries, seeds, loads of things like that help