Diet vs. Statins - Trust me, I'm a Doctor

[Northerner]

On BBC2 tonight (22nd July) 20:00. Michael Mosley looking into how changing diet to improve cholesterol compares with statins 🙂

 

[Caroline]

sounds a better way of doing it. I know changes in diet can help improve many conditions.

 

[Amigo]

Thanks for heads up Northener, just watched that programme. Interesting results and just causes greater confusion for me as I find in an attempt to avoid carbs, my diet now probably contains slightly more protein like cheese and eggs etc. I really don't want to start on statins.

Looks like more oats and almonds!

 

[Robin]

Just watched it too. fascinating thing about almonds, that they lowered some people's cholesterol dramatically, and raised others. How do you know which you are?

 

[trophywench]

By having you chol checked and then eating almonds for however long, then having it done again? I should think !

I am starting on drinking pomegranate & aronia juice - not happy with my BP and more than not happy with my intermittent claudication. If it happens to improve either, it's a bonus isn't it? Time - and testing! - will tell.

It's all very well saying to eat oats or almonds or whatever - but when the D is more important to look after than the Chol - why eat extra carbs?

 

[Northerner]

...It's all very well saying to eat oats or almonds or whatever - but when the D is more important to look after than the Chol - why eat extra carbs?

I wonder what shepherd's pie is like if you use porridge instead of mashed pots? 😱

Some very significant results for Mr Mosely - 30% reduction overall and 40% reduction in LDL! I was surprised it was so much. I guess it might even have been greater if it turns out he was one of the ones who went the wrong way with the almonds! 🙂 I think they should have made it clear that you need to eat real oats, not the highly processed powdery 'instant' stuff like Ready Brek or Oatso Simple.

 

[Worcester_Matt]

I haven't seen the programme, but I read the BBC news article. I'm not convinced in the scientific merits of the study at all. The reality is that a healthier diet will generally have some health benefits for most people.

The conundrum I have is that I apparently have diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, with probable IBS too. I should have a lower carb diet for my diabetes, but I need to lose weight and eat lower fat food for the cholesterol and the high blood pressure. I've been rigorously checking food labels lately, and almost universally the low-fat versions of food are noticeably higher in carbohydrates. As someone new to all this it can be incredibly confusing! I suppose the only "benefit" of having a type 1 diagnosis is that I don't have to be as strict with my diet as I might otherwise have to be. At least that's what the dietician and diabetes nurses tell me.

 

[AndBreathe]

I found it interesting that they focused on total, HDl and LDL, without reference (unless I missed it; I was multi-tasking) to triglycerides.

Amigo - I eat a reduced carb diet and during the period I ate oats, each morning at breakfast, my cholesterol did reduce a fair amount, but then, my overall diet was being modified, so difficult to accurately state that made a difference.

Coincidentally, in that period, my trigs improved, but not by as much as after I gave up oats on a regular basis. Trigs are definitely related to carb consumption.

My overall totals have never gone under 5, and only once they've gone below 6, but my breakdowns are excellent. For some time, I had to serially negotiate my way away from statins, but having educated my GP (when I go I always make sure I am well informed about the topic in question, for statins, I left her with links to websites and papers of interest). Last time, my numbers were down a whisker, and I mean a whisker, but suddenly she changed from, "maybe we should refer you for a specialist lipid opinion", to "you must be utterky delighted with those numbers".

Sadly, I still believe many of our GPs are struggling to stay up to date with the research that we may find fascinating; such is the pressure of trying to keep abreast of information on diabetes, hypertension, stress, BP, lipids, pain/back ache, worn out joints and all those other chronic conditions that are on the increase.

I feel for GPs. I would hate to be a GP these days!

 

[Northerner]

I've found that actually the best thing for your cholesterol levels is regular exercise, which they didn't mention at all 🙄

 

[AndBreathe]

Northerner, his portfolio diet cut out a lot of very day to day foods, I wonder how sustainable it might be.

Of course, many feel exactly the same way about reducing carbs, which so many of us understand the value of, and are committed to its sustainability.