High Cholesterol

[Portugal1000]

After my initial happiness of reducing my mol from 53 to 45 (originally diagnosed in August) I have now had cholesterol results back and way too high so now have to also focus on reducing that. I think I have been drinking too much coffee and eating too much red meat but of course can’t really be sure what’s causing it. Assume surgery will call to book appointment this week. In the mean time would appreciate some advice on how to proceed.
Thank you

 

[bulkbiker]

I have now had cholesterol results back and way too high so now have to also focus on reducing that.

What are they and was it from a full lipid panel or just "total cholesterol"
Have you and are you still losing weight and how long had you water fasted before the bloods were taken for the blood test?

Well done on reducing your HbA1c level.. isn't that the most important win?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Well done on reducing your HbA1c @Portugal1000

Too much saturated fat is generally associated with elevated cholesterol levels, but I’m not sure I have heard of much strong evidence about caffeine, though newspaper articles seem to suggest it cures everything and/or causes everything on alternate months

There are some basic pointers and suggestions about food in this free download from Diabetes UK

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/resources-s3/2020-02/enjoy-Food-june-2019.pdf

Has your surgery suggested medications to help with your cholesterol levels? My Dr suggested that only a certain amount of improvement was possible through diet (depending on your starting point)

 

[harbottle]

I did come across some paper/article that said coffee might cause cholesterol to go up, and also cause insulin resistance, but when I mentioned to my GP she was a bit bemused and said to keep drinking it, but don't go mad. I usually stop when my eyelid is twitching.

I've recently been reading Professor Taylor's book, 'Life without diabetes,' and he comments that some research was done that found coffee doesn't affect insulin resistance...

I did find this:

The Coffee-Cholesterol Connection

Does coffee affect your cholesterol? Find out how the two are connected and what you can do to continue to enjoy your morning coffee while keeping your cholesterol levels down.

www.webmd.com

 

[nonethewiser]

After my initial happiness of reducing my mol from 53 to 45 (originally diagnosed in August) I have now had cholesterol results back and way too high so now have to also focus on reducing that. I think I have been drinking too much coffee and eating too much red meat but of course can’t really be sure what’s causing it. Assume surgery will call to book appointment this week. In the mean time would appreciate some advice on how to proceed.
Thank you

Either way they'll want to get your cholesterol levels down so might start you on statins, maybe low dose depending on results.

Statins are perfectly safe & one of the most researched drugs around, so don't be put off by any scaremongering antics by unqualified people as there's few out there spreading nonsense

 

[bulkbiker]

Statins are perfectly safe & one of the most researched drugs around,

Untrue.. there are many side effects - muscle pain, elevated blood sugar levels and memory problems to name a few.

 

[harbottle]

Untrue.. there are many side effects - muscle pain, elevated blood sugar levels and memory problems to name a few.

Nonethewiser did not say there are no side effects. You're making a straw man.

All medicines have potential side effects.
Not everyone gets side effects from statins.

Plenty of research has been done on this:

Statin Therapy: Review of Safety and Potential Side Effects

Hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, commonly called statins, are some of the most commonly prescribed medications worldwide. Evidence suggests that statin therapy has significant mortality and morbidity benefit for both primary and ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

As was said before, 'unqualified people spreading nonsense.'

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Yes, I find saturated fats push my cholesterol up, and like most, have no side effects to statins.

 

[bulkbiker]

Nonethewiser did not say there are no side effects. You're making a straw man.

All medicines have potential side effects.
Not everyone gets side effects from statins.

Plenty of research has been done on this:

Statin Therapy: Review of Safety and Potential Side Effects

Hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, commonly called statins, are some of the most commonly prescribed medications worldwide. Evidence suggests that statin therapy has significant mortality and morbidity benefit for both primary and ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

As was said before, 'unqualified people spreading nonsense.'

The claim that they are "perfectly safe" is untrue.

There are multiple side effects reported in many studies.
And many more are impacted than Prof Sir Rory claimed... he even has a patent in the US on a test that can identify those most likely to be impacted so they can be excluded from statin trials!

Statin cheerleader Sir Rory Collins plans to examine himself. It could prove painful | HealthInsightUK

Professor Sir Rory Collins, the austere director of the institute in Oxford that produce much of the evidence supporting the increasing use of cholesterol –lowering statins, is in hot water once more. Last week he declared that he intended to investigate himself.

healthinsightuk.org

 

[Leadinglights]

It is probably more accurate to say if you find the right one then you will get no side effects. A bit like blood pressure medication you have to find the correct one at the correct dose which suits you and is effective.

 

[rebrascora]

Yes, I find saturated fats push my cholesterol up, and like most, have no side effects to statins.

I eat lots of saturated fats and my cholesterol is still going down, contrary to what I expected or was lead to believe.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

I eat lots of saturated fats and my cholesterol is still going down, contrary to what I expected or was lead to believe.

Guess we're different then.

 

[Docb]

I find this sort of tit for tat discussion on statins a bit irritating and in the end unhelpful. This comes from somebody who has had to make decisions on real safety issues and has sat on, and presented safety cases to, numerous safety committees.

Two main points...

First, I would like to remind everybody that safety is a relative thing. Something is safe relative to something else. Nothing is safe or unsafe in its own right.

Second, one course of action might be "safer" than another course of action but that does not make the second course of action dangerous.

All drugs have side effects and the question is whether on balance they provide an overall benefit. It is absurd to condemn any drug on the basis it makes some takers uncomfortable if it is helpful to many others.

A silly story....

A long, long time ago somebody found that if you banged a couple of particular rocks together you got sparks and those sparks would set dried grass alight and before long you could get a pile of wood burning. He went back to his cave to tell his fellow man about how he knew how to get warm and what's more he had found out that if you hung lumps of mammoth in front of it for a while you got something much nicer to eat than the raw mammoth they were surviving on.

He had no sooner got his "fire" going, warmed everybody up and got a haunch of mammoth on the go when a voice from the back of the cave pipes up...

"You can't do that, its too dangerous. I heard on the jungle drums that somebody in the next valley got one of those fires going and he got one of the red bits on his foot and it hurt"

It is a good job he was ignored otherwise we would be eating raw mammoth to this day.

 

[Sharron1]

Well done on reducing your HbA1c @Portugal1000

Too much saturated fat is generally associated with elevated cholesterol levels, but I’m not sure I have heard of much strong evidence about caffeine, though newspaper articles seem to suggest it cures everything and/or causes everything on alternate months

There are some basic pointers and suggestions about food in this free download from Diabetes UK

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/resources-s3/2020-02/enjoy-Food-june-2019.pdf

Has your surgery suggested medications to help with your cholesterol levels? My Dr suggested that only a certain amount of improvement was possible through diet (depending on your starting point)

This is my understanding. Your liver produces cholestrol and any foods add to the mix , but if you are one of those people who naturally produces high cholestrol, it is almost an impossible task to make any great reduction by diet. Hence the need for Statins to assist. I think . As I always say cholestrol talk is a minefield.

 

[bulkbiker]

Guess we're different then.

Possibly because you eat "lots" of carbs and take statins?

 

[Deleted member 21371]

This is my understanding. Your liver produces cholestrol and any foods add to the mix , but if you are one of those people who naturally produces high cholestrol, it is almost an impossible task to make any great reduction by diet. Hence the need for Statins to assist. I think . As I always say cholestrol talk is a minefield.

Saturated fats increase the livers production of cholesterol, hence the advice to avoid it

 

[bulkbiker]

Hence the need for Statins to assist. I think . As I always say cholestrol talk is a minefield.

But you are assuming that higher levels of cholesterol are "bad".
This is often simply not the case.
Many people with CVD have "normal" levels of cholesterol so....

 

[Sharron1]

Possibly because you eat "lots" of carbs and take statins?

No don't eat high carb number or take Statins. It is simply one of those things and up to individual to make the decision whether or not to take Statins.

 

[bulkbiker]

No don't eat high carb number or take Statins. It is simply one of those things and up to individual to make the decision whether or not to take Statins.

Where did that come from.. certainly wasn't meant to be in reply to you..
This was what I wrote...

 

[Sharron1]

Whatever. You make your choice then get on with life.