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Lowering My Cholesterol

By Christina Mulberry

High cholesterol is a factor in a number of serious health problems, including stroke and heart disease. Looking at current information, it seems that high cholesterol may be the result of a combination of factors, some of which can be controlled, and some of which cannot. Inadequate physical activty, a diet that is too high in saturated fats, and genetics are some of the primary suspects.

Sufficient physical activity can improve your good cholesterol levels. Consumption of some food substances have also been clinically proven to reduce bad cholesterol. Certainly too, there are medications available on the market which can help lower cholesterol levels as well.

I come from a family with a significant history of high cholesterol, stroke, and heart disease. I have had my cholesterol checked throughout my adult life and every five years, it seems to have increased. My good cholesterol levels have always been very good, but the bad cholesterol kept inching up.

Now, at age 50, I've crossed the line. My cholesterol level hit 230 and the line was 200. My level of activity is still quite good and my physician didn't feel it was something I needed to increase. I walk 3 to 5 miles per day year round, bicycle for much of the year, and have a light weight lifting routine as well. I play tennis and other sports occasionally. My weight is also well within the desired range.

I was given 6 months to attempt to reduce my cholesterol before looking at medical intervention in the form of pharmaceuticals. I want to avoid taking any medications to lower my cholesterol. To do this I will try to change my diet. Unfortunately, I can't change my genetics.

I am convinced that any changes I make need to be sustainable. If I completely eliminated saturated fat from my diet over the next several months, I really don't think I could continue the effort as a true lifestyle change over the remainder of my lifetime. For this reason, I will be concentrating on cutting my saturated fat intake by at least half and consuming more of the foods identified as those that can reduce cholesterol.

I've been concentrating on keeping my calcium intake high based on a family history of osteoporosis. I've been consuming a great deal of milk, cheese, and other dairy products for this reason. Unfortunately, this of course increases my saturated fat intake as well. Based on my new found cholesterol problem, I will now cut my intake of dairy products by at least half. I will now rely more on salmon, tuna, spinach, beans, and so forth to get my calcium. I will be switching from milk to calcium fortified orange juice as well except with my morning breakfast cereal.

I've avoided many cooking oils for years, and make use only of canola and olive oils for cooking so this won't be a change, but certainly something I need to maintain.

In addition, there will be foods I will add to my diet to actively try to reduce cholesterol. I knew that oat bran had been cited in many studies and adding it in the form of homemade granola and breakfast cereals is easy. However, with a bit of research I also learned about plant sterols which are naturally occuring in a variety of foods and are added to other products. Sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts and pecans are examples that I now add to salads or snack on periodically. I have always consumed a lot of fruits and vegetables and was pleased to learn that blueberries, broccoli, apples, tomatoes, and avocados are among those that provide plant sterols as well.

Products such as margarine, orange juice, and yogurt drinks are sometimes enriched with plant sterols as well. I have switched from my usual low fat margarine to Benecol for this reason.

Desserts are my weakness. I love fruit pies, crisps, and cobblers, but the crusts can be loaded with fat. I've taken to consuming more of my fruit desserts in a bowl, with a bit of sugar, and no fat laden crust. I will also be trying to increase my fiber intake which my increased consumption of oats will help in doing. My understanding is that the increased fiber acts to take up or absorb cholesterol. In addition, I will focus more on beans when making many of the soups that I love.

I've done well so far in making the changes I've targeted, and it feels very sustainable as none of them have really felt like a sacrifice. The verdict however is not yet known. In May, I will be re-tested and I will discover if my efforts have been sufficient.

Contributor's Note

I am not a physician or nutritionist, obviously. But I am merely sharing my experience and challenge.

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I also have high cholesterol. I take Lipitor, which combined with diet and exercise, manages to keep my levels within the acceptable range. Lifestyle changes alone didn't do it for me as I had hoped. I have a big family history of strokes and heart attacks, so I must exercise caution. I will look into these plant sterols that you mention. Every thing helps.

It won't surprise me if I have to take medication as well. It's certainly in my family history. I'm hopeful though, I need to give this a good try. I know that as we age, more and more medications can enter the picture, so any diet/lifestyle changes I can make to control something, the better.

Genetics play a significant part I agree. I was put on statins a couple of years ago and now it`s just part of my daily habit. I`m not particularly slim but I know people who are, yet some of them have high cholesterol. I don`t like having to take tablets, but have just got used to it now. Nice Intel, Christina.

Yes, we're very lucky there is an easy fix! I want to change what I can, but I'm not willing to sacrifice everything I like completely.

You touched the lives of many people with this intel, Christina.
The most important fact is you are monitoring your body health and working to improve your life. What your doing now, will make you a healthier, happyier person as you get into senior citizenship. I switched to oatmeal or shredded wheat at Breakfast. Good fiber.
Thank you for sharing.
Best to you.
Frederick

Most gerontologist tell me we have much more control over how we age than most people realize. I'll do what I can.

Good article. I am thinking of adding a link to this article on my National Cardiologists Directory. The link is on my profile.

Thank you, and thank you for taking the time to read.

Great intel, Christina. My 'take' on the whole cholesterol debate, is ... don't have the test done in the first place. If you find out you have these 'problems,' you live your subsequent life differently, and that's just about as debilitating as whatever the 'problem' is. I take life as it comes, and if I have 'something' that's going to shorten my life span, so be it. I don't have the time nor the inclination to worry about tomorrow. TODAY, is where I am at and enjoy every second that I breathe. My outlook may be narrow minded and flippant, but it boils down to ... I would rather NOT know and spend my time focussing on the positives and NOT the negatives. To each his/her own.

I understand completely. There's only so much I'm willing to do, especially in light of the fact there are medications to take care of it if necessary. If there was nothing I could do about it...I would be just like you...ignorance is bliss!

Desserts are my weakness too, though high cholesterol luckily doesn't run in my family. I know I'll have to watch it in the upcoming years.

Some people have the right genes and this is never a problem no matter what they eat. Others of us aren't so lucky. However, you're right to check it, in fact you should check it every few years. It can be low when checked but a few years later it can change.

Did you know that when you consume animal protein and calcium together (such as in dairy products?)your body actually removes calcium from your bones during the digestive process making the bones weaker? The best sources of calcium are dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and beans. I am so happy to see that you are reducing dairy and leaning more towards some of these foods, it will make a huge difference I think.

The absolute best thing you can do to lower your cholesterol however is to reduce animal protein consumption. the fat does not work in isolation. THOUSANDS of studies have linked animal protein to high cholesterol, cancer, heart disease etc. There is a lot of misinformation out there. My father takes drugs to lower his cholesterol as he is unwilling to alter his diet. My doctor tols me I have the best HDL/LDL ratio of anyone in his entire medical practice. its not all about genetics either. Diet is KEY. I do not believe in taking any drugs, which all ahve side effects. You can reduce your cholesterol by diet, it can work. If you cant live without meat, try to cut back, try for 1 or 2 meals a day that are vegan. Fiber is also key as you mention and the best source is green vegetables.

The very best book on this is the China Study written by the worlds leading cancer researcher of over 40 years of work. also John Robbins the food revolution is an easy read and discusses this and is not as scientifically written as the china study. I am pretty passionate about diet and health and write this in hopes to help and I hope you succeed.

Thanks, that's great information to have. Every piece is part of the puzzle. I'm not a big meat eater anyway though. I probably eat about 1/3 to 1/4 the amount of meat most Americans consume. Dairy on the other hand is harder for me to pass up, especially in the form of cheese.

I'm convinced my cholestoral number is so high, it will kill me right on the spot if I see it, so I have refused to have it checked. Good intel though, the detail in your intel makes all the difference.

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