High cholesterol

[weiss27md]

I'm 26 and former military. I weigh 165. My cholesterol is above normal. I cut back on cheeses, red meats and eggs. Not sure what else to do. I tried running again but I got pain in the center of my chest for like 15 minutes after done running for like 2 miles. Used to run 15+ miles in the Marines. Any suggestions?

 

[zembonez]

The pain is likely nothing but I'd ask a doctor. High cholesterol is often more hereditary than food based.

 

[orbitup]

my Dr. has me taking fish oil and Cholestoff. If you don't take the fish oil right after a big meal you can get awful fish burps.

 

[Texas1911]

Cholesterol is regulated by hormones in the body just like sugars; it's metabolically regulated. There have been studies that show that eating one diet over another does nothing significant to raise or lower your cholesterol, in fact, there are some that have shown that eating large amounts of cholesterol laden food will reduce the amount your body produces and actually lower total cholesterol.

There's no significant correlation between diets high in cholesterol and heart disease either. There is a prevailing theory that politics, namely a pro-vegetarian Doctor, is what led to the Government recommendation to reduce cholesterol in diets and that high amounts of it were bad.

Something to think about ... not everything in the books is right tomorrow. I remember when eggs were chastised as killers.

 

[weiss27md]

Thanks, I already take fish oil. I'll look into getting the Cholestoff.

 

[Texasjack]

Talk to a doc. The pain you have could be a number of things, most of them minor and treatable. My MIL thought she was having chest pains, but it was really GERD (essentially reflux of stomach acid irritating an area above the stomach.) If it's bothering you as much as you say, get it checked out and don't rely on the "doctors of TGT".

As Texas1911 points out, changing diet isn't the solution to high cholesterol. And there are different cholesterols. Triglycerides, for example, can be associated with high blood glucose.

 

[n5wd]

... My cholesterol is above normal. I cut back on cheeses, red meats and eggs. Not sure what else to do.

One more for 'talk with the doc'. You didn't say what 'high' is, so... ask your doc if you're a candidate for the statin class of drugs. They do wonders in chemically lowering your total and LDL cholesterol while there's some evidence they help increase the HDL (the good cholesterol) as well. Plus, they seem to lower your risk of heart attacks greatly according to recent studies.

 

[coachrick]

Yeah, my trigs are high, LDL is quite low as is total; BUT, we can't seem to get my HDL up. Exercise doesn't seem to affect it one way or the other. Instead of 'standard' fish oil, I take krill oil...supposedly easier for the body to process, smaller quantities and no 'fish burps'. Mega-Red is one sold by CVS and Walgreens. Look for the BOGO sales stacked with coupons from the newspaper...Mega Red is quite a bit more $ than 'fish oil' unless you find a 'deal'.

I've already purchased Red Yeast Rice but haven't started taking it yet. It contains the same main ingredient as the prescription statin that I was hoping to drop. Heck, if it ain't ONE thing, it's a DOZEN!

 

[Glockster69]

Dad lived 78 years with abnormally low blood pressure. Confounded the medical types right up until the end. His passing had nothing to do with blood pressure. Point being, your 'normal' cholesterol levels may not fit in with the norm.

 

[BG1960]

Cholesterol is an interesting malady. A while back the doc's nurse told me mine was 'high'. This was over the phone after blood work. How high? Er, uh, well... Gimme a number. It's 140. Seriously? That's 'high'. Well you're diabetic and we would like to see it around 70. I don't think they will be happy until every adult is on a cholesterol Rx.

 

[kyletxria1911a1]

Having mine rechecked today mine is high so we will find out

 

[picasso]

This is something I have quite a bit of knowledge about.

As has been said the majority of your bodies cholesterol is produced by your liver. The amount of cholesterol laden food you eat matters little.

Unless you have genetic predisposition to hyper-lipidemia which you would know by now, your high cholesterol is more than likely a metabolic issue. Let me explain -

Your body as you probably know is a very very fine tuned machine. Just like any machine it takes fuel to make it go. Fuel being food. Ideally you fuel it just enough to give it the energy it takes to make it go and no more. Also giving it the right kind of fuel keeps the fuel lines from being clogged. The right kind of fuel being whole low glycemic foods. To much food and the fuel (food) has no where to go since it can't be used by the cells for energy. There's to much. So, the body stores it as fat. High cholesterol is an indicator of this process.

I can go into a long dissertation but let me keep it short and sweet.

More than likely your eating to much processed foods and or not getting enough activity or both. Your fuel system is running over.

Cut out all refined foods, sweets, milk, and eat whole foods and berries and your cholesterol will improve so much your Dr. won't believe it. This also works it's best when combined with exercise.

Instead of telling the American public there eating to much shit and get up off their ass and exercise Dr.s and pharmaceutical companies would rather see you take statins and line there pockets with your money.

High cholesterol if you don't have a genetic disorder is just a symptom of to much bad food and not enough exercise or both.

Also, in case you didn't know. Your body produces hormones from cholesterol. It's very much needed. Not enough cholesterol and you get no Testosterone. Not something you want to be without as a man.

I just can't stop myself - Cholesterol doesn't cause heart attacks. Inflammation does. The majority of men in the ER w/heart attacks don't have high cholesterol.

Hope this helps.

 

[picasso]

Weight lifting as in heavy strenuous weight lifting can bring it up. Red Wine (A glass or two not a bottle) High dose Niacin. High protein low card diet can help also if you can stick to that kind of a diet.

 

[TheDan]

Try cutting back on the sugar. You'd think sugar intake is unrelated, but it's not... You're blood sugar level has a lot to do with how your body regulates hormones and fats. Honestly tho, I think the current focus on cholesterol should be classified under "correlation does not imply causation".

...but I'm no doctor, so don't listen to me. I'd encourage everyone to do their own research and make up their own minds anyway.

 

[Texas42]

I'm 26 and former military. I weigh 165. My cholesterol is above normal. I cut back on cheeses, red meats and eggs. Not sure what else to do. I tried running again but I got pain in the center of my chest for like 15 minutes after done running for like 2 miles. Used to run 15+ miles in the Marines. Any suggestions?

First, you should know the different kinds of cholesterol. Total Cholesterol isn't that helpful.

Second, don't get medical advice in the internet.

 

[robocop10mm]

I am fortunate to have genetically low cholesterol. I have found and recommended Metamucil to others for cholesterol control. I have one friend that lowered his total cholesterol by 50 points in 6 months with a reasonable diet and Metamucil. I lowered mine from 146 to 139 in a matter of a few months.

I believe it also helped with my lead levels too. I had a (quite reasonable) lead level of 6 for many years. After a few months of Metamucil, it was a 4.

 

[TheDan]

Yeah, fiber helps you poop out all the bad stuff

 

[ZX9RCAM]

So, even if one was "extremely" regular, Metamucil would still help lower ones cholesterol, lol?

Or, just people that are not so "regular"?

 

[Clockwork]

I'm 26 and former military. I weigh 165. My cholesterol is above normal. I cut back on cheeses, red meats and eggs. Not sure what else to do. I tried running again but I got pain in the center of my chest for like 15 minutes after done running for like 2 miles. Used to run 15+ miles in the Marines. Any suggestions?

Hey, current active duty here, PTL and UFPM.

Definitely consult a doctor about the chest pain to make sure it isn't something serious. If you've been out of the Corp for a while (and thank you for your service, Marine) then you can't expect to jump right back into running like you used to even if it's only 2 miles. Even a two mile run is a lot for someone that hasn't been running in a while.

Too Much Too Soon is a term that gets tossed around in the running world a lot. You have to build up to it. You'd be surprised how quickly you "lose it" after you stop running for a period of time. Runnersworld.com has a number of plans to help a person build up to their fitness goal. Here is a link to their Runners 101 article, a good starting point since it has been a while:

Running 101 from Runner's World.com

 

[cfell]

I'm 26 and former military. I weigh 165. My cholesterol is above normal. I cut back on cheeses, red meats and eggs. Not sure what else to do. I tried running again but I got pain in the center of my chest for like 15 minutes after done running for like 2 miles. Used to run 15+ miles in the Marines. Any suggestions?

Get yourself to the vet. Just to make sure you aint bangin on the exit door...

I've been 'over' the limit according to docs, with no 'restrictions' in any of the tubing and I'm 57.

Looks like you are trying to take care of yourself.. and that's smart.... and just a little selfish for us to say "we need ya" around.

One thing happened to me.. had a 'pain' in my chest. Turned out to be Gall Bladder problem... It happened again and turned out I had "asthma" ... so, got some inhaler help.. Also, started on allergy meds really helped... and rarely use the inhaler now.

keep your eyes and mind open.. this may be only an allergy response....or bad burrito... hopefully.

Semper Fi...