High Cholesterol

[inacarr57]

I've been low carbing for a month now and loving it. I take 40 mgs of Lpitor for high cholesterol. I am really scared what my next cholesterol test might show. I know Dr. Atkins said that your cholesterol profile improves as a result of this woe. Is there anyone out there that was in a situation similiar to mine who has had their cholesterol gone down, maybe even reduced or eliminated their medication?

[primroselane]

Mine definately went down on my previous attempt on Atkins. I have extremely high cholesterol but I wasn't on meds previously. My dr. was impressed with how much it dropped. I restarted Atkins after New Years. I had my cholesterol before Christmas and it was again sky high. My dr. put me on meds and now that I'm doing Atkins I can't wait until I go get it rechecked. I'm thinking of going off the meds just to see how much I can get it down with just Atkins. My dr. is one of the non-believers... he thinks I need to go low fat. I can't wait to prove him wrong!

[MarcellaSF]

I understand that it's not uncommon to have cholesterol go up for the first few months, before dropping.

There's lots of info on cholesterol and low carb on the cholesterol forum here:
Cholesterol - Low Carb Friends

[JerseyGyrl]

[COLOR="Purple"]The Dr. wanted to put my DBF on 20 mg a day of Lipitor IMMEDIATELY ( with no discussion of changing his diet etc.) These were his test results:
Total Cholesterol = 275
LDL = 191
HDL = 47
Triglycerides = 184

He began eating Atkins/Protein Power style He eats bread, but..its ezekiel bread and he eats an occasional sweet potato instead of white potatoes. He eats a lot of fish and veggies now. He has lost 35 lbs He also takes supplements such as fish oil & garlic.

These are his cholesterol test results as of Novemeber 2008:
Total Cholesterol = 195
LDL = 123
HDL = 49
Triglycerides = 114

I'd also like to add, his entire family has a history of high cholesterol & they are all on meds (which was also something the Dr. took into consideration regarding wanting to put him on meds)

I'm very proud of him...and...NO Lipitor!!!
[/COLOR]

[CherryCola]

My LDL was pretty high at 204 and I couldn't for the life of me understand why. Been on LC for over 7 years, about 148 pounds at 5'10" and fairly active...discovered I was hypothyroid and after a month of being on thyroid replacement, my LDL was down to 181 (still higher then my doc would like but I'm not terribly concerned).

[inacarr57]

JerseyGirl, Is he eating a high fat diet, eggs, butter, beef, etc., or is his diet modified and mostly fish and chicken?

[sandyn]

I thought studies showed that there was not a connection between heart disease and cholesterol levels? "The Great Cholesterol Con" by Malcolm Kendrick? I have not even bothered to have my cholesterol checked because I would refuse statins anyhow. I think there are too many side effects from statins to risk taking them. Just my 2 cents- I am not a doctor!
Read some of Dr Eades blog to get a different viewpoint than what most Drs will tell you

[JerseyGyrl]

Originally Posted by inacarr57

JerseyGirl, Is he eating a high fat diet, eggs, butter, beef, etc., or is his diet modified and mostly fish and chicken?

[COLOR="Purple"]He eats high fat...but, happens to really enjoy fish. I think the combination of his eating & the supplements really helped him[/COLOR]

[AMonkey]

I had my blood tested 4 months into Atkins and it was higher than before. I have since learned, we should wait at least 6 months to test (as levels can be higher). I too was waiting to "prove the Atkins naysayers wrong," and when the higher results came in - I was devastated.

Annette

Originally Posted by MarcellaSF

I understand that it's not uncommon to have cholesterol go up for the first few months, before dropping.

There's lots of info on cholesterol and low carb on the cholesterol forum here:
Cholesterol - Low Carb Friends

[inacarr57]

Okay, some mixed responses, but mostly good. I have a doctor's appointment in 3 weeks and I'm starting to panic. The only way to prove or disprove the cholesterol lowering effects of low carb is to do it...and doing it I am! It's been a long time since I've eaten butter, steak, pork chops, pork rinds and real cream on a daily basis. I'm so conditioned to think this will kill me, that there's that twinge of guilt.

Sandyn, yes I have heard that cholesterol levels do not lead to heart attack. The problem is I scared to risk that theory being wrong. My father had his first heart attack at the age of 45 and died at the age of 48. I thought long and hard on the issue of statins and decided to take them. But my dose is on the high side, so I certainly hope at the very least to have my level change (ldl down, hdl up) to require a reduction in dosage.

[junkfoodmonkey]

Originally Posted by sandyn

I thought studies showed that there was not a connection between heart disease and cholesterol levels? "The Great Cholesterol Con" by Malcolm Kendrick? I have not even bothered to have my cholesterol checked because I would refuse statins anyhow. I think there are too many side effects from statins to risk taking them. Just my 2 cents- I am not a doctor!
Read some of Dr Eades blog to get a different viewpoint than what most Drs will tell you

Sadly, so many people now have so much invested in the idea that high cholesterol causes heart disease that they'll resist until the bitter end anything that suggests otherwise.