cholesterol + diet

[Sparrowhawk]

Maybe it's the other way round.

http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/298/1/E138.full

http://drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Cholesterol_-_the_common_causes_of_raised_levels

Crux it has been a while but thank you for this. Both articles just blew my mind. I have both hypoglycemia and hyperlipidemia. I test high for mercury and low for copper. Just wow.

Madietodd -- my doctor also is wanting to get me on statins, are you able to report how this trial went for you?

 

[Crux]

Hi,Sparrowhawk;

Glad this unusual suggestion helped you. ( There's so much more written about the toxicity of copper than the metabolic function of it. )

The methylation protocols discussed here may also help...

 

[Valentijn]

Madietodd -- my doctor also is wanting to get me on statins, are you able to report how this trial went for you?

Everything I've read about statins scares the crap outta me. Basically they can induce symptoms very similar to ME/CFS, and research has shown that they cause mitochondrial damage or some such. At the very least supplementing Q10 at the same time is strongly indicated, but I think there's also a form of B3 which can help cholesterol problems about as well as statins.

 

[peggy-sue]

I had a cholesterol scare myself about 3 years ago. I am not taking statins, I refuse, point blank, because of the muscle and mitochondrial damage they do. My high results must be genetic, it's not my diet which was good.
High (HDH) cholesterol, however, is not the baddie for causing heart attacks it was thought to be - the evidence does not back it up, however counter-intuitive that might be.
But to deal with the bad cholesterol:

I have managed to loose 2.5 stones in weight (about 35lbs).

I take a daily dose of phytosterols with my food.
These are the plant chemicals which are put into the cholesterol-reducing spreads and yoghurts, the act by binding to the cholesterol receptors in the gut, blocking your ability to absorb cholesterol from your diet.

They do work, but getting them from the health food shop in capsule or tablet form is far cheaper than buying those expensive products. Also, you do not have to eat all the calories in the products, or the aspartame they are all sweetened with.

 

[peggy-sue]

I haven't finished yet - I got dragged away, sorry.

There is something else available from health food shops which is proven scientifically to reduce bad cholesterol - a daily dose of a gram of psylluim husk - which must be accompanied by at least 250mls of extra fluid.

This is soluble fibre. It's exactly the same thing as is in Fybogel, (which contains artificial flavourings and aspartame).

Soluble fibre is wonderful stuff - it gets into your bloodstream, it mops up all the bad (HDL) cholesterol it finds there and you just poo it out.
Daily intake of psylluim husk has been found to be one of the most effective ways of dealing with IBS.
It can take up to about 3 months to kick in properly, it seems to work as a long-term preventative measure.

It is neither a laxative nor a binder - it simply adds bulk to your bowel movements - so it will fix the runs or constipation. The cholesterol reducing effects are simply an extra added benefit.
My partner takes Fybogel daily for his IBS, and while his cholesterol was never bad, since he's been taking psyllium husk daily, his HDL cholesterol measurements have been compete zero.

So I'm dealing with my bad cholesterol in three ways.
Weight loss;
Prevention of absorption from diet with phytosterols;
Elimination of bad cholesterol produced (genetic) by binding any in my bloodstream with soluble fibre and subsequent evacuation.

I haven't been back to get myself tested, but will probably be doing it fairly soon - I've been sent another reminder.
I haven't seen much point in putting myself through a surgery visit and needles to check - because this is all I am prepared to do to deal with it. I am not taking statins.

Oatbran is another great source of soluble fibre. Any soluble fibre will mop HDL cholesterol up, psyllium husk is superior to oatbran (but not nearly as tasty and versatile in cooking).

Ooops!

I forgot to add - I am also watching my intake of fructose. Fructose is evil stuff.
Each molecule of fructose steals a molecule of ATP, which it uses to convert itself into HDL cholesterol and deposits itself around your middle - the worst place to be carrying it.

So, AVOID fructose too!

4 simple and easy dietary things to do to reduce HDL cholesterol, the bad stuff.

 

[maddietod]

Crux it has been a while but thank you for this. Both articles just blew my mind. I have both hypoglycemia and hyperlipidemia. I test high for mercury and low for copper. Just wow.

Madietodd -- my doctor also is wanting to get me on statins, are you able to report how this trial went for you?

I took lipitor for 3 days. On the 3rd day I so completely didn't notice a light change that I got rear-ended. I will never take statins again.
I have a brand new doctor who has me on Thorne choleast, which is red yeast rice + coQ10, which I take with fish oil (I don't know why).

 

[Sparrowhawk]

Have appreciated these above additions to the thread.

I'm averse to statins myself for the risk reasons previously stated. Plus my cholesterol is high enough that they wouldn't really make a dent. I'm more intersted in what metabolic reason the body may have to produce or retain this much cholesterol.

One MD that I work with said focus on the larger issues "you are not going to get heart disease in one year" so I quit worrying about it. It has dropped over the last eight months by 100 points, I did quit eating red meat, though i still eat ground darkmeat turkey and chicken thighs every day, and I started taking plant based enzymes that help break down fats with two meals a day. I'm considering niacin but I know there is some debate as to what form is most beneficial, niacin or niacinimide. Taking 1000 iu of Vit D each day.

I'm not overweight, in fact the opposite. I am eating a ketogenic diet due to the hypoglycemia. My cholesterol was in the normal range my entire life before CFIDS, so I know it's not the familial kind of hyperlipidemia.

I did talk with another CFIDS person early this year whose cholesterol was twice mine, which is already off the charts. After six months on the Dr. Montoya antiviral protocol, her cholesterol was normal. No change in her diet. So I wonder if this is some sort of physiological response to the viral load? Just supposition on my part.

I don't know that psyllium husk would be the best thing for me at this time because my Genova tests already show a difficulty in absorbing fats, which is what I'm using for fuel right now. If I block them from entering the body, or mop them up, I may actually starve myself of more energy.

Baby steps...thanks all.

 

[peggy-sue]

I've heard good reports on the red rice yeast, for cholesterol but I haven't done much research on them. Depending on the type of omega-3 oils in the fish oils they are good too - but avoid DHA - it's EPA which does the good. (not only for cholesterol - for all symptoms).
I had a very bad time when I took Co-Q-10, it made everything-ME a lot worse, but that might have been because I couldn't afford D-Ribose to go with it.

 

[maddietod]

D-ribose didn't do anything for me. Also, I've taken coq10 for over a year with no problem. What's the connection between them?

 

[peggy-sue]

I was just experimenting with things recommended on Dr. Myhill's site. I don't really know the connection.
All I do know is that I spent a fortune on the correct form of co-q-10, took it for 4 months and lost that whole 4 months to a serious exacerbation of my symptoms and had far less energy than even usual.

Editing to add - the psyllium husk doesn't mop up the good fats or interfere with their absorption - neither do the phytosterols.

I did check that out thouroughly. Absolutely no point in my spending a fortune on my high-dose pharmaceutical grade fish oil (EPA) then using other stuff which will stop me getting any benefit from it!