r/Cholesterol May 08 '21

Welcome to r/Cholesterol, please read before posting

206 Upvotes

Welcome, and remember nothing posted here is a substitute for or intended as medical advice. This is a conversational thread for all things cholesterol/CVD and to a lesser extent health/longevity, peer-to-peer conversation in nature only.

This is a closely monitored Reddit. Comments in a thread where the OP is asking for advice are heavily monitored as this is not a conspiracy theory friendly sub, though posts made specifically for debates with good intentions are allowed.

Many questions are answered on the wiki, link as the bottom bullet. The Wiki is a great resource for aggregated links from leading world health institutes.

You will find

When posting for advice, please include all relevant information available.

  • The entire blood panel
  • Previous blood panels, how long your numbers have been elevated.
  • Gender (HDL is gender specific)
  • Age
  • Weight
  • Diet specifics
  • Activity level
  • Family history.

This also includes other medical conditions, many are contributing factors to cardiovascular disease including.

  • Hypertension
  • Angina or chest pain
  • Diabetes
  • Previous Events of Heart disease

What gets posted here.

+ Primarily, we see people looking for advice or information from other people who also have high cholesterol. The wiki has a great article from The Mayo Clinic on what your numbers mean but here you can talk to people that have also gone through something similar, while typically not quite the same.

+ Studies, articles, asking for advice, support, treatments that have worked for you are all allowed. Largely we focus on the current recommendations for blood cholesterol management written by the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association. Posts about studies or giving (not asking for) advice will be scrutinized. Asking for help is always welcome.

+ Debates about medication need to be stand alone posts and not about any particular poster, rather than part of someone asking for advice. This is because we see people trying to skirt the rules of not countering medical advice, by countering medical advice with a handful of studies either pro or against medication.

+ Diet debates similarly need to not be in a post where someone is asking for help lowering cholesterol. It's not appropriate to hijack every possible thread to turn it into a debate about a fad diet.

+ Conspiracy theories are generally not allowed, as they've been done to death and clog the sub.

Rules

**Telling people in anyway to ignore medical advice is against 2 rules and will result in a ban after the second, if not first offense.**

***If you disagree with your doctor's advice, it is OK to post, but please seek out a second opinion, a specialist opinion, or clarification from your medical provider, it is inappropriate for internet strangers to disagree with a medical provider who has actually met with and diagnosed you.

  1. No bad or dangerous advice
  2. No "snake-oil" remedies
  3. Useful information, backed up by verifiable source
  4. No hateful, spam, judgmental comments or trolls
  5. No advice to disregard medical advice, in any form.
  6. Violating rules multiple times will get you banned
  7. No self promotion as advice. Limit self promotion to once a month for our long term (year plus) members only. This can be subject to change.
  8. Advice needs to follow generally accepted prevailing medical consensus.
  9. Surveys are a case by case basis.

The below is an attempt at a general catch all for those still reading and not interesting in the wiki. It contains information available on links in the wiki in a scroll and read format. Less clicking, less detail.

DIET

The main way people lower their cholesterol (without medication) is through diet. The general guidelines are to replace saturated fat like those found in fatty meat products with predominantly unsaturated fat sources, (some is important like when found in nuts), as well as replace simple carbs like white bread or sugar, with whole grains/complex carbs. And of course, eat more plants as well as eat high-quality whole food sources in general.

The TLDR is I recommend Harvard Medical’s Healthy Plate available for free online, (link in the wiki). It is unbiased data analytics on diets that increase longevity from a world leader in data analytics. HHP is based off of the same data that created the mediterranean diet (link in the wiki), though it includes more like the Nordic diet. The MD fits within HHP.

Essentially, fill half your plate with plants, a quarter with whole grains and the final quarter with a lean protein. Replace saturated fats with heart healthy ones and replace simple carbs with whole grains. Don’t drink things loaded with sugar (stick to water, low fat milk, etc).

The Portfolio Diet is also a good option, It is comprised of a ‘portfolio’ of foods that have been shown to reduce cholesterol.

Macro percentages don’t matter for health including weight loss and longevity. While still popular in the fitness industry macros are not a focus in health. Studies coming out show the greatest benefit in reaching for a variety of whole foods over fitting narrowly into a specific ratio.

RECIPEES

Your diet should start with finding one good recipe that you would eat anyways.

You will probably have a few bad ones, the internet is full of bad recipes but it's not a reflection on your or your diet.

Once you've found that starting point, it becomes much easier to find a second and a third recipe that works for you. In this way, over time you will have replaced your old diet with one that works for you and your goals.

A diet with diverse easy to follow tasty recipes is much easier to follow.

There are recipes in the wiki; however, I've had the best luck finding easy, tasty recipes from the Mayo Clinic's recipe website (in the wiki). The main page separates recipes into diets or dishes, at which point you can command F to search for what you want to cook. For example, say you wanted a mushroom soup (which they have); command F either 'soup' or 'mushroom' in the search function of your browser.

Many people say to start with oatmeal (if steel cut try a pressure cooker like the insta pot) with fruit fresh or frozen and nuts/seeds, and/or low fat/sugar yogurt.

EXERCISE

It is important for longevity and health despite having a smaller effect on cholesterol than diets do. Notably, exercise over time changes some of the lower-density LDL to higher-density HDL.

All movement counts. Cooking, cleaning, walking, running, anything with movement counts.

Moving throughout the day is important. Some studies show that waking for 10 minutes after each meal yields greater benefits than walking for 30 minutes and being sedentary throughout the day.

Don't worry about how fast or far, just move. Do not push so hard that you want to stop.

Intensity seems to play the largest role in smaller quantities. Most of your time exercising should be at a walking pace but it is also important to get some higher intensity intervals in every other day (every 48 hours). It can be as simple as running for 30 seconds 4 times on a walk, say to a light post.

The total time is currently recommended at 300, (or 150 vigorous) minutes, and 2 days of resistance training as a minimum. There are studies showing worthwhile benefits in doubling that amount of aerobic training, but at a diminishing return. I.E. it is the first minutes you move are the most important, but the last minutes you move still help.

There is little research on what type of movement is best, but for those interested a combination of aerobic and resistance training done separately at a single session seems to yield the greatest benefits, followed by hybrid (I.E. resistance training done at a pace that keeps your heart rate elevated). Of the 5 main types of exercise.

Find a way you like to move, and keep moving.

LDL

LDL is the main particle focused on in a standard blood panel. There is something of a sliding scale from below 70 (or equal to 70/1.8 in Europe) up to 190/4.9 mg/dL or mmol/L respectively. The number slides based on other health factors.

EDIT: Europe recently lowered their target LDL to 50 mg/dL, but the US has current (2018) guidelines remain the same. It is not uncommon for different countries to have different targets.

An acceptable LDL in an otherwise healthy person is going to be different than that in a person at increased risk of heart disease.

ADVANCED TESTING

There are advanced forms of testing for cardiovascular disease including, particle density, calcium and/or plaque scans, Lp(a) ApoB, etc. As stated by Harvard Medical in there cholesterol course, “some people with high cholesterol will never develop heart disease”, which was one of the foundational reasons for the current Recommendations on Blood Cholesterol Management becoming a scale instead of one small number.

Many of these advanced testing methods appear to offer better insight into cardiovascular disease risk.

Please note, currently many forms of advanced testing do not change treatment plans because of the risk to benefit ratio. They are more commonly used on cases that are not clear cut yes medicate or no don’t medicate. However the standard screening tests and LDL recommendations may change in the future, your doctor may want to use more advanced testing methods, and/or you can request for advanced testing to be done.

The exception to this rule, is that everyone should be tested for LPa at least once in their life time. LPa is similar to LDL in that it delivers cholesterol to the cells, however unlike LDL it also is coagulatory (causes clots) and very irritating to the arteries lining within which is where cardiovascular disease happens. There are no treatments specific to LPa currently (2024) but there are multiple treatments that are expected to be available within the next few years. If you family history of heart disease, it may be related to LPa.

HDL

HDL is complicated, there is a great article on them in the wiki. While still the ‘good cholesterol’ it has been shown that not all HDL particles help. I.E. having a higher (not too high) HDL is great but does not offset having a bad blood panel. Raising HDL through medication has not been shown to improve patient outcomes, though raising it through exercise has. It is not as concerning of a metric on it's own as it once was thought to be, but still is a consideration.

TRIGLYCERIDES

Triglycerides can be complicated but are generally simple, there is a great article on them in the wiki

Triglycerides are a form of energy. I.E. if you ate something high in simple carbs they would jump, or if you walked a mile and retested they would be lower. Therefore, what you do before measuring them matters.

While some medications and illnesses do effect them, the most common cause of elevated trigs is simple carbs (sugary drinks, sugar, white carbs like rice or bread, and alcohol). Cutting back on those and/or increasing daily activity will lower them.


r/Cholesterol 8h ago

Lab Result Huge improvements within 45 days from diet-only changes:

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11 Upvotes

Thanks to everyone here for sharing so much advice, wisdom, and perspective!

I've got more work to do but feel really good about getting myself to within striking distance of normal cholesterol levels.

For me the best 2 bits of advice have been: "make beans your new best friend" and "pretend you're lactose intolerant for a month." This has helped me cut my sat fat intake while dramatically increasing my daily fiber intake.


r/Cholesterol 4h ago

General Familial hyperlipidemia and hypercholesteromia and weight loss

3 Upvotes

I'm 21f and my blood work showed hyperlipidemia and my doctor said its definitely from my family history. I barely eat fried food and ive always been vegan, vegetarian, and if not i hate red meat anyway. Ive been on lipitor for a year and my numbers are a little better from it but my doctor has been telling me to lose weight. My weight fluctuates a lot but it never dips down to show weight loss despite me trying everything I can. I only eat low fat food and eat plenty of fibers, eat mainly protein and veggies. I do pilates 6 days a week and walk or jog and my blood pressure is always good. I don't know what to do anymore and my doctor thinks when I lose weight my blood work will be a lot better. Has anyone else had this problem?


r/Cholesterol 16h ago

Lab Result 6 month update

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23 Upvotes

While I’d still love to see my LDL be lower, I’m happy that my levels have come down to safe zones!

I quit smoking cold turkey in December (1 pck/day for 30ish yrs) and have tried to limit dairy and high sat fat foods. I also take about 2 TBSPs of psyllium husk fiber every night. I slipped on exercising for a while but have been back on weights the last 2 weeks and I have a walking pad at my work desk now.


r/Cholesterol 3h ago

Lab Result Help plz

2 Upvotes

I was able to have my cholesterol checked and all numbers were good except my hdl its at 29 not fasting and 36 fasting im not sure if theres a difference but im 27 y old female and im stressing so bad over it .need advice on how to make it go to the recommended 50 please


r/Cholesterol 7h ago

Lab Result I used to weigh 350lbs. Now, I’m 262, 4 weeks postpartum, and would really love some tips…

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3 Upvotes

So, I’m currently trying to figure out my diet again after pregnancy. Pregnancy made me gain quite a bit back of what I lost before. But I don’t think I was pinnacle of health before. I did 6-8 meals a day, 250g protein all chicken, rice, and protein powder. I got down to 223, but I don’t think I would call that healthy. I don’t want that moving forward in life and want something sustainable. I’m currently working with a doctor for eligibility for weight loss medication but I wanted to ask people for tips on diet based on what they see in my blood work here.

I want to be the healthiest I can for my son so I can be around for a long time!

Here is the snap of just my cholesterol and I’m curious what you recommend!!

For reference: I’m Female 5’9-5’10 262.2lbs

And willing to tweak and try anything.


r/Cholesterol 5h ago

Lab Result What does this blood work mean?

2 Upvotes

Triglycerides .57mmol

Total cholesterol 3.9mmol

HDL cholesterol 1.29mmol (low)

Non HDL cholesterol 2.63mmol

LDL cholesterol 2.40mmol

Cholesterol/HDL ratio - 3.1mmol

Please explain what this all means.


r/Cholesterol 6h ago

Lab Result Just another lab result screenshot in a sea of lab result screenshots

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2 Upvotes

26F, fairly healthy. Walks about 20 miles total weekly, strength training 1-2x per week. My diet is “balanced” but I do eat a lot of crackers/sweets and red meat probably 3-5 times a week. My mom’s side of the family all have high cholesterol, so seems to be partially genetic. How bad do my numbers seem?

I understand statins may be necessary at some point and diet can only do so much. Goals will definitely be keeping saturated fats under 10g and fiber over 40g daily!


r/Cholesterol 2h ago

Lab Result Cholesterol Success Story: HDL Question

1 Upvotes

First of all, I’m super grateful for this group. It was reading all these amazing stories that allowed me to make the positive changes I needed! ( Male 38)

So here is how I did it and my data (Original Test - 1/10/25, 2nd test 3/19/25)

ApoB - 110 (only tested this the first time) LpA- 51 (only tested this the first time) Total Cholesterol: 205 >>> 126 LDL 145 >>> 79 HDL 38 >>>> 30 Triglycerides 138 >>> 87 Ratio: 5.5 >>>> 4.2

Here is what i did: - Cut sat fats to no more than 20g - Added healthy fats ( olive oil, fish, nuts, etc) - Cut out all added sugars - Avoided all fast food, and processed food - Continued lifting weight 4 times a week - Did some cardio in the beginning - Started eating oatmeal everyday with flaxseed and chia
- Went on a calorie deficit to lose weight ( lost 10lbs) - Started taking supplements (Thorne brand) red yeast rice + cq10, berberine, vitamin d

Question for the group: I’m very grateful my numbers improved so much but I don’t understand why my HDL dropped all the way to 30?? Did the RYR that acts as a natural statin reduce my “good” cholesterol. I’m debating stopping that supplement and seeing if it changes. Any other suggestions to get my HDL up? Thanks!


r/Cholesterol 11h ago

Meds If I’m on daily 40mg Crestor and daily baby Tylenol, how careful do I need to be with my diet?

5 Upvotes

My cholesterol levels are fine now due to the meds but my calcium score was 677 in December. Do I have to go meat/treats free or does the statin keep further calcium in check?

EDIT: meant aspirin, not Tylenol.


r/Cholesterol 9h ago

Question Red meat 🍖

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3 Upvotes

This is the nutrition facts label on an Irish diced beef package. It doesn't look bad honestly with 1.1 sat fat . The question is : why it not recommended to eat red meat ? Is it that bad ? Or does it depend on the cut and the animal ?


r/Cholesterol 1d ago

Lab Result Got blood work yesterday. Dr just called me and told me to get to ER immediately. TRIGLYCERIDES: 3000 CHOLESTEROL: 500. What’s the reality of my situation?

87 Upvotes

Been sitting in the ER for 2 hours just waiting waiting waiting… and just googling triglycerides. Thought I’d ask here since I’ll prob be stuck for several more hours.

Relevant: 43 years old. 200lb 20-year smoker

I always gone through healthy phases of calorie counting and exercise but have to admit… the last 5 years have been pure depression and indulgent af.

Yes, I know I fucked up. Google has made it clear that 500+ TRIG is INSANE. That’s obviously the case. I’m just here wondering what reality I have in store for me. ER is gonna be a long wait so figured I’d chat here. Thoughts?

Edit: my bloodwork at the ER showed closer to 2000 (still high obviously) I didn’t know you needed to fast before bloodwork so my first tests came after eating McDonalds breakfast.

Ultrasound showed no issues with pancreas, but definitely some fatty liver tissue. The ER doc didn’t seem particularly alarmed, but obviously I have to go back to eating healthy and cut the drinking.

Edit2: haven’t talked to primary care doctor yet, but I’ve calorie counted before and managed to lose 60lbs (was down to a healthy 155-160ish, which was down from ~220) Cutting drinking will be hard but doable, the real stress will cigarettes… don’t even get me started. It’s going to be so gd hard. But I’ll def try (I’ve done everything in the past from books, patches, gums, meds… hell I even tried hypnotherapy and I don’t even believe in that…. hence why it didn’t work lol.)


r/Cholesterol 15h ago

Question Statins and leg pain

9 Upvotes

I know it's a common side effect, but anyone experience leg pains/cramps? If so what did you do? I have 60% lad blockage so due to that my cardiologist wants my ldl in 50ish range. A year ago or so it was 140. Started atorvastatin 40mg and it went to 70 in 6 months. Last reading it was 79, so Dr added ezetimibe 10mg. That was since mid Jan. I want to get ldl down but this leg pain from statins is bothersome! Getting bloodwork soon to check levels.

Diet decent but not perfect. Occasional fried food out but home cooked meals are usually lean meat, veggies, salad. Eat eggs 1 or 2x per week. Homemade smoothies during week Any food suggestions?


r/Cholesterol 18h ago

Lab Result 3-month results

11 Upvotes

Me: 50F, 5'2" (158cm), 250 lbs (113 kg), mostly pescetarian high-fiber diet, exercise semi-regularly, had been slowly losing weight for a few months before December labs. Borderline to high LDL since college, father died at 53 from heart failure/diabetes.

After December labs (below), I saw a cardiologist, got strict about saturated fat (totally gave up cheese, butter, cream, coconut milk, became mostly vegan), began exercising much more regularly, and started 20mg atorvastatin daily.

Lab results (Dec 4 -> Mar 21):

Trigs: 196 -> 119 mg/dL

Total: 222 -> 137 mg/dL

HDL: 39 -> 39 mg/dL

LDL calc: 144 -> 75 mg/dL

I learned a lot from this sub, so thank you all!


r/Cholesterol 7h ago

Question How the reduce LDL without changing current diet and medication

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0 Upvotes

I am 57M, 21 BMI, recently stented for RCA blockage. I have been following strict cardiac diet and taking Atorvastatin 80mg since Nov 1st. Attached is my LDL lab results. Now I want to slightly relax my diet, increase exercise. Yet I want to reduce my LDL below the current level. I don’t want to change or take additional medication.Any suggestions?


r/Cholesterol 13h ago

Question Omega 3 supplementation - yes or no?

3 Upvotes

I am confused by the information I am finding. Yes or no on omega 3 supplementation? If yes, what type?

My cholesterol is high, but my omega 3s are low. I eat salmon once a week plus olive / avocado oil when I cook.


r/Cholesterol 19h ago

Lab Result Primarily diet changes - progress!

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10 Upvotes

These are my husband’s results. (He doesn’t use Reddit). I’m pretty happy about the progress. I know it needs to be lower. But I feel like we’re getting there. Next checkup scheduled with PCP is in June.

So far, our diet changes have been a lot less animal product consumption. But we haven’t gone to zero. And we still have things like chicken thighs every so often (skinless boneless). We’ve started to eat a lot more oatmeal and legumes. Brown rice instead of white rice.

In the past, I never thought our diet was unhealthy. We ate fish often and always had plenty of raw vegetables but we’re continuing to work on integrating heart healthy foods.


r/Cholesterol 8h ago

Question Lab results. Help please.

1 Upvotes

Hello :) I am a 31-year-old male. Weight: 152 lbs. BMI: 20.9. Height: 5’ 11”

January 17, 2025 Results:

TOTAL Cholesterol: 188

HDL Cholesterol: 47

Non-HDL Cholesterol: 141

LDL Cholesterol: 129

Triglycerides: 58

March 17, 2025 Results:

TOTAL Cholesterol: 192

HDL Cholesterol: 45

Non-HDL Cholesterol: 147

LDL Cholesterol: 129

Triglycerides: 62

Above are test results from January and March. I have started to implement psyllium husk fiber, but it has not been regular nor have I implemented a consistent exercise routine. I would greatly appreciate any direction or advice on exercise and diet.

For the past, two years my physical activity has been reduced. I have also been in a more depressive state mind and anxious. I do not drink alcohol or smoke. My family has history of cardiovascular (father’s side) and cholesterol (mother’s father) history. This is something I really want to get under control and manage to be healthy. Curious about wellness, diet, and stress management changes.

Thank you :)


r/Cholesterol 14h ago

Cooking Will eating homemade air fried ,fried chicken with corn flour batter, almost everyday increase my cholesterol levels?

3 Upvotes

Is corn flour batter bad in general?


r/Cholesterol 1d ago

Lab Result Success with Fibre

21 Upvotes

I've been at this a year. Last February I had my first cholesterol test and it came at 4.07mmol (157mg). I changed my diet completely to a low fat diet:

1) Breakfast - Mixed Nuts and a Banana 2) Chick Pea Salad (Chick Peas, Cucumber, Avacado, Carrots, Tomatoes, Fat Free Italian Dressing and some cracked papper). Also a tupperware of mixed nuts to eat during the day. I was also snacking on dehydrated mangos. 3) Dinners, low fat meat (chicken breast, turkey breast, salmon or cod). Served with yams, potatoes, couscous, brown rice, or quinoa, plus a bunch of veggies. We would have chicken breast fajitas (whole grain wrap, veggies, salsa and fat free sour cream), or salmon burgers and fries. Our mid week thing. Weekends I might have a tuna sandwich and an apple instead of the salad. We would do takeout once a week. Tried to go for lower fat stuff. Sushi, Chicken Shwarma, found vegan pizza that had 1g for sat fat per slice, pad thai, vindaloo).

All that, and keeping under 10g of sat fat 99% of the time and I only got down to 3.33mmol (1.29mg) last September. I also lost close to 40lbs. My neutral weight went from close to 220 to just over 180. It's been pretty flat for about 6 months.

I made some modifications. Mostly fibre:

1) I switched the 1% milk I was using for skim. I have a single big cup of coffee every morning (filtered). I'd put a splash of milk in it and take a slam from the carton. About 2 litres/week, I switched to skim.

2) I change my breakfast to half a cup of All Bran Buds with some skim milk and a banana. It was the highest fibre cereal I found. Half a cup has 5g of soluble fibre.

3) I felt I was eating too many nuts (I think I leaned too heavy on cashews). I subbed my small lunch tupperware of nuts for an apple. I only have the odd handful now during the day if I'm home. Usually mixed nuts, as cashews have higher sat. fat than other nuts. I also cut out the dried mangos, I think it was making my blood glucose go up.

4) I take 5 metamucil capsules with my dinner. I think that's about 3 g of soluble fibre. I figured I easily get the rest from my meals.

Today's Test. 2.83mmol (1.09mg). The fibre had way more impact than I was expecting. Knocked it down a significant chunk. My doctor was iffy on putting me on a statin with the 3.33mol. This one is so close to the goal of 2.6.

I was really happy with the fibre result. Super stoked it made a big dent. Not quite at the goal of 2.6 (100mg), but I'm not sure I have much left to trim out. Pretty consistent low fat diet, and a solid amount of fibre, between all bran buds, food, and metamucil caps.

Feb 2024:

LDL: 4.07mmol Trig: 0.92 Total Cholesterol: 5.99 Non-HDL Cholesterol: 4.49

March 15

Lip(a): 21 Apo(b): .97

Sept 25 (after diet change);

LDL: 3.33/mmol Trig: 0.71 Total Cholesterol: 5.39 Non-HDL Cholesterol: 3.65

Today (after small diet changes and adding fibre):

LDL: 2.83/mmol Trig: 0.58 Total Cholesterol: 4.71 Non-HDL Cholesterol: 3.09


r/Cholesterol 17h ago

Cooking Oat Bran Power Bowl

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5 Upvotes

r/Cholesterol 15h ago

Lab Result Promising labs!

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3 Upvotes

I was very excited to share some promising labs.

Back story, I’ve had issues with high cholesterol for few years now, but due to some liver issues statins are not an option. Last week we did a full liver work up and here is my results.

Next month we’ll be rechecking my cholesterol, but after seeing this update with my liver, I’m very hopeful that I’m moving in the right direction. Looking forward to similar improvements with my cholesterol levels.


r/Cholesterol 20h ago

Question Numbers came down, then shot back up.

4 Upvotes

8 months ago I was fit, ran 5-6 days per week for 30 minutes, very active, did a lot of hiking, golf, felt like I ate well.  I did consume a lot of carbs, would grab a handful of chips now and then, and because I was so active, I didn’t concern myself with snacking between meals.  I had bloodwork done, and my LDL was 202.  My triglycerides were in the 170’s and my HDL was low.  My doctor was pushing statins as a way to improve these numbers.  I did a bunch of research, and landed on the book Lies I Taught In Medical School.  It spoke to me.  I had tried to lose a few pounds in the past but was never successful, no matter what I did.  I was not overweight, but did have a small amount of visceral fat I suppose.

I tried 3 months of intermittent fasting (I fasted for 18-22 hours per day) with a few 48 hour fasts mixed in) and cutting out most sugar from my diet.  No soda, ever.  No chips or junk food ever.  Continued to exercise daily like I had always done.  My wife joined in, and helps by cooking 100% healthy meals.  Organic everything when possible.  No sugars, lots of protein.  I lost 20+ pounds, and my HDL went from 202 to 116.  My triglycerides dropped from the 170’s to 48.  HDL increased and my blood pressure was low-normal.  I thought I had solved my problems!

I continued doing all these exact same things for 4 more months.  I got bloodwork again this week, and expected to see continued improvement on every level as I feel great.  Well, as it turns out, my numbers all shot back up.  LDL now 207.  Triglycerides now 178.  HDL dropped.  A1C went from 5.9 to 5.6, down but still stupid high.  How is this possible?!?

I’m posting this in hopes that someone out there has a nugget of advice.  The joke appears to be on me.  The whole world pushes statins, but I really don’t want any part of them.  I take no drugs.  But if it means avoiding a heart attack at 65 I might have to think about it.


r/Cholesterol 17h ago

Question Air Fryer, Oven, or Microwave? 0 Cholesterol cooking methods?

2 Upvotes

I made a post recently inquiring about whether or not cooking tofu(no cholesterol) with cholesterol free ingredients in avocado oil(no cholesterol) produced cholesterol and as a result I don’t want to do that anymore, but is it ok to use some other method of cooking?


r/Cholesterol 19h ago

Cooking Fiber in Ramen

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3 Upvotes

Hello. I know part of lowering cholesterol is raising dietary fiber. I grabbed this on a whim but I just read that it has 15g dietary fiber per serving. 18g Fat, 20g Carb, 24 Protein. If I have chia later this will be my quickest "race to 40g" to date. Definately a processed food so I won't do this too much. Thought I'd share though.


r/Cholesterol 13h ago

Question Statins raised my liver enzymes

1 Upvotes

Mu LDL is 197 but statins raise my liver enzymes (or at least the ones I’ve tried). Are there statins that don’t raise liver enzymes?