My cholesterol is REALLY high - can i fix this?

[CholesterolHelp]

I just got blood work results & my cholesterol is 11.2. 🙁

My GP wrote in the report that i need to really critically look at my diet & then retest in 4 to 6 weeks.

I am 56, 5ft 9" & currently weigh 12 13. I was 14 5 last year & i have worked v hard to lose the weight. Target weight is 11 13.

My typical day of eating looks like:

Porridge (made 2 thirds water, 1 third low fat milk). In the past week i've added chia seeds & 3 chopped walnuts as they're supposed to help cholesterol

A coffee & glass of water (i used to have fresh orange juice but have cut it out)

Midmorning - a coffee with low fat milk

Lunch: homemade vegetable soup - this varies - spiced moroccan tomato & chickpea, roast root veg, carrott & ginger, minestrone (beans no pasta), veg & red lentil etc
I usually have a slice of organic seeded sourdough with real butter (cut that out now)

Dinner - salmon with veg & new potatoes, chicken salad etc

I drink 1.5 ltrs water & cut out all the crap & 90% less alcohol. That's how i've lost 20lbs so far.

Now i have had the odd fuck it day where i've had a takeaway / wine but truthfully my diet is the best its been ever

I have added a daily benecol drink, ditched the red meat (rarely eat anyway) & the butter. Cheese was long gone to aid weight loss

Can i turn this around with diet? Has anyone here managed?

I'm worried now

I should add that I have a family history of heart disease & early pre-eclampsia in pregnancy, so was almost waiting for the high cholesterol & blood pressure, which only started after the menopause - this is fairly common.

I started Atorvastatin & it bought my cholesterol down from 5.9 to 3.8 within 8 weeks.

It was a no-brainer for me. And no side effects at all.

You might have familial hypercholesterolemia. Ask your GP.

You need to follow the Portfolio diet for 3 months.
https://www.heartuk.org.uk/dietary-patterns/portfolio-diet Metabolic studies demonstrated a 35% drop in LDL cholesterol which is comparable to that of first-generation statins1,
Say YES, when it asks if you are a health professional.

Thanks all.

I will ring the surgery in the morning & see what they suggest next

Meanwhile i will continue to eat as well as i can & will avoid all the nice stuff!

I had a surprisingly nice dinner of brown rice, red pepper, fresh ginger, chilli flakes, 1 tbs low sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil & 2 salmon fillets all cooked in the rice cooker. Skin removed once cooked & topped with coriander & spring onion.

Dh had a larger portion, i had a smaller one

A fasting cholesterol that high is very likely due to an underlying condition or genetics. Mine was 8 and although I’m obese, my doctor said you don’t see levels like that just owing to lifestyle, statins have taken it down to normal levels.

As well as statins, you could try sterol tablets. (A supplement). I buy them on Amazon. It’s the same or similar to what’s in Benecol (which does reduce cholesterol) but is much cheaper. Here’s an article. Note the dose:
https://www.heartuk.org.uk/healthy-living/flora-proactiv-2#:~:text=Nutritional%20scientists%20have%20found%20that%20sterols%20and

Why has your GP not prescribed you statins?

I've just had a google of the portfolio diet & i feel i am already on the right tracks with this?

Today i had:

Porridge with chia seeds & walnuts
Coffee
Water

Salad from an amazing deli near work - i had a mixed salad box which had a spoon of:
Raw broccoli in mustard vinegrette
Shaved fennel & apple
Lentils with roast veg
Aubergines with seeds
Topped with pickled carrots & red onion & a butterbean dip

Water

Salmon & brown rice cooked in the rice cooker

Satsuma,

Tomorrow

Same porridge & dinner

Homemade tomato & canneloni soup, organic seeded sourdough (no butter)

I ran out of benecol drinks today so will stock up in the morning

I also bought sardines today - i like them on toast but not sure what else to do with them

My results only came back tuesday

She wrote in the cover letter to look at diet (in fairness she doesn't know what my diet is like) & retest in 4 - 6 weeks. If still high we're looking at statins

I will ring the surgery tomorrow either way

You need a referral to lipid clinic.
7.5 is the cut off for familial/genetic issues.

Try 3 tablespoons of milled flaxseed per day.. google it..

The consultant told me if it’s genetic changing your lifestyle & diet won’t make a huge difference.

OP I haven’t read the full thread but my husband has generic high cholestoral and yours looks like it could be the same. He has a condition called familial hypercholestorial or something like that which needs medication for treatment. You can be tested for the gene to check if you have passed it down to any children as they may need early medication to manage it.

High cholesterol increases with age, it's much harder to control through diet as we get older and your diet seems pretty good on the fats front. I would take statins and get it lower. They work really fast. You can always have bloods down the line after you've done your diet goals and see where you are at. If worried about side-effects, even a low dose statin can do wonders.

I’ve only read the first page so apologies if you’ve answered this already do your soups have coconut milk base?

This OP. Every time my cholesterol has gone up it has been because I was either subclinical hypothyroid or actually hypothyroid. Once the hypothyroidism was treated, my cholesterol returned to normal.

If you find you have a low thyroid issue, it is worth also looking at levels such as vitamin D3, B12, ferritin and folate. If any of them are out, then even if you start treating your thyroid, you may find it does not lead to optimal levels. Ideally they all need to be balanced. Thyroid UK forum on Health Unlocked at good at helping explain this better than me and will help with thyroid results if you get the results from your GP.

I haven’t read all the posts. HRT is proving highly effective in maintaining women’s cardiovascular health, lower cholesterol, bone density protection. You absolutely must start it as soon as possible unless there is a concrete reason you cannot (e.g. diagnosed with oestrogen fed breast cancer). Cholesterol jumps in menopausal women not taking HRT. Get current and and factual information, do not rely on any doctor who is not up to date on current findings re: women’s health and HRT.

also, Google “45 grams nuts and cholesterol” to find the studies showing that consuming 45 grams of nuts daily lowers cholesterol. Additionally, Benecol is an expensive way to get plant sterols in your system — look into tablets / capsules online, aiming for 2 grams (2000mg) daily. Wishing you the best. The above combination has been working for me.

about:blank source:%20Dr%20Louise%20Newson
https://share.google/1aul5CfX6K9zlZuIV

This is mad, the OP is hardly eating any meat. OP you need to go on statins.

oestrogen and cholesterol

This! Fiber is so good for many reasons but also reducing cholesterol. Most people do not eat the recommended amount of fiber per day.

You can get plant sterols as a supplement, cheaper and more effective than the drinks.

It sounds like you're doing everything right. I would assume it's either a genetic or underlying condition.

There was a podcast on this recently, I'm not sure if it would tell you anything new though. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nb0q62?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Take statins.

Thank you for all the responses! I am reading through them all.

Just to reiterate - my GP has no issue prescribing me hrt or statins

I went to discuss hrt & she said it would be no harm running a full suite of bloods - including screening for thyroid, diabetes, lupus, rhumatoid arthritis, vitamins & lipids etc.

The results came back late last week & she messaged to say all came back clear apart from lipids & it was really high. Try v strict diet & re-test

The surgery emailed the lab results mon or tues.

I overhauled diet for weightloss reasons & i had ramped that up again in the past couple of weeks as have a trip coming up & wanted to shift few more pounds

Since results i have added elements (nuts, chia seeds & benecol) & eliminated (butter, cheese)

I will ring surgery tomorrow

She is a wonderful gp & super thorough. I am not in the UK (where from reading on here i understand it can be difficult to get hrt)

I appreciate all the suggestions & sharing of personal experience

OP - personally, with a cholesterol level of 11 - I'd be getting onto statins ASAP. Why wait? Even if you manage to lower it with dieting - it's unlikely to get to below 4.

I'd be going back to the GP and stressing that you already are eating a healthy diet that does not have much potential for reducing your cholesterol.

Cholesterol often raises in menopause as oestrogen falls. Statins are well tolerated and have lots of benefits. Why do they want you to wait and put you at risk of clogging your arteries???