high cholesterol readings

[careergirl]

had a blood test the other day and it showed high cholesterol readings. 6.1
due to see gp week after next to discuss (first available app!) but am worried by this
I am 37 I don't smoke or drink
am reasonably fit and carrying a bit of extra weight about 8lb which I shall get rid of.
however both my parents had heart disease and both died aged 68 so you can appreciate I feel a bit panicky
ideas for how I can help get it down? I have gone out today and bought some benacol yoghurt drink things. Also some cereal Optivita which is supposed to help bring down levels. Am a bit confused by some of the dietary advice. Are stir fries healthy if you use extra virgin olive oil? I gather fruit and veg essential as well as losing weight and upping exercise levels which I can do
just feel a bit upset I thought I was healthy/fit apart from my epilepsy which is well controlled and this has given me a bit of a shock?

This happened to me too - my first ever cholesterol test was a similar level to yours and I was really surprised, especialy as I have been a vegetarian for over 25 years and have never eaten dairy. I tried cutting out eggs ( about the only thing I ate that I thought might be a problem ) and drinking dairy free Benecol and at ny next test my cholesterol had gone up to 7.4 !

I also have a family history of heart disease so my gp advised me to take statins as my high cholesterol was probably genetic rather than due to diet etc and they have brought my levels right down. I also have an underactive thyroid which I have since been told can also affect cholesterol levels.

So I would certainly try making changes in your diet but you may find, like me, that it doesn't have a major impact. But remember that your cholesterol is only a problem if it is the 'bad' HDL cholesterol that is high and that 6.1 isn't massively high - my dm was tested once and hers was 12.8! and that there are some schools of thought that believe that cholesterol levels aren't as important as we are led to believe.

My reading was 6.5 and my GP wasn't at all concerned.

His comment was 'That's lower than mine!'

I'm about 2 stone overweight - again he said it's ok as he's 'seen worse'

He said the biggest threat to health is smoking, which I stopped over 30 years ago. I monitor my bp regularly and that's fine, so I don't worry.

The heart disease is worrying for you but my mum died at 72 from a sudden heart attack and I was told it's really only a concern if a close relative was under 60.

So the overall picture is one that your doctor will look at, not your cholesterol in isolation. HTH

beginning to feel a bit better -:-)
I shall keep the GP appt though and also he wants more blood tests don't know why need to ask him. I shall also get exercising a bit more have been in the habit of just coming home from work and flopping in front of the TV.
I shall take the Benecol and also I've stopped drinking tea switched onto decaff green tea which may help
just a shock as I only had it tested on a "oh why not" basis and didn't think anything would show up!

Dh had a similar reading, possibly higher and has brought it down to normal by diet. But he is obsessive about food now, I think to the point of having an eating disorder. Ok, maybe not that bad but he is so disciplined.

He was already vegetarian, so no fatty meat, didn't eat ready meals or cakes , chocolate, crisps. I think cheese was his downfall so he's cut that out completely. He also switched to soya milk. I think changes like this are more beneficial than stuff like benacol spread, etc. That sort of stuff is good, probably not much use if you're still eating loads of cheese, etc.

Don't you need to eat quite a lot of Benecol type stuff to have any impact at all?
As it's expensive anyway I'd question the value of it.

My DM told me over the phone that my DDad had a cholesterol level of 9. .
Luckily it was mum's eyesight. DDad came on the phone and said it was actually 6. Which for an overweight 73yo diabetic isn't too bad.

I dont think 6.1 is that high tbh. My father in laws was once 12. Admittedly he was told this was heart attack territory but luckily he got it down.

I got told by a dietician that you would need to eat unmanageable amounts of benecol to make a difference. My MIL has a cholestal level of 14.

I dont eat any spreads and I dropped about half a stone without even noticing.

Even vegetable spreads are quite high in chol due to palm oil being used, they cant use hydrogenated fats anymore as we have all wised up to that one, so they use palm instead which is quite high in saturates.

Porridge oats and apples are high in soluble fibre, that's meant to be good for chol levels.

I wouldnt make yourself miserable drinking green tea, just have 1% milk in black tea.

Dont forget normal levels are 5.2ish. Has your gp told you what ratio of bad/good chol you have?

i can't get to see the doctor until a week monday (i could see another doctor but prefer to see this one so will wait) but I thought I could be a bit proactive in the meantime
I do need to get a little bit of weight off so am concentrating on that albeit will allow myself a couple of days off over christmas
thinking on yes the readings are high but I am not overweight I don't smoke, or drink and I do exercise regularly so am mitigating risk as it were. I just got a bit panicky!
I shall see the doctor but am not keen on having medication to lower cholesterol levels. However I will see what he says.

My DH has high cholesterol I have done a lot of research about diet and got his cholesterol down to normal levels with diet. Flora Proactive is the only spread/drink that actually has a clinical trial backing up it's claims so DH uses that one. High soluble fibre is excellent, reducing the level of the fat on the meat you eat helps.
Cooking tips Dry fry your mince (lowest fat) then place mince on kitchen towel and blot to remove even more fat and wipe out dish then dry fry onions etc. If you need to add a little bit of oil olive oil and rapeseed oil are the best, if you can get a spray you end up using much less oil.
Try to eat fish at least twice a week.
Glad DH has reduced it without statins they do have side effects which you do not need to be aware of if you use them these include pains in muscles and being really grumpy for first 6 months you are on them.
They are looking for cholesterol to be below 4.

yep I want to avoid going on medication if I can I will see what the doctor thinks when I see him, if I can reduce by diet that would be better, thanks for the tips!

I'm not sure saturated fat is linked to high cholesterol. My mum got heart disease at around age 65 and she was a vegetarian all her life, practically vegan as she didn't like cheese or eggs and didn't have a sweet tooth so no chocolate, puddings etc.

Saturated fat is one factor linked to high cholesterol - however it is possible to genetically have a predisposition to high cholesterol and I am thinking that is what might be going on with me - just found out my brother has the same problem! That said cutting down on saturated fats can only help the situation.