Cardiologist said can’t reduce cholesterol much through lifestyle changes

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Has anyone managed to significantly reduce their cholesterol levels through lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise? My cardiologist has said that there is no point making yourself miserable by trying as it isn’t possible.

I had a lipids specialist tell me the same thing. I take a statin.

That’s what I’ve been prescribed too. What dose are you on and do you get any side effects from it?

My husband changed his diet, gave up drinking and it lowered. Not massive life style changes either. Ditched his weekly block of butter and snacks and carried on with what I cook, which is vegetarian, limited UPF.

Upped exercise.

I have the genetic form of high cholesterol and the specialist told me the same thing - diet and exercise would slightly reduce it, but my levels were so high that I needed statins to make a real difference.
I've taken statins for around 15 years and never had any side effects.

I think statins are the most widely prescribed drug and we should all probably be on them.

I drastically changed my (already pretty healthy) diet to unsustainable levels etc etc, and after three months had lowered my total cholesterol from 7.3 to 7.0.

So I'm on statins. The usual dose brought it down, but still not to acceptable levels. The dose was doubled and now I'm in the acceptable zone. And that's on this barely sustainable diet.

I lost 3 stone (mj), lowered mine from 7.2 to 4

My understanding is that we absorb a small amount of cholesterol from our diets but the great majority is manufactured by our own livers so lifestyle is unlikely to affect your levels much.
Statins are widely used and a very safe option

I hate the thought of taking medication so I was hoping I could improve my appalling diet and lifestyle to sort it out.

DH was told that in his 30s and to take statins. He gave up, because he didn’t like the side effects. He’s had two heart attacks and had a stent put in each time. The first at 59. He’s considerably disabled now - 10 minutes mowing the lawn, and he’s breathless, right arm pain and tightness in the chest. He has 7% heart failure. He’s on the maximum dose of statins now.

Grown up DC are all annoyed with him.

I suggest you take the statins from now!

If your diet and lifestyle are appalling then sorting those will very likely help, but how much and how fast who knows? I’d start the statins anyway while fixing my lifestyle and reevaluate in a year. You may find you don’t need them after all.

Thanks for sharing that. I do have some furring of the arteries already so I would be sensible to start the statins asap

Thanks, that’s good advice

I was told the same. Diet and lifestyle can bring it down a bit but for significant reduction and with family history take the statins. On them now 2 years and lucky no side effects.

My GP wanted me to take statins but I refused and said I would try to get my cholesterol down myself. And I did. By losing weight, doing some exercise and eating better.

Take the statins! As well as lowering cholesterol they stabilise plaque in your arteries. If plaque breaks off and gets to your heart or brain it's not great news generally. Most people have no side effects from statins, me included, and there are several you can try if you find that one is a problem.

My sister and I were both told we had high cholesterol around the same time. I started on statins, she decided to adjust her diet instead. She has since had a stroke which has damaged her eyesight. Not worth the risk imo.

My cholesterol was 9.7 in October last year. I was put on the lowest dose of statins and it was down to 6.6 in February with no side effects.

Still too high so my dose has been doubled with no side effects. It will be interesting to see the next results as it’s always hovered around 6 - I have an underactive thyroid too and understand this can be a factor

Mounjaro will do it.

A few years ago my cholesterol was 8.3 over 3 months I got it down to 4.5. I cut out all sugars, wine, butter, full fat milk, cheese, red meat and plenty of other foods I have forgotten But it wasn’t sustainable. Unless I drank water and ate grass!!!! I’m on arthritis medication which drives cholesterol levels up.

Before statins there were presumably more heart attacks and strokes.

Mine reduced from 6.5 to 5.5 (ish) just through exercise (I went from virtually no exercise to 3x exercise class per week).

I have high cholesterol, but it’s mostly HDL not LDL and there’s no history of heart or vascular issues in the family. I have refused statins.

If you already have a degree of coronary artery disease and your cholesterol is elevated I would absolutely start the statin as a priority.

Cholesterol in our food isn't significant. It's the saturated fats that our liver uses to make cholesterol that are dangerous. So a diet for high cholesterol doesn't cut out food that contains cholesterol, it cuts out saturated fats. So it's cheese, butter, cream, chocolate etc that you have to say goodbye to, not eggs.

Being on Mounjaro along with losing 3 stone has drastically reduced mine to the much healthier/better ends of normal. In fact I’d say it slashed my slightly not good levels of cholesterol to something I still can’t believe because it was such a surprise. But I can’t honestly say it’s been much of an improvement in the quality of what I’m eating as even as an overweight person I ate well, I just ate way too much, I also still do the same amount of excercise sessions I did pre Mounjaro. My dr has put it down to losing the weight, losing the fat I was carrying, and I’ve now stopped trying to understand it. I’m just very happy that I’m no longer pre-diabetic, that I’ll probably be able to come off BP medication at my next BP appointment and that hopefully I’ll be able to avoid statins for ever as I was on them once before and they made me feel awful. I’m no fan of them.