Cardiologist said can’t reduce cholesterol much through lifestyle changes

[DannyDyersBalloon]

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.

This was what my dad's view was. He made some changes. Ended up with quadruple heart by pass. He wished he'd taken statins sooner as he thought this may have meant he avoided the by pass. Who knows but he wouldn't do the same again.

I have heart failure (unrelated to cholesterol). I had the LPa test which was very high as well as the regular lips profile test, which showed very high HDL & low LDL. My calcification score was zero. I eat “healthy” fats only. (I always have, it’s just a preference). Olive oil, avocados, and nuts, plus whatever is in the meat I eat. My doctor wants to prescribe statins but I am not convinced I need them.

Id be surprised if they said exactly that. Some people have familial high blood pressure but most can reduce it through their type of diet and also by losing weight. I did. I came off blood pressure tablets, too.

Most of what has been posted on this thread is anecdata.

Many people can reduce their cholesterol by making changes, but a significant part of the population can't.

If you have familial high cholesterol (FHC) no amount of lifestyle changes will reduce your bad cholesterol.

The husband of a friend of mine is very skinny and fit and eats a very healthy diet. He had a cardiac arrest. The entire family were tested and it was found that several members have FHC. One of them has subsequently had heart surgery and one of the DC was put on statins at 18.

If making lifestyle changes doesn't work then refusing to take statins is extremely foolish.

It took me a statin and ezetimibe to get mine down far enough and I lost several stone on Mounjaro (have diabetes as well).

I have refused statins as I haven’t known anybody that hasn’t had a bad time with them . My ex became a different person though to be fair it may have been combining statins with the other medications he took. I have been offered Ezetimibe as an alternative. Does anybody take this ?

Don’t be - it’s what my FIL’s consultant said and what my own father’s doctor said.

DH didn’t want statins and took 6 months to try alter his diet. Dropped almost everything with saturated fats, ate like a Tibetan monk on a fast day. The figure barely altered.

He’s on statins now.

My friends was higher than normal but not quite at the needing statins level, she was advised to change her diet and eat more grapefruit. Hers dropped enough to no longer be a concern.

Other people's experiences with statins shouldn't influence you. If you need statins to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke you should take them.

There are several different statins and if one doesn't suit you the GP will change your prescription.

Do doctors say if they think you should go on statins? My cholesterol is high but no one has said to go on statins. When I asked, they said I could if I want. I was already overweight and have put on another 3 stone when started a medication last year that often causes weight gain too. Can’t take Mounjaro. I’m so confused!

Improving a poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle is always a good thing for many reasons.
Depending on the reason for having high cholesterol, making changes can reduce your levels, but for some the only way is by taking statins. I’ve taken them for 5 years with no side effects - unless you call reducing cholesterol a side effect!
In addition, there is some evidence that taking statins can also reduce the risk of some forms of dementia, because these forms are linked to thickening of the blood vessels in the brain. https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/managing-the-risk-of-dementia/possible-risks-of-dementia/cholesterol

Can you just ask the GP to have a cholesterol test?
Will they only agree if your BMI is over a certain figure/have concerns?

This. I also know someone who's one of the fittest, most active, healthy eating person I know but he had high cholesterol and had a heart attack at a relatively young age.

If you have an 'appalling diet and lifestyle' then it's likely to be worth eating better and moving/exercising more (plus giving up unhealthy habits like smoking and high alcohol consumption if relevant) because of the likely other health improvements (reduced risk of type 2 diabetes) but if this doesn't reduce your cholesterol levels, because you have FHC then you should take statins for this.

As @RampantIvy says If it’s not genetic you probably can. However, if you have this inherited condition then statins are a lifesaver! This runs through DH’s family, early deaths and heart attacks pre statins. More info here.

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/familial-hypercholesterolaemia

i am trying Flax seeds, as recommended on here

Hello, which arthritis medication drives cholesterol up please? Thank you

Yes, my father is and always has been thin, and when his blood work came back the GP didn't believe the numbers! I am not as bad as that, but lifestyle isn't sufficient.

Most people really don't have terrible side effects on statins and there are several to choose from. I had to go on a stronger one as the first one was ineffective. Ezetimibe works best in combination with a statin from what I have read.

My DH gave up fried breakfasts and smoking, made a huge difference to cholesterol

Question for the medics here... do statins lower both LDL and HDL? I.e., if you have a bit of atherosclerosis (I'm thinking back 20 years to my school days so I might not even be using the right term!), does it lower deposits in the arteries or just free-flowing stuff? Or are these unrelated?

Like previous posters have said, if you have genetically high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolaemia) then it is unlikely you can reduce the levels sufficiently through diet alone. I have had no problems taking a statin- no side effects for me. I’ve been taking it since my early 30s so over 17 years now. My parents both had heart bypasses in their early 60s and I have inherited high blood pressure too. I am grateful statins exist to help try to keep my heart and vascular system as healthy as possible.

My cholesterol has always been high(ish). It was 7.8 a couple of years ago (identified during tests for a health scare - which was just that - a scare).

Statins were mooted and I stood firm insisting I would try lifestyle changes first. I gave up:
Alcohol, refined carbs and sugar, wheat, sat fats and cut down red meat. I upped pulses, fish, fruit, veg.

I lost 2.5st and reduced the cholesterol to 5.8. Still a little high.

However, taking account of BP, blood sugar and family history, my Q3 risk is low and my GP and a specialist consultant agree there is no need for statins.

It's about more than the cholesterol.

No one has mentioned taking Benecol type supplements instead of statins. Has anyone found them to work, lowering cholesterol?

I tried. Did bring it down but just couldn't keep a very restrictive diet up so went in statins. Haven't had any problem with them.

I'm a vegetarian and eat pretty well but had to be very restrictive to have a big enough effect on cholesterol

Tbf that sounds like quite big lifestyle changes:

• changed diet and habits
• gave up alcohol
• increased exercise
• limited UPF

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