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.

Something like 80% of your readings are due to genetics I was told. Dh lowered his slightly by giving up cheese….his diet prior to that though was vegetarian with no junk food so it’s not like his diet was awful. Think he was miserable with no cheese and is back eating cheese now and hasn’t had his levels checked again and doesn’t take statins!

Dietician told dh not to bother.

Sorry to hear what happened to your DH but have your DC been tested for cholesterol levels ?

Very skinny healthy eating friend has genetically high cholesterol, she’s on stains, there were no more lifestyle improvements for her to make, I’m a stone overweight and mine is fine…eat lots of cheese….it’s genetics….

Lol, I'll let you know! I got my over 40s free checkup a few months back and I was told to try this. I'm not a fan of butter so I went for the pill option of stanols and have been taking three pills (like swallowing bricks!) each day.

Mine went lower by being largely vegetarian tbh.

But Im diabetic (type 1 and 2 🙄) and once I hit 40yo my GP prescribed statins for the additional lower risk benefits statins offer ergo they not only lower cholesterol but may have anti-inflammatory effects and can contribute to plaque stabilization in the arteries.

I had to try a few different types - if you feel any change in muscles you have to switch out. I now take atorvastatin and get on with them fine. I think of them like supplements, lol!

How did you all get tests? Is this routine? Im 53

@marmaladeandpeanutbutter with all due respect - I'm going to believe what the cardiac consultant said.

My very slim friend, who is a GP herself, is prediabetic and has to take statins despite having a very healthy diet and lots of exercise. Her Dad died from a heart attack in his early 50s and 2 uncles also died prematurely from heart disease/stroke.

I managed to reverse my pre-diabetes and LDL by following a modified version of the advice in this book - plus serious exercising, both weights (Caroline Girvan) and cardio.(Growingannanas)

https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/blood-sugar-solution-book-mark-hyman-9780316127363

Intermittent fasting, almost exclusively eating real food rather than UPF and exercising most days have become a way of life and I feel infinitely better and more energetic. And my HbA1c and cholesterol have remained within normal range.

Maybe I don't give him enough credit then because its what I do (although I do drink a few mini bottles of red a week).

Incedently, a GP congratulated me on my cholesterol levels a few years back and she did say most people have high cholesterol. I thought I was amazing until I Googled and found out it was not far off the top range of good!

Our friend, late 50s, just had a quadrupole bypass and now uses a ride-on to get around. DH has to go back in another 3 months to check.

DDs have. Both have high cholesterol. DD1 was referred at my request to a lipids clinic. So far her Q risk isn’t high enough for a doctor to prescribe statins; she was just told to follow a low fat diet with exercise for now. She’s under a specialist dietitian anyway.

DD2 reduced her cholesterol by giving up dairy, and drinking oats milk, as dairy made her endometriosis worse. However, she is back on dairy, in preparation for ttc; so I guess her GP will be looking at her cholesterol again.

DS refused to be tested!

Statins raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Depending on your age, the benefit of reducing cholesterol can be outweighed by the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and I think, although I am not sure about this, that it is increased if you are female. I have high cholesterol (in my 40s).
and have decided to avoid statins till I am a bit older.

It can be done. It's just that a significant number of folks struggle to make those adjustments, and taking a medicine is easier. My local gp suggested lifestyle changes until it was discovered that I have CHD, they then immediately suggested a statin even though I had changed diet and exercise and was reducing my cholesterol number.

Yes, I went from 7 to 5 in about 3 months. Lost weight, took benecol every day, added oats, green tea and oily fish to my diet and reduced sugar and refined carbs. I'm early 40s.

If you are taking blood pressure medication, then you will likely be offered an annual renal and lipid profile blood test. GPs will sometimes request a lipid profile as part of other investigations.

In 2007, I had a one off non fasting Serum cholesterol test of 6.6. I was advised by a locum GP to try a bottle of Benecol a day. It went down to 5.5.

Last year, my Serum cholesterol level was 5.2 and LDL cholesterol was 3.2. I received a text from my GP to say I might benefit from statins or I could wait a year and be retested.

They prefer it to be under 5.0 and LDL below 3.0. But HDL is important and also the TC:HDL ratio (plus other risks, like age, BP, kidney function, any known heart problems).

I am in my early 70s. I decided to wait a year and have it reviewed. I am due for a test shortly. Benecol is expensive but it may have helped keep my levels down to just above the current target range.

For cholesterol or are there other health benefits to them for you to think this?

The cholesterol test was part of NHS well person test. I then saw a cardiologist privately who took a CT scan. That showed some furring of the arteries so he recommended the statins. He said if there hadnt have been any furring of the arteries then statins wouldn’t have been needed despite the high cholesterol levels

I take Ezetimibe. I had awful side affects with statins, really bad muscle pains which were affecting my sleep. I have no side affects with Ezetimibe.

It's not as good as a statin and you do have to be careful with your diet, but it has reduced my total cholesterol and LDL levels.

@MoistVonL Did he change his diet to add good fats? That’s key.

@springintoaction321 yes, I did say that sometimes it is familial-runs in the family. But often it is not, and can be addressed with the right guidance and effort.

Yes I've lost 3 and half stone on mounjaro.. reversed my diabetes and lowered by cholesterol to a very safe point.

Cutting out smoking, minimising routine alcohol, refined carbs and saturated fats whilst replacing them with legumes and a wide variety of veg and fruit will help pretty much everyone. However it will make little or no difference to cholesterol if you have a genetic predisposition which is probably the point your cardiologist is making. My family are long and lanky on both sides, as are DH’s. All have plant heavy diets with light alcohol consumption. Some have the genetic predisposition to high cholesterol and need statins, others don’t.

Try the dietary changes anyway for general health but be prepared to need statins as well.

Same. Assisted by mounjaro, in the interests of disclosing however.

OP... I imagine that if it were easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle then you would already be doing just that. But I don't know why it would make you "miserable" to live a healthy lifestyle, why would you become miserable ?

I agree 💯 with this. There are certain conditions that diet and lifestyle will not touch. I have very high triglycerides because of not having a gall bladder. I also have familial hypertension. You do what you can do but I take the meds.