High Cholesterol... please help me out.

[dtg]

I just got my Lipid panel back and my cholesterol is 217 (up from 172 a year ago). My Chol/HDL ratio is good (4.4) but my LDL is high at 168 vs my HDL which is also healthy at 49.

Looks like my ratio is good but my LDL and overall Cholesterol are both high.

Two years ago, I was at 227 and then I busted *** and dieted and got it down to 172. Now it's back to 217 but I am still working out and eating fairly healthy. I do eat a fair amount of red meat and dairy. I also have at least 5 to 6 scoops of Gold Standard Whey daily at about 30mg cholesterol each.

They say that I should consume less than 300mg a day, so if protein powder is accounting for more than half, maybe I should consider cutting that out and eating maybe tuna more often.

Can anyone please help me out and let me know what I'm doing wrong here or if there is a way to lower the overall level?

Thanks.

[Jinxplayer]

How much oats and grains do you eat a day? If im not mistaken, things like oatmeal will drop your cholestrol pretty deciently. That and you could ask your doctor for some meds that would drop it too.

[Jinxplayer]

Also, try subbing chicken in for your red meat. I wouldnt drop the protein, because 30mg per scoop isnt really that much.

[klosey]

Originally Posted by Jinxplayer

How much oats and grains do you eat a day? If im not mistaken, things like oatmeal will drop your cholestrol pretty deciently. That and you could ask your doctor for some meds that would drop it too.

dont take this as gospel but my doctor has always told me if your lifting heavy weights blood pressure is high but cholesterol should naturally be lower,

try stuff like blueberries other foods that lower cholestrol

[dtg]

The problem is that I think I've been eating way too much red meat. I remember that I had once brought it down from 227 to 172 by avoiding red meat and eating more chicken and fish.

Since I'm cutting, I still want to avoid fruits (maybe I'll have some only in the morning) but I will try to eliminate red meat from my diet for the next month or so and see if that makes a difference.

What about supplements like Glutamine, Chromium and ZMA... do any of these raise/lower cholesterol?

[Jinxplayer]

Im pretty sure the 2 sources of cholesterol are genetics and diet. I dont think those suppliments will do anything for you cholesterol wise, and i think you would be wise to cut out some red meat..im pretty sure it is by and large the biggest source of cholesterol in anyones diet.

[dtg]

I usually have a scoop of whey and a handful of almonds as a mid-morning or a mid-afternoon snack. This meal has 30mg cholesterol, so it's not so bad.

However, I can sub a can of tuna for the whey powder. The can of tuna will provide the same protein but slightly higher cholesterol (i.e. about 40mg), however isn't the cholesterol in tuna much healthier than that in the whey powder?

[Venom]

From a post I made months ago:


- Low saturated fats. But I have seen that MCT oil may actually lower cholesterol – not your typical saturated fat!
- Phytosterols reduce cholesterol absorption. These are particularly high in corn oil, sunflower, safflower, soy bean. Olive oil and almosds are decent sources.
- Consume soluble fiber
- Regular Exercise
- Dietary cholesterol is not very clear in the research. It’s estimated that it increases cholesterol by 4 mg / dl per 100 mg added to the diet. 200 mg daily is current recommendation. If you are consuming healthy foods, this should not be a big issue.
- Omega 3 fats have been shown to lower cholesterol
- GLA consumption (type of omega 6 fat)
- Keeping sugar intake low.
- Moderating caloric intake
- Stress management (read my series in anatomy under psychology)
- Cinnamon
- Chromium
- 1-2 grams daily of niacin (suppressions lipolysis, which is not really good, and can cause other issues).
- Anti-oxidants: vitamin a, d, c, green tea, grape seed, etc.
- Vitamine E—alpha, beta, gama, toco—tocotrienols—they lower cholesterol by inhibiting HMG CoA reductase, without the side effects. Should take Co-Q10 with this, just to be sure.
- Raw almonds can lower cholesterol—why still being studied. I propose because of its efa content.
- Soluble fibers—oatbran, oatmeal—contain beta-glucan (soluble fiber).
- Pectin—apples (skin-rind)
- Citrus fruits—flavonoids—natural polyphenols. Polyphenols are compounds with structure C6H5OH. Peal oranges lowers cholesterol. They have made drug with tangerine flavor and orange peals for this. The orange peal has alpha tocotrienols and flavanoids.
- Soy protein—isoflavones—genistein, daidzein, glycitein are the isoflavones in this that help cholesterol.

[Jinxplayer]

Very nice list!

[klosey]

Originally Posted by Venom

From a post I made months ago:


- Low saturated fats. But I have seen that MCT oil may actually lower cholesterol – not your typical saturated fat!
- Phytosterols reduce cholesterol absorption. These are particularly high in corn oil, sunflower, safflower, soy bean. Olive oil and almosds are decent sources.
- Consume soluble fiber
- Regular Exercise
- Dietary cholesterol is not very clear in the research. It’s estimated that it increases cholesterol by 4 mg / dl per 100 mg added to the diet. 200 mg daily is current recommendation. If you are consuming healthy foods, this should not be a big issue.
- Omega 3 fats have been shown to lower cholesterol
- GLA consumption (type of omega 6 fat)
- Keeping sugar intake low.
- Moderating caloric intake
- Stress management (read my series in anatomy under psychology)
- Cinnamon
- Chromium
- 1-2 grams daily of niacin (suppressions lipolysis, which is not really good, and can cause other issues).
- Anti-oxidants: vitamin a, d, c, green tea, grape seed, etc.
- Vitamine E—alpha, beta, gama, toco—tocotrienols—they lower cholesterol by inhibiting HMG CoA reductase, without the side effects. Should take Co-Q10 with this, just to be sure.
- Raw almonds can lower cholesterol—why still being studied. I propose because of its efa content.
- Soluble fibers—oatbran, oatmeal—contain beta-glucan (soluble fiber).
- Pectin—apples (skin-rind)
- Citrus fruits—flavonoids—natural polyphenols. Polyphenols are compounds with structure C6H5OH. Peal oranges lowers cholesterol. They have made drug with tangerine flavor and orange peals for this. The orange peal has alpha tocotrienols and flavanoids.
- Soy protein—isoflavones—genistein, daidzein, glycitein are the isoflavones in this that help cholesterol.

stress management? i.e yoga or self meditation