BP and LDL

[Ultralight]

So I got some blood work done yesterday, along with getting my BP checked.

My BP has steadily gone down to normal ranges since I stopped eating cows, pigs, birds, and goats back on Jan. 1st.

But... my LDL is 102, which is three points too high, apparently.

This might be because I ate cheese pizzas everyday for 16 days during my vacation in May. But I don't know exactly how that works.

[Teacher Terry]

If you read up on cholesterol the only benefits are for men that have had previous heart problems. Statins hurt more people than they benefit. I don’t worry about my cholesterol at all and would never take medication. In some people statins have caused irreversible muscle pain/problems.

[dado potato]

Normal BP is commendable. Well Done!

As to the LDL:
If you are already walking the dog, maybe increase the time and distance.

You might examine your consumption of transfats…
Go fiber! (apples, oat meal, oat bran, peas, beans, sweet potatoes, etc.)

[Ultralight]

If you read up on cholesterol the only benefits are for men that have had previous heart problems. Statins hurt more people than they benefit. I don’t worry about my cholesterol at all and would never take medication. In some people statins have caused irreversible muscle pain/problems.

I have no intention of taking statins. But I still want to get that LDL down a few notches.

Do you have any chronic health problems that could be associated with high LDL?

[Ultralight]

Normal BP is commendable. Well Done!

As to the LDL:
If you are already walking the dog, maybe increase the time and distance.

You might examine your consumption of transfats…
Go fiber! (apples, oat meal, oat bran, peas, beans, sweet potatoes, etc.)

I think a serving of oatmeal a day would take care of the LDL. But it has fallen out of favor among my taste buds.

[SteveinMN]

Increasing numbers of studies are showing that practicing medicine just by LDL number is bad medicine. It's just more complicated than the number. Yours isn't even that far beyond where they say it should be!

Your body needs a certain amount of cholesterol. It's part of how nutrients get to cells. That said, too much or not enough is bad, but there are at least two types of cholesterol (LDL "bad" cholesterol and HDL "good" cholesterol) and triglycerides in the mix as well. Is your HDL cholesterol at a level that satisfies your care providers? What about triglycerides? What about LDL particle size (it's a thing; in the absence of high insulin levels cholesterol forms larger cloud-like particles that don't infiltrate cells as readily as normal cholesterol particles)? Particle size is not part of a standard "lipids panel".

If your doctors start talking medication to you at this point, decline politely and read up. Find all your lipid panel numbers and determine if you are concerned enough by the values to consider altering your diet, your exercise, or to consider taking meds. Do not let the almighty protocol do a number on your health.

[Ultralight]

If your doctors start talking medication to you at this point, decline politely and read up. Find all your lipid panel numbers and determine if you are concerned enough by the values to consider altering your diet, your exercise, or to consider taking meds. Do not let the almighty protocol do a number on your health.

My doctor has not said anything yet about the LDL. I will eat a bowl of oatmeal daily before I take drugs.

I hate drugs.

[Teacher Terry]

My cholesterol range is 200-215. I eat oatmeal 5 times a week. My ratio is good. I don’t worry about lowering it because there are no benefits for me personally.

[Tammy]

I remember when total cholesterol of 240 was the upper limit. And fasting blood sugar was normal until 126. And blood pressure was normal up to 140/85.

I still can’t decide if the data supports this lowering of thresholds or if big pharma wants more customers.

[Ultralight]

I thought high LDL was bad for your ticker.