Hi everyone, I have just been informed that my cholesterol is very high at 8.8. I have been on the plan for 10 days now and am planning to cut the carbs long term Has anyone had any success in bringing down the cholesterol on the plan or are there additional things they need to do. My concern is that having full fat cream, crème fraiche, butter etc may not be helpful and not sure of the effects of the extra protein I am having. Any advice/recommendations will be welcome. Thank you in advance.

Hi LadyM, the fear of fat is common on this plan as it is not the usual advice of low fat foods being best for you. This is simply not true, low fat anything is packed with chemicals that the body is unable to deal with causing them to hang around in the blood stream or cereal products extra sugar and extra salt, all of which are bad for you.

The full fat is not bad fat so no eating the fat on meat or skin on chicken. What you need are real food fats like butter, cheese, milk, cream. Then there are the oils like olive oil and rapeseed, both full of cholesterol busting compounds, avocados and nuts. First of all, if you are on a calorie controlled diet you will not be piling lashings of butter on a stack of bread nor eating spoonfuls of full fat cream with your steam pudding or lashings of butter in your mashed potatoes as you will not be eating bread, puddings or potatoes (extreme examples) nor will you be eating half a block of cheese as you are allowed 40 grams on most recipes (i.e. Ploughmans) you will be using a bit of butter to cook your scrambled egg with some full fat cream or full fat milk to mix in with the eggs. Talking of eggs, forget what you have been told about them being full of cholesterol, there is some cholesterol in eggs but you would have to be eating a dozen a day to get any of it. The bad cholesterol that builds up in the body mainly comes from high carb, highly process diets and meats that are over processed so parma ham in moderation, sausages too and salamis etc.

My story is I had very high cholesterol for about 20 years at around 7.6 and was on 60mg of statins. When I changed doctors I was told they dont like to prescribe more than 40mg so it was reduced and I was told to eat diet foods, low fat yogs, cheeses etc. Nothing changed, and then I found this diet. I have just had my latest HbA1c and cholesterol tests. In one year on this plan my cholesterol has gone from 7.2 to 3.6, my BG from 8.2 to 5.6. The results speak for themselves. Just remember it is not a high fat diet, it is a healthy fat diet.

Good luck, your next test will show improvement.

Hi, LadyM!

I hope things are going well for you. I’m really not one to give advice because I don’t know what underlying
health issues others have (Seems a bit like “practicing medicine without a license” to me) So, I’ll simply share my
experience with you. Both my husband and I had very high chloresterol, and high blood pressure in june 2016. We
followed this eating style beginning then, and today we both have chloresterol in the optimal range. He has extensive
coronary artery disease so we don’t have cheese. It’s probably fine if eaten in small quantities, but I defer to his
cardiologist on this one. I’ve lost 144lbs, and have a BMI of 22.04. Blood pressure has gone from 160/90
to 115-122/65-70. I love this plan, and intend to follow it for the rest of our lives. Best of luck to you!

Allie

Such very good stories to read s-g and Allie. Thank you for sharing. Best wishes, LadyM with your progress. Keep in touch on the forum and let us know how you are going.

Thank you for your resposes, very helpful and I will use some of your recommendations in my planning. 😁

Well, today is my 12th day and although I haven’t lost as much weight as I would have liked (6 pounds) my shape seems to have changed a bit and I don’t feel as bloated around the middle. We went out with friends last night and I had a seafood platter and I refused the brown bread and butter. My friend said the shellfish would not do my high cholesterol any good, however I have read this morning that shellfish contains good cholesterol. Happy days! I then went and ruined it by having a slice of coffee and walnut cake!! I never eat desserts so disappointed that I gave in but I suppose I am only human. I’m loving the cook book and so are the family. So far we have had the Creamy Fish Bake, lasagne, skinny cottage pie which they really liked and agreed it was a nicer topping than mashed potatoes. The Lamb Tagine also went down well. I have Hungarian Goulash in the oven for tonights dinner, I will be having spinach and they will have rice with it. I have signed up to go to Zumba on Thursday with my neighbour, a 2 minute walk from home and looking forward to it. Have a good week everyone x

I feel all over the place today as I too have been diagnosed with high cholesterol. It was 6.8. Today after losing 1st 7lbs on BSD it has risen to 7.6! So I’m now on statins. I think I’ve had too much cheese. I have cream in my coffee now and again when out. Not at home though.
I don’t want to stop this diet but I am concerned about the result. I’ve read all your posts and will just try to be careful re bad fats- and cut out/ or reduce the cheese drastically and see how it goes in 8 weeks which is when I have to have boood tested again. Sugar level at 5, blood pressure ok.
Any advice really welcome. Thanks x

Okay let’s delve a little deeper. Did you doctor tell you what your HDL level was? Has it changed since your last test? How many ounces/grams of cheese do you eat a day? What kind of cheeses? What oils do you use regularly? Do you include foods rich in Omega-3 like flax, chia, salmon, mackerel, trout, halibut and nuts?

Maybe you can sort out which foods are a problem for you by process of elimination and add more foods that will increase your HDL by your next test.

Eileen27 Unfortunately cheese is to be kept in moderation. When you have a piece of cheese it should be no more than 40 or 50 grams and only once or twice a week. Read my post from above, this is a healthy fat diet not a high fat diet. Even though we are allowed the real thing like butter, full fat milk, cream, cheese etc these things are not eaten in quantity, for example, you dont eat bread so you have nothing to spread the butter on, you dont eat potatoes so you are not putting chunks of butter or lashings of cream in that. You should be using is occasionally and sparingly. I scramble eggs in a bit of butter for example. Now there are other fats like oils which you can use daily ie rapeseed for cooking, olive oil for salads, avocado and nuts in meals or snacks but you have to count the calories – they are all very high in calories so, again, must be weighed, measured and used sparingly. Also avoid processed meats like hams, cured meats, pates etc. They will all add to your cholesterol. It is a matter of finding a balance and knowing what you can have and how much and how often.

Thank you Esnecca and sunshine-girl for your responses. The GP didn’t give me the HDL reading and I didn’t think to ask. I have to admit I don’t know how much cheese I was eating – just taking a slice or breaking off a piece as and when. So that’s obviously not how to do it. From what you are both saying I need to up the good fats, eat more oily fish and stay away from cheese and prosessed meats. I was so pleased with the initial weight loss that I have become complacent. I really need to re read the book! And re read your encouraging posts. Thank you so much both of you. I look forward to being able to post a reduced score in 8 weeks ! x

Measurement is a must with high fat foods in general, I’m afraid, and an even bigger must with foods high in saturated fats. I eat more cheese than sunshine-girl, but never more than 2 oz a day. I don’t think you need to avoid cheese or cut it out altogether, but it can’t be an unknown variable given your cholesterol levels. Maybe use it more deliberately in meals, an oz in an omelette, for example, and stop eating it as a snack.

Can you call your doctor’s office and get your HDL and LDL figures? It would be very helpful going forward to know exactly where you stand now so you can tell if the changes you make have a real impact. That HDL figure will be key.

Thanks Esnecca. I’ll give them a ring in the morning. I’ll take your advice re cheese. Accurate measuring and calorie counting! I did that to start but have fallen by the wayside. Will get back on track! Thanks again x

Hi pals, Esnecca, the reason I keep the cheese low is because – and you might remember – on coming back from England I brought 3kg of Cheddar cheese and so as not to waste it, even though it has a long shelf life, I started to eat quite a bit – not loads but more than my usual. On my next blood test my cholesterol had gone up from 3.6 to 4.2 and that is what I blamed. So it is me knowing what hurts me. Then I got it back down to 3.4 by cutting down on the cheese and next I went on a cruise and it went back up to 4.2. Worked out I had been having cheese (without the biscuits) most nights along with things like pate and cured ham. So again, I cut it right down and my cholesterol is back down to 3.8 so still a bit up. I guess it is knowing your own body and adjusting accordingly.

Keep on keeping on…

I do remember the cheddar incident. I would have done the same, I’m sure, if I’d had 3 kg of all that deliciousness hanging around indefinitely. Thankfully my cholesterol numbers have always been low so I have a little more leeway as far as daily intake goes. My self-imposed limit is more about portion control and not allowing myself to overindulge.

Like you say, it’s all about knowing how our individual bodies react to different inputs. That’s why I think it’s important for Eileen to have the full data on her cholesterol levels and to know with mathematical precision what she’s eating. She can eliminate the variables and figure out what her limits are just like you did.

Hi Esnecca and sunshine-girl. Couldn’t get results from GP today. Will ring on Monday. Interesting to read your post sunshine-girl re cheese. I really feel this is what has been my problem.
I’ve found a recipe from Essentially Jane from Feb 2016!! for mixed seeds and Greek yoghurt on the post ‘Can you eat fat when trying to lower cholesterol ‘ Hope this will help too. X

Always have full fat Greek yoghurt – apparently a fruit yoghurt contains as much sugar as 4 chocolate digestives. Fat we can have – sugar we cant.

Thanks. Yes I do. It’s delicious!

Full Fat Yoghurt, Milk & Cheese in preference to low or no fat. Absolutely, seems to be the advice today. But the yoghurt doesn’t have to be Greek Yoghurt. It just has to be ‘natural’ with nothing added. As too with cottage cheese. Full fat hard or soft cheese however needs attention from all of us. There is a huge different in calorie levels, say comparing a blue cheese to cheddar or a goats cheese. Cheese definitely has a part in BSD but as mentioned in previous post, portion control is definitely needed and only consumed as part of the meal and couple of times a week.
As I understand BSD, all good fats are essential to eat (avocado, nuts, seeds) but they all need to be very carefully managed. Get the balance right they improve our health. Over/Under consumption they can damage our health.
Low and No fat products are only ‘bad’ if they use added sugar or mixed with other ingredients. If you prefer the taste, as I personally only use skimmed milk then this is OK…I think.
Good luck with the call to your doctor on Monday Eileen27. Why not ask for a full print out of the results of all tests done on your blood. I have never had a problem with my own doctor in getting such a printout.

It’s so good to be reminded of the ‘rules’ every now and again. It’s easy to become complacent. Need to get back to basics!

Eileen, I dont know how it works as I dont live in England but I have seen on here that you can register for online access to your medical records. I think you have to speak to your doctor to get access but apparently it is everyone right. I am in France and I go to a laboratory for my blood taken and they send the results to me as well as my doctor so I have a complete record of everything I have ever had done, including the films of my mammograms, heart traces, picture of the inside of my stomach and so on – you need a spare room to keep everything but it is good to know yourself.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. I was able to speak only to the GP receptionist today for a breakdown of my cholesterol. She said it was HDL 2, non HDL 5.6. So it’s not good. If I need further explanation I need to book an appointment with the practice nurse. I think I’ll do this after my 8-10 week run on the statins and more concentrated BSD diet. We are away this week so it won’t be easy but I’ll keep off the cheese and the carbs as much as I can.
I live in Wales and we are not able to access our health records yet – at least not in my local practice.
I’ll keep reading your posts as they’re all good! Thanks

That is a very low HDL figure. I vote you go for a pincer movement plan of attack by increasing your intake of HDL-friendly foods (extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, omega-3 heavy fish like salmon, mackerel and trout, purple vegetables and berries, chia, flaxseeds, avocado, soy) while closely regulating your intake of foods high in saturated fat like cheese. High intensity exercise can increase HDL levels as well. Would something like a 20 minute HIIT routine 3 times a week be doable for you? There are tons available for free on YouTube. You should definitely count carbs as precisely as possible, because the lower the better there too when it comes to cholesterol.

Good luck, Eileen!

Eileen, I would hold off your visit to the practice nurse as, quite frankly, they dont know very much and would probably try to deter you from taking our high fat advice. However, the fats you should be eating are high but they are the healthy fats the body needs to increase HDL and lower LDL – I always remember it by thinking Happy cholesterol and Lousy cholesterol. All the things Ensecca mentioned are good for the cholesterol, also a few nuts (half a dozen big ones or 10 small). Walnuts are particularly good. I would be careful of coconut oil though as there are differing ideas about it raising the HDL but also increasing the LDL at the same time so the good effects are eliminated. Just something I read. Try using rapeseed oil for cooking with olive oil saved for dressings.

You have time to improve things before you go back in 8-10 weeks although if there is an improvement they will put it down to the statins. I have reduced mine from 40mg to 20mg, with my doctors approval so he accepts there might be something to the diet but doesn’t want to give up on the statins.

Thank you Esnecca and sunshine-girl. I value your advice. You are right though, GP and practice nurse asked if I’d tried a low fat diet! – yes many many times and it doesn’t work. This is the only WOE that has worked but even though I’ve lost lbs I haven eaten enough of the correct foods.
We are away from home until Sat, then home for a week before we have a mini break in Bruges. So I can keep off the easy carbs, eat more fish and do my best whilst away, having a good go at it when I’m home.
I’ve shown your posts to my OH and looked on fat secret where I’ve only just noticed it gives the saturated fat amounts as well as calories, carbs and fat. My OH is going to help me so that’s great.
Thank you again. The best ‘medical’ advice I’ve had.
I’ve read other threads re cholesterol and note the Greek yoghurt and seeds.
I’ll keep at it. Hope you’re all doing well.

Hi everyone,
I had my first eyes and feet check today – both OK currently – along with the first meeting with a dietician. The dietician reminded me that on my initial blood results my total cholesterol had been higher than it should have been, at 6.1. I must have forgotten in the initial concern about being told I was diabetic, but I now remember there was talk of putting me on statins if it did not improve. So this is a really timely and helpful discussion for me, too. Like you say, Eileen 27, I think this is a really useful description of the ‘rules’ around fat intake – will take it on board and apply. Thanks everyone.

Best of luck LadyM and Eileen27 – it will be interesting to hear how you get on.
Enjoy your trip to Bruges, Eileen27. I’ve only been there once a couple of years ago, but really liked it.

In the book by Gary Taubes “Why we get fat and what to do about it” (my all time favorite companion book to the BSD), he talks about cholesterol levels being related to CARBOHYDRATE intake, NOT fat intake. In order for your body to create a triglyceride, it needs a transport vehicle onto which it “loads” three fatty acids (thus TRI-glyceride) — that transport vehicle is a carbohydrate. (I’m using triglyceride as the example because it is the “uber-bad” cholesterol)
When you lower carb intake WAY down, your body can’t load up a transport system and doesn’t create many of those bad actors, triglycerides.
Meanwhile, exercise and healthy fat eating will raise your HDL (the good cholesterol).

I borrowed the book from the library ages ago. I think I’ll buy a copy. I was really hooked on it at the time. Shows just how much we need to keep re reading and checking and evaluating what we eat and do. We can never have too much information x

Hi Californiagirl,

…. and I’ve just checked on my kindle and I have got this book. I ordered a few different books when I was first diagnosed, (this one, in fact on reading your recommendation on another post!)
I decided to read and try to incorporate any advice one book at a time so hadn’t read this yet. But, I think this will be a good next book to focus on as I really know nothing about cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. Sounds like it will be interesting reading. Thanks, Marie x

Hi Eileen and Marie — so good, you are going to really benefit from that book — I am still re-reading it years later because it keeps it fresh in my mind and helps me just say “no” to simple/refined carbs.
If you want another great book, which focuses on the Alzheimers connection to carbohydrate (and that should scare anyone), I would recommend “Grain Brain” by David Perlmutter MD and his great cookbook, “The Grainbrain Cookbook”. I use a lot of his (very simple) recipes.
He is a board-certified neurologist and he is a friend of cholesterol — he states it is one of the “most important bio chemicals for healthy brain function”. It performs critical roles in brain operations and protects brain cells.
He believes the current war on cholesterol is absolutely unfounded. The real marker of trouble is your A1C, your average blood sugar over the previous three months.
The higher your A1C, the higher your risk for dementia, regardless of your cholesterol.
But of course, good cholesterol (HDL) is increased by eating healthy fats and lowering carbohydrate intake.
The good fats are extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed beef, wild fish, nuts, seeds, eggs and coconut oil.
So worry less about cholesterol and much more about what you are eating.
And it tastes so good! It’s win-win!

Hi Californiagirl,

Thanks for all the info. Again, it’s timely. I’ve recently finished my first 8 weeks (well, 9 really) and have just been reflecting on how I need to improve things going forward. Your response to a post the other day saying ‘eat more greens’ struck a chord. I know that’s one of the things I need to do. I’m also in danger of just eating a relatively small number of things over and over – I need to widen out my ‘diet’. Will check out the Grain Brain books.
Regards
Marie x

First day back at home after almost a week. Have managed 830 calories which is good going for me. Under 30 g carbs, and I’ve now decided to keep a track of saturated fat. 8 g today. I’ve no idea what the limit should be but I’m keeping a record and will see how this averages out. I’ve only 5 more days before we go to Bruges so I’ll try to keep as low as possible. It sounds as if we’re always away! We’re not I can assure you but this is how’s it’s worked out this month. I have the Gary Taubes book on order. Hope you’re all doing well x

Hi Eileen27

Good idea to keep a track of your saturated fat intake – I think I’ll do the same.

I’ve been focusing on other markers and not how much fat I’ve been consuming, which is really silly because as well as the raised cholesteroI I had my gall bladder removed a few years ago, so I know I can’t digest fats well!

So I’ve decided to go back to the drawing board with the BSD diet, incorporating the advice above, but I’ll also start tracking my fat intake and see how I go.

Best of luck
Marie

Thanks CaliforniaGirl – I’ve just ordered those 3 books!

Have a good holiday Eileen27 and thanks for starting this thread.

Kazzuk

I had the same issue, I have switched my milk & Yoghurt to Soya. Everything else still full fat, just had results for Diabetes& Cholesterol and all normal. So this worked for me.

Last day before going away tomorrow. Principles next week as far as I can then 8 weeks proper attention to BSD when I return. 8 weeks in the run up to Christmas Let’s see what I can do! I haven’t tried soya milk or yoghurt. I don’t have much milk but I do love Greek yoghurt. With seeds and berries for ‘dessert’ rather than breakfast – which I miss quite often before my Pilates and yoga classes. It’s a ‘treat’ and something slightly sweet after my evening meal. I need this sometimes. I’ll look out for soya yoghurts though. Thanks for the tip. I will try not to eat the chocs in Bruges! Or drink the beer! Have a good week everyone x

Hi all,
Eileen27, I have experienced a drop in HDL cholesterol and a small increase in LDL after 28 days dieting with a loss of 19 lbs. The diet and exercise are ongoing however i found lots of information regarding the impact on cholesterol during weight loss, in particular in a post on the fast diet website by Mnman58.. link: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/cholesterol-levels-have-gone-up/

Below is an extract from Mnman58’s post, which I hope he doesn’t mind me copying…..

Bottom line appears to be, getting bloods done whilst in the process of significant weight loss isn’t a good idea….

Here’s the extract…………………………….

I searched the internet and found an article by Dr. William Davis (dated June 5, 2012), and learned this info below (in quotations):

————————-
“When you lose weight, you are mobilizing energy stored as fat. That fat is mobilized as fatty acids and triglycerides into the bloodstream. 10 pounds lost, for instance, means the equivalent of 35,000 calories of fat released into the bloodstream.
These fatty acids are not alone. They interact with the other elements in the bloodstream. In particular, this flood of fatty acids:
—Block insulin–and thereby increase blood sugar. A non-diabetic can even become transiently diabetic during weight loss.
—Increase triglycerides–A starting triglyceride level of, say, 120 mg/dl, can increase to 180 mg/dl during active weight loss. (Triglycerides contain fatty acids.)
—Decreased HDL–Excess fatty acids and triglycerides modify HDL particles, causing their degradation and elimination. A starting HDL of 45 mg/dl can drop to 28 mg/dl, for example.
—LDL measures go haywire–The conventional calculated LDL cholesterol, or even generally superior measures like apoprotein B or NMR LDL particle number, can go in any direction rather unpredictably: They can go up, down, or sideways. Likewise, the (miserably useless) total cholesterol value can go up, down, or sideways.
—Increased blood pressure–This is likely due to the enhanced artery constriction that occurs due to increased endothelial dysfunction, i.e., dysfunction of the normal relaxation mechanisms of arteries.

The key is to recognize these phenomena as nothing more than part of weight loss and the inevitable mobilization of fatty acids into the bloodstream. Accordingly, decisions should not be made based on these values, since they are transient. Your doctor will likely try to push hypertension medication, statin drugs, fibrate drugs, diabetes drugs.

As a practical matter, avoid having blood drawn until weight has plateaued for at least 4 weeks and these changes are allowed to reverse. Only then will you know what you have achieved.”
—————————————-

Thank you for this ChilliWhizz. Very interesting. I wonder if that’s what’s happened to me?? I’ll see if I can join the fast diet forum. Seems there are useful posts.Many thanks x

Just found this thread, I know I had read it somewhere. Having a good read. But 9 is really high, isn’t it 😱

Hi Hackie, 9 is high but mine went up to 7.8 which is also high and caused a flurry of concern to my doctor. I was actively losing weight then and declined statins. 6 months later it’s still high but lower, I think 5.9 and triglycerides around 1. LDL is still a bit high but improving, HDL is good. For myself, I’m glad I gave it time.

Now you’re in maintenance, hopefully it will all settle. Fingers crossed!

Great, Mariet, that’s what I’m thinking too, good to have some (more) validation of that.

The Great Cholesterol Con by Malcom Kendrick is on kindle Uk for 99p if anyone fancies a bargain read (recommended on another thread, I think. He was, anyway)

Hi there, I have just watched the Dr Mosley TV prog Trust Me etc…. I was pleasantly surprised to find that coconut oil is actually good for us. It raises HDL (good cholesterol) by around 10% based on the amount taken on the programme (which was quite a lot) and does not have any adverse effect on the LDL (bad cholesterol). I always thought it had some bad effects but that has been disproved in a proper experiment so I might just start using a little in cooking.

I’m not convinced by this study. No views about coconut oil, but the results attributed to butter just don’t make sense to me. Raised LDLs levels by 10% in 4 weeks? The population of France, and me, should definitely be dead by now!

Flick – that’s the bit I couldn’t make sense of. I read the transcript and MM said something like ‘as you would expect, the butter caused it to rise’, which isn’t what I expected at all given BSD.

Malcom Kendrick says he doesn’t believe cholesterol causes heart disease, or that Saturated fat does either.

The more I think about it, the more I think maybe the only useful thing I can do, in the absence of any other risk indicators for clotted arteries or heart disease is keep on keeping on and lower my fat % a bit more using BSD, with a view to giving my liver a chance to do what it does at optimum capacity.

Ok, so had cholesterol tested a few weeks ago and it was 9. Went on a fibre quest and have been eating chia seeds, flat, oily fish and cut out butter (had olive oil instead). Have still been eating cheese, but less. Day before test kind of forgot what I was doing and ate roast pork including crackling, but even so new test results 9.6. Still having cream in coffee.

Perplexed. I know this is not a standard bodily response to a low carb diet. Any ideas anyone (I know I probably have to give up cheese).

I know i have already answered this post back in September (I think) I can only speak from personal evidence, when I started this diet my cholesterol was 7.6 and I was on the highest possible dose of statins at 60mg. When I came to France that was reduced to 40mg as that is their highest dose allowed. I started getting bad cramps so doctor stopped drugs and total went up to 8 so he put me back on at a much lower dose of 20mg and it returned to 7.6. Say hello to BSD in June 2016 first test after starting diet was July 2016 total 4.8 with bad cholesterol at 2.93 and triglycerides at 2.51. So within about 5 weeks of starting diet. Because doctor was sceptical about the diet tested again in August 2016 with total at 3.7 LDL at 2.41 and triglycerides at 1.38. So within 3 months I had gone from 6.7 to 3.7. He still worries about me and has been testing me continuously every 3 months when I have my HbA1c and I will be tested next in March. Even though my total is around 3.4 doctor insists I still have the 20mg statin as he says it does more good with little evidence of bad outcomes.

Also worth reminding of my take on fats, yes I can have butter but I hardly have any as I no longer spread it on bread or dollop on potatoes, I have it occasionally when I cook scrambled eggs. I eat full fat cheese rather than the low fat version but, again on this diet cheese is quite restricted due to high calories. What I do eat are avocados and nuts, especially walnuts and make my own salad dressings using Greek full fat yoghurt and olive oil and any ‘frying’ I do is with rapeseed oil. Just stick with the good oils and have a little cheese and butter.

Thanks sunshine girl, I think this is why I am perplexed as I have been reading posts and have upped all good seeds and nuts, lowered animal fats and dairy fats and so was expecting it to get lower not higher. Am full fat everything when I have it but weight is stable so fairly sure am not having too many calories (which I assume means not too much fat as I’ve been focusing on eating the greens and seeds and nuts). Am on the foods that are allegedly good for cholesterol lowering – spinach, dark choc, almonds etc.

When I get home I will ask Dr to break down hdl v non-hdl and see if that’s where increase has come from.

Having read around I am not inclined to have statins, as am not clear cholesterol that linked to heart attacks/stroke for women if all other readings are good (which they are – bMI and blood pressure at least).

Sunshine girl – isn’t your cholesterol well below average now? In fact my Dr said they don’t get worried until 7.5, so you were never ‘that’ high according to her. What do French Drs expect to see as an ok reading?

Hi, Jackie. This chloresterol question is undergoing close scrutiny again, as it has for eggs. There is also the theory
that a genetic defect has a role to play, also. There are just too many variables to consider, i.e., animal fats, etc. O/H
has a completely occluded right coronary artery, and 2 others are full of plaque and now are the proud owners of
2 complicated stenting procedures. We both had very high chloresterol readings, and now are in optimal ranges
by eating wild fish and organic chicken breast and cutting out cheese completely. Olive oil, nuts, seeds and
avocado are our primary plant based sources of healthy fats. Very anecdotal, of course, but I’m loathe to change
anything that is working for us. The whole purpose of switching to a whole food based diet has been to arrest
the progress of coronary artery disease..O/H paternal grandmother, father and aunt all died from heart attacks
at the age of 65, all were obese, and all ate a lot of dairy. Husband a cheese hog all his life. I hope you “get it
sorted”, as you lovely English always say! Best of luck….

Allie

My cholesterol level has had a rocky road in this WOL as well though it was down a bit last time, due for another test at the end of this month. I’ve seen some interesting research on organic apple cider vinegar, the one containing the ‘mother ‘. A tablespoon diluted in at least a glass of water before lunch and dinner had surprisingly rapid results. It’s an acquired taste and I at least have not yet acquired it, makes me nauseous but it might be worth a try? Good luck!

JackieM my cholesterol was 11 when first diagnosed in the UK and they managed to get it down to 7.6 with medication. As soon as they tried stopping the medication I would go back up around 7 or 8. It is only since starting this diet that I have been able to get it around ‘normal’ levels and still on medication. If I came off the drugs it would go back up around 7 or would it???? That is something I might discuss with doctor when he sees I have kept it down for nearly 2 years. His view is that he doesn’t know if I will stay on this diet or even that it is the cause of the lowered cholesterol. I know that no longer eating so called low fat foods probably had a lot to do with it and I wont be going back to that.