Lowering My Cholesterol

Many products containing oats claim to lower cholesterol. I found out that the "active" ingredient is beta-glucan soluble fibre.  In order to ba able to declare that a product containing oats can lower cholesterol - oat products must contain at least 0.75 g beta-glucan soluble fibre per serving, or in an amount that is customarily consumed in a day that makes a reasonable contribution to a healthy diet.

One study showed that 3g of beta glucan fibre could lower cholesterol levels by abou 7% and LDL by about 10%.
Not major changes - but every little helps.

I remember reading somewhere that blueberry juice contains someting that is good foe lowering LDL. I still haven’t got my actual LDL and HDL levels from the doctor - I must ring them later. I have been buying Tropicana Blueberry Blen (Apple and blueberry juice) - it’s a bit dearer than my normal Orange Juice for breakfast - but you can’t take it with you! (Money I mean)

I know that many of the bad effects of cholesterol can be offset by exercise. That is something that I know I don’t do enough of. I have a bike, I live in a scenic rural area of Ireland, I work from home  and even have an exercise bike inside too - so I have no excuse really do I. Motivation is probably my downfall - lack of it. Time is another factor , as well as doing work from hoem (web design etc) - I look after a 4 year old son as well as generally being the main "home-maker". There is aleays something to be done - and exercise gives me a sense of guilt because I always feel I should be doing something else. I will ahve to change that attitude if I want to live beyond 50.

There are loads of spreads and yoghurts and drinks that claim to lower your cholesterol - and they all contain sterols. Benecol - Flora Active - you must have seen them. I have not tried them - mainly because they seem expensive - and also because I’m on the prescription tablets.

According to the British Heart Foundation website again -

"

Plant sterols and stanols are thought to reduce the absorption of cholesterol by our intestine . This reduction in absorption makes the liver remove more harmful LDL cholesterol from our circulation, thereby reducing the amount of LDL in the blood. It is believed that plant sterols and stanols lower the total cholesterol level and the level of harmful low density lipoproteins (LDL), but seem to have no effect on the heart-friendly HDL cholesterol levels or triglyceride levels.

Studies suggest that if you consume 2-3g of plant sterols/stanols, this can reduce LDL cholesterol levels by 9 - 20%, although there is considerable variation between individuals.

Plant sterols/stanols have been added to margarine spreads yoghurt and milk products such as Flora Proactive and Benecol. The British Heart Foundation does not endorse any specific products, although there is evidence that they can help to reduce blood cholesterol levels."

Olive oil is always recommended for people with high cholesterol - but cooking with it may not be such a good idea because it has a relatively low smoking point and is not really  suitable for cooking at high temperatures (e.g. frying). The smoking point is the temperature to which an oil can be heated before it smokes and becomes discoloured and is the visual indication that the oil is decomposing. Heating oil beyond this point will not only affect the flavour of the food but can also result in the formation of trans fat and damaging free radicals. It is also sensible to avoid re-using cooking oils or eating foods cooked in oils that have been continually reheated

I am taking a statin in the form of simavistin in a product called Inegy - I found this info on the British Heart  foundation website:

Statins have relatively few side effects, but we need to consider their possible interactions. For some time, we have been aware of the need to ensure that people who take statins should not drink or eat large quantities of grapefruit juice or grapefruit. However, recent evidence suggests that people who take simvastatin should avoid taking grapefruit juice or grapefruit altogether as even small amounts could significantly increase the effect of this particular statin drug. However, if you’re taking another statin, such as atorvastatin, then grapefruit juice (or the grapefruit) can be taken in small quantities.
Committee on safety of medicines (2004): ‘Current problems in phermacovigilance’ Statins and Cytochrome P450 interactions. Vol. 30 Oct. 2004 1-2.

I used to like a drop of grapefruit juice in the morning - but I won’t be drinking it anymore…

I know that I should exercise more than I do. I must promise to do at least 3 hours exercise a week. I have no excuse really - apart from feeling guilty if I am not doing something else. I work from home and my wife works full time outside the home. With 4 kids - there is plenty of other work to keep me busy like cleaning, cooking, shopping , washing. SO - I don’t really seem to get much time for formal exercise. Having a 4 year old at home restricts things a bit. But I know I could do more if I really try - like stop blogging!

I got these guideline figures for Lipid Levels from the BMJ. I think they are fairly up to date. I need to check with my GP what my HDL and LDL levels are. My total cholesterol was 5.8 about 6 weeks ago when I started taking Inegy. I am due to go back for another test in about 2 weeks.

Total cholesterol
Less than 5 mmol/l  is what you should aim for. It means you’re less likely to have a heart attack or a stroke. If you have heart disease or diabetes, you should aim for 4 mmol/l.
If you have more than 6.5 mmol/l This is high cholesterol. You may need treatment to lower your cholesterol.

LDL (bad) cholesterol
Less than 3.5 mmol/l  is what you should aim for. But if you have heart disease or diabetes you should aim for 3 mmol/l.
4 mmol/l or higher  is high. Your risk of getting heart disease is higher.

HDL (good) cholesterol Less than 1.1 mmol/l is low. Your risk of getting heart disease is higher.
1.3 mmol/l or higher is what you should aim for. This protects against heart disease.

Triglycerides More than 2 mmol/l is high. Your risk of getting heart disease may be higher.

I also found this useful bit of research about Cholesterol levels:

If you total cholesterol level lowers by 0.6 mmol/l, your risk of having a stroke is reduced by half. This fall in cholesterol also lowers the risk of having a heart attack by one-fifth.

 ( Law MR, Wald NJ, Thompson SG. By how much and how quickly does reduction in serum cholesterol concentration lower risk of ischaemic heart disease? BMJ. 1994; 308: 367-372.
 )

Another target to aim for?

I found this bit of research today :

For every 1 percent increase in good (HDL) cholesterol or 1 percent decrease in bad (LDL) cholesterol, your risk of having a heart attack or stroke drops by 2 percent.
So if I can drop my LDL level by just 20% - and raise my HDL by 20% - I will reduce my risk of heart attack or stroke by a massive 80% !

(  Muldoon MF, Manuck SB, Matthews KA. Lowering cholesterol concentrations and mortality: a quantitative review of primary prevention trials. BMJ. 1990; 301: 309-314. )