Lowering My Cholesterol

After about 10 weeks on the Inegey - which is a combo of a statin and ezetimibe - I have stopped taking them. After a bout of unexplained vomiting and generally feeling unwell , loss of appetite I blamed the Inegy. It could be someting else - but since I started taking them I have been feeling depressed, getting back pain, and also lost interest in sex. I have been off the statin - (simvastatin) and ezetimibe mixture for two weeks now - and feel a lot better. I haven’t told my GP yet - but I know I should soon.  I need to tackle my lifestyle now - more exercise is the main thing I need to be doing. So less blogging too.

I still have doubts about the whole "cholesterol is bad" - after reading several articles. I need to investigate more about the effects of cholesterol - and will try and put any findings on here.

I found an article  from the UK Daily Mail - which basically says that all the hype about cholesterol and statins and heart disease is a load of rubbish - pushed by the drug companies to make more profit. The author has written a book - and seems to know his stuff. He explains how all the theories about diet and cholesterol and heart disease can be disproven . Makes me think about coming off the statins. I have only been on them for 10 weeks - and haven’t noticed any real problems . But I have had more headaches and a runny nose and I was vomiting  yesterday for no apparent reason. I also feel tired all the time. None of these are severe — but maybe it is the statins causing it.

Full article here..

Have we been conned about cholesterol? | the Daily Mail

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)

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

Is all fat bad for you? Well - there are differsnt types of fatin the food we eat.
SATURATED FATS:  are found mainly in animal and dairy products like butter, ghee, lard, cheese, full-fat milk and cream.
Saturated fats are converted by our bodies into cholesterol so I will try and reduce these . I already use semi skimmed milk and vey little butter. Cheese is one of may favourite fillings for a sandwich - so maybe I will have to cut down on that. 
Trans fats are solid fats found in biscuits, cakes, pastries and fast food.
Scientists think that your body deals with these fats in the same way as saturated fats. So, if I want to lower my  cholesterol I will have to cut out those biscuits with the cup of tea .

UNSATURATED FATS include polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats.
POLYUNSATURATED FATS are found in many vegetable margarines and oils. They lower the ‘BAD’ LDL-cholesterol, but they can, if intake is high, also lower the ‘GOOD’ HDL-cholesterol.

MONOUNSATURATED FATS lower ‘BAD’ cholesterol without lowering ‘GOOD’ cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats are found in foods like olive oil, avocados, rapeseed and ground nut oils. If I am frying or roasting anthing I always use olive oil - so there isn’t much I can do there - unless I drink the stuff!

Apparently foods containing actual cholesterol such as shellfish, eggs and liver do not make much difference to your blood cholesterol as long as they are eaten in sensible amounts. I might eat one egg a week and have liver 2 or 3 times a year - so I’m OK with those I think.

My Cholesterol level is high - so I am told by my doctor - but what is cholesterol? Why do we need it? Why is too much cholesterol bad for us? Is cholesterol needed by our body or not? How can I reduce cholesterol in my blood? 
My father had a heart attack when he was only 42 - I am 44 now. Is cholesterol going to kill me? This blog is my way of recording my research into  Cholesterol, why it is bad and how I can try and lower my cholesterol levels.

My cholesterol "count" in October 2006 was 6.4. In January 2007 it was 5.8

I know I don’t exercise enough. My diet is pretty good - low fat milk in my tea,  no fatty meats, very little butter. I need to cut down on treats like biscuits and cheese though. If it is genetic - maybe diet will not help? I will try and find out more and keep notes of what I find here to remind myself and possible help others.