Lowering My Cholesterol

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

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."

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 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. )

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.

‘BAD’ LDL-  low density lipo-protein cholesterol is the most commonly found cholesterol in our bodies. Although our bodies need LDL-cholesterol to transport cholesterol from the liver where it is made, to the cells where it is needed, too much of it can block up our arteries.

‘GOOD’  High Density Lipo-protein HDL-cholesterol makes up about a third of the cholesterol in our blood, It is known as good cholesterol because it can carry excess cholesterol away from our arteries and back to the liver, where  it is broken down and recycled.