[Closed] Chloresterol

Reduce your high GI carb intake.

[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Cholesterol-Con-Malcolm-Kendrick/dp/1844546101/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367944937&sr=1-2&keywords=cholesterol ]Read this[/url]

How much have you read around this?

It seems like certain foods cause cholesterol imbalances, rather than simply consuming saturated fats... but I tend not to pay attention to those bits.

http://www.treelight.com/health/healing/Cholesterol.html

http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/mom/cholesterol/default.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv2Z3UWYJKk

http://www.webmd.com/erectile-dysfunction/news/20100416/statins_may_lower_testosterone_libido?page=2

You didn't mention how much you ride your bike. Plenty of exercise should increase your HDL "good" cholesterol. Have you tried those benecol drinks?

Thanks. Lots of stuff to read there. I agree with the book write-up when it says pharma has an interest to promote its drugs - one reason why I won't go near statins.

What are "GI" carbs?

I have not read around this at all yet. I am wary of "cranky" stuff that passes itself off as scientific and struggle to differentiate.

Bike riding - just at weekends (have no time in the nweek). Doc recommended Benecol which I will try. I need to try to work out how to exercise in the week but it's really going to be a struggle.

I would also be trying all orher alternatives before a statin if I had high cholesterol. You might want to think about your other cardiovascular risks too: folks with high blood pressure, borderline diabetes, who smoke and do no exercise are more at risk of health problems. If high cholesterol is your only risk factor, perhaps your dr will take that into account in his/ her advice.

What are "GI" carbs?

Definitely more reading required!

GI = glycaemic index, or how fast it makes your blood sugar go up. Get googling.

Thanks Vicky. Unfortunately, he was jumpy as BP was borderline high (plus the curous weight increase) so three bad boxes ticked.

Flipping annoying as I thought I was in better nick, it's not for the want of trying! Not sure how to deal with any of them really.

Also the most effective way to reduce weight and cardiovascular risk factors is through dietary alterations.

I would be looking at that, especially if you already do a reasonable amount of exercise.

Thyroid checked?

Blood sugar checked?

Increased BP and weight gain could indicate developing Type 2 diabetes.

What is your triglyceride level like? A raised level is quite often a warning sign of diabetes.

You would be surprised how ignorant some GPs are of Type 2 diabetes.

If you have followed the traditional advice given to those with high cholesterol of avoiding fat and eating lots of "healthy wholegrains" then your weight gain is far from unexplained - it is completely predictable.

Start with reading Gary Taubes to realise why much of what you are being told by the health establishment is dubious at best.

Other blood levels checked and fine. He did keep talking about thyroid but I'm hardly under active - bloody restless as ever!

Gone for the starvation crash today but goodness it's hard!

Please don't expect GPs to know anything about thyroid, the extent of their knowledge seems to be reading the blood test result and ignoring clinical symptoms.

e-mail in profile and happy to answer any questions. I went outside the NHS, they are shocking and only wanted to prescribe AD's. 😐

Thanks cinnamon. Ex-mrs was strongly over active and I know how hard that was for her.

He did keep talking about thyroid but I'm hardly under active - bloody restless as ever!

She means is your thyroid underactive, not you!

Only around 10% of the measured cholesterol in your blood is actually attributable to your diet - the rest is manufactured in your liver. Therefore, you may not be able to lower it without drugs. Statins are safe and hugely effective - they are the only cholesterol lowering agent that has been proven to save lives by preventing heart attacks and strokes.

Work out your 10 year risk of having a heart attack or stroke by going to www.qrisk.org (this is an online calculator that is validated in the UK and is what I use on a daily basis as a cardiologist). If my QRISK2 score was greater than 20%, I would definitely take a statin (and BP lowering agents if my BP was "borderline").

The advice to get your glucose and thyroid checked is good. If you smoke - stop!

Hope that helps (I'll be doing myself out of a job soon!)

http://www.saga.co.uk/health/medicines/statins-case-against.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/17/statin-side-effects.aspx

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12224312

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/ta
06 March 13 : Drugs for life

Doc recommended Benecol which I will try.

It does appear to work (on me anyway), and tastes better than most marge/spread too IMO.

Don't think of it as expensive butter, but cheap medicine.

This thread has reminded me to go for my re-test.

You might want to think about your other cardiovascular risks too: folks with high blood pressure, borderline diabetes, who smoke and do no exercise are more at risk of health problems. If high cholesterol is your only risk factor, perhaps your dr will take that into account in his/ her advice.

Please don't expect GPs to know anything about thyroid, the extent of their knowledge seems to be reading the blood test result and ignoring clinical symptoms.

DrP

Do you know if there is a family history of high cholesterol/blood pressure?

Might be worth persuading relatives to get their levels checked and finding out what your recent ancestors died of.

A genetic cause needs to be treated diffrently than one cause by bad diet.

Before i'd go down the road of compromising your health by taking statins I'd take advice from a suitably qualified nutritionist with experience of treating cholesterol and hormonal imbalance. The current government/medical establishment guidelines for nutritional advice regarding Cholesterol as espoused by many medical practitioners are woefully behind the times with regard to current research - Eating cholesterol rich foods has very little impact on the cholesterol levels in your body - Fact!.

If you can be arsed reading through complex medical jargon, albeit explained as succinctly as possible then i advise you to [url= http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/the-straight-dope-on-cholesterol-part-i ]have a look through this study done by Peter Attia[/url] , His [url= http://eatingacademy.com/dr-peter-attia ]Website - The Eating Academy[/url] is a good resource for nutritional advice, and his medical background reinforces his advice unlike a great deal of Quack websites.

Pretty much all research done on modern western lifestyle illnesses is either funded directly or indirectly through grants offered by the drug companies who have only one desire and that is to make you pay for something to alleviate the symptoms - if that something turns out to be a drug that you come to rely on for the rest of your life then all the better, why should they offer a dietary cure for the underlying problems causing the symptoms - it is not in their commercial/shareholding interests to offer cures.

Pretty much all research done on modern western lifestyle illnesses is either funded directly or indirectly through grants offered by the drug companies who have only one desire and that is to make you pay for something to alleviate the symptoms - if that something turns out to be a drug that you come to rely on for the rest of your life then all the better, why should they offer a dietary cure for the underlying problems causing the symptoms - it is not in their commercial/shareholding interests to offer cures.

It is important to bear the above in mind but equally you should also be aware that those who advise against statins have usually got a book to sell you, in other words both sides of the argument are compromised by commercial considerations.

Very true avdave2 but as the original poster mentioned suspicious weight gain despite supposedly healthy eating i'd bet money on problems regarding insulin levels and hormonal imbalance which can be treated by a nutritionist with up to date scientific teaching methods, our current nutritional training of Doctors with regard to the amount of time spent informing them in medical school about correct nutrition is woefull and their current workload means however well meaning they may be at the point of conversation with their patients, they do not have the time to keep up to date with current emerging nutritional trends.

As an example of just how inadequate this government treats nutrition we merely have to look at the nutritionally valueless slurry that is fed to people recovering in our hospitals.

[i]Eating cholesterol rich foods has very little impact on the cholesterol levels in your body - Fact!. [/i]

This isn't exactly a secret that the drug companies don't want you to know. Its probably the first thing your doctor will tell you.

Most cholesterol is manufactured in your liver and Statins (I believe) work by inhibiting liver function. Sounds a bit scary, but I suppose you have to weigh up the relative risks.

My headline level is 7.5 with LDL at 4.5 and high density of 1.79 giving a ratio of 4.02.
Am I going to die? That QRisk thing says 1% chance....

It bothers me a little as so hard to find the truth on the subject! I'm fit, eat well, lean etc so hopefully will last out!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policosanol

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Swanson-Ultra-Policosanol-20mg-Capsules/dp/B00068JKMA/ref=pd_cp_d_0

I am not a doctor.
I'm not qualified to give medical advice, this is a serious topic, use the links for information and some further reading.
I read about this this whilst looking into the subject for myself.
Not tried this yet.
The studies seem inconclusive about any effectiveness, but if you do a bit of research, there are some positive results around. Granted, ther are also studies that say "no effect".
But personally, I would probably be tempted to give them a go as a trial run, if nothing else is working, as an alternative to the statins.

Could it simply be a case of you're not 100% aware of what you are eating?

I thought I ate reasonably well and did a reasonable amount of activity - my weight wouldn't shift either (other than upward).

I now track my calories in and out (and I mean everything - down to milk in hot drinks) and it was really surprising to see how easy it was to eat 2700+ calories and be only burning 2200-2400.

Since tracking everything I have lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks.

Apologies if you are already doing this but may be worth at least trying for a couple of weeks if not before going down the road of statins, nutritionists etc.

(I use myfitnesspal.com for tracking - other similar sites are available).

Cheers

Danny B

Whoa.....easy there C-G....
One [perceived] poor experience doesn't require the whole profession to be tarred...
DrP

Believe me, Dr P, it's been a very real experience and it's not uncommon either with my illness. Thank goodness for t'internetz eh. 🙂

Pretty much all research done on modern western lifestyle illnesses is either funded directly or indirectly through grants offered by the drug companies who have only one desire and that is to make you pay for something to alleviate the symptoms - if that something turns out to be a drug that you come to rely on for the rest of your life then all the better, why should they offer a dietary cure for the underlying problems causing the symptoms - it is not in their commercial/shareholding interests to offer cures.

Applauds somafunk. 😀

As an example of this, I currently purchase my meds from outside of the U.K. I am fighting for the NHS to pay for these but it will cost a minimum of 3 times as much. So ... who's taking the pi$$ ?

Thanks again everyone. I have spent a fair bit of time last night reading up, and first off I am confused by the (a) welter of information and (b) how some of it seems to contradict - as exemplified above in some ways. Persoanlly, I am deeply suspicious of statins and will do whatever i can to stay away from them.

I don't have my results to hand but seem to recall that my ratio was in excess of 7.5. I will ask family but I doubt many have ever had it checked. Not aware anyway of any issues.

I researched the underactive thyroid and am reasonably convinced in a self-diagnosis way that I don't fit the bill - it's just the weight gain.

Danny, I am slightly ashamed to say you may have it. I was recommended the myfitnesspal thing and started it yesterday morning. I am absolutely horrified about how easy it is to cancel out eg my 30 minute walk each morning by some seemingly trivial food. Either that thing is way out or I have no idea about what I have been eating. I stayed around my claorie target yesterday and was silly hungry and felt as if I'd eaten about a third of usual.

I will keep at it for a few weeks, and then I think use it as a record to see a nutritionist about both my weight and my crazy chloresterol levels.

Thanks again everyone - deeply appreciated.

Often, I will strongly advise patients to keep a very strict food diary - along the lines of "every crumb that passes your lips should be written down".
It's frequently surprising to THEM how much they are actually eating.

The thing with change is, is that you've got to believe it's necessary before you make it. If you don't believe you're overeating, you won't approach the diet as a cause for weight gain.

Good luck

DrP

The contribution of high carb diets is interesting with regards to high LDL levels.

Once the liver and muscles are full of glycogen the next step for the liver is to convert glucose to Palmitic Acid, this is a very low density lipid, the sort that sticks to blood vessels.

Another interesting thing is Palmitic acid decreases your sensitivity to Leptin, one of the hormones that tells you you are satiated.

Often, I will strongly advise patients to keep a very strict food diary - along the lines of "every crumb that passes your lips should be written down".
It's frequently surprising to THEM how much they are actually eating.

Good idea.
Alternative option:
Now that most have smartphones, take a picture before eating anything and upload to an online food diary/blog.
Less chance of failure to do it due to real-time rather than retrospective action.
Also, pshycological effect of pre-munchies picture may have more chance of altering eating habits positively.

I can't remember the last time I had butter

Once you understand why you should keep the butter but lose the bread that you've spread it on then you're a lot of the way there.

Statins should be a last resort after diet and lifestyle choices have been looked at.

[url= http://chriskresser.com/specialreports/heartdisease ]A guy called Chris Kresser speaks a lot of sense on this if you're still doing your research.[/url]

Another interesting thing is Palmitic acid decreases your sensitivity to Leptin, one of the hormones that tells you you are satiated.

Brilliant.. it's complicated stuff this!

Molly, it get more interesting.....I work in home ventilation and Leptin is a potent ventilatory stimulant especially during sleep. Obesity Hypoventilation (under breathing when sleeping) is a growing problem so as people become Leptin resistant due to dietary issues the problem will only get worse.

@OOO - I have invested in a Fitbit One also and set my target to 10000 steps a day (around 5 miles). It (I'm slightly ashamed to admit) does motivate me to move around more. You can argue that £80 is a fair amount to spend and that the motivation should just be there but it is working for me.

The bonus is that the Fitbit website talks to myfitnesspal and credits bonus calories if I do enough exercise, hit the gym - whatever. That way I can make sure I'm not eating too little as well as too much.

Cheers

Danny B

[i]I can't remember the last time I had butter[/i]

There's your (one of) problem. Margarine is the devil's ear wax. It's quite likely one of the causes of high chloresterol, ironically. And it tastes minging.

Agreed margarine tastes awful. But I thought compared to butter it was much better?

I really am confused now, especially over the carbs mentioned in a couple of threads. My (previous) diet pretty much exclusively consists/ed of vegetables, fruit and carbs (pasta, bread).

Danny, thanks for the Fitbit. I am managing to use my Garmin and guuesswork for calorie input but will bear it in mind. Given the time I spend at work in the week, exercise opportnities during the week are very limited. I try to go as bonkers as I can at weekends.

Ononeorange, ultimately the best thing to do is eat clean food and a balanced diet; while there is lots of compelling evidence out there for higher fat/low carb diets and certainly from a metabolic/hormonal prospective clear pathways as to how high sugar (carbs are sugars, simple or complex simply describes the chain of molecules) diets impact on various diseases, lots of other factors are at play (sedentary lives, poor sleep etc) for it is be a panacea for all ills.

It's a good starting point though.

Agreed margarine tastes awful. But I thought compared to butter it was much better?

Kerrygold is great butter because the cows are 100% grass fed. In fact that's a major selling point for it being a premium product in the US because the majority of their dairy industry is grain fed. It means that there's very different fats in there.

And compared to pro-inflamatory veg oil based margerine there's only one winner!

Mmmm, Kerrygold.

Also, if you're looking for grass fed, rathern than grain fed, steaks then the premium Aldi ones are awesome.

No I accept your advice as intended and don't think you're having a go. I do appreciate it thanks, and clearly my knowledge here is woeful.

Cheers

Margarine is refined & processed on an industrial scale from the cheapest, lowest quality materials possible.

So is butter, though. Whether one or the other is safer is a different matter, and I doubt that a bit of either spread on a couple of slices of toast per day is going to make much difference.

Cooking with either is a different matter, and if you're consuming a lot you're either frying (perhaps change to olive oil and cut down on the fried foods) or making cakes/biscuits (which you should probably cut down on too...)

No, don't do any frying / cooking with margarine etc - that's all olive oil. Marg only comes out on bread.

You may find this useful:

http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/

Butter is made from something very healthy though, milk, and contains lots of nutrients - particularly organic or grass fed butter.

Re grass fed dairy or beef - it was posted on here that organic stuff has to be mostly fed on grass. Organic beef is expensive, but organic milk and butter isn't much of a hike for your monthly shopping bill.

There's an argument to say that most vegetable oils are in fact bad for you and saturated animal fat is not. So on that basis, feel free to fry in lard. Nom nom 🙂

Artificially saturated fats (veg oils that have been hydrogenated to make solid margarine) are worse for your health than naturally saturated ones like butter. Olive oil and rapeseed oil are pretty good for you.

Whole foods fried in healthy fats are not intrinsically unhealthy.

As an example of this, I currently purchase my meds from outside of the U.K. I am fighting for the NHS to pay for these but it will cost a minimum of 3 times as much. So ... who's taking the pi$$ ?

And that drug is?

Pretty much all research done on modern western lifestyle illnesses is either funded directly or indirectly through grants offered by the drug companies who have only one desire and that is to make you pay for something to alleviate the symptoms - if that something turns out to be a drug that you come to rely on for the rest of your life then all the better, why should they offer a dietary cure for the underlying problems causing the symptoms - it is not in their commercial/shareholding interests to offer cures.

You know, except for the ones that aren't like the ones done by sports institutions etc, public health institutes with a vested interest in keeping health up and costs down, masters students, phd students,,,,institutions like cochrane that just have an all out interest in the truth...there are so many groups publishing studies around the world....not just big pharma.

Often, I will strongly advise patients to keep a very strict food diary - along the lines of "every crumb that passes your lips should be written down".

This, don't just write the name of the food down or take photos. Calculate the calories, often people will be amazed by how much crap they eat in terms of kcal.

Also Myhill is one step away from being a quack. Amongst other laughable ideas I've noted on areas I have some academic experience with (eg rising birth defects in Iraq in relation to depleted uranium)....heres this piece of gold.

I think the evidence that the MMR vaccine causing autism is strong

The GMC should have had the balls to get the banhammer out

[img] [/img]

Only around 10% of the measured cholesterol in your blood is actually attributable to your diet - the rest is manufactured in your liver. Therefore, you may not be able to lower it without drugs. Statins are safe and hugely effective - they are the only cholesterol lowering agent that has been proven to save lives by preventing heart attacks and strokes.

So if the reason for high cholesterol is not due to diet then surely it would be wise to actually find out why the liver is overproducing cholesterol rather than taking a drug that interferes with liver function and thus has the potential to cause undesirable side effects. Cholesterol has many essential functions in the body and is not the evil substance that it is reported to be.

To me this is the problem with modern medicine, its all about symptom management rather than understanding the cause of illness.

In addition whilst it is accepted that statins protect against CVD it is not due to the fact that it lowers cholesterol. But due to its anti blood clotting properties. And there are better less harmful drugs that can do that.

Im a big believer in the theory that high cholesterol is the body's response to oxidative stress. Thus a diet that is high in anti-oxidants will help. The most effective of which is Vit C.

My own cholesterol levels are much improved after following a low GI, higher fat diet.

So, have any of you bar room experts actually achieved what the OP desires, To substantially decrease your Cholesterol level?
There's plenty of "expert" advice here but not much in the way of success stories...
Here's what I do!
Avoid ALL processed/packaged food, biscuits, cakes, bread and supermarket meat. Bread, even supposedly "healthy" stuff is packed with additives. Make your own (ditto cakes). It doesn't take long and you get strong wrists. If you must have something sweet, dark choccy is the one.
Use organic milk, butter and cheese. Goat's is even better.
Use Rape seed oil or walnut oil instead of olive oil. Eat oily fish.
Eat plenty of fresh fruit and veg, particularly leafy greens.
Drink tea instead of coffee, wine and whiskey instead of beer.
I also take omega 3 fish oil supplements (Avoid omega 6 and 9 like the plague. They restrict the uptake of omega3).
None of it is rocket science!
I can't guarantee you will get the same results as me, but four years ago my level was 9.6, very high in LDLs; now it is 3.5, low in LDLs!
It took a couple of kicks up the arse to get me eating more healthily (I always thought I was a healthy eater, but wasn't really; 6'1" and 11 1/2 stone was a red herring). Three angioplastys and a double bypass made me re-evaluate stuff; not just diet, but making time to exercise, and just as important, relax.
If you can't find the time to ride midweek, you need to!
Good luck!

So, have any of you bar room experts actually achieved what the OP desires, To substantially decrease your Cholesterol level?There's plenty of "expert" advice here but not much in the way of success stories...

By eating well I've managed not to ever have a problem. I think success story might be overplaying it.

And that drug is?

I'm not prepared to say but one manufacturer of this is unable to supply NHS patients til the end of June. Some problem with an ingredient apparently. This of course means that a lot of people will become very ill without it as it has a short life in the body.

Suburbanreuben - my "expert advice" has been working well for me for the past 44 years.
I have never had high LDL cholesterol, or high blood pressure or high triglycerides, etc, and my HDLs are quite high from all the exercise I've done all my life.

Cinnamon girl, hope you are okay and you don't get or are very ill. I just got a bit worried by that statement and then your link to myhill. If there's one thing I despise more than awful illnesses it's folk being sold either bad drugs from poor pharmaceutical studies or alternative therapies that haven't been shown to work. Big pharma have their problems but there are an awful amount of quacks out there willing to con the desperate in the name of choice.

Hope things work out for you, sorry if I sounded terse.

To me this is the problem with modern medicine, its all about symptom management rather than understanding the cause of illness.

You've clearly never actually studied modern medicine in any great detail have you. It's like listening to military walts....

There are a number of environmental and genetic risk factors that all have good supporting evidence for those links. As Hypercholesterolemia is a multifactoral disease, there will never be a magic bullet "cause" that is identified.

Before you start talking about the field and making sweeping statements like that why don't you actually take the time to understand how the field works and why people get into it in the first place. Scientists all over the world argue about shit like "How important is diet in relation to cholesterol levels" because finding out something new and doing one over your colleagues is a matter of pride - every scientist dreams of getting a nobel for turning the world on it's head.

Margarine & vegetable/sunflower oils are literally poison IMO.

Ace....

Another thing to remember, is that despite 'modern medicines' (I.e doctor's) best efforts to offer a wholistic approach to lifestyle, mood, and a general approach to remaining healthy, an awfully large number of the population simply don't care, and want the easiest option on offer....it's easier to swallow a pill than to drastically alter your approach to life. So often I encounter people who are massively unhappy in life, and the simple solution should be "quit your job, downgrade your house, and live a simpler but happy life" - how many do you think do this...?
Generally, most physicians do try their hardest, but don't forget we are also providers of healthcare to [b]Everyone[/b], not just the one person in their room at that time (I.e. [b]YOU![/b] - this means that we have to limit what we can provide to you (in terms of time and provisions) in order to serve the population as a whole...

DrP

OOO,
I am in the same situation as yourself, 2 years ago got blood tests done and noted high cholesterol so I changed some things in my diet and figured it would go away. Roll on 2 years and hey presto bloods done again and my cholesterol levels have gone up along with my weight, que annoyance and confusion on my part.

I am now seeing a dietitian about it and things seem to be moving in the right direction. Have not had cholesterol re done yet but my weight is coming down which will help things.

The first thing I did was get an app called my fitness pal this is free and I use it to keep a food diary. You can set goal of weight loss but most importantly track how much you currently eat. I was surprised at how easy it can be to over eat. Secondly look into eating more low GI foods as suggested above also cut out as much fat as possible that you can see at room temp. If you like oily fish like mackerel, trout and salmon these are all good for you.

If you want more info on what I am doing my email is in my profile. I can't guarantee this will be spot on for you but does seem to be working for me.

DrP makes me wish I was a doctor 🙂

"So, have any of you bar room experts actually achieved what the OP desires, To substantially decrease your Cholesterol level?"

Its only the drug companies that believe that there are high cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol is produced by the body to top-up the levels in the body.
Humans need cholesterol, and vitamin D, and whiteblood cells etc .

[i]So, have any of you bar room experts actually achieved what the OP desires, To substantially decrease your Cholesterol level?
There's plenty of "expert" advice here but not much in the way of success stories...[/i]

I'm afraid not. Ooh hang on, I've never had high cholesterol but that's because I've always practised what I preach. Exercise well, don't eat too much processed crap and don't be afraid of fat in any form.

I'm a complete failure.

Ooh hang on, I've never had high cholesterol but that's because I've always practised what I preach.

Lol.. or MAYBE it's because you don't have any predisposition for it...?

I've never had bad period pain, so my diet must be ideal for that.

This Dr Myhill?

So, have any of you bar room experts actually achieved what the OP desires, To substantially decrease your Cholesterol level?

My cholesterol level was not that high to start with, but by making the exact same dietary changes that you suggest, my cholesterol levels have "improved".

As has been said, it's not rocket science but then most people arent interested in making those kind of changes. They just want a quick fix.

You've clearly never actually studied modern medicine in any great detail have you. It's like listening to military walts....

Oh dear, i seem to have touched a nerve.

There are a number of environmental and genetic risk factors that all have good supporting evidence for those links. As Hypercholesterolemia is a multifactoral disease, there will never be a magic bullet "cause" that is identified.

I didn't say there was a magic bullet. In fact completely the opposite. Why just target lowering cholesterol (the symptom) when it is likely that high cholesterol is just the bodies response to other underlying issues. What you need to do understand is why the body is reacting in that way. And as you say it will most likely be a number of different factors.

Again this is where the conventional health system fails us. It fails to look at the body holistically.

Rusty - thanks, have emailed you.

DrP - is your "Ace" sarcastic or meant?

Cheers

I have very high cholesterol, but that is because I have a kidney disease so I take 40mg of Atorvastatin every day.

[i]I've never had bad period pain, so my diet must be ideal for that. [/i]

Ace! have you ever died?

Ace?

If ever there was a clue as to the age of a chap, using 'Ace' is a big 'un!

I didn't say there was a magic bullet. In fact completely the opposite. Why just target lowering cholesterol (the symptom) when it is likely that high cholesterol is just the bodies response to other underlying issues. What you need to do understand is why the body is reacting in that way. And as you say it will most likely be a number of different factors.

Again this is where the conventional health system fails us. It fails to look at the body holistically.

Well, we can't do anything about age or genetic factors....yet.....but do you mean all those other risk factors like smoking, alcohol, obesity, diabetes etc that the medical community are continually trying to tell the public to either stop or lower?