Found out my cholesterol is rising
Posted by No-Interview240@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 82 comments
Just got back from my yearly checkup and found out my cholesterol levels are starting to creep up. I won't pretend I'm the healthiest person but I think stress has been the biggest factor for me more than anything else. Has anyone else dealt with something like this and actually found simple ways to bring it back down or manage it better day to day? Because the older I get the harder it feels to keep stress under control and I can tell it's slowly starting to catch up with me. What really caught me off guard is that last year my numbers were completely fine so seeing that change in just twelve months was a bit of a wake up call. I feel like I'm right on the edge right now and I really want to get things back on track before it turns into something more serious.
Shredded_Thumbs@reddit
44yr old male with a family history of high cholesterol, so my GP has been watching it for years. Finally got the statins talk when I got around 230.
Based upon my father's experience with statins, it was a last resort choice for me. Convinced my Dr to give me 3 months to get it down myself.
Made some hard changes: metamucil 2x daily, red rice yeast supplement, focused on eating foods with more protein than fat (which pretty much cuts out all processed foods) and changed my workouts to to be more consistent so I am physically active 5 to 6 days a week, even if just walking.
Cholesterol now down in the 180s, I've lost 30lbs (6months in), joints feel better with less inflammation and am sleeping better at night.
caramelcoldbrew@reddit
If you’re a female, perimenopause can cause a rise in cholesterol. I’ve had no issues with my cholesterol numbers before but my last checkup showed an increase, with no diet or weight changes in the year prior.
wisdomseeker42@reddit
Same here. I’m fanatically one of the “healthiest” lifestyle people around (healthy diet, sleep, exercise, stress-management, rarely drink, no drugs/smoking, etc) and perimenopause raised my triglycerides, A1C, and my gums were bleeding at the dentist. Best advice is get on the HRT, which is protective of the heart, bones, etc. and if you haven’t already started working on your lifestyle factors, get going with whatever feels the easiest to start!
IvenaDarcy@reddit
I’ve been drug free (legal and illegal drugs lol) my whole life. Just not a fan and I’m healthy so never needed medication. Few times I’ve taken medication my body is sensitive and I felt worst so I said F that. But when perimenopause hit my memory was so foggy and joints started to hurt overnight. I was like what is going on?! Looked deep into HRT and made the choice to start and thankfully feeling like myself again. Happy and healthy. Sad more woman don’t know but I found out on Reddit so anyone who cares can seek out info nowadays too. It’s at our fingertips. We are blessed!
Pinklady777@reddit
What do you take now?
IvenaDarcy@reddit
I’m on the patch and 100mg progesterone daily. I started the patch at 0.025 and honestly was already feeling better but read that’s barely a therapeutic dose so I upped to 0.035 and so far so good.
Before our estrogen falls off a cliff our progesterone starts to decline so I read some women do well with just the progesterone at first but I went straight to both.
I don’t love medication (unless absolutely needed) so deep down I still hope everything I read is accurate and this is safe. My friend is anti HRT and worried about me which makes me worry a little too lol but only time will tell I suppose.
wisdomseeker42@reddit
I wish I had known sooner. Starting progesterone could have really helped my quality of life and those around me for about a year before it got bad enough to see the doctor!
IvenaDarcy@reddit
Yeah looking back when I was 20 and my mom was in her late 40’s for awhile I was like “mom is insane” and distanced from her and felt she was already on edge (and she was) and I was clueless and maybe she was too that it was peri/menopause. Looking back it’s sad. In her late 50’s maybe when everything balanced out after decade of crazy she was “normal” again. But literally pushed away me and others and it just sucks. Glad you figured it out in a year! Better than never.
wisdomseeker42@reddit
Yeah, similar experience with my mom. I wish this was better understood at a societal level. Not to let us get away with bad behavior (we should still be trying, right?) but to build understanding and support. People are understanding of toddlers melting down in the aisle, and teenagers having mood swings, it’s just helping build understanding and compassion as we go through this instead of piling on more and more on our overtaxed, changing systems.
IvenaDarcy@reddit
This! All my life I was chill but late 40’s my temper would go from 0-100 over the smallest thing then back to zero. I knew my reaction wasn’t normal for the situation nor for me! Clearly it was some rage induced by hormonal changes. Glad I got it under control. It was no way to live for me or anyone around me. Definitely made me think about my mom and feel bad. Guess back then even if she went to Dr they would probably only give her “nerve pills” aka Xanax or some anti depressant and my mom would never have taken either so guess there was not much help for her at the time.
Said how many primary Dr suggest those drugs instead of the root cause for many women at this stage of life which is hormones. Anyone who need Xanax or anti depressants are usually prescribed them long before 40’s!
Pinklady777@reddit
What do you take for HRT?
wisdomseeker42@reddit
Estrogen patch, progesterone and lately I’ve added an estrogen cream for the lady bits. It’s all really helped.
frozenlotion@reddit
Not the og commenter but also on HRT. I started with estrogen & testosterone creams but now take both by injection. No progesterone but you’ll need that if you still have a uterus
IvenaDarcy@reddit
Yes I don’t think OP is a woman but was going to mention this but think for men with age it naturally rises as well. Drs are fast to want to put everyone on statins which I would avoid at ALL costs unless you have some genetic issue which you would have had all your life. Otherwise if number is high but triglycerides low and good cholesterol high then it’s not a problem. Keep eating well and exercising and that’s it. It’s when triglycerides are high that you want to make sure to get that number down!
chrjohns21@reddit
Out of curiosity why no statins?
IvenaDarcy@reddit
They are prescribed very aggressively that’s why I was pointing out they shouldn’t be first resort in anyway. They are fine for high risk people but most are not high risk.
Most need a little lifestyle changes and they can get on track without medication that always comes with its own side effects. For statins it’s often muscle stiffness, increased blood sugar which can cause other issues which will require another medication (most on statins are on other medications no surprise at all), fatigue, etc.
They have better tests than simply looking at a cholesterol number and jumping to medication and that’s the issue in my opinion. Many with high cholesterol do not have plague so do not even need statins. Why take a medication you don’t even need?
In ppl 60-70 lower cholesterol lower associated with higher mortality and highly cholesterol lower mortality so it’s not high cholesterol = an issue that needs medication right away.
Science of statins is that they block a liver enzyme used to make cholesterol but that enzyme serves other functions too so now you’re blocking CoQ10, vitamin D, hormones (cortisol, estrogen, testosterone), brain tissue, cell membranes.. the body is all connected and working together so stopping one thing rarely doesn’t effect the body as a whole. The brain is 25% cholesterol.
We want to always and forever be insulin resistant and anything that changes that in any way I would avoid like the plaque. Statins also affect this even if slightly I think it’s every 200 ppl on statins = one more diabetic person? Someone above claims 10 million on statins? So that math = a lot of diabetes.
They are over prescribing to low risk people and that’s my issue with them and why I would recommend other tests and lifestyle changes before jumping on statins. No more, no less. I’m not saying no one should take them. But way more are on them than needed and those people are doing more harm than good to their bodies.
bookishdogmom@reddit
All of this! My husband’s primary PCP tried to put him on statins in February, assuming that because he’s slim, it was hereditary. While both of his parents do have cholesterol issues, they are also overweight and eat like shit, so we weren’t going to start a med without trying to change diet and exercise first.
He started tracking all his food, and cut out most added sugar (including quitting the habitual 1-2 Dr Peppers per day), reduced sodium, reduced carbs, increased fiber, and decreased alcohol (from have 1 IPA or glass of wine with dinner 4-5 nights a week down to 0-2). Oh, and he started walking more as he could fit walks at lunch or after dinner. Nothing crazy, just 2 to 3000 more steps per day.
He went back at the 30 day mark and the results were so much better than we even expected. Both HDL and LDL moved to normal, triglycerides dropped from the 300s to 100s, liver enzymes moved to normal, blood pressure has been consistently under 120/80 instead of 140/90.
It’s definitely taken some research and meal planning ahead to make sure it’s easy to make good choices each day, like making extra dinner and freezing them into lunch portions and portioning out snacks on the weekend to have ready during the week.
But we’re so, so glad that it worked and we proved he didn’t need a statin. My stepdad had terrible muscle weakness from them that still hasn’t returned to normal after stopping them. Miracle drugs from some, but so over prescribed!
IvenaDarcy@reddit
Love this for your husband! That triglyceride number being high is when it’s worrisome so getting that down was a major win!
Props to him (and you) for putting forth the effort needed to try changing diet before medication.
It’s not something we want to do but when we finally do it and get healthy it’s worth it. And we can still eat delicious foods (if not more delicious) just not ultra processed shit and high fructose corn syrups and all that trash.
Exercise helps a lot too. I live in a walkable city so get my steps in but want to try doing more cardio and a little weight training (light stuff) because I feel my muscles getting weaker. I’m 50 and heard for women it’s harder to build muscle as we get older so strengthening them now means less aches later. Our bones and joints will thank us.
Wishing your husband and you a long healthy life!
StevieNickedMyself@reddit
Yes. Mine has been steadily rising since my late 30s. When I was younger my total cholesterol was between only 128-140. It's now 190. I have been a vegetarian for 23 years, never changed my diet and even quit drinking.
Estrogen does a lot of work which falls off when peri hits.
_ism_@reddit
same! i even undertook massive exercise and diet changed and my numbers merely increased a little 6 months later
LongjumpingJaguar308@reddit
I'm thinking this is why mine is, because I do a lot of the mitigations they suggest and still it rises.
SeasonPositive6771@reddit
This is exactly it. The fact that it's so highly tied to perimenopause and yet almost never addressed is pretty wild. I've had multiple women in my life with a dramatic increase as soon as they started hitting perimenopause, no changes to diet or weight either. Going on HRT solved it for a few of them.
prayersforrain@reddit
Fiber, eat more fiber. Soluble and insoluble, oatmeal is great for this but pretty much any fiber source helps. Even if you just supplement with psyllium husk (metamucil)
sunkistandsudafed3@reddit
Cold milled linseeds and chia seeds are good for increasing fiber too.
Also Mission Carb Balance wraps have 14g of fiber per wrap.
Nimbokwezer@reddit
Chia seeds are like a fiber neutron star.
Fluffy_Success_6110@reddit
I started two+ tea spoons a day of chia seeds, sometimes soaked in water and sometimes just mixed in with a fruity dessert or yoghurt.
I’m on a six month “will this work” test to see if it improves my cholesterol (with other fibre increases here and there). … but really I need to drastically reduce my dairy intake :/
mottledmussel@reddit
Chia seeds, walnuts, and salmon did wonders for boosting my HDL.
Mrs_VS@reddit
Psyllium husk is great, and fibre will definitely help bring your cholesterol down.
os_beef@reddit
Psyllium husk is actually one of the forms of fiber you need to stay away from. The problem is that ALL psyllium tested has some amount of lead in it, and the amount varies wildly. Even Metamucil psyllium supplements have significant amounts of lead in them. There are a variety of non-psyllium supplements available.
switheld@reddit
hear hear! psyllium husk also triggered intense DAILY migraines for me. people were trying to tell me it was from dehydration but i was downing water and electrolytes like crazy and i still got sick from it.
you gotta be careful with that stuff
adolfojp@reddit
Thanks for the info. You're not wrong. Now I'm off to read more about this issue.
Aggressive_Comb6161@reddit
ngl, that stress hits different as we get older, gotta find that chill or something
cleanser@reddit
Soluble fiber is the one that will have a direct impact on your cholesterol numbers.
perina@reddit
A bowl of old fashioned oats every day solved this issue for me! Super easy to make, too. Didn't have to be breakfast, I have it sometimes as a dessert (I mix in some light brown sugar).
AstuteStoat@reddit
Flax seed meal too. Also chia seeds and flax seeds are egg replacers, which can help balance cholesterol too.
Soft-Independent3584@reddit
I started eating more fiber and just kept it healthy nothing fancy. Also been drinking Pipi Tea daily the oolong one, didn't expect much from it but it's helped me stay consistent and I've noticed it supporting a few things I was keeping an eye on, cholesterol, blood pressure and some gut stuff.
LongjumpingJaguar308@reddit
I'm vegan and eat overnight oats most days. I've recently added psyllium to my oatmeal, but I was already adding omega 3s.like ground flax and chia to it. It is still creeping up. Sure there is the occasional junk foods but not that much. None of the suggestions they gave me were helpful and neither was a nutritionist. Not sure anything but meds will do it but we shall see. I have my yearly in a few weeks.
Firebolt164@reddit
This!!! I substituted 1 meal a day for oatmeal (not quick oats, the old fashioned stuff) and my cholesterol shot way down
Strong-Audience-9004@reddit
Statins as early as possible
Dry-Astronaut-8640@reddit
I’ve been dealing with this myself. About a year ago, the doctor said my cholesterol was borderline high. I think it was 208 and they want you to be under 200)
IvenaDarcy@reddit
As we age cholesterol rises but please don’t panic or take any medication. High cholesterol alone is not an issue unless triglycerides are high (and good cholesterol low) then you need to change diet and exercise. It’s not just your cholesterol number alone.
bloodpriestt@reddit
Why are your medical credentials?
doktorhladnjak@reddit
It basically comes down to genetics, diet, and exercise in that order. Try diet and exercise to see how much or if it helps. If not, take a statin. They’re one of the most widely studied class of drugs of all time. The benefits are very clear in terms of reduced stroke and heart attack for those at risk.
RecoverLive149@reddit
Cholesterol meds are a scam. Dont take them unless you want dementia.
DnDAnalysis@reddit
It depends on what your eating, drinking, and exercise habits are now. I just got similar news, and I drink too much and eat like shit from time to time. I'm going hard on diet, exercise, and taking a long break from alcohol.
luke2080@reddit
Besides all of the other advice... Statins. They work. Yes lose weight, eat better, do more cardio. I did it all, but once I hit 40 the only thing that helped was a low dose of a statin.
Don't let your pride delay getting it down. Medicine helps.
Miami_Mice2087@reddit
mine's sky-high. i can't have 2-4-1 pepperoni pizza anymore and i have to start eating vegetables regularly, not just the little peas in the fried rice. Also no more fried rice or fried anything. IOW i need to eat like an adult. Fucking bullshit man.
FoodWholesale@reddit
Been on 3 different statins and just stabbed myself with Praluent injection for first time yesterday. I have been taking fiber for 10+ years and also exercise regularly. Stupid injection cost $528 per month let’s hope it brings my numbers down. Good luck I found the bone aches to be too intense on all the other statins.
Gray_Twilight@reddit
Red yeast rice
Shangri-lulu@reddit
Were you supposed to be fasting?
Ok-Worldliness2161@reddit
Are you a woman? Can be a sign of perimenopause/menopause
amainerinthearmpit@reddit
My PCP told me to take Red Yeast Rice, so I do. Haven’t had labs rechecked yet, though.
ThisIsACompanyCar@reddit
Take some psyllium husk capsules to get more fiber.
I added in 5 in the morning and 4 before dinner, and my cholesterol which was a little high last year is on the low side of normal just a year later.
Will this work for forever? Can’t say, but it is working for now.
Alarmed_Drop7162@reddit
Vegan helps but nothing helped more than Crestor.
I was a whiny brat about my meds. I still am but I used to be too.
space_wiener@reddit
I lift weights 5-6 time a week. Fairly strong. Had borderline high cholesterol (I don’t eat meat either).
Starter doing 30 minutes of LISS cardio every AM. Cholesterol went down. Lost a little weight as well so I’m sure that helped as well.
MirthRock@reddit
Same here with me. Started adding cardio to my workouts with similar results to you.
Basic-Biscotti-2375@reddit
Mine has been solid after they put me on rosuvastatin. I take it at night and haven't had any side effects from it.
SnooPaintings5597@reddit
I quit alcohol and mine went way up. Apparently alcohol keeps cholesterol down…
Moons_of_Moons@reddit
Bruh I been on them statins for a while now and I'm not even fat..
coffeeandcarbs_@reddit
I was offended by my cholesterol count this year. I exercise, eat the right things, etc. My doctor said it can be genetic and unavoidable.
HybridLungs@reddit
Ya I one of the "lucky" ones this applies to. It doesn't matter how much I exercise or nail my diet I will always need a statin. That being said all those other things do help the cardiovascular system a lot. I found out in my 20s during an eye exam! Which is how my father found out too.
nochumplovesucka__@reddit
Got put on blood pressure and cholesterol meds at my last physical.
Although.... they keep moving the goalposts for the numbers. Had I been 2 years older, my numbers would have been acceptable (50 - 60 age range) but since I'm 48, I was above their guidelines. So, I dunno.
Ineedavodka2019@reddit
Mine has been high all my life. I think it is genetics. They finally put me on a low dose statin and now it is really good.
Verbull710@reddit
Strength train 3x week, walk at least 10k steps every day, don't snack between meals, don't eat ultraprocessed food
Sinead_0_rebellion@reddit
Almonds! Almonds in everything, almonds for snacks - almonds.
Brilliant_Addendum56@reddit
Found the almond farmer.
kmmccorm@reddit
Get a prescription for a statin.
IvenaDarcy@reddit
I would highly recommend exercising and changing diet before jumping to statins. Statins should be last resort and only for those with genetic issues causing it.
kmmccorm@reddit
Sure. Diet and exercise and then if it’s still an issue you can take a well-tolerated drug used by 90+ million Americans that will reduce high cholesterol in a matter of days.
DankRoughly@reddit
I had high cholesterol and by cutting out the breakfast sausages I was having a couple times a week my levels came down to a safe zone.
Watch out for any processed meats.
leviathynx@reddit
I’ve been taking a low dose of atorvastatin since I was 30 since high cholesterol runs in my family. I have no side effects and my ldl is normal now. Of course try to drop it the natural way, but just know that meds aren’t the end of the world.
Themoosemingled@reddit
Exercise will bring it down.
postitpad@reddit
Fiber and exercise will help with cholesterol. Meds are probably simpler though. Good luck.
jcstrat@reddit
Yeah mine is up a bit. She ordered a CT scan of my heart and it came back perfect. So I’ll keep eating relatively healthy and running 12-15 miles a week and see how far that takes me.
trilogyjab@reddit
I had great cholesterol levels until I turned 35. Then they jumped up dramatically. Turns out it was hereditary. Happened to my dad, aunts, younger brother, etc. I was already in good physical shape - running about 15-20 miles a week, had a good diet. I went vegetarian for two years, among several other changes, in an attempt to improve my numbers. But they didn't change.
I had to go on a statin, and have been on it ever since. There was no other way to improve my cholesterol - I was working with my doctor closely for all of those two years, and even with the lifestyle changes, a prescription is what ended up working for me.
That isn't to say that lifestyle changes don't work! They just didn't work for me.
My LPT results are pretty good these days, and I just got a CT scan in January, and there's no plaque buildup in my arteries. So the meds are doing their job.
AshDogBucket@reddit
I dramatically changed my diet and it didn't fix it.
You might not be able to do anything. If it's genetics it's genetics and you're just stuck. Talk with your doctor about what changes you can make if they think there are any.
( I cut out pork, beef, cheese, any full fat dairy, any deep fried foods, I switched from regular pasta to whole grain, I switched from white rice to brown rice... my diet is 75% fruits vegetables and whole grains at this point. Any given meal is primarily vegetables. I hate eating which sucks because for 40 years eating has been one of my favorite things in life. The reason I keep this diet is because, even though it didn't impact my cholesterol, it did improve or eliminate all of my chronic physical ailments.)
Preemiesaver@reddit
Mine went up during a period of high stress abs emotional eating. I switched to a Mediterranean diet and it went down by the next year, like significantly. I also started walking more.
sevalle13@reddit
I had really high triglycerides a few years ago, so high it caused pancreatitis in me and then exactly a month after getting out of the hospital a heart attack. What works for one person won't work for everyone. I see comments about eating more fiber, or eat this or that. For me what helped was 1. Admitting my genetics for cholesterol were crap (my cardiovascular health is literally that of a 20 year old but I build cholesterol like no other) so I now take atorvastatin. 2. I cut out all simple carbs...no more bread, pasta, rice, tortillas, etc. I do eat on rare occasions but it's very rare. These 2 changes for me brought my cholesterol into normal ranges. This is what worked for me and trust me it was a lot of trial and error to find what my specific body needed.
Obligatory note I am not a doctor and am not providing medical advice lol.
tasteofhuman@reddit
You could also try an appointment with registered dietician to help give you some ideas from a food perspective. I've swapped out some of my dairy for vegan alternatives and the taste difference is negligible--nothing with coconut oil/cream though. Add some benefiber or similar to your coffee. Egg whites sometimes instead of whole eggs. You get the idea.
Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit
Double filtering your coffee/don’t use a french press.
The psyllium husk in juice, i love my green smoothies
don51181@reddit
I had this last year. Usually I get my blood checked twice a year. Part of it is diet so look at that.
Do you work out or stay active? That is a big stress reliever for me. Also maybe yoga/Pilates. Counseling might help also.
Eventually you might have to get on medication to control it. That’s what my doctor told me. Even when I asked on this subreddit a lot of people said they had to get on meds and they worked. Hope this helps.
TraditionalTackle1@reddit
I hit 40 and it all went to shit, I found out I had type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. I take a statin for the cholesterol. Some people are just genetically prone to get it. Exercising and staying away from fatty foods are the easy answer.