Anyone else with "borderline" high cholesterol?

I don't suppose you're a woman on birth-control pills by any chance? My level was up to 330 while on them. Dropped 75 points in 6 months just by going off the pills.


amanda

increase your intake of vitamin C......a lot!

I have been reading recently the papers written by the late great Linus Pauling and I'm beginning to believe we are all suffering from chronic subclinical scurvy....my cholesterol numbers have halved since I have increased my daily intake of vitamin C to around 6-8gr per day. I feel a lot better, concentrate better, sleep more soundly, have less alergy problems, and recover from hard exercise better.

basically the human race has a genetic deficciency where the enzyme needed for production of acorbic acid in the liver is missing, we have managed to get along by getting it from dietary intake and have adapted quite well to very low levels.

give it a try and see what happens. I guarantee you'll feel a lot better for it.

Kevin

I'm 32 with an LDL of 160/high HDL/total in the 220s. I'm also an internist and I can tell you don't worry about it. The high HDL will 'cancel out' any problems with the LDL. I discussed the my numbers withan endocrinologist and he said not to worry (unless you have a parent with bad coronaries, strokes)

The idea of placing you on a statin (Zocor, Lipitor,etc) at those values is silly.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=987

That said A way to decrease your LDL is to have an alcoholic drink per day...the party line is to not tell anyone to "drink for health" but I do and it works...

JON MD

Mine is 239 with HDL of 70.

You are obviously healthy and fit from the height/weight, BP and HR numbers.

TW

Edited by tech_geezer 2005-04-23 10:43 PM

My cholesterol is very high also... but, my HDL level is very high... it's the ratio of HDL to LDL that makes the biggest difference....

Low resting HR 40-50 range... male 47, 5'11" 160-165 lbs.

When I was in my mid-twenties... my Cholesterol level was about 220-225... I'm 47 now and it's about 220-225. But, my HDL count has always been far above normal and my LDL within normal ranges... as a result, I don't have a problem. Basically, I'm very healthy and lived a healthy lifestyle for decades... I attribute this to a healthy lifestyle doing triathlons.

FWIW Joe Moya

Edited by Joe M 2005-04-24 12:36 AM

Well since we are all posting our own info....

My overall condition in my past life....was this

Total cholesterol 215
LDL 175
HDL 28
resting heart rate 73
weight 250lbs. size 40 waist.

Today in my new improved tri-discipline lifestyle.

Total Cholesterol 150
LDL 93
HDL 43
resting heart rate 45
weight 200lbs size 34 waist.

I did take fish oil pills about 1200mg daily and flax seed oil about the same amount daily.
I believe this made the biggest difference in my cholesterol levels.

It's funny that you should ask...yes, I am on the pill. I have heard that it can make a difference. However, for reproductive reasons, I have to be on them. My body just goes haywire when I'm not (complete with ovarian cysts, dysmennorhea, and irregular cycles). OK, that was probably too much info.

75 points? Wow! I wish mine would drop like that.

Hi, Jon--

Yes, my internist said exactly the same thing. I don't drink very often and, when I do, my limit is always one drink. I never drink hard alcohol. Does the drink per day have to be red wine or could a good cold (light) beer do the trick as well?

As for my parents...both had heart disease. My dad died at age 67 of a suspected abdomial aortic aneurysm and my mother has already had a silent heart attack and a quintuple bypass. However, they were both sedentary (my mother is morbidly obese) and heavy smokers. It's hard to distinguish between genetics and environment in this case, you know?

Thanks for your advice!

Hi, there--

It may be, I can't tell. Both of my parents had/have heart disease...but they were also sedentary, my mom is morbidly obese, and both were lifelong smokers.

My doctor recommended fish oil - it helped but be aware - it will lower HDL (to a lesser degree) as well as LDL.

Edited by tim_edwards 2005-04-24 1:08 PM

I have high cholesterol--260.  I got that from my Dad.  We both just produce the stuff.  Having said that, I went to a naturopath for a work up.  She said that my HDL was high enough that I shouldn't worry about the LDL.  That of course, combined with my active lifestyle.  I do take fish oil, vitamin C, L-lysine, calcium, glucosamine, as well as a regular one a day type vitamin from my health food store.   Oh BTW, I'm 53 and weigh 128.

Edited by evrunning 2005-04-25 7:56 AM

i have borderline high, but its because my hdl is 90 (genetics - my mom's is over 100, aunt and brothers all have extremely high hdl also). my ldl was a little elevated last time, but i was breastfeeding at the time (still am), and that can raise your cholesterol. same cause as the pill raising your ldl. have you talked to your doctor about an alternative to the pill that would help with the other issues but keep your ldl down?