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  #1   ^
Old Sat, Dec-17-16, 16:47
Jaz66's Avatar
Jaz66 Jaz66 is offline
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Plan: KETOVORE
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Default Red Yeast Rice For Ldl/ Adkins

Hey all would love some input if any of you use RYR- for LDL- Lipids issues. Do not want statins- going this route first.

LDL- 197- doctor had fit?????? Input please
Tri- 80
everything else great

Thoughts?
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  #2   ^
Old Sun, Dec-18-16, 04:37
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is online now
Posts: 13,368
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
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Do an Advanced Search of the Cholesterol Forum for Red Yeast Rice, many threads came up, I don't know anything about it.

Suggest you also read through threads on the first page of that forum
http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=48

to learn more about what ratios and numbers are important. Dr Westman and others http://www.docsopinion.com/2014/07/...ride-hdl-ratio/ consider the Trig/HDL a primary indicator, an ideal ratio would be <2 and Optimal superstar would be a ratio of 1, or 70/70. With a Trig of 80, an HDL over 50 would at the least be in the range of "ideal"
If you are actively losing weight on LC, the LDL number could be anywhere in the ST, why lipid test not advised until weight stable. Many good threads on that forum and a "stickie" on top why LDL can go up on LC , Dr Zoe Harcombe is a favorite. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=466506

If you are still worried, consider having a CAC...why read tea leaves when doctors can now look into the heart? Very happy we did this, $99 last Feb, a heart month special, and now know I have a low score http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=471526
My thoughts? I wouldn't give an LDL of 197 a second thought now, it may even be protective if you are an older woman. However, it took a long time and lots of reading about cholesterol, having a skeptical doctor, and a reassuring test to reach that conclusion about ME. Depending on your family history, health, age you may come to the opposite decision about your LDL and statins, be informed. All the best,

Last edited by JEY100 : Sun, Dec-18-16 at 05:07.
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  #3   ^
Old Sun, Dec-18-16, 06:59
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Jaz66 Jaz66 is offline
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Plan: KETOVORE
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Janet-

Thank you for your lovely response. I absoultly will check out that info! Thanks a lot!
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  #4   ^
Old Sun, Dec-18-16, 09:32
DelaneyLC DelaneyLC is offline
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Plan: Keto/Carnivore/Fasting
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Red yeast rice has properties of statins.

With that number of LDL I would take statins. JMHO.
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  #5   ^
Old Sun, Dec-18-16, 12:31
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Kristine Kristine is offline
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Plan: Primal/P:E
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Default

Hi. Yikes, I would not recommend taking statins. Like Janet suggested, have a gander at this sticky thread, and then try plugging your numbers into the calculator linked in post #4.

Long story short, LDL is not routinely measured. It's calculated using a formula that is simply wrong when you have low triglycerides (which is good, and typical of all of us following a LC WOE.) Being in the process of losing weight also seems to screw things up. I'd wait until I was maintaining (whether at your ultimate goal or not) to put much into a lipid profile. And even now, I take it with a grain of salt.
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  #6   ^
Old Sun, Dec-18-16, 12:48
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Jaz66 Jaz66 is offline
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Omg- I have been reading the treads Janet gave me. But yet I am hearing from one that has had a heart attack . I think I need more research. My doctor was just like- "hey you are a heart attack ready to happen- even with a low Triglyceride.

I got really sick yesterday- after taking a dose. Don't know if it was that or tummy bug? But not in a rush to either eat or take more supplements.

Has anyone had good luck with this?
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  #7   ^
Old Sun, Dec-18-16, 13:03
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Liz53 Liz53 is offline
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Plan: Mostly Fung/IDM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaz66

I got really sick yesterday- after taking a dose. Don't know if it was that or tummy bug? But not in a rush to either eat or take more supplements.



I've never taken red yeast rice as Low Carb has completely resolved my formerly "high cholesterol", however a quick google shows tummy upset as a side effect: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altme.../red-yeast-rice (scroll down to side effects).

My husband found The Great Cholesterol Myth (Bowden and Sinatra) to be very helpful when trying to decide whether to take the statins his doctor wanted to prescribe. At least his doctor was rational and realized that his low trigs and high HDL were probably more predictive than his high LDL. Both he and I had the Coronary Artery Scan as well and found we had scores of zero. As Janet suggests, it can eliminate a huge amount of anxiety about potential heart disease.
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  #8   ^
Old Mon, Dec-19-16, 09:16
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Jaz66 Jaz66 is offline
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Plan: KETOVORE
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Default

Thanks all. Love the idea of a scan. I think in light of what I have been reading, thank you Janet. I am going to wait a bit on doing anything different. I will look into a. Scan I have heard they do them for 99 dollars. there is something scary about those. Like what if it's bad. Yes I am not the best patient. Thanks for everyone's input
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  #9   ^
Old Tue, Dec-20-16, 04:29
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JEY100 JEY100 is online now
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Plan: P:E/DDF
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Default

If it is "bad" then you and your doctor can decide together the next step. My GP considered the CAC score, cholesterol(still), age, history...she appeared to have some formula...and all together tests indicated no action was necessary. Action might be lifestyle changes, statins, aspirin, or surgery which may save your life...better to know and have choices. At least the test itself is nothing to be scared of...a very simple and easy test.
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  #10   ^
Old Tue, Dec-20-16, 07:57
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WereBear WereBear is online now
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The theory behind "high cholesterol" led to decades of rising heart disease rates. Dr Ancel Keys has been thoroughly discredited. Heart attack survival rates are better through better emergency medicine; but it's not like people are getting fewer heart attacks even though they are usually taking statins.

It's worth asking yourself why that might be so.

Why should I risk my health with a discredited theory when the side effects of statins are so horrendous... even irreversible?

Can't think of a single reason
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  #11   ^
Old Tue, Dec-20-16, 08:29
DelaneyLC DelaneyLC is offline
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Plan: Keto/Carnivore/Fasting
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Ancel Keys might be discredited, but if taking a statin can save you from having a heart attack then it's worth taking.

There's still a lot unknown about high cholesterol, but it is a known fact that it is a risk factor for heart attacks.

For the few people whose LDL goes way up on low carb, it's way different than for those who have good results with cholesterol and low carb eating. Way different.

All the research in the world to discredit taking a statin won't help you if you are the one having a heart attack.
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  #12   ^
Old Tue, Dec-20-16, 12:03
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GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
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After reading the posts to this thread, it bears stating that it is advisable to do thorough research on statins before starting down this road. As Janet indicates, one who is following a LC eating plan will have high LDL in early stages. It is particularly fuzzy if that LDL measurement is estimated and not measured. How to know? If you had a simple and standard cholesterol test, the LDL is estimated and not measured. If you had an NMR Lipid Panel, LDL is measured and broken down into types and amount of LDL types.

Most cardiologists will prescribe a statin as a safety measure, and this is where you need to do the most research, as the pharmaceutical companies adjust statistics regarding statin effectiveness in a very favorable way for them. Doctor's are very good are reciting these statistics, so they've learned well. For those who may be candidates or have been prescribed statins, you must do the research, as there are opposing views by very qualified people. A book I highly recommend is "Fat and Cholesterol Don't Cause Heart Attacks and Statins are Not The Solution" which is a compilation of articles by professionals active in the field. To many in the standard medical establishment, it may be considered heresy. However you decide to go, it's always best when you're able to make an informed decision. Only you can do that with knowledge. What I recommend is only for myself, so be cautious with anyone who has a definitive solution and be thorough when traveling this road. Good luck and all the best with your journey.
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  #13   ^
Old Tue, Dec-20-16, 15:33
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WereBear WereBear is online now
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Plan: EpiPaleo/Primal/LowOx
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DelaneyLC
Ancel Keys might be discredited, but if taking a statin can save you from having a heart attack then it's worth taking.

There's still a lot unknown about high cholesterol, but it is a known fact that it is a risk factor for heart attacks.


Actually, that's not true. Plenty of people with low cholesterol have heart attacks.

Middle-aged men who have already had a heart attack are the only cohort who shows some benefit: there's a slightly lowered risk with statins. And statin use increases the incidence of congestive heart failure, by blocking CoQ10.

Do you have the genetic profile that could lead to ALS if you take statins? Because such a thing exists.

If statins were a miracle drug: there would be miracles. But there isn't. They don't have nearly the track record they have been pumped up to be; and the side effects are extremely serious.
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  #14   ^
Old Tue, Dec-20-16, 17:30
DelaneyLC DelaneyLC is offline
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Plan: Keto/Carnivore/Fasting
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Just to be CLEAR.. I never said people that have low cholesterol don't get heart attacks. People on statins also get heart attacks. I only said that a high LDL is A RISK FACTOR. So my statement is true. I never said it was a miracle drug either.
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  #15   ^
Old Tue, Dec-20-16, 18:08
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Meme#1 Meme#1 is offline
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Here is a little something that recently, I keep reading over and over.

Quote:
Forget Cholesterol, Inflammation's the Real Enemy

Keeping up with which foods to eat and which ones to avoid could be a full-time job. That's because scientists continue to learn more about what we put in our bodies.

Some of their latest findings could change your mind about fat.

Twenty years ago, doctors told us to stay away from high-fat foods like eggs, bacon, and butter because they raised cholesterol and could lead to heart disease.

America responded and stopped eating fat. In its place, however, we ate more sugar and other carbohydrates.

How did that work out? Not great. As a whole, Americans grew fatter and sicker than before. Scientists back then may have reached the wrong conclusion.

Now a growing number of medical experts say weight gain, heart disease, and other illnesses are not caused by high cholesterol, but by something different: inflammation.

That means instead of avoiding foods that raise our cholesterol, we need to avoid foods that cause inflammation.

Cholesterol's Bad Rap

Dr. Beverly Teter, a lipid biochemist at the University of Maryland, studies how the different kinds of fat in food affect our health.

Teter said scientists wrongly blamed cholesterol for heart disease when they saw high levels of it at a damaged blood vessel. Teter believes the body put the cholesterol there to fix the problem, which was actually caused by inflammation.

"It's the inflammation in the vessels that start the lesion," she explained. "The body then sends the cholesterol like a scab to cover over it to protect the blood system and the vessel wall from further damage."

Research also shows cholesterol can protect against respiratory and gastrointestinal problems, and helps create vitamin D. People with higher cholesterol live longer.

Teter said that's a scientific fact that she can vouch for personally.

"I come from a family that has, my mother's side, had naturally high cholesterol. Her cholesterol was between 380 and 420 when I started watching her medical records, and she died at 97," she said. "So I don't think that cholesterol was too bad for her."

Inflammation Producers

Cholesterol is especially important in the brain, which contains more cholesterol than any other organ and needs it in order for a message to get passed from one brain cell to another.

Therefore, Teter said when it comes to food choices, don't worry if it raises your cholesterol. Focus your attention instead on whether it reduces inflammation.

When choosing which fats to eat, pick the ones that are high in Omega 3 fats and also choose natural saturated fats. On the other hand, stay away from the fats that lead to inflammation, such as trans fats and Omega 6 fats.

How to you tell the healthy Omega 3s from the unhealthy Omega 6 fats? Vegetable oils and mayonnaise contain Omega 6 fats, so be careful with how much you consume.

Ideally, Omega 6 fats are healthy but only when consumed in the same amount as Omega 3 fats. The typical American, however, consumes 15 times more Omega 6 fats than Omega 3s. This imbalance creates inflammation.

So cut back on the Omega 6s and increase your consumption of Omega 3s. These are in foods like olive oil and avocados.

Cold water fish is an excellent source of Omega 3 fat, particularly DHA, which is a super brain booster. One great way to make sure you're getting enough Omega 3, specifically DHA, is by taking a fish oil supplement. Doctors recommend one that contains at least 750 mg of DHA daily.

Butter is Better

At one time dieticians considered margarine, which is a trans fat, heart healthy. Doctors now say a better choice is butter.

In the last 20 years, trans fats have become the ingredient of choice for almost all processed foods. You can tell something contains trans fat if you see the word "hydrogenated" in the list of ingredients. (liquid fat/oil)

Saturated fats have really gotten a bad reputation over the last couple of decades. But they are not as bad as they have been made out to be. In fact, doctors recommend eating some saturated fats every day, such as coconut oil.

This saturated fat fights colds and the flu and has even reversed the symptoms of Alzheimers, ALS and Parkinson's Disease in some people.

Say 'No' to Inflammation

You should also remember those non-fat foods that make us fat and increase inflammation contain sugar and refined carbohydrates. Anything containing high fructose corn syrup or other sugars leads to inflammation.

So do grains, especially refined grains such as white bread, pasta, rice, and so on.

So when it comes to your health, inflammation beats out cholesterol as the new enemy. Take it on by saying "yes" to foods like fish and coconut oil, and "no" to sugar and carbohydrates, and dangerous trans fats.

*Originally aired February 1, 2013.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthsc...y/?mobile=false

Last edited by Meme#1 : Tue, Dec-20-16 at 18:16.
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