cholestrol disaster !!

[Chloep]

hello,

my hubby may have to stop low carbing.

we both started abt 3 mths ago.
he lost 20lbs so far, i thot he's the success story between the 2 of us.
(he lowered his calorie intake by abt 15%, and carbo intake is abt 20 to 40g. and has been losing consistently ..)

until he checked his cholestrol - its sky high !!!!
is it poss to lowcarb without meat ???? or eggs ????? or dairy pdts ??

we're in a dilemma. atkin's bk said it'll lower cholestrol but what happend here ???

getting his cholestrol back into the norm is the most impt !! we're cutting the meat, bacon, eggs , sausages and cheesecake !!!!
then i dont know what he can eat !!!!!!
even grass contains carbo ...

i dont want a slim, hubby who ends up with a heart attack at age 33 :((

[Rey]

Hello

Was his cholestrol checked before he started LC? Maybe it was even higher before he started.

Rey

[Lisa N]

Chloep...

First of all, try not to panic. Do you know what his readings were before he started? They may actually be improved. Also...the total cholesterol reading is not nearly as important as the breakdown of the numbers; HDL, LDL and triglycerides along with the ratios of one to another. Cutting bacon and sausage may not be a bad idea (those nitrates aren't good for you anyway), but eating eggs and meat are fine. If we don't take in dietary cholesterol, our liver makes it's own and it's usually the bad LDL kind when it does. The vast majority of the cholesterol in our bodies is made by our own bodies! It's now been shown that eggs do not raise your cholesterol like it was once thought. There are several other good threads here regarding cholesterol and understanding it's numbers as well as debunking some of the cholesterol hysteria that has become so prevalent in our society. Read through a couple of them..it might help with some of your fears.

[GYMGIRL]

I also have the same problem before I started the Atkins diet my cholestrol was healthy & normal I am 26yrs old & just recently got my cholestrol checked, I have lost 6kg but my cholestrol is so high that the doctor wants to put me on medication as he said I am in a high risk zone. I really like the Atkins diet & don't want to change but I feel if I want to live to 60 yrs old the Doctor says I have too.
Have others had this too?

[Chloep]

hi,

my hubby's cholestrol was abit high at 220 before. normal shd be below 200.
its gone up to 280, thats real bad ...

i'm getting mine checked.
mine was a 173 before ...

[Lisa N]

My cholesterol went up a bit (about 40 points) in the first 4 or 5 months after I started and my doc was also threatening me with medication. I said no to the medication, made a few adjustments in my diet (mostly cutting way back on the bacon and sausage), added a few supplements and 6 months later things looked much better (total down 52 points). Check out my post from about a month ago titled "New Numbers look good". It gives my numbers from last fall (after about 5 months of low carbing) and then again about a month ago. Please note...I did not cut the fat...I was still getting 60-70% of my calories from fat, but I did cut out bacon and sausage for the most part. Also check out the other posts that highlight what the Eades' have to say in protein power about temporarily raised cholesterol when low carbing. Some people seem to take a bit longer for their bodies to adjust to their new WOE. Like I said before, the total cholesterol is not nearly as good an indicator of cardiac risk as the breakdown of the numbers and the ratios of one to another. A high total cholesterol is not nearly as much of a problem as high tryglycerides, high LDL and low HDL. Ask that the numbers be broken out so that you have a better idea of where you really stand and please think twice before taking cholesterol lowering drugs. Studies have shown that while they are effective at lowering your total cholesterol, they have not been shown to increase life expectancy and many of them can cause some serious health problems of their own (worse, in my opinion, than the risks of having high cholesterol). Do some research on the drug that they are proposing that you take before you agree to take it...you may find it quite an eye-opener. I know that I did.

[Frant]

You know, keep in mind that Atkins and other low-carb plans all discourage high fat meat.... really should try to stick with 'lean protein'. Also, it's important to EXERCISE along with being low-carb. It will burn your carbs first (and if you have low carbs, it will burn quickly), THEN it will start burning the fat..... so if your cholesterol is high - try to start walking.... doesn't take much to start burning the fat.

[quietone]

Cholesterol is very individual, just like anything else. Your DH is obviously having some kind of problem getting rid of the excess. Low carb may not be for him.

Health is much more important than 20 less pounds. My own cholesterol has always been low, so its not an issue for me and it may not be for you either.

[Rosebud]

You know, keep in mind that Atkins and other low-carb plans all discourage high fat meat.... really should try to stick with 'lean protein'. Also, it's important to EXERCISE along with being low-carb. It will burn your carbs first (and if you have low carbs, it will burn quickly), THEN it will start burning the fat..... so if your cholesterol is high - try to start walking.... doesn't take much to start burning the fat.
First of all, I'd like to point out that this thread is 3 years old...

Next - Atkins does not discourage "high fat meat" - quite the opposite. ;)
As he explains very clearly in his books, we need the fat for fuel.

If you check some of the other threads in this forum, you will see that actually eating saturated fat is wonderful for cholesterol! Unforunately we have all been brainwashed to some extent by the low fat brigade. Just bear in mind that there is no scientific evidence whatever that proves low fat improves cholesterol or prevents heart disease.

Have a look at this site for some more reassurance: http://www.theomnivore.com/Saturated%20fat%20and%20cholesterol.html

Rosebud:rose:

[Rain1272]

Even though this is a old post originally I would like to add something here.

I was recently put on Lipitor for "preventative" measures by my dr. I am a type 2 diabetic and according to my dr, at my last visit in feb, the medical community is now looking at diabetics as having the same risk factors as someone who has already had one heart attack. Even though my blood work didn't show a need for cholesterol controlling drugs she put me on it, I wish I had researched this before I agreed to go on it. I suddenly started having many rather bad side effects to the statin drug (Lipitor). I was having memory loss, blood sugar went out of control, extreme headaches, extreme muscle weakness and spontaneous bruising. I was laying on the couch contemplating calling an ambulance, the muscle weakness and pain was so bad, when it dawned on me; hey I'm have a bad reaction to the Lipitor. I managed to get up and go to the computer and begin researching this drug. What I found scared the hell out of me and I immediately called my dr and told her I was going off the drug. As soon as I could I went out and bought a bottle of Co Q10 to counter act the damage that was being done to my muscles by the Lipitor. I also went in the next day for blood tests to see if any damage had been done to my heart. Even though the test results came back good, there is still a chance that my heart and other muscles have been damaged. Only time will tell if this is the case.

Now the website I am about to point you too is very much biased against statin drugs and while reading this I kept that in the back of my mind. But also I kept in mind that my dr, though well meaning, was likely unaware of all I had just learned and was likely going on what the pharmaceutical reps where telling her. So her opinion was very pro statin drug biased. That left me to make my best educated decision. I encourage every one to read as much varying sourced material they can before taking this drug and then make their best educated decision as well. IMHO it is best to err on the side of caution. If this WOE doesn't lower my cholesterol there are other options to explore before having to take a statin.

I am in no way advising people to not take this drug. For some there is no other option. I simple want people to be more educated about prescribed drugs since the information that we usually receive from the dr or pharmacy doesn't give a full disclosure of BOTH sides of the issue.

The website is www.statinalert.org

There is one article in particular that was quite informative and included references for my use to follow up and check on their sources. Generally, if an article doesnt have references I dismiss it as speculation or opinion only. This is the link directly to that article.

http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/statin.html

[322432]

I have also done extensive research on cholesterol; consequently, I will not even let anyone check mine. IMHO it's all BS. As I've said before, "I can't believe that any Dr. that cares about his patients, would prescribe them statins." I would worry much more about mine being too low and compromising my immune system allowing cancer to start growing. Hmmm-- maybe that's the reason statins cause cancer--compromise your immune system. I'll never know.
Another link
www.thincs.org

[Rain1272]

32243, Thanks for posting that link. I signed the petition and am filing a med watch report.

You know, the one thing that struck me when I read up on statin drugs is that they are prescribing it to diabetics who need to watch out for neuropathy, particularly if the diabetes is uncontrolled and yet this drug is a known agent that causes neuropathy.....boggles the mind. If I were one to jump on the "conspiracy" band wagon I would almost suggest that it were a conspiracy between pharmaceutical companies and doctors to keep their patients sick and in need of yet more drugs and medical treatment. Makes me wonder if doctors really want their patients to get well. If we do they are out of business aren't they? <ponders>

[322432]

Rain
I'm not into conspiracy either, although I could post some links; I just like to get as much info as I can to form my thoughts and ideas. Big Pharm is not good for anyone but Big Pharm, IMHO.
Much more money is made by keeping some one sick and coming back to adjust the dose, or changing to another med; or prescribing a diferent med for another condition that the first one caused. Another example, some diabetis meds deplete B12, B6, and B9(folate), which allows homocystine to increase = CHD. I doubt if most Dr.s know this, but Big Pharm does. Don't get me started, it's too upsetting.
However, in defense of the Dr.s, many people feel better with their life in some one elses hands; and, they feel better if they are taking some medication. So be it, just is not going to be me.

[Rain1272]

Rain
I'm not into conspiracy either, although I could post some links; I just like to get as much info as I can to form my thoughts and ideas. Big Pharm is not good for anyone but Big Pharm, IMHO.
Much more money is made by keeping some one sick and coming back to adjust the dose, or changing to another med; or prescribing a diferent med for another condition that the first one caused. Another example, some diabetis meds deplete B12, B6, and B9(folate), which allows homocystine to increase = CHD. I doubt if most Dr.s know this, but Big Pharm does. Don't get me started, it's too upsetting.
However, in defense of the Dr.s, many people feel better with their life in some one elses hands; and, they feel better if they are taking some medication. So be it, just is not going to be me.


I agree with everything you said. I used to be one of those who just took what ever was prescribed, fortunately for me I was never really sick until I developed diabetes. This issue with the statins has been a huge wake up call for me and as much as I love my dr, I realize that I have to be the ultimate decision maker when it comes to what I will or wont put in my body. I just need for my dr to understand that as well and that I'm not trying question her, I just want to make the best educationally responsible decisions I possibly can.

[322432]

Rain
If you have not already, you may want to spend some time at the thincs site reading some of the discussions, and unpublished work. Sorry that you are diabetic. I don't think that it has to be; some good information there.
Good luck