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STATINS

welshbunny

welshbunny

Active Member
My cholesterol has been raised for some time. Every time I try statins they make either my joints ache or I cant keep my concentration, the latter so bad I felt I shouldnt drive and as a carer for my adult daughter I need to feel as well as possible.

However doctor has asked to see me again and I know she is going to ask me to try statins once again. I really dont want to take them. Has anyone heard of Bezafibrate for lowering cholesterol. I read it on another site where one guy said he had been given it. Has anyone got some really good advice for me on how to lower cholesterol without taking statins. I would be very grateful.

Welshbunny
 
There are different types of statin, so maybe you could ask your doctor to try you on s different one?
 
Can I ask what your current cholesterol reading and have you been given a breakdown by your doctor? It's not the overall figure that is important but the breakdown into HDL, LDL and Lipids.
 
Only you can decide if you take them or not no one can make you so tell your doctor how you feel about it. Many here say the low carb high fat diet has lowered their cholesterol
 
depends, I suppose on how high your cholesterol is and whether you can bear the taste, but have you tried a
small glass of beetroot juice a day?
 
Daphne917 said:
Can I ask what your current cholesterol reading and have you been given a breakdown by your doctor? It's not the overall figure that is important but the breakdown into HDL, LDL and Lipids.
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I did post a reply but it seems lost lol. I have appointment with doc on wednesday so will get details then. My last reading a few months ago was about 7.
 
When you eat fat you don't need to store fat .. for years they have got it wrong ! I am living proof of that :)
 
welshbunny said:
This is where I get confused, how can hight fat lower cholesterol?
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I personally don't do the very high fat because I don't really like the fatty stuff. I don't eat any red meat, sausages or bacon so I mostly have chicken and good oils but I do eat a lot of eggs and cheese and full fat greek yogurt and I have a little butter sometimes. I will find out in a couple of weeks when I have my annual blood test if my cholesterol has gone up since I had more of these I am a bit nervous as not convinced it will not have gone up. I do take statins
 
welshbunny said:
This is where I get confused, how can hight fat lower cholesterol?
Click to expand...

The low carb high fat diet does seem to help to lower cholesterol. The body makes it's own cholesterol and only about 25% comes from diet anyway. Cholesterol is needed by the body for many things particularly for good brain function. The 'cholesterol myth' is that high cholesterol raises you risk o heart disease. This appears to have been based on inaccurate research and to have been disproved therefore it doesn't really matter if high fat raises blood cholesterol as it has no impact on heart disease.
If you are against taking statins (and i would no touch them for anything) then have a look at 'Statin nation" - some of it is available free online if you google it you should find links.

Recent research has shown that higher cholesterol has a protective effect as you age. And a lowered cholesterol had a higher correlation with death from heart disease than lower. Do read all the threads about statins on here. Your doctor may be a bit behind the times and not up to date with the latest research.

if you don't want to take statins then don't let yourself be bullied in to it. If you take statins and they prevent you exercising then they have not only lowered your quality of life but stopped you doing the most heart protective thing there is i.e exercise. Plus statins have been shown to increase blood glucose levels - as a diabetic it doesn't seem a good idea to me.
 
seadragon said:
The low carb high fat diet does seem to help to lower cholesterol. The body makes it's own cholesterol and only about 25% comes from diet anyway. Cholesterol is needed by the body for many things particularly for good brain function. The 'cholesterol myth' is that high cholesterol raises you risk o heart disease. This appears to have been based on inaccurate research and to have been disproved therefore it doesn't really matter if high fat raises blood cholesterol as it has no impact on heart disease.
If you are against taking statins (and i would no touch them for anything) then have a look at 'Statin nation" - some of it is available free online if you google it you should find links.

Recent research has shown that higher cholesterol has a protective effect as you age. And a lowered cholesterol had a higher correlation with death from heart disease than lower. Do read all the threads about statins on here. Your doctor may be a bit behind the times and not up to date with the latest research.

if you don't want to take statins then don't let yourself be bullied in to it. If you take statins and they prevent you exercising then they have not only lowered your quality of life but stopped you doing the most heart protective thing there is i.e exercise. Plus statins have been shown to increase blood glucose levels - as a diabetic it doesn't seem a good idea to me.
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Wow am really suprised by your third paragraph, have been really worrying about my cholesterol and my ongoing life. You have put my mind at ease. Thanks
 
I can sympathise @welshbunny.

Today I got my Hba1c results and I have reduced from 49 to 43 but cholesterol has gone up from 5.6 to 7.5. She didn't tell me the breakdown, even though I asked.

I feel a bit lost and not sure what to do as my LCHF diet has been reducing my glucose levels nicely. I'm only 53 and see a long road of boring food ahead of me as I look to not only ditch the carbs but butter, cream and cheese. GP also told me to eat Benecol which on further research is either full of sugar or trans fats.

Just want to cry tonight as I am scared to eat anything now.

Hope you feel OK @welshbunny.
 
I'm also on a slightly scary journey having ditched statins seven months ago and seeing my cholesterol overall level rise from 5 to 7. However I'm much encouraged to carry on by the opinions given here from people who have been there, done that. In fact I wonder if we should get the t-shirt as well to spread the news. My GP has promised that the next cholesterol result will include all the breakdown figures.
Another thing I'm bearing in mind is that a cholesterol test with an HbA1c blood test is non-fasting, which is said to be of little use. The next one will be fasting.
Donnadoobie said:
a long road of boring food ahead of me as I look to not only ditch the carbs but butter, cream and cheese
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If you like 'em, eat 'em. And don't forget fish too.
 
Donnadoobie said:
I can sympathise @welshbunny.

Today I got my Hba1c results and I have reduced from 49 to 43 but cholesterol has gone up from 5.6 to 7.5. She didn't tell me the breakdown, even though I asked.

I feel a bit lost and not sure what to do as my LCHF diet has been reducing my glucose levels nicely. I'm only 53 and see a long road of boring food ahead of me as I look to not only ditch the carbs but butter, cream and cheese. GP also told me to eat Benecol which on further research is either full of sugar or trans fats.

Just want to cry tonight as I am scared to eat anything now.

Hope you feel OK @welshbunny.
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It's very important that you get the breakdown as if the rise is due to an increase in so called good cholesterol then you have no need to be concerned. I would hope that with a LCHF diet that would be the case. In fact I don't believe cholesterol is anything to worry about at all research is coming through all the time which proves that dietary fat doesn't cause cholesterol rises (fructose may be not sure that's been proven) and that higher cholesterol is actually protective not harmful. I wouldn't touch Benecol or any other plant sterol thingy as why try to change something that's not even an issue.
Try reading Zoe Harcombes take on the research here
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2010/11/...is-a-relationship-but-its-not-what-you-think/

Eat plenty of veggies, as little processed food as possible, reduce carbs but enjoy the good fats in meats and cheese and cream and live a long and happy life!
 
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