I am a pretty healthy eating vegan. Going vegan 4 years ago after being vegetarian for 7 years dropped my cholesterol by about 30 points but that wasn't enough. Now I take 4 Red Yeast Rice tablets (600 mg per) daily and that keeps me in the right range. I have no idea if these supplements bought at Costco instead of a prescription drug are better for me. I just didn't want to deal with taking a prescription drug when over the counter works so well.

It looks like caution is needed when taking it.

and it carries some of the same side effects, the worst one being rhabdomyolysis.

This is quite rare, so if your doctor suggests a statin, be open to a trial.

see what my doctor thinks

Oct 11th.

My understanding is that it's not a problem.

What my friend (who now lives on a Tongan Island) texted me about niacin and high cholesterol in general:

type. Blockage strokes are more common, but hemorrhagic (blood leaking from vessel or artery in the brain) is harder to deal with as it is happening, and you would not want to be taking aspirin (a blood thinner) when experiencing a hemorrhagic stroke.

So that helps.

We have clinical trials showing it lowers cholesterol a ton.

Do we have proof about fish oil etc?

Repatha is so expensive some think it's benefits are not enough to justify it.

Repatha absolutely crushes the cholesterol numbers on the tests. But it’s really expensive. And we don’t yet have clear proof that lowering cholesterol on the tests actually saves lives. But the results are in the pipeline, next year probably.

plus they taste great....

They're shelf stable fats that are in most processed foods. "Hydrogenated" is a giveaway word. Originally touted as healthier than animal fats like lard or butter, they've been found to be much worse than dietary cholesterol. Clear fats like olive and safflower oils are the best but they're not great on toast. Best idea is to use butter sparingly.

and other whole grains and whole foods, my cholesterol was under 150. Cholesterol had started out at about the same as OP's current total cholesterol. No processed foods whatsoever. YMMV.

oatmeal for breakfast 3 x week brought it to a good level
so I did same 4 months before my lab work and same thing.

We do not eat processed foods very much, we buy the ingredients.
Keeping it simple works just fine for the lab levels to fall into place.

yay for you on the CoQ10....remember it needs to be taken with some fat in a meal.

For all your helpfulness.

I also found out that if high cholesterol can't be attributed to diet and lifestyle then it most likely genetic and that points to the liver.

Here's my "baby steps" start.


Per day:

2 tsps Carlson Fish Oil:
3,200 mg - Omega 3
1,600 mg - EPA
1,000 mg – DHA
https://www.carlsonlabs.com/very-finest-fish-oil-orange.html

Jarrow Formulas - Ubiquinol QH Absorb (CoQ10)
100 mg
http://www.jarrow.com/product/448/QH-absorb

MRM Liver X
1 capsule
https://mrm-usa.com/shop/antioxidants/liver-x-with-nac-ala-biosorb-more-advanced-liver-support/

Bernard Jensen's Chlorophyll
1 tablet

Optimox - Iodoral (for my thyroid issues)
12.5 mg Iodine/Iodide
http://www.optimox.com/iodoral

Douglas Laboratories® - Vitamin D (I am low)
5,000 IU
http://www.douglaslabs.com/vitamin-d-5-000-i-u.html


Organic Rolled Oatmeal with ground flaxseed, almonds, cinnamon, raisins, and blueberries for breakfast.

Increase cardio workout.
Even though I don't eat a lot I still will cut way back on dairy, cheese, and meat in general (except fish).
Avoid fried foods. Plenty of fresh juice especially beet juice.

7 ounces of Pinot Noir in the evening.

Add it to everything you can ie; meatloaf/burgers. Also a bit in your oatmeal.

I hate the niacin flush and the timed release pretty much eliminates most of the flush. I take it before bed so if I get a flush, I don't know it.

How about high gamma E as well? Olive oil also.

I take these...

http://www.jarrow.com/product/448/QH-absorb

Everyone I know who has heart issues or any family history of heart disease. I also like to check out Nutritionfacts.org (they send out a daily very short mini video on important health topics daily) and pcrm.org (Physicians committee for responsible medicine)

The book is an excellent source of information.

For the poster read this book. You still have a lot of oil in your diet. It’s in all your food

If you seriously want to do something about it, this book is the place to start. He has cured all his patients of their high cholesterol.

Please consult your physician, of course, for any possible interactions.

Happy Thanksgiving, and All the Best!

by following the diet in the book "Eat To Live" by Joel Fuhrman. Blood pressure too. I followed the diet for about 4years and was able to lower my blood pressure and blood sugar (cholesterol not a problem).

It is.
I had to lose 100 pounds +
To get my cholesterol back to normal and reverse
Pre- diabetes .
Good luck to you.

Cut way down on sugar.

I take 40mg of Crestor.

Metabolic and integrative cardiologists (the future of heart health) teach us that cholesterol is not the bugaboo that causes coronary artery disease.

The cause is inflammation.

And so the focus on prevention and treatment is very different. Statins recommended only for a very limited population of patients, for one thing.

Read the groundbreaking book written by top cardiologist in this field Dr. Stephen Sinatra: "The Great Cholesterol Myth".

Here's a link to a video presentation of his work:

Fresh fruits are okay though, especially apples but candy, desserts and added sugars raise cholesterol levels

If you go to a health food store and get one of those nice so called healthy bran muffins or carrot cake BEWARE. The reason why they are nice and FLUFFY is they are loaded with oils and fats. Very few foods actually have cholesterol in them.

Fats and Oils TURN INTO Cholesterol by the liver. Thus foods can LEGIT say ZERO CHOLESTEROL but your body will take those fats and convert them. Thus muffins that are soft and fluffy. LOADED with fats. Best the old Penn Dutch muffins that are hard. High fiber low fat.

You have a high Triglycerides. that is associated with low fiber carbs. CAREFUL FOR OILS and CARBS. Tahinni sauce. Presto, "health" muffins, some trail mixes, cheese, fried foods. ZERO cholesterol means nothing it is the FAT content that your liver converts to cholesterol.

Your high triglycerides make me suspect some baked processed carbs, tahinni or Presto with fats in them. Prepared tomato sauce is fine just watch out for how much FAT is ADDED to it.

Remember most cholesterol is NOT from eating it. It is from your liver turning FATS and OILS into cholesterol. Watch out for VIRGIN OLIVE oil unless from CALIFORNIA which has strict standards on what is called "virgin" olive oil.

Generally for a man you should eat no more than 60 grams of fat per day with less than 30 of those from saturated fats.Try to eat less before bed as that is when your liver changes fat to cholesterol. Woman is 50 grams total fat and half from saturated.

Finally if a product package says X amount of fat make sure you read Y amount of servings per package.

I HOPE THIS HELPS.

Personality, I prefer to have my cholesterol a little high. As you get older those with a higher cholesterol have less dementia and there is a correlation between low cholesterol and cancer. I eat organically too - I changed nothing In my diet - just added the time release niacin before I go to bed - dropped 80 points. I take it before bed so I get the niacin rush while I am sleeping.