I Could Use Some Help On Lowering My Cholesterol

[mamaherrera]

I'm 37 female. Got two docs on my case wiht high cholesterol and prediabetes. One wants me on Statins like yesterday and the other wants me to be a vegan. What to do? I have given up my 2 eggs daily and have lessened meat and shrimp. but here are my stats:
Biggest thing: total cholesterol 262 and LDL 178, yikes. . and low vitamin D. I've been avoiding the sun because of all my sunspots. So that's annoying too. But here are all the stats.

 

[Tenacity]

In very young people, the metabolic rate is very high, and the rapid conversion of cholesterol into pregnenolone, DHEA, and progesterone usually keeps the level of cholesterol in the blood low. In the 1930s, a rise in the concentration of cholesterol was considered to be one of the most reliable ways to diagnose hypothyroidism (1936 Yearbook of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Endocrinology, E.L. Sevringhaus, editor, Chicago, p. 533). With aging, the metabolic rate declines, and the increase of cholesterol with aging is probably a spontaneous regulatory process, supporting the synthesis of the protective steroids, especially the neurosteroids in the brain and retina.

Around 1985, a big study in Hungary showed that lowering cholesterol with drugs caused a huge increase in the cancer death rate. Hundreds of publications appeared in the U.S. saying that wasn't possible, because low cholesterol is good, the lower the better. The extreme increase in cancer mortality in the Hungarian study was probably the result of the drug that was commonly used at that time to lower cholesterol, but the pattern of mortality in that study was approximately the same pattern seen in any group with very low cholesterol. In the last 20 years, there have been many studies showing that lowering cholesterol increases mortality, especially from cancer and suicide, and that people with naturally low cholesterol are more likely to die from cancer, suicide, trauma, and infections than people with normal or higher than average cholesterol.

After the age of fifty, low cholesterol is clearly associated with an increased risk of dying from a variety of causes. A study of old women indicated that a cholesterol level of 270 mg. per 100 ml. was associated with the best longevity (Forette, et al., 1989). "Mortality was lowest at serum cholesterol 7.0 mmol/l [=270.6 mg%], 5.2 times higher than the minimum at serum cholesterol 4.0 mmol/l, and only 1.8 times higher when cholesterol concentration was 8.8 mmol/l. This relation held true irrespective of age, even when blood pressure, body weight, history of myocardial infarction, creatinine clearance, and plasma proteins were taken into account.

The functions of cholesterol parallel the functions of other sterols in plants and other types of organism. Its functions have been refined and extended with the development of other steroids, such as progesterone, as biological requirements have evolved, but cholesterol is still at the center of this system. To deliberately interfere with its synthesis, as contemporary medicine does, reveals a terrible arrogance.

By the mid-1930s, it was generally known that hypothyroidism causes the cholesterol level in the blood to increase; hypercholesterolemia was a diagnostic sign of hypothyroidism. Administering a thyroid supplement, blood cholesterol came down to normal exactly as the basal metabolic rate came up to the normal rate. The biology of atherosclerotic heart disease was basically solved before the second world war.

As far as the evidence goes, it suggests that coconut oil, added regularly to a balanced diet, lowers cholesterol to normal by promoting its conversion into pregnenolone. (The coconut family contains steroids that resemble pregnenolone, but these are probably mostly removed when the fresh oil is washed with water to remove the enzymes which would digest the oil.) Coconut-eating cultures in the tropics have consistently lower cholesterol than people in the U.S. Everyone that I know who uses coconut oil regularly happens to have cholesterol levels of about 160, while eating mainly cholesterol rich foods (eggs, milk, cheese, meat, shellfish). I encourage people to eat sweet fruits, rather than starches, if they want to increase their production of cholesterol, since fructose has that effect.

Some practical steps:

• Improve thyroid function.
• Increase consumption of cholesterol co-factors; vitamin A, light.
• Eat coconut oil.

 

[mamaherrera]

thanks so much. . . and if I choose to do liver, how many grams per week is considered a good serving? Also, milk to improve thyroid right? the extra fruit and dairy will that affect my A1C?

 

[Tenacity]

thanks so much. . . and if I choose to do liver, how many grams per week is considered a good serving? Also, milk to improve thyroid right? the extra fruit and dairy will that affect my A1C?

I've seen/heard the suggestion that about 220g of liver weekly is a good amount to eat, in smaller amounts throughout the week if you are particularly hypothyroid.

I'm not sure if milk is directly good for thyroid function. Enough protein is required to keep the liver healthy, and a healthy liver would keep thyroid function at an optimal level through improved conversion of T4 to T3. Milk is a good source of high quality protein.

I don't know about the A1C. Peat has an article on diabetes and sugar that might be helpful: Glucose and sucrose for diabetes.

 

[mamaherrera]

thanks, gives me a starting poing. so you think milk is not the most important thing, so waht things should I focus on besides coconut oil, liver. . . anything else that would help?

 

[Tenacity]

thanks, gives me a starting poing. so you think milk is not the most important thing, so waht things should I focus on besides coconut oil, liver. . . anything else that would help?

Bringing the vitamin D up to a normal, or even an optimal range, would probably help as well.

 

[mamaherrera]

anything else you can think of would help me a lot. Very appreciative of your time!

 

[Mito]

I'm 37 female. Got two docs on my case wiht high cholesterol and prediabetes. One wants me on Statins like yesterday and the other wants me to be a vegan. What to do? I have given up my 2 eggs daily and have lessened meat and shrimp. but here are my stats:
Biggest thing: total cholesterol 262 and LDL 178, yikes. . and low vitamin D. I've been avoiding the sun because of all my sunspots. So that's annoying too. But here are all the stats. View attachment 9066 View attachment 9067 View attachment 9068 View attachment 9069 View attachment 9070

 

[Mito]

anything else you can think of would help me a lot. Very appreciative of your time!

Here is a good post on cholesterol by Haidut:

“I think vitamin K in higher doses should be able to do for muscles what CoQ10 does. In addition, and unlike CoQ10, vitamin K2 lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. So, in combination with taurine, both your cholesterol and homocystein should go down. It usually takes about 4 weeks to see effects. How much taurine and K2 are you taking? You do understand that statins lower cholesterol in a very undesirable way, right? Taurine forces cholesterol utilization for creating bile salts and steroids, while vitamin K speed up synthesis of pregnenolone from cholesterol. Both of these methods are "good" ways to lower cholesterol. Statins inhibit cholesterol synthesis itself, which is about the most dangerous thing you can do cholesterol-wise given how much it is needed by every cell.”

Co Q10

 

[fradon]

get some sun it will help convert some of that cholesteral to vitamin D, eat more fiber like salads, walk 5 - 10 miles a day...slow walking will begin to burn through those triglycerides and lower cholesterol it will also lower stress and help convert the cholesterol to needed hormones instead of cortisol.

sunlight also stimulates the thyroid and balances out nuerochemicals in the brain through the eyes.

eat more copper foods like nuts (walmuts and Pecans) and beans (black and Pinto) which also have fiber.

this is podcast with some good cholesterol info check it out:

https://myersdetox.com/transcript-21-cholesterol-clarity-with-jimmy-moore/

 

[mamaherrera]

What would be a good dose for vitamin K?

 

[x-ray peat]

The fun part will be explaining all this to your Doctor. Mine has been after me with the statin death pill for years.

 

[ddjd]

get some sun it will help convert some of that cholesteral to vitamin D,

Is this true??

 

[ddjd]

I'm 37 female. Got two docs on my case wiht high cholesterol and prediabetes. One wants me on Statins like yesterday and the other wants me to be a vegan. What to do? I have given up my 2 eggs daily and have lessened meat and shrimp. but here are my stats:
Biggest thing: total cholesterol 262 and LDL 178, yikes. . and low vitamin D. I've been avoiding the sun because of all my sunspots. So that's annoying too. But here are all the stats. View attachment 9066 View attachment 9067 View attachment 9068 View attachment 9069 View attachment 9070

The other thing to bear in mind is why do you think high cholesterol is bad. It's a complete myth that high cholesterol is bad.

 

[mamaherrera]

What worries me is once i had testing of the big and small particles and i had more of the small ldl which is considered the worst

 

[benaoao]

The other thing to bear in mind is why do you think high cholesterol is bad. It's a complete myth that high cholesterol is bad.

It’s not a myth if you’re young. If you’re old, fine it can go higher than 150/200 and assuming HDL is high enough it’s fine. If you’re 37 or anything below 50-60yo you don’t want a dyslipidemia. As per Ray Peat quotes above.

 

[benaoao]

One important factor besides all the great answers you’ve received is stress management. Are you taking that into account? I don’t know your lifestyle obviously.

Then to sum up a bit:
- more fiber
- less fat
- more fruits and vegetables (a bit redundant)
- more coconut oil / MCT might be even better
- low stress physical activity preferably outside
- use cronometer: get all fat soluble vitamins up
- taurine is a great idea, glycine works well for the bile salts too
- more potassium to boost the enzyme that converts cholesterol into pregnenolone (view point 3, I’d suggest potatoes too)

 

[mamaherrera]

That was very helpful and thanks to all . My final questions as you made it all very clear, but what is MCT and where can I get it from? I've been using land of lakes butter/olive oil spread but I doubt it's from grass fed cows, so maybe I need to change but I like it because it's soft. And I know Peat goes against vegetables but I feel I need them ,but really is raw completely bad, like if I like raw celery? Also, if there are any veggies I should avoid, please let me know. I will really work on all of those and I will update. I've been trying to keep my dietary cholestserol on chronometer under 200 so it scares me to see that liver will really beef it up. But I need to get over that fear and have faith. I am tempted to check my cholesterol now after two months of dietary cholesterol under 200 and then try these changes of putting saturated fat back in and eggs and liver and see what changes come.

 

[benaoao]

Dietary cholesterol isn’t really a problem though, compared to every other variable it’s not significant

 

[ddjd]

It’s not a myth if you’re young. If you’re old, fine it can go higher than 150/200 and assuming HDL is high enough it’s fine. If you’re 37 or anything below 50-60yo you don’t want a dyslipidemia. As per Ray Peat quotes above.

Nowhere in rays quotes above does it reflect what you're suggesting. All he's saying is that low cholesterol when you're old is dangerous. Not high cholesterol when you're young.

"After the age of fifty, low cholesterol is clearly associated with an increased risk of dying from a variety of causes. A study of old women indicated that a cholesterol level of 270 mg. per 100 ml. was associated with the best longevity (Forette, et al., 1989)."Mortality was lowest at serum cholesterol 7.0 mmol/l [=270.6 mg%], 5.2 times higher than the minimum at serum cholesterol 4.0 mmol/l, and only 1.8 times higher when cholesterol concentration was 8.8 mmol/l. This relation held true irrespective of age, even when blood pressure, body weight, history of myocardial infarction, creatinine clearance, and plasma proteins were taken into account.

"This relation held true irrespective of age"