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[annieb]

Apologies if this is a topic that has been discussed previously but could not find a recent discussion so here goes
Just called GP surgery for results of recent blood test to be told that my cholesterol in 6.8! EEEK.
I know that is high so a bit concerned as last time it was checked it was only 5.5.
I'm not overweight - 5 ft 8" tall 148lbs and do not eat a lot of fried foods etc though am partial to cheese and chocolate and chips (oven not fried but probably as bad I suppose)
GP is going to call me to discuss tomorrow and hoping she won't put me on statins as not keen on medication
Anyone has this problem and sorted it out by eating more healthily ?

[Joyce]

My recent one was 6.4, but it's been lower in the past also. My GP told me to eat more nuts & oily fish. He knows how I feel about statins & he agrees.

[wombat62]

Hi

I had a high reading once 7.5 but it was when I first started with the hot flashes and a lot of other meno stuff. I had read that it could be related although the doctors will say otherwise!

I've never been a bit fatty food eater but still had that high reading (and also ended up with gallstones!) anyway started eating more oats and adding physillium husks to breakfast and lots of walking, exercise etc.

Try a few adjustments and get another test in 6 months, mine was back to its normal 5.5! Should try the natural route before statins.

[annieb]

Thanks - feel a bit better now - was getting a bit worried. Certainly don't want to go down the statins route and already on the oats for breakfast . Only started on those about 2 months ago but looks like I need a serious look at my eating habits and exercise routine (HA! what routine!)
I've never heard of physillium husks - are they easy to find?

[Dennylou48]

Hi my cholesterol went up to 6.3 2 months ago so wanted to get it down, I include almonds (not roasted), cholesterol lowering yogurt drinks, cholesterol lowering spread and whole meal bread, oats, salmon and apples in my diet , 1 or 2 of these on a daily basis, I am now back to 5.4. Good luck xx

[Evelyn63]

Annieb I'm assuming you had a fasting one done?  I know my friend had hers checked and didn't realise she should have been fasting ,it came back a bit high so she increased her healthy eating and had it repeated , this time a fasting one, and it came back a bit lower.  There wasn't a massive difference but enough to take her out of the abnormal range.  I eat similar to Dennylou and mine is about 5.6

[coldethyl]

Read Dr Mike Kendrick on cholesterol and statins- more and more evidence that it is the carb element of our diet that affects this and also that high cholesterol is a red herring re heart disease anyway. That said it's good to cut down or out on fried food like chips and such like which are worst of all worlds and focus on fats from olive oil, nuts, avocados etc.

[annieb]

thanks for the replies and encouragement. Did ask if I needed a fasting blood test but was told that it was not necessary. GP did phone me as promised (what a treat - saved me the hassle of a visit to the surgery and saved her a lot of time too ).  She checked through my height/weight, what I was eating, exercise etc and family history (of heart disease etc)  She said there were no issues with my body mass and we don't have a family history of heart disease or such so on the scale that they use to check such things and taking in to account my age I am only at a 3% risk of stroke or heart attack in the next 10 years.  YAY! is that a good thing?  Would like to think I wasn't at risk at all. Hey ho!
. She said not to worry  but  did recommend more exercise and promised me a diet sheet (list of the best foods to eat to help reduced cholesterol) and suggested cholesterol reducing yoghurt or spread (think we all know the brand but not sure I allowed to mention it here!)  , Never received the  sheet but found the NHS website very useful.
So now eating more nuts (almonds walnuts), lots of fruit and veg and the yoghurt or spread, Have cut down on my coffee consumption , never did eat a lot of fried stuff or chips etc and am trying with the exercise though not very successfully .  Also eating less bread and less cheese (I love cheese).  They won't test my cholesterol for another 12 months so it'll be a while before I find out whether it's working but I do actually feel better in myself so maybe my eating habits were not as good as I thought they were