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Suggest Treatment For High Cholesterol Levels
I am 47, and have high cholesterol. LDL is 180. Family history of heart problems. I was put on crestor, but stopped taking it because muscle aches prevented me from exercising, which had allowed me to lose 30 lbs. A friend tried a food option called Step One Foods. . Lowered his LDL be nearly 50 points in a month. What do you think about this approach?
Mon, 24 Aug 2015
Hello. Thank you for your question on HCM. I carefully read your query.
As any other cardiologist, I am very keen to the diet alternative, first, and then on the medication approach. A LDL-fraction level under 190 mg/dL would be considered normal, but the risk factors you actually have (age over 45 years old and genetic factor for heart disease) lower this level of "normality". So, this LDL cholesterol should be under 160 mg/dL, at least. There are dietary and activity means that can lower these figures. I am going to take them step by step:
- 60 minutes of physical activity, such as walking, biking, swimming, gym, every day, for seven days a week
- no animal fat at all, use olive oil to cook food at home
- no fast food
- restrict your red meat intake to a maximum of one time a week; fish and chicken or poultry should be consumed more often
- the white of an egg, not the egg yolk
- green or dark green leafy vegetables and fruit, up to 300 g a day
- no more than 30 g ethanol a day, which means a shot of a heavy drink, or two beers, a day.
After three months on this diet and lifestyle, you should check your total cholesterol and LDL-fraction levels again.
If they remain high, this means this is the third risk factor for a coronary artery disease. Therefore, you should be put on a cholesterol-lowering agent, such as statin (which is the most effective class of drugs in lowering the cholesterol) or another alternative and this would be a strong recommendation.
I hope I was helpful and thorough with my answer. Take care.
Kind regards,
Dr. Meriton
As any other cardiologist, I am very keen to the diet alternative, first, and then on the medication approach. A LDL-fraction level under 190 mg/dL would be considered normal, but the risk factors you actually have (age over 45 years old and genetic factor for heart disease) lower this level of "normality". So, this LDL cholesterol should be under 160 mg/dL, at least. There are dietary and activity means that can lower these figures. I am going to take them step by step:
- 60 minutes of physical activity, such as walking, biking, swimming, gym, every day, for seven days a week
- no animal fat at all, use olive oil to cook food at home
- no fast food
- restrict your red meat intake to a maximum of one time a week; fish and chicken or poultry should be consumed more often
- the white of an egg, not the egg yolk
- green or dark green leafy vegetables and fruit, up to 300 g a day
- no more than 30 g ethanol a day, which means a shot of a heavy drink, or two beers, a day.
After three months on this diet and lifestyle, you should check your total cholesterol and LDL-fraction levels again.
If they remain high, this means this is the third risk factor for a coronary artery disease. Therefore, you should be put on a cholesterol-lowering agent, such as statin (which is the most effective class of drugs in lowering the cholesterol) or another alternative and this would be a strong recommendation.
I hope I was helpful and thorough with my answer. Take care.
Kind regards,
Dr. Meriton
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