Cholesterol and Your Heart By Cheryl Koch, M.S., R.D. - Posted Fri, Jun 08, 2007, 8:51 am PDT

1. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Jun 08, 2007, 10:25 am PDT

How does red rice yeast stack up against the pills that they have out there? I have a friend that swears by it

Report Abuse

2. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Jun 08, 2007, 12:36 pm PDT

I am a middle aged male and found 30 minutes a day is not enough to lose weight to get into the healthy body weight. I had to more than double this time and intensity of exercise and pretty much follow the guidelines/recommendations as documented by Dr. David Jenkins in the Portfolio Diet studies. I also have to take 400mg Niacin and 10mg Policosanol daily at night to keep my cholesterol levels in the healthy range along with everything else. I also do not have HDL above 40, but I am close to it. Lastly, I drink 4-5 oz of red wine with dinner every other day to help push up the HDL.

Report Abuse

3. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Jun 08, 2007, 1:28 pm PDT

Left a line out, meant to say that...There was no mention of eating more fruits and vegetables in this article either which helps lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol. For a society that hates to consume those foods...

Report Abuse

4. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Jun 08, 2007, 10:01 pm PDT

thanks for the info!!

Report Abuse

5. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Jun 09, 2007, 8:02 am PDT

I don't agree that Total Chol is the sum of LDL plus HDL. My Total Chol level is different. Please clarify.

Report Abuse

6. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Jun 09, 2007, 9:29 am PDT

Please include information on trans fats. Thank you

Report Abuse

7. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Jun 09, 2007, 6:57 pm PDT

This helps!

Report Abuse

8. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Jun 10, 2007, 6:18 am PDT

"Let's start at the beginning. Cholesterol is a substance in the blood that is formed as a result of fat consumption." Actually, this is not true. Pure vegetarians have cholesterol in their bloodstream, as all mammals do because our bodies naturally produce it. Without it we would die instantly. It is a substance that regulates abosorption in cell membranes (among many other things). Excessive amounts can be found in the blood by over consumption of animal products which can lead to various cardiovascular diseases, but "excessive levels" can also be found in the blood of vegetarians who are fit and exercise regularly. And scientists are far from understanding why one person's high cholesterol leads to heart disease and another's has no ill effects at all. Drug companies have successfully mass marketed their drugs (which must be consumed daily for life) in order to alter this one ingredient in the bloodstream at the expense of many other potential side effects that pose risks to the body and mind. Some of these drugs have been removed from the market after catastrophic side effects. No one knows what the long term effects are. In the same way that we do regular maintenance on our cars, health care providers should not only check cholesterol (potential risk) but also the condition of a person's arteries (actual state) in order to make a vastly more informed decision. This is not done because providers want to save money in the short term while risking their member's health in the long. I fully agree with your last paragraph, but unfortunately, the jury is out as to what to do if your cholesterol is still higher than "normal" - eat healthy and exercise or roll the dice and take a drug ...

Report Abuse

9. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Jun 10, 2007, 6:38 am PDT

#1:Your friend is smart. It does work to lower cholesterol and it's safer than any of the cholesterol lowering drugs out there.

Report Abuse

10. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Jun 12, 2007, 12:05 pm PDT

#9 You're right, the body produces the cholesterol it needs. Consumption of clean, natural saturated fats from animal products such as butter, cream, tallow, lard and other saturated fats like coconut oil are imperative for good health and raise the cholesterol level to healthy levels. Science shows that all cause death rates are lowered the higher the blood cholesterol levels are. For women, the higher the better all the way up to 1,000 mg/l. For men, the science shows a miniscule increase in risk for total blood cholesterol above 350 mg/l. So if your total cholesterol levels are around 300 mg/l, then you are very healthy and should not be deceived by those who would try to convince you otherwise and sell you a dangerous drug.

Report Abuse

11. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Jun 12, 2007, 3:49 pm PDT

#11 Do you have sources for your information?

Report Abuse

12. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Jun 16, 2007, 12:04 pm PDT

I had, for example, very low cholesterol levels but hdl levels at unsatisfactory % of ldl.16% The result was lipitor foe eight years. when I thought I had enough I reduced my trigl s (which were also too high)and my ldl while increasing my hdl. lost thirty lbs and got off lipitor. while dieting I concentrated on foods which were known to increase hdl and avoided thoes which lower hdl and raise ldl. you can raise hdl through diet but i agree it is not the only answer. thank you for your time

Report Abuse

13. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Jun 12, 2008, 4:23 pm PDT

My recent blood test showed an increase in my ldl level. My hdl level has always been and still is in the low 80s. Any information specificly on lowering ldl? I am a 62 year old woman who exercises regularly with good low blood pressure and proper weight for my height. My doctor wants to start me on statins but I will resist that for now.

Report Abuse

14. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Sep 13, 2008, 4:56 am PDT

Your friend is smart. It does work to lower cholesterol and it's safer than any of the cholesterol lowering drugs out there. Http://www.medicineweight.com

Report Abuse

15. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Dec 13, 2008, 3:19 pm PST

I recently sent in a blog, I found this Cholesterol subject interesting, My cholesterol is 116, but my triglyceride are over 400. what does a person do for that? Also my LDL and HDL are too LOW. Marty

Report Abuse