Interesting article on cholesterol

**frugalfranny** · 08-16-2012, 07:59 PM

The research for the "analysis" has a large number........would like to see the research.......still interesting though......gotta say I hope IT AIN'T SO...........I have AB blood.

Blood Type May Influence Heart Disease Risk

This is what I would like to see studied..........and they left themselves open for it....quote from article:

"It would be interesting to study whether people with different blood types respond differently to lifestyle intervention, such as diet," Qi said, noting that further analysis is needed.

Do you have high cholesterol? Are you taking drugs for it? Does it "run in your family"?

**Spirit Deer** · 08-16-2012, 08:23 PM

I saw this on the TV news the other night. The conclusion of that story was that while blood type may mean there is a propensity for high cholesterol, lifestyle changes can help minimize the risk.

Seems like everything you hear lately about health is that healthy diet and exercise are the best ways to ward off just about everything.

**frugalfranny** · 08-16-2012, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by Spirit Deer

Seems like everything you hear lately about health is that healthy diet and exercise are the best ways to ward off just about everything.

Yeah, and while I like to READ about it...........I don't spend much time worrying about it. Within reason----and my mood----I DO try to watch what I eat but probably my BIG DOWNFALL is butter...............YUM!! And none of that CHEMICAL CRAP for me.............I want butter!!

I have been trying to do better this year at watching SALT.......and I don't have HBP but 'have read' that it is still hard on the arteries/veins.

**Spirit Deer** · 08-17-2012, 09:19 AM

I love butter too. But I don't eat it that much anymore. There's nothing like it in homemade crackers.

**Ms Frugal** · 08-22-2012, 11:43 PM

I just got tested and the total cholesterol was 222 mg. I'm not eating meat on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, just fish. I'm also on Fat Secret charting my daily intake of cholesterol. Since Sunday, my daily intake of cholesterol is about 100 mg or less a day.

**MissSeetonFan** · 08-23-2012, 02:07 AM

I read that article. I recently was tested and was found to have a slightly underactive thyroid. I also had high triglycerides. I started to read up on cholesterol and thyroid problems.

They have found that cholesterol that you eat does not automatically translate into cholesterol in your blood stream. Only 25% of the cholesterol in your body comes from the food you eat. 75% is created by our body itself. (from heart.org) So you only control a quarter of your cholesterol through food. The rest comes from body makeup (genes and all that), exercise, and hormones. Eating right and exercising will absolutely control the 25% but only help control the 75%.

Depending on how high the various levels of the different types of cholesterol are in your system, cutting back on meats and animal products may not help as much as you might think. Heart.org focuses mainly on LDL and HDL in their articles but we also need to worry about triglycerides and these may be even more dangerous than the traditional "bad" cholesterol. It seems that high triglycerides combined with the wrong levels of HDL and LDL are what really indicate bad outcomes. Triglycerides are associated with a higher carb diet - sugar and alcohol being major contributers, than it is with a high fat diet. Hypothyroidism is also a cause.

It is making me wonder about the genetics. Does blood type also correlate to hypothyroidism? Then it would also correlate to cholesterol levels.

**Spirit Deer** · 08-23-2012, 10:01 AM

The body is an amazing and complex thing.

I quit South Beach Diet, sort of, and I'm going back to WW foods instead. But I'm retaining the idea of avoiding bad carbs. I used to think a calorie was a calorie, and while I still think that's true to a point, I've seen the light now and realize how important it is to eat the right foods along with the right number of calories. I've lost 13 pounds since June 1 by avoiding sugar (though not completely) and also avoiding all the 'white' foods (white rice, white flour, white pasta, etc.) I still indulge on occasion, but rarely now and in very limited quantities. So far, so good.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to get off cholesterol meds. My family has a history of HBP and high cholesterol, but we also have a history of not eating right, so there's no way to know if improved diet will be enough. But there are other benefits, so regardless, I'll continue what I've been doing.

**frugalfranny** · 08-23-2012, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by Ms Frugal

I just got tested and the total cholesterol was 222 mg. .

But what was the rest.............what was the breakdown.........the HDL........LDL.........triglycerides? I don't think total tells you much.

MSTF-----the trig. are also 'basically' what you have eaten in the last week or so before the test...............want your trig. to drop? Eat VERY careful about a week before the test........they will drop. There is also some literature out there that says trig. could be more important numbers for women than men.

**Spirit Deer** · 08-24-2012, 08:01 AM

I think fooling the test and then going back to bad eating habits would be dangerous. It does not really solve anything. If you're eating in a way that means the levels are typically too high, then you won't be treated for a condition you normally have and that can put you in danger. The dietary changes would have to permanent in order to help you stay healthy.

**frugalfranny** · 08-24-2012, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by Spirit Deer

I think fooling the test and then going back to bad eating habits would be dangerous. It does not really solve anything. If you're eating in a way that means the levels are typically too high, then you won't be treated for a condition you normally have and that can put you in danger. The dietary changes would have to permanent in order to help you stay healthy.

I wasn't talking about FOOLING THE TEST............was just saying if you wanted to SEE if it was tied to what you had been eating RECENTLY do the experiment.

The trig. can FLUCTUATE on an almost monthly basis...........depending on what you are eating THAT month whereas the other numbers will take longer to change. I would guess that most people know you have to make permanent changes to stay healthy....but rather it is done or not is another matter.

Another thing that is NEVER discussed is the ratios..............read about them and figure your own.

**Spirit Deer** · 08-24-2012, 03:39 PM

Oops, sorry for the misunderstanding.

**Hamada** · 08-31-2012, 07:40 PM

I have read different articles about inflammation also contributing to high cholesterol levels. The cholesterol-inflammation connection - CNN Something like this article says. Just think it is interesting to think about inflammation causing so many health problems. Makes you want to think what is making my body inflammed.

For me I noticed when I took out gluten my cholesterol became normal even though my weight was high. I have taken the medicines for high cholesterol but they always made my body ache so I stopped using them. Grant it my diet now is much healthier. Mostly produce and either fish or meat. But my cholesterol levels really did get better with just a gluten free diet.

I think staying a way from processed foods also helps.