Doctor has Recommended a Statin

[melodyeco]

Hi All,

My doctor has recommended that I begin taking a statin because the results of my recent heart scan came back at 116.5 which is in the "moderate" category (100-400), and my cholesterol has begun to trend over 200.

I am a 65-year-old female, and my cholesterol tends to be on the high side with the last reading at 243. I don't recall it ever being lower than 197. My BMI is 22.9. Perhaps a lower BMI would be helpful.

Has anyone had success with Cholestoff Plus? I would rather experiment with that than go on statins.

Any other advice would be much appreciated. I understand that once on a statin, always on a statin. I would rather not.

I asked my doctor about Zetia instead of a statin, and she said only a statin can both lower cholesterol and "stabilize plaque which has already been built in the blood vessel hence preventing the rupture of plaque and subsequent cardiovascular event (heart attacks and strokes)".

Thanks in advance for any helpful ideas.

Melody

[Vegankit]

From the McDougall Newletter May 2013 Who Should Take Cholesterol-lowering Statins? Everyone or No One?

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2013nl/may/statins.htm

[melodyeco]

Thank you, Vegankit. I have seen that newsletter and i wonder if because of my "moderate" score on the heart scan, i am considered to be suffering from heart disease. I will check in with a cardiologist to get more insight on how high my risk is based on the heart scan score. I might also try the Cholestoff to see if that is helpful. Plant sterols, supposedly.

[Lyndzie]

Melody, do you follow a low fat diet? There is almost always room for improvement in diet that will have big impacts on numbers.

[melodyeco]

Lyndzie,

Yes, it is mostly low fat. My son has convinced me to stop using the coconut creamer (Laird Superfoods) that i was using in my tea in the morning. We'll see if that helps. I seldom eat nuts/seeds/avocados, but i guess i can eat even less . . .

[Dixee]

"Once on a statin, always on a statin" ... I don't think that needs to be true for YOU even though it generally is for people who cannot (or will not) make sufficient long-term changes to their diet. I know the belief around these parts is that one should not bother counting macronutrients, but it might be useful for you to write down every single thing you eat for just one week and then use cronometer.com or some similar program just to see how many grams of fat you eat on average in a day. It might be a bit higher than you thought even if much lower than the average person. If so, further reducing fat in your diet might make a significant difference in your cholesterol and help you avoid statins. Maybe worth a try? And as someone who once enjoyed a rather substantial swoosh of half and half in my coffee and now drinks it black (and likes it that way!), I would say that it sounds like you have what it takes to make any needed changes. Good luck!

[Lyndzie]

I thought I had responded to this! Two foods that can impact blood cholesterol: coconut and unfiltered coffee. Kicking that creamer to the curb might be all you need to get your numbers moving in the right direction.

I know, I was a die-hard coffee drinker for years, but eventually switched to black coffee, then tea, and now just hot lemon water, which sounds totally crazy but is surprisingly wonderful.

[melodyeco]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Update: I returned the Cholestoff Plus to Costco once i saw Gelatin (Porcine) listed in the ingredients. Not going to do that. I will continue to stay off the coconut creamer and monitor my eating more closely.

I have an appointment with a new cardiologist on Monday, November 5, who i suspect will try to convince me to take a statin.

Does anyone have any information on Zetia and whether that could be helpful? I tried to convince my PCP to give me that instead of a statin, but she is convinced the statin is key.

[gracezw]

Seems that Cholestoff Plus works by removing dietary cholesterol. Since you don't eat any animal products, I don't see how Cholestoff Pluse will work for you.

==
http://www.naturemade.com/supplements/c ... HXgZqI0.97

How does it work?
The cholesterol-lowering effect of plant stanol/sterol esters occurs through “competition” between dietary cholesterol and plant stanols for incorporation into mixed micelles in the intestine. This leads to a decrease in the amount of dietary cholesterol absorbed into the bloodstream from the intestine. Therefore, less dietary cholesterol then enters our circulation and less cholesterol is absorbed by our body.*
Read more at http://www.naturemade.com/supplements/c ... uYmyyVt.99

[gracezw]

Another way for you to consider is to measure your current body fat percentage and try to lower it.