Familial Hypercholesterolemia

[bunsofaluminum]

Hello there

My sister has been diagnosed with heart disease. Her cholesterol is off the charts, in the high 400's and she has plaques. They discovered an infarction some time in her heart history. It was discovered when she got blood work done for estrogen levels, but they found super high cholesterol which sent her to a cardiologist. She got the diagnosis very recently.

My sister is extremely fit, if not athletic....triathlons, speed records in swimming, daily runs, outdoor sports year round, body fat MAYBE 15%? maybe 18%? Never been overweight, never smoked, has never abused alcohol or drugs. She has been a vegetarian for all but about 10 years of her adult life, though she didn't focus on cutting fats, and she never was vegan...eggs, sometimes dairy/cheese, and occasional fish. But whole foods all the way. She's never been a junk food junkie. IOW, she has taken really good care of herself, with lots of activity, and whole foods eating.

The official diagnosis is Familial Hypercholesterolemia. She got it from our maternal grandfather, who died of a "widow maker" heart attack in his mid 50's. So did my uncle on that side. Same age, same cause of death. Her doc is telling her that diet doesn't impact this version of heart disease, as it is in the genes.

My question is can she reverse this by cutting all high fat foods and processed oils? Since it's genetic, she might take meds the rest of her life, but can she eliminate some of it with diet? Will it help? I told her about Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, and she told me she'll read it. Is there any literature about lifestyle helping a genetic issue?

Thanks in advance.

Oh...I went in for blood work when she first found out about her high cholesterol a few months ago, since it's inherited, and mine is normal. So is my brother's. The irony. Two fat sibs with normal cholesterol and a trim, fit sib with heart disease.

[Spiral]

If your sister were willing to go on the McDougall diet, no oil and no animal based foods, for about 1 month, and then getting her cholesterol rechecked after being on that diet for 1 month, then you would know how much impact getting fid of all of those artery clogging foods has on blood cholesterol.

There are people who don't eat junk food but eat lots of eggs and meat and they have sky high cholesterol numbers. So, no surprise there.

[michaelswarm]

I would take the cardiologists statements about both genetics and diet with more than a grain of salt. Are they true just because he is a cardiologist and he spoke them? Or is there data to back up his statements? I doubt so, because there is just a handful of studies showing dietary reversal, and they were not specific to any one flavor of heart disease. That both you and your brother have normal cholesterol points to lifestyle. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing an experiment. Get all animal products and oils out of your sisters diet, and see what happens.

There is absence of literature showing that diet can not reverse “genetic” high cholesterol and heart disease. Neither Dr Ornish nor Dr Esselstyn reported any patients that could not be helped because of “genetics”. Nor does Dr McDougall make that exception.

[bunsofaluminum]

Hi Michaelswarm and Spiral,

Thanks for responding. I haven't had a chance to talk to her about it again, because she keeps really busy and lives in another town. I agree with everything you both say and will give her a copy of the Esselstyne book. At least if she reads it, she'll be informed and can make an actual decision.

She is an RN and that's pretty much why she follows her dr's advice. He did tell her "no cheese" which strikes me as odd, if diet can't help. Anyway, I'll probably just buy another copy of the Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease and give it to her to read. Since her diagnosis we've all had other things to think about. My bro and his wife caught the Covid. He had no symptoms; she had a brutal chest cold that was over in two weeks. No after effects.

SMH mortality, eh?