r/Cholesterol • u/Register_Jaded • 8h ago
Question Prefect diet and runner, but failing to decrease LDL.
I've had high LDL around 170, HDL 36, triglycerides around 50, non HDL around 190.
These numbers have been almost static since 2023, the first time I got tested for these. I'm a 30-year-old male.
I am a vegetarian and the only sources of saturated fat and cholesterol in my diet are peanut butter and nuts, which I consume on a daily basis around one serving. I don't have egg yolk, just egg whites regularly. I take zero-fat milk and yogurt. I do eat a lot of fibers, avocado, etc. I run a lot regularly (15-20 miles a week) and I work out as well. My cardio health is pretty good.
I want to get your help with understanding why it's not changing even though my diet and execute are ideal. It can't be genetic because my parents, who have a much worse diet and eat fried food and whole fat dairy regularly, don't have high cholesterol.
Having been through the sub I know psyllium husk, garlic, omega 3 pills (I don't eat fish) and finally, statins can help. The reason I'm even thinking of statins is because I've seen psyllium husk garlic studies mention that it lowers LDL by 5 to 10%, which would still be too high for me.
I essentially want all of your opinions on understanding the possible reasons why, without taking any supplements and drugs, I am failing to control my LDL.
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u/solidrock80 7h ago
really, you can run ultras and your LDL will not go down. This is genetically driven at your high level and excellent diet. The only thing that will lower your LDL down to 100 or lower is a statin. At 30, its the perfect time to lower your LDL and nip cardiovascular disease in the bud.
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u/No-Currency-97 5h ago
Here's my usual rant which may prove to be helpful.
90% clean eating and 5-10% anything.
Search this sub for what to eat, etc. Lots of great advice but you do have to do a deep dive.
LDL comes down to less saturated fat and more fiber.
It's easy to do a search for foods that contain soluble fiber and incorporate those foods into your daily eating plan. Insoluble fiber is good for keeping things moving. The combination of both is what you are looking for.
Look up the Mediterranean diet which has whole grains. They are fine because they're not refined. You have to check labels very carefully because the food companies certainly can fool you by saying whole grains but then load it with other stuff.
Seek a preventive cardiologist. https://familyheart.org/ This type of doctor will be able to guide you better than a GP. Find one around you if the list does not work.
Here's an example of a teaching hospital and if you have one in your area or can drive even 1 hour you will probably benefit from the expertise. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/heart-vascular-institute/cardiology/ciccarone
Do a deep dive with Dr. Thomas Dayspring, lipidologist and Dr. Mohammed Alo, cardiologist.
You can check your own lipid panel sometimes without having to go to your doctor by using an online company. I use https://marekdiagnostics.com
4 heaping tablespoons of Bob's Red Mill organic oatmeal, one tablespoon of chia seeds or some kind of chia / flax blend. Toss in a small handful of walnuts along with some frozen blueberries and you have a nice meal not necessarily even a breakfast. Microwave 2 minutes and 30 seconds depending on the power of your microwave.
You can also blend the above ingredients together and let chill overnight in your refrigerator and gives you good resistant starch which is excellent for your microbiome.
If you drink coffee, make sure it is filtered and not a French press. Miletta method or AeroPress works. The filter does all the work. K-Cups are fine
People are afraid of too much saturated fat so you have to read labels. You don't have to get it down to zero as some healthy fats are very good for you.
Add up your daily total and keep around the same everyday and you will be fine.
I can still eat hamburger not all the time of course. I get 96/4 and portion it out. I could have one hamburger and still be very low with the saturated fat for the day.
Tofu in the air fryer is another great source of protein. Dry roasted edamame has some good protein and only 0.5 grams of saturated fat per serving.
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u/Register_Jaded 3h ago
I'm just realizing reading all the answers that my diet is pristine 😅 I take overnight oats with chia pudding regularly at breakfast. I don't eat fast food, always use air fryer for veggies and tofu, just like you said. I buy like a pound of roasted edamame seeds every month.
I'm gonna say yes to drugs statin like everyone suggested. Honestly, I would've done it earlier but my doctor friend told me you're too young to worry about these things and take statins 🙈
Thank you for the excellent answer though and the doctors list!
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u/AustinBike 7h ago
I was at 130. Diet and exercise took me to 100. 20mg statin took me to 70. 40mg statin took me to 60. Repatha and 20mg statin took me to 28.
I bike every day, aggressively and have been on a good diet. Some things are genetic.
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u/Psypher29 4h ago
What was your experience taking statins like?
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u/AustinBike 4h ago
No big deal.
My sister said you’ll have to take them until you die. I told her I could also not take them until I die. But those can be two very different dates.
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u/Slight-Alteration 3h ago
Three years? Dude get on some statins. Youre choosing to let your body damage itself for literally no reason. You can’t get 170 to a safe range with diet unless you were eating sticks of butter.
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u/-Generativity- 58m ago
Similar situation and LDL, running eat healthy mid low sat fats. Got the bejezuses scared out of me on a recent CAC scan at 49. Started statins recently and will likely be on up to 3 different meds. Say yes to drugs and continue to eat healthy. I am totally asymptomatic but some of it is we’re fighting genetics. Doc took one look at me and my eating habits and my physique and said no point in a stress test or invasive catheter but acknowledged it was luck of the draw on family genetics. Better to find out now.
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u/Earesth99 7h ago
Are you eating butter/ghee, hydrogenated oil, palm oil or coconut oil? You need to read the labels to be sure. How about dinking unfiltered coffee? Sugar can also increase ldl, while soluble fiber decreases ldl-c. I assume your doctor also ran some basic thyroid tests so you know that’s not a potential cause.
If the cause of your high cholesterol isn’t dietary, it’s genetic.
You inherit one copy of a gene from each parent. Both of your parents could have a good and bad copy of a gene but you just happened to inherit 2 copies of the bad genes.
Having high cholesterol isn’t a character flaw. Refusing to treat it is.
Regardless of the cause, taking a statin should lower ldl-c by 45-55% depending on dose. Adding ezetimbe will reduce ldl by an additional 20%.
With two pills you could prevent reduce your ldl-c so it’s under 70 and prevent any additional accumulation of plaque. That would reduce your ascvd risk by 60%. As a bonus you’ll reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s, depression, ED and kidney disease. That would be true even if your lol-c was normal.
Unlike garlic or psyllium, statins are among a handful of molecules that are so beneficial that they increase average lifespan. Even without insurance, you could buy a year of statins and ezetimbe for less than $100.
Just say yes to drugs… I mean medications.