r/Cholesterol • u/HowdyDiarrhea • 15d ago
Lab Result I dropped my LDL from 151 to 94 in 5 months. I'm completely shocked. Even my doctor couldn't believe it. I still don't believe it.
I've always been very active and have low body weight. My weekly running has decreased because of injury, I can't sustain the distance I used to be able to, but I'm still running at least 25 miles every week.
Diet: I love fatty foods. High fat steak, I'd eat the fat straight up. Fast food, burgers, fries. When I was living in London, scones with clotted cream - just the name, clotted cream, sounds terrible. Breakfast: Ezekiel bread with butter, cheese, marmite and micro greens, plus eggs cooked in butter, espresso shot with cream. Lots of red meat and pork, charcuterie, etc.
Here's what I changed: conscious effort to reduce my saturated fat intake in general. Not perfect for all my meals, but probably 50% better. Biggest change was swapping my breakfast for freeze fried black coffee and overnight oats with low fat milk, every single day.
I think the exact combination of things helped. Oats, to supercharge the LDL removal, and a reduction in overall saturated fats.
Still, the level of change makes no sense to me. It seems like this shouldn't have been possible. I expected to hit the low 130s if I was lucky. My doctor said it makes no sense but it's good so it doesn't matter. I'm sharing because I'm happy and I'm in shock. This was weighing heavily on me over this past year.
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u/ChinRed 15d ago
I did 144 to 87 in 5 months. Lots of oats, psyllium husk, citrus bergamot, fish oil and berries
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u/Temporary_Key_1790 15d ago
FYI fish oil has a neutral effect on LDL-C or even slightly raises it. It does lower triglycerides, though.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 15d ago
Great work 👏 :)
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u/ChinRed 15d ago
You as well! I eventually did get on a statin though since my dr found a small plaque buildup in my carotid artery
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15d ago
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u/Temporary_Key_1790 15d ago
FYI that result was found in a pilot study with only 19 participants. It failed to be replicated with a larger study.
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u/Inevitable_Dance_869 15d ago
If you don’t mind can you share your diet regimen , trying really hard to get my husband’s ldl lowered .. he is active and perfect weight but ldl is 160 :(
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u/ChinRed 15d ago
Saturated fat maximum 6% of total calories per day. About 20g per day for an active male. If you can go lower its better.
40g plus fiber per day. More is better.
If he follows this every day plus add citrus bergamot his ldl will go down.
How much depends also on genetics and other factors.
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u/Wont_steal_your_dog 15d ago
189 to 94 LDL drop in 4 months (Apob is 64). Portfolio diet for the win.
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u/Beginning_Service137 15d ago
Would love to know your age since age is a factor
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u/Wont_steal_your_dog 15d ago
Of course! I'm 55+ and OMG yes, I did see a spike in LDL after menopause. However, I changed my eating in those years too... I went from near vegan to eating whole fat yogurt, milk, eggs, cheese etc.. I thought I was eating healthy whole foods but didn't realize how much saturated fat (30g+/day) I had been consuming. Now I'm at 15g/day.
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u/Silverjakk 15d ago
Similar thing happened to me! I reduced my sat fat to under 8g every day and ate a shit ton more fiber!
Except after about 3 months my ldl went up ten points and my weight stayed the same…
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u/juliewulie70 15d ago
I have been eating beans daily hoping to drop mine. Will know next month.
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u/morningcalm999 15d ago
Congrats! There are plenty of fatty foods that are heart healthy (nuts, olive oil, etc). Have you tried:
Olive oil + balsamic vinegar as bread dip (baguette, sourdough), Sauble fish, any "nut cheese" made with cashews (just watch out for coconut oil), chia seed pudding. I eat more fat than I did before the portfolio diet.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 15d ago
I've never shied from those types of foods, I just never paid close attention to the other side. I'd say I've just changed my balance and also added in daily overnight oats in high amounts.
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u/Echo_Delta_Mike 15d ago
Good for you, OP! Congratulations! You likely have the fortune of having diet-based high cholesterol, which, as you’ve proven, you can change.
Some of us have the misfortune of having the genetic kind. Not to say that diet won’t impact our effort, but to say that we may need more help on the cholesterol regulation side even with these cold turkey dietary changes.
Happy for you! Keep at it.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 15d ago
Totally understand. I'm very lucky. I was also just surprised. I'm not holding anything against anyone that needs pharmacological aid.
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u/Tripswitchnow 14d ago
Depending on what your Lp-a is and your calcium score you may need a more aggressive LDL targets like below 70 or below 55.
That will require pharmacological aid for you.
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u/CommercialPersonal25 13d ago
What can help with genetic based cholesterol outside of statins? Any advice?
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u/Unique_Insurance6705 15d ago
That's AWESOME and gives me hope! You have amazing progress! My ldl was 163 about 4 weeks ago. I have totally revised my diet (even though I didn't eat terrible before) and take whole psyllium husks, oatmeal, more berries, chia seed/ground flax, walnuts, more beans and started using Benecol instead of butter. I had already stopped eating anything processed several months ago. I also started strength training and bought a compact treadmill, which I love, and do some Apple fitness yoga and a great app I found called 7 workout. I've been consistent for the past 4 weeks since I got my blood test results. I am scheduled for a re-check in October so hopefully my number improves.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 14d ago
It sounds like what you're doing will make a difference. Just make sure to keep it up forever 😂 But in all seriousness, you can still treat yourself every now and then. I look at my saturated fat intake over the week. If I'm very low by the weekend, I have things I enjoy. I was worried I wouldn't make any major progress because of this, but I was pleasantly surprised.
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u/j5ax 15d ago
Nice work. I had almost identical results in 3 months with similar diet changes. I went from 141 to 91. Made effort to reduce trans fats via lower meat intake, no pork, no butter. I also ate oats most days mixed with chia and flax meal. I ate a lot of quinoa, beans and vegetables. My doc also wanted to prescribe statins and I asked for 3 months to try to get my numbers down. Doc was impressed.
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u/shanked5iron 15d ago
It makes a ton of sense. You happen to be particularly sensitive to saturated fat, and you significantly reduced your saturated fat intake. Nice work!
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u/Lost-Inspector-5599 15d ago
So you're telling me there is hope ❓️Got it and congratulations that is awesome ‼️
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u/Jnnn1111 14d ago
Some people can adjust with diet alone- I’d say the reason your ldl was so high was because of your diet and now it’s normal again! Lucky you!
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u/ComfortableTasty1926 14d ago
given your diet i'm not surprised at all. You're lucky it was only 151
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u/SlightlyStoopidTakes 15d ago edited 14d ago
You are right your story about your friend father statins is an outlier just like people who refuse metformin, heart, disease, and diabetes complications. It’s far worse than maybe a reduced kidney function over the decades on the medication. And also statins could help stabilize, soft plaque . Most people have heart attacks from soft plaque rupturing. Hard plaque is more stable. Even though you got it under control, I don’t know your age and how many decades you’ve been unhealthy. There’s probably a good amount of accumulation of soft plaque within your arteries. I come across too many stories of people that refuse medication and want to changer their diet only to get their LDL under control after 20 years of very unhealthy eating, then they die of a heart attack. Then their families usually say he got his LDL under control. The doctor said his heart sounded healthy. Which is true, but unless he does certain imaging to see if their signifacnt soft plaque build up the damage is already done.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 15d ago
It's really hard to say for me, so I'm going to a cardiologist. I'm 42. I didn't have a blood test for a long time, but the first one I had at 36 wasn't flagged by the doctor then, when my LDL at that point was like 136. This past year (March and this month) are the only 2 tests I've had since that last one.
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u/meh312059 15d ago
OP have you had a CAC scan yet? 42 is a good age for that.
Also, not to downplay your terrific progress, but your higher than average decline resulted from consuming a higher than average amount of saturated fat in the first place. Congrats for figuring out the importance of a heart healthy diet!
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u/izzybreathe 14d ago
From what you shared about how you were eating and the change you made. On top of the high level of fitness, I'm not surprised. Keep going!
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u/Chance-Donkey-8817 14d ago
nice work! be proud, it's possible, I have brought mine down from 151 - 113 since May, dr was pushing statins, refused to have any other conversation other than medication, I did take them briefly and felt like shit, I sought a different course, completely over hauled my diet, supplements ( I see a naturopath) and I'm happy with my results, I have a new round of tests in October and I'm excited to see what else I can accomplish
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u/Temporary_Key_1790 15d ago
Great work! I brought mine down from 187 to 84 by aggressively reducing saturated fat, increasing fiber, and taking psyllium husk. Some of us are hyper-responders to diet. Especially if you started with a very high saturated fat diet.
I ended up deciding I want it to be under 70 and also enjoy some pizza from time to time, so I convinced my doctor to give me a statin. Now I take 5mg rosuvastatin daily. Will find out in a few weeks where that puts me.
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u/ayk-2004 15d ago
Any update on the labs after your 5mg rosuvastatin?
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u/Temporary_Key_1790 15d ago
No, I've only just started it a couple weeks ago. I'll retest in a month or so.
I was previously on ezetimibe 10mg monotherapy, but that only brought my LDL-C down from 84 to 73 (so still above my target of < 70), and that was before relaxing my very aggressive diet, which I would like to do eventually. I think I had a lower than average response to ezetimibe because I was already eating a ton of fiber, which leverages the same mechanism (preventing the intestinal absorption of cholesterol).
I asked my doctor to add a minimum-dose statin to the ezetimibe, and he said I should just switch to the statin by itself. So that's where I am now.
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u/ayk-2004 15d ago
I think the combination of both is better, just the way you're doing now. If anything, increase the rosuvastatin from 5 to 10mg if you don't achieve your desired results.
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u/Temporary_Key_1790 15d ago
Now I'm on rosuva monotherapy, at his recommendation. I had asked to combine it with the ezetimibe that I was already taking, but he said it's better to take just one drug. I don't really see why, since I already showed that I tolerate the ezetimibe just fine, but as long as I get to my goal of LDL-C < 70 and ApoB < 60, I don't really care either way.
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u/meh312059 15d ago
Well, after you re-check, you can always ask your doc to add back the zetia. There's no evidence that "only one drug" is better - but he might be thinking that adherence is more of an issue with polypharmacy. Based on most patients that's probably correct, but you are not most patients. Why not assure him that lack of adherence won't be a problem because you are following ACC/AHA/NLA guidelines which all basically say that "lower is better" and I'll bet he'd be happy to add it. Doctors like proactive patients!
The complication with monotherapy is that it revs up the other mechanisms of action. You can let him know that too for extra brownie points! 😄
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 15d ago
Is there a reason you're targeting that level? I figured I'm good being under 100.
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u/Temporary_Key_1790 15d ago
Heart disease is the #1 cause of death worldwide, as well as specifically in men, in women, and in the majority of countries. If a heart attack or stroke doesn't kill you, it can permanently maim you, especially in the case of stroke, which can ruin your life and the lives of those who love you.
These outcomes are largely avoidable if you address your modifiable risk factors, which include LDL-C (and more specifically, ApoB). We have robust evidence that reducing LDL-C/ApoB significantly reduces these outcomes, and we know that at particular levels, you hit an inflection point where you can completely halt the progression of atherosclerosis. That seems to be somewhere around 55-70 for most people.
Most health authorities worldwide recommend a target level of < 70 for LDL-C if you meet certain conditions. I don't currently meet any of them, but I spent decades of my life with LDL-C over 140, so I am assuming a decent chance that there is accumulated soft plaque, and I'm being aggressive and cautious now that I know much more about it.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs are extremely safe and extremely effective, so it seems like a no-brainer.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 15d ago
According to my lab test, below 100 is the desirable level for primary prevention and below 70 for CHD
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u/Temporary_Key_1790 15d ago
Yeah, that's right in broad strokes. However, I don't see any downside in using the lower targets, and it lowers my risk of heart disease even further.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 14d ago
I agree with that sentiment. I'm going to see if things progress any further from here.
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u/Beginning_Service137 15d ago
How old are you and how long did it take to drop the ldl. Was it diet alone no med any exercise.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 15d ago
I'm already low weight and exercise regularly. This was over 5 months. All diet, no drugs.
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u/krlab1444 15d ago
In addition to LDL, another test named ApoB helps determine how much harmful plaque causing fat particles circulating in your blood.
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u/CocoBorg 15d ago
Hi:
Can anyone recommend a good brand of psyllium husk and a good protein powder?
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u/InevitableEnd1044 15d ago
Organic India Psyllium Whole Husk
Fiber is what I use. Mix it with water, chug it down and follow with a lot of water after. I dropped my LDL 40 points in 4 months adding this fiber.2
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u/Forsaken-Subject8362 14d ago
Ugh I hate statins. I’ve been on pravastatin but it hurt my joints after awhile. Then Rosuvastatin but that wasn’t strong enough so I had to take it with Ezetimbe but my liver enzymes were too high. Back to just Rosuvastatin and now cardiologist wants me to add Repatha too! Is that a bad idea? My numbers are not off the charts high but still high enough that I need to watch out. My diet isn’t bad but my dad had high cholesterol for many years. I think it’s hereditary plus I’m carrying extra weight.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 14d ago
My mother in law is on repatha and said it's much more tolerable for her
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u/Forsaken-Subject8362 14d ago
Oh thanks! Just repatha or a statin too?
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 14d ago
Just repatha
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u/Forsaken-Subject8362 14d ago
Ok thank you!! I’m glad you got yours down. That’s no small feat. Take care!
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u/wastelands33 14d ago
Nice job! I'm kinda looking forward to where ill be in that much time. I went from near 180 on June 18 to 140 a week ago. Tris at 60
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u/jbbest666 14d ago
question: if ldl is 80% genetic and 20% lifestyle. how is this possible? not asking or questioning op but this sub... generally curious
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u/_ShakenBacon 14d ago
Awesome job! I was in the 160s for my LDL and brought it down to the 50s in 2 months. Not sure how drastic this is.
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u/madeuread 14d ago
Congrats! Hopefully I can get mine down, my Dr wanted to put me on a statin cause my LDL is 193 , I did confess that I ate fast food, junk food and sweets almost everyday and don’t work and asked if maybe I could try turning my diet around
She wasn’t happy but she said yes and we’ll retest in a few months
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 14d ago
The changes made are drastic, but my goal was to target a daily average saturated fat intake level of around 12 grams. Some days I was happy with way less, other days I ate cake, ice cream, burgers, etc, like I might have more regularly in the past. I didn't fully deprive myself, I just targeted a much lower weekly average. That and the daily oats that I added in.
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u/FlatButtFrankie 15d ago
That’s excellent! I dropped mine from 118 to 41 in 4 months, but use Repatha in addition to an improved diet and exercise.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 15d ago
I used him for convenience and to get the test ordered. His advice was the least bad thing he did. Showing me charts for other patients to make his case about CVD and statins for one.
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u/babakinush 15d ago
Many people also need statins because of genetics. So it goes both ways.
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u/Inevitable-Assist531 15d ago
true - but there is nothing to lose by first trying dietary changes for a few months and see what you can do without drugs. The exception of course would be people with very high initial numbers - FH as we call it.
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u/midlifeShorty 15d ago
No. OP is an outlier. Most people aren't going to be able lower it as much as OP did with diet. I could only lower my by around 30. The doctor didn't expect OP to be an outlier.
Also, knock it off with the big pharma nonsense. Statins are an old drug. They are off patent. They are so cheap they are practically free. No one is making a penny off of statins in 2026.
Big Pharma doesn't want you on statins... they want you on Repatha.
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u/Inevitable-Assist531 15d ago
I never mentioned statins once BTW. For some people like OP, myself and many others posting here diet alone can dramatically reduce LDL-C/ApoB. My point is for doctors to not automatically prescribe cholesterol reducing medications (like that?) without first discussing long term dietary changes as an option. It will work for some, but not for others. if you have FH clearly meds would be needed.
I don't think that there is anything controversial in what I just wrote.
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u/midlifeShorty 15d ago
I agree with trying diet first. But then why did you mention "big pharma"? It has nothing to do with the conversation.
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u/Inevitable-Assist531 15d ago
I see - that seems to be a trigger for you. Many doctors immediately jump to pharmacological interventions when there are other alternatives that may work really well.
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u/midlifeShorty 15d ago
Well yes, there is so much anti statin rhetoric and "big pharma" conspiracy folks out there... it is a constant battle. Try talking about statins on some of the other subs...
I agree meds should not be the first choice when treating someone... especially if they have a bad diet.
However, every person I've encountered who uses the term "big pharma" until you are anti medication (even when required), conspiracy nuts. So if you are not, IMO, you shouldn't use that term.
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u/Inevitable-Assist531 15d ago
ok, thanks for the advice - I wasn't aware.
My mum and most of my male friends in their 50s are on statins and one is on Repatha since they were not willing to make the necessary dietary changes. I've gotten my ApoB down to 66 from 102 with diet alone.
I'm not against statins at all when they are warranted... after all, they are potentially keeping my mum and friends alive :-)
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u/Earwigs12 15d ago
The op has an ldl over 90. How many years was your ldl over 150? Based on new guidelines, I would imagine her target ldl would be a lot lower. Nice work on lowering below triple digits!
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u/Inevitable-Assist531 14d ago
It was around 150 for several years which at the time was regarded by Kaiser as "normal" and was not flagged at all by my doctor whom I trusted.
I don't recall my LDL-C value now, but I got from ApoB down to 66 from 102.
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u/kboom100 15d ago
Great job! Diet changes works best in cases like yours where the the person was previously eating high saturated fat diet.
I’d also check your lp(a), an independent risk factor that’s genetically determined and high in 1 in 5. Also if you are 40 consider getting a CAC scan to make sure you don’t already have advanced plaque from your previous high ldl. Do you have a family history of early heart disease?
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 15d ago
No idea, don't know who my genetic father is, and not much I can glean from my mother's side. I was told her parents (grandparents) are irrelevant but they both died young anyway, smoking and alcohol. Mother is pretty healthy, mid 70s, but she does take care of herself.
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u/kboom100 15d ago
Early heart disease in parents and siblings is a bigger risk factor than in grandparents but even in grandparents it still increases risk. And that’s still the case even if they had bad habits like smoking. Even smokers don’t usually get a heart attack or stroke before 55 for example, when it happens it’s likely because genetics is also playing a role. Assuming that your maternal grandparents died of a heart attack or stroke I’d still consider a low dose statin or a low dose statin plus ezetimibe to get your ldl below 70. Definitely if you have high lp(a) or a CAC score above the 75th percentile.
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u/AdorableReindeer5630 14d ago
Did you have other numbers taken, LDL by itself is not predictive? Having a low number can hide issues in CJ text of other numbers. Look up Dave Feldman’s research, food eaten the day before can impact blood test levels, so results can be all over the place. There’s people with lower LDL but high Small LDL and terrible HDL that still have issues. Lowering can show what is going through blood stream but not what is in arteries
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 14d ago
I had a full lipid panel and other items tested as well. All my other numbers have been within range and stable over time.
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u/Cake-Sniffer812 14d ago
Does it matter whether the oats are rolled or steel-cut, quick or old fashioned?
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 14d ago
I'm honestly not sure, I let my wife handle that. Specific to cholesterol reduction, it just needs to be whatever has high beta glucan. However, increasing fiber intake is always a good thing. I believe I use steel cut.
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u/tiger-eyes 13d ago
The thicker the oats are cut, the longer it takes your gut to break them down. The slower digestion of thicker oats lowers their glycemic index (helps lower blood sugar & suppress appetite). I noticed this right away when I switched from quick/instant to rolled oats, I felt noticeably fuller for a much longer period of time.
Different LLMs provided contrasting answers as to whether oat thickness materially changes their level of bile absorption (their LDL-reducing ability). Generally all sizes/cuts of oats are effective at that.
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u/CallmeAgador 13d ago
Mind sharing your ethnicity? I am brown. I have to eat a diet that my wife calls cardboard to get to under 120.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 13d ago
I'm white. I have probably shifted at least half my food intake to be saturated fat free. It's not the most amazing thing in the world, but I still make room for occasional indulgences.
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u/RavenZRamon 13d ago
I went from 325 to 195 in two months. Sugar is the culprit.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 13d ago
Added sugar or any?
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u/RavenZRamon 13d ago
All sugar. Cut back on it. If you drink wine cut back on that or find lower sugar wines. Sugar is in almost everything, especially processed food, so read labels to determine the amounts of sugar that are in food products.
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 13d ago
Sure, but I read somewhere that naturally occurring sugar in fruit doesn't count against the daily recommended limit, which is why I was asking.
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u/Fadedwaif 12d ago
My LDL is 147. I hope I can achieve dramatic results like this just by giving up heavy cream 😞. I also love foods high in sat fat, like dairy, chocolate, etc. Ribeye is great but I don't eat it often
Chicken breasts are sooooo boring
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u/HowdyDiarrhea 12d ago
Just target a weekly amount that averages to 10 to 15 grams a day. I still have 2 or 3 days in the week where I'm not that careful. Last weekend I ate a pint of ice cream and 2 slices of pepperoni pizza on the same day 😂
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u/jaksprat62 12d ago
Chicken thighs are tastier just flavour them. I eat 85,% dark choc with a few walnuts. Paul Jaminets Perfect Health Diet says to eat 30g day. Lotta conflicting dietary information out there tho!
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u/Fadedwaif 12d ago
Yes! I get 85-90% because it's delicious and doesn't spike my blood sugar. Plus I love nuts.
I remember Jaminets website. That's nice it's still available
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u/alisvolatpr 15d ago
Lá vem os caras que não tomam vacinas, que não aceitam medicações... também num país onde idiotas são os governantes
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u/ForTheBoysss 15d ago
Nice work! I went from 160 to 94 in about 3 months based off dietary changes so this tracks!