Hi folks!

I am 31 years old (male) and am overweight (60lbs). I have recently begun (two months ago) an exercise program with a personal trainer.

I just found out my cholesterol levels are out of whack, but I'm reluctant to start taking meds before I see what exercise/weight loss can do. Any recommendations on natural ways to balance out my numbers?

My numbers:

Total - 228
LDL - 170
HDL - 23
Tri - 332 (yikes, I know)

I already eat a low fat (bad fats)/low sodium diet, but I will probably cut back on the refined carbs and go with more whole grain products (which is hard because I have IBS...that's for another forum...).

I have heard to take the following:

Guggul Root
Niacin
Flax Seed Oil
Pantheine

and...

EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE!

Thanks for any advice,



Kenny

Kenny,

My opinion is that you would probably be better off on a low-carb diet instead of a low-fat diet. Low-carb diets are far more likely to reduce triglycerides and raise HDL. A low-fat diet will not help either your low HDL or your high triglycerides. The supplements that you mention may be of help, especially the niacin, and possibly pantethine. You might also consider lecithin and fish oil.

Although I am going to cut back on carbs in general, what about the "good" carbs like whole grains and oatmeal?

Also, I didn't really eat much fat, but I'm going to try and reduce the polysaturated even more.

Thanks!

Whole grains and/or oatmeal are the problems of most digestive orders, wheat intolerance. Get youself a copy of Protein Power LifePLan by Drs. Eades, educational and proven successful if you want to go natural.

The National Cholesterol Education Program has a great program called the TLC program and it talks about lowering cholesterol naturally through diet, exrcise and taking plant sterols ands tanols. Supplements might be a good idea since you're dieting--CholestOff is a great product that many have had succes with. Check out this site www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/atp3xsum.pdf

Thanks!

I'm due to take another blood test in a couple of months.

Let's see what my exercise (every day), eating a serving of steel cut oats per day, and taking Policosanol and plant sterols do!

I don't anticipate too much change in two months, but we'll see.

Hello, The complex carbs as in pasta, rice, and bread should be ok. Just make sure you watchout for pure sugar and don't over dose on the complex carbs. My sister's trigs when up and my are low. We are both on a low-fat diet, but the difference is that she eats more refined sugar and less complex carbs and less fresh fruit than I do. I eat a lot of complex carbs and fresh fruit, but I only eat one serving at a time.

Hello, The complex carbs as in pasta, rice, and bread should be ok. Just make sure you watchout for pure sugar and don't over dose on the complex carbs...

I gotcha. I think what will really help is cutting back on the sandwiches. I like potato bread, but I might find a better bread or just substitute something else.

My wife and I already eat lots of veggies and fruit (controlled servings...don't want too much sugar there).

Mainly...

I vowed to myself a week ago to exercise every day for the rest of my life. Period. No excuses. So far, I'm sticking to it. Only 50 or so years to go (God willing).

:)

Carbohydrates by definition are sugar molecules whether they are "simple" or "complex." There is little or no difference between simple or complex carbs once they hit your digestive tract. They are both broken down within minutes and enter your blood stream as glucose.

If you want to control your triglycerides by reducing carbs you need to restrict or eliminate all grains (flour, corn, wheat etc), pasta, beans, rice, starchy vegetables (potatoes, peas etc) and most fruits.

Replace the starchy vegetables and grains with low carb vegetables like arugula, alfalfa sprouts , asparagus, avocado, bamboo shoots, bok choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, celery, chinese cabbage, chives, collard greens, cucumber, eggplant, endive, escarole, fresh fennel, garlic, green beans, green cabbage, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, olives, onions, parsley, pickles, peppers, radicchio, radishes, rhubarb, sauerkraut, scallions, snap beans, snow pea pods, spinach, swiss chard, turnip greens, watercress, zucchini.

Eat small amounts of fruits like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries etc.

Well said, ZippyDawg! :wave:

I saw on the news yesterday that blueberries help lower cholesterol as well or better than statin drugs.

Hello ZippyDawg, I found some more info. on complex vs. simple carbs. It seems that there is a difference between the two, just like there is a difference between sat. fat and unsat. fat. Here's a quote from a diabetic organizaiton...

"Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which is the reason they are sometimes abbreviated as CHO. Carbs range from those with simple construction, like glucose (dextrose) and fructose (levulose), which are called mono-saccharides, to the di-saccharides like sucrose (table sugar) which is composed of equal parts of glucose and fructose. Increasingly complex carbs, like those found in grains, vegetables, legumes, etc., are called poly- or oligo-saccharides.

Simple carbs are almost immediately absorbed into our bloodstreams. The more complex the carb, the more the body needs to break them down before it can use them. This occurs in the stomach and intestine utilizing an enzyme called carbose. A measure of the speed at which the body makes glucose available from carbs is called the Glycemic Index or "GI" of that food. Sugar is a high-GI food, most legumes are lower-GI foods.

Carbs have the most profound impact on our blood glucose. Approximately 95% of carbohydrates in our diets are converted to blood glucose. A fast carb, like pure sugar, will raise BG very quickly causing a BG "spike". A slower carb, like whole-grain bread, will raise it more slowly as it takes time for the body to break it down, but the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of blood glucose vs. time will be the same for both.

Since the fiber component listed on US (but not other countries') Nutrition Labels is included in the carb count, most deduct fiber from total carbs to arrive at Net Carbs, i.e., carbs that the body can use."


I guess it really all boils down to all things in moderation.

:bouncing: Hello Jtu, I saw that in the news this morning too. They said that blueberries are just as good as some statins and also may help prevent diabetes! They didn't say how much you should eat per day though. Did you catch the amount? I wonder if the blueberry extract pills are just as good for when blueberries are out of season?

They don't know how many blueberries you need to eat to effect cholesterol., but they have found a compond in them that is as effective as statins. I knew blueberries were good for a diabetic since they have hardly any carbs. I plan on eating a handful a day until I hear more.

The study the news reports were referring to are not based on testing cholesterol levels in humans. The test was conducted on rat liver cells in a test tube which were exposed to four compounds extracted from blueberries. That's not to say that blueberries aren't good for you!

"But the research is preliminary. Until human studies can be done with the compound, Rimando said, "I can't say how many blueberries a person needs to eat to have a positive effect on their cholesterol.""

"In laboratory studies done with colleagues at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, Rimando exposed rat-liver cells to four compounds found in blueberries. Of the four, pterostilbene showed the highest potency in activating a receptor that plays a role in reducing cholesterol and other fat in the bloodstream."

My dietician told me several months ago to eat blueberries for that reason. I was putting about 20 berries on my bran flakes. I don't like blueberries too much. Im taking Take Control and Smart Balance Omega 3 spread.

Magpiezoe, it is true that there are differences at the molecular level between simple and complex carbohydrates. It is also true that the time it takes for your digestive tract to break the chains of complex carbs will vary based on a number of factors. Whether it takes 5 minutes or an hour to release the glucose is of little importance overall. The glycemic load of a carbohydrate is probably as or more important then the glycemic index of a food item.

Glucose is a super charged fuel and the amount your body can store is extremely limited. Approximately one teaspoon of pure glucose is all that can be stored in the liver, blood and muscles. Glucose is actually a toxic substance and any excess must be cleared from the blood and converted to fat as rapidly as possible. Keep in mind that the body has an unlimited capacity to store fat which it does very efficiently. You also need to keep in mind if you are constantly burning glucose because of excess carb intake your cells will not be burning ketone bodies (fat). Ketone bodies are also the preferred fuel source for some muscle groups and organs.

Starchy vegetables, and most fruits and grains release large amounts of glucose into the blood stream which raise triglyceride levels and promote fat storage and weight gain. You referred to the glycemic index. It is interesting to note that some varieties of both rice and potatoes have a glycemic index that is higher then pure glucose from which the index is based on.