I'm a 31 year old male in otherwise perfect health who learned while taking a life insurance blood test that my LDL cholesterol was 171 (triglycerides was around 132 and HDL was 42-my total was 241). Admittedly, for years (since high school/college), I ate way too much fat (red meat, eggs, etc.). I am 5'11 and 170 lbs, and my resulting BMI (24.9) does not indicate that I am clinically overweight. I mean until now I never ate fruit or the right kind of grains.

Since learning of this high LDL cholesterol level in early Jan. 2005, I've literally cut out red meat (substituted ground turkey), fried food, and any processed foods (cookies, etc.). I now drink skim milk and when I have cheese it is low fat. I check the nutritional content of everything. I eat real oatmeal or a high fiber cereal everyday, drink 100% concord grape juice daily, have a green apple, a banana and a serving of strawberries everyday (sometimes more than once), and I've eliminated diet soft drinks and reduced coffee intake. I also eat 1-2 servings of almonds daily. Eggs, when eaten, are only the whites. I've basically given up processed meat (sausage, pepperoni, etc.).

I have just commenced an exercise regime of 3 days of weights and 3 days of cardio/aerobic per week. I am only a social drinker and don't smoke.

I'm by no means perfect-I do on occasion have 5-7 drinks over the course of a weekend (rarely more than three at a single evening), and have had "fun" foods at special occasions maybe less than 10 times since beginning the diet in early January.

Can I expect it to lower after five months of dieting and less than one month of consistent exercise?

Should I go ahead and test now to see where I'm at? Or wait a few months to let the exercise have an effect?

Also, I've been on Claritin (loratadine) daily for the past five years to control allergies that have in my past produced asthma. Could this affect the high LDL reading? Also, the night before the test before I began the 12-hour fast I had a pasta dish rich w/cheese and pinenuts. To boot, the exam room was freezing when they drew my blood.

I really, really want to avoid cholesterol medication at my age. This high cholesterol thing has thrown me for a loop, and I am admittedly terrified. FYI, I don't have high BP, am not diabetic, my liver function tests were totally normal, and no one in my family has been diagnosed w/heart disease before age 55.

MUCH thanks-

If it were me, I'd test now to see where you are at, but inform the doctor that regardless of the results, you intend to take at least another six months or a year of lifestyle changes before you would even consider a statin or other medication. I think you will likely see some pretty major improvements. There is an extremely low immediate risk to having cholesterol that high at your age, and some times it takes a bit of fine tuning of diet, exercise and supplements and several blood tests to learn what works best for you. Not everyone's body reacts alike to different changes, and until you test, you really don't know if the changes you make are doing any good or not. Of course, long term that cholesterol level could possibly be a problem, so if you can't improve it with lifestyle changes, you'd want to give medication consideration.

Be sure you are including plenty of relatively low-carb vegetables in your diet, things like broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, carrots, celery, asparagus, tomatoes, and the like.

Next time eat lightly the night before your blood test, as your pasta dish last time could have influenced your results. Good luck!

Well your numbers aren't all that bad, so I would definitely try the diet and exercise routine. As long as U know what U have been doing wrong in the past, I think U could conquer this without meds. I have no idea about the allergy meds., but don't think it would affect it.

Most drs. try and give their patients at least a 3-6 month try of diet and exercise to lower their numbers, so U just might do it. Read some posts here and see what others have done without meds. At your age, don't think U would like to commit to a med. for life, plus U have no other risk factors. Give yourself a few months before retesting, as it takes a good 6 months for most folks.

Best of luck....... :wave:

Like Uff said, always try to eat lite the day before a test.

smyrnite,

I agree with Uff-Da's approach...test after 30 days and see if you are heading in the right direction. There's no way to predict for sure if the low-fat high-exercise approach will work for you but that's exactly what I would try if I were you. I think it's likely to be beneficial to your lipid panel.
Be careful that the last meal before the tesing fast isn't super carby or worse, sugary and don't have alcohol the day before!

Double squeeze on that cheese consumption...I'm almost certain that a life of cheese abuse is what earned me my stent! Is there a twelve step program called CA?:D:D

Lenin--Double squeeze on that cheese consumption...I'm almost certain that a life of cheese abuse is what earned me my stent! Is there a twelve step program called CA?

Lenin,


I agree 1000%. I am totally convinced that cheese is one of our greatest enemies for arterial clogging. I would stake my life on it. Liiterally.


And I will even go one step further and say that I think it clogs them fairly fast if one is not very active and even if they are active it will still clog though somewhat slower.

Stumper, I am working hard to control my butterfat intake and use butter only for VERY special things...like sauteeing mushrooms and blackening fish...maybe a pat of butter a week. In my stupid youth I would actually butter COOKIES and PRETZELS...for real!
I've replaced my Half and Half for my GALLONS of coffee with the fat-free version which I think is very good (unlike the non-dairy horrors.)
For spreading on toast, rolls, French toast, pancakes and the like I use SMART BEAT a canola/water whip that is 20 calories/Tbsp and contains zero trans-fats or saturated fats.
For cheese, I just try to abstain as much as I can though I slip up and buy a block of extra-sharp cheddar every so often...but I never eat more than an ounce in a day.
I make kefir and enjoy a glass every day...alas the kefir buggies HATE skim milk, so I must use at least 2%. Well, at least it's HALF the fat of whole milk (which makes the very creamiest kefir...unfortunately.)

I think I have cut my total butterfat consumption by nearly 75% since my stent. It helps the waisltine too. It's not easy but it's doable.

Stumper, I am working hard to control my butterfat intake and use butter only for VERY special things...like sauteeing mushrooms and blackening fish...maybe a pat of butter a week. In my stupid youth I would actually butter COOKIES and PRETZELS...for real!
I've replaced my Half and Half for my GALLONS of coffee with the fat-free version which I think is very good (unlike the non-dairy horrors.)
For spreading on toast, rolls, French toast, pancakes and the like I use SMART BEAT a canola/water whip that is 20 calories/Tbsp and contains zero trans-fats or saturated fats.
For cheese, I just try to abstain as much as I can though I slip up and buy a block of extra-sharp cheddar every so often...but I never eat more than an ounce in a day.
I make kefir and enjoy a glass every day...alas the kefir buggies HATE skim milk, so I must use at least 2%. Well, at least it's HALF the fat of whole milk (which makes the very creamiest kefir...unfortunately.)

I think I have cut my total butterfat consumption by nearly 75% since my stent. It helps the waisltine too. It's not easy but it's doable.



Lenin,


Yes, I have seen the Smartbeat butter. Does it taste like butter? We use Smartbalance which states on the container that it has been actually tested by Brandon University and is supposed to help cholesterol levels. I will tell you personally that I cannot taste the difference from this and butter. It is non-hydrogenated as well.

Buttering cookies and pretzels? That is exactly what my wife has done on occassions! She butters sandwich bread alot when making a roast beef sandwich, for example. I don't like it.


O, yes, I LOVE cheddar too. There's something about it. If you are only eating less than an ounce a day, I would think that wouldn't be to bad, in all honesty.


But cutting butterfat by 75% is a terrific thing. And yes, I am sure it will help the waistline as well. As I get older, and I think all people are pretty much the same, it just gets harder to lose weight no matter what you do, it seems.

Stumper,
Give SmartBeat a try...it DOES tast good and is made by the Smart Balance people and this is, how shall we say, their DIETETIC version.
I have grown to like it for everything but cooking...it doesn't melt right, BARELY AT ALL :D:D:!