Tenacious
03-18-2006, 10:24 AM
My Husband is 42 yrs, his Cholesterol is 235, his LDL is 162, His HDL was 45, His ratio is 5.2 They forgot to give me his Tri's but I know I am getting the personal results in the mail soon. He is already very thin, does not eat alot of fat at all, It is more a family genetic thing and I JUST know dieting will do nothing for him. He has to get it taken again in 3 months. What in the world do you feed a THIN man who needs His strength (one of the reasons he went to the Doctor is he feels run down), his thryroid was normal though. We rarely eat meat, he hardly ever touches sweets. I hate to have him start any drugs if he will have to take them for the next 30 yrs! WOn't this destroy his liver and joints over time? Is it safe to just NOT take the drugs and keep high cholesterol ?? His Mom is the only one who is on it and she did not start to take hers till she was in her late 50's , I think. His dad never took it, he is 76 yrs, I think he refused when he got his cholesterol taken, I am not aware of his numbers though. Worried about my Husband's health, thanks .
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Lenin
03-18-2006, 10:38 AM
His triglycerides are 140 (if I've done the calcualtion correctly! :D)
If I were he, I would try getting my fat intake below 30% of calories...not by guesstimate, but by counting...20% is even better. Keep saturated fat at half this amount and stop eating ANYTHING with hydrogenated oils. THis should get LDL down and might lower Triglycerides as well.
If he doesn't like sweets then sugar is probably not an issue.
Exercise is supposed to raise HDL...he can try aerobics/cardio.
There are other less druggy approaches like sterol/stanols (like Benecol spread and the Heart Healthy orange juices (and cholest-off)...check for "plant sterols" on the label.) Niacin is an "almost" drug approach but it's worth a try to see if he can stand the flush...It wiill raise HDL as will some alcohol every day!
A high fiber diet...lots of legumes...should help by sequestering some of the dietary cholesterol. And less eggs if he is a big ovo-eater!
If none of this works, there are always the statins to fall back on especially if he has a familial history of heart disease or other risk factors.
If I were he, I would try getting my fat intake below 30% of calories...not by guesstimate, but by counting...20% is even better. Keep saturated fat at half this amount and stop eating ANYTHING with hydrogenated oils. THis should get LDL down and might lower Triglycerides as well.
If he doesn't like sweets then sugar is probably not an issue.
Exercise is supposed to raise HDL...he can try aerobics/cardio.
There are other less druggy approaches like sterol/stanols (like Benecol spread and the Heart Healthy orange juices (and cholest-off)...check for "plant sterols" on the label.) Niacin is an "almost" drug approach but it's worth a try to see if he can stand the flush...It wiill raise HDL as will some alcohol every day!
A high fiber diet...lots of legumes...should help by sequestering some of the dietary cholesterol. And less eggs if he is a big ovo-eater!
If none of this works, there are always the statins to fall back on especially if he has a familial history of heart disease or other risk factors.
Tenacious
03-18-2006, 12:08 PM
Again ,what does a thin man eat--how feels run down anyway? Does statins make you tired --in case he has to go this route? It sounds like Beans beans beans. What else, nuts? I heard you need to stay away from Carb's, like pasta, white bread. Do I have to buy whole wheat and wheat speggetti? There is no family history of any relatives dying young to Heart Disease. His Dad is 76 and is having problems now, but he never took anything for Cholesterol. Husband only eats about 2 eggs a week now. I use One of those margarines with no Hydronated oils in it. I think I need a good book, I just wish more books would talk about the THIN man who has High Cholesterol, it is like they all assume we can stand to loose more weight and eat less fa. My husband NEEDS the fat--just the good kind, I guess.
Lenin
03-18-2006, 12:44 PM
Don't go the low carb route. A thin man who is restricting his fats to avoid statins wouuld starve to death by restricting carbs also.
It's enough to avoid the sugars. Pasta, potatoes, rice, and good bread should be the core caloric sources of his diet.
For good fats, eat FISH.
If he wants to eat high fat to maintain his weight, he'll have to take statins to control his cholesterol.
(There's NOTHING wrong with being thin!)
It's enough to avoid the sugars. Pasta, potatoes, rice, and good bread should be the core caloric sources of his diet.
For good fats, eat FISH.
If he wants to eat high fat to maintain his weight, he'll have to take statins to control his cholesterol.
(There's NOTHING wrong with being thin!)
Stumper
03-18-2006, 05:23 PM
First off, at the age of 42 one might feel a little rundown from time to time but it shouldn't be TOO much. At 42 I felt like I could still climb mountains and then someone warned me..."Wait until you hit 45". I said , Naaaw, but then when I hit 45 I felt something that said "slow down a little buddy".
But if he is feeling REALLY rundown then I would have complete bloodwork done, especially pay attention to his iron. You said "We rarely eat meat"...Yes,,,
THAT is a clue.
Meat can build iron faster than ANYTHING you can eat...good red meat. It will build iron faster than any plant or grain foods. Cream of Wheat, however is quite high in iron.
His only problem may be that he needs red meat in his diet. Forget about the cholesterol right now as he needs energy. Then you can always look at the cholesterol, or Statins.
My sister is a doctor, surgeon, and a registered dietician, so I have learned alot on an occassion, about diet :)
But if he is feeling REALLY rundown then I would have complete bloodwork done, especially pay attention to his iron. You said "We rarely eat meat"...Yes,,,
THAT is a clue.
Meat can build iron faster than ANYTHING you can eat...good red meat. It will build iron faster than any plant or grain foods. Cream of Wheat, however is quite high in iron.
His only problem may be that he needs red meat in his diet. Forget about the cholesterol right now as he needs energy. Then you can always look at the cholesterol, or Statins.
My sister is a doctor, surgeon, and a registered dietician, so I have learned alot on an occassion, about diet :)
Tenacious
03-19-2006, 10:04 AM
He did get a complete Blood work and all was within normal range, except the Cholesterol stuff. He is not real run down, just more than normal I guess. I will feed him more cream of wheat. How is Iron listed on this report anyway, it has all kinds of weird things like WBC, RBC, HEMATOCRIT, MCH, MCHC, RDW, ....MONOOCYTES-ABSOLUTE, I have no idea what this stuff is, but EVERY THING was within normal limits.
Tenacious
03-19-2006, 10:21 AM
Is Cholest off worth a try, or is all this stuff gimmicks and should we try Time release Niacin, Red Yeast Rice, cinnimin? I want to order something but not sure which combinations to get.
Stumper
03-19-2006, 10:24 AM
He did get a complete Blood work and all was within normal range, except the Cholesterol stuff. He is not real run down, just more than normal I guess. I will feed him more cream of wheat. How is Iron listed on this report anyway, it has all kinds of weird things like WBC, RBC, HEMATOCRIT, MCH, MCHC, RDW, ....MONOOCYTES-ABSOLUTE, I have no idea what this stuff is, but EVERY THING was within normal limits.
OverRun,
Now THAT I couldn't help you with. Perhaps Lenin or someone else may know. Even though I have a sister in the profession she lives somewhat far away, has a busy life, and so I just pick up "tidbits" here or there when I see her. Alas.
Yes, Cream of Wheat is good for a grain food, but also if he is low then a good iron table might be in order...BUT...there is nothing like red meat to raise it and raise it quicker. Perhaps you do not care for meat, personal or religious reasons, but IF you could it might help.
But then again...it may be something else altogether. :confused:
OverRun,
Now THAT I couldn't help you with. Perhaps Lenin or someone else may know. Even though I have a sister in the profession she lives somewhat far away, has a busy life, and so I just pick up "tidbits" here or there when I see her. Alas.
Yes, Cream of Wheat is good for a grain food, but also if he is low then a good iron table might be in order...BUT...there is nothing like red meat to raise it and raise it quicker. Perhaps you do not care for meat, personal or religious reasons, but IF you could it might help.
But then again...it may be something else altogether. :confused:
bigdobe
03-19-2006, 01:18 PM
If men have low iron, then the situation must be carefully evaluated by their physician. Premenopausal women loose blood regularly and occassionally their MD will suggest the addition of iron. Men should not be loosing blood and requiring iron replacement. Has the recent physical examination included a cardiac evaluation (stress test)?
Stumper
03-19-2006, 07:42 PM
If men have low iron, then the situation must be carefully evaluated by their physician. Premenopausal women loose blood regularly and occassionally their MD will suggest the addition of iron. Men should not be loosing blood and requiring iron replacement. Has the recent physical examination included a cardiac evaluation (stress test)?
Bigdobe,
This is true about men, however, her statement of "We rarely eat meat" seemed to be an indicator of something.
Just an observation. :)
Bigdobe,
This is true about men, however, her statement of "We rarely eat meat" seemed to be an indicator of something.
Just an observation. :)
Tenacious
03-19-2006, 07:56 PM
Husband's Blood count did not show low iron at all, and when I said we dont' eat alot of meat, all i meant was... His High cholesterol could not be from that, as we dont' eat much. WE LOVE meat, but it is expensive (we have a family of 7 to feed) so we don't eat alot of red meat. We eat more Chicken than anything. His complete Blood work up was all normal except for Cholesterol #, LDL and ratio.
Stumper
03-19-2006, 08:18 PM
Husband's Blood count did not show low iron at all, and when I said we dont' eat alot of meat, all i meant was... His High cholesterol could not be from that, as we dont' eat much. WE LOVE meat, but it is expensive (we have a family of 7 to feed) so we don't eat alot of red meat. We eat more Chicken than anything. His complete Blood work up was all normal except for Cholesterol #, LDL and ratio.
Overun,
Now THAT makes more sense. :)
Let me tell you what my doc told me. I am 49 so I am not a whole lot older than your husband. I too had trouble lowering my TC through diet alone. He told me I had a genetic problem and no matter what I do I will have trouble getting it down through diet. He said it is due to a "defective" gene that misreads info. Went on to say that the Statins were actually made for people like me.
And of course if something is defective then I personally wanted to kick it in the butt.
It looks like you wish to try diet first? Good idea. See what happens. In the end there are always Statins.
But his rundown feeling...Hmmm...just how much "in range" is his thyroid? Is it close to the edge? Mine was, so I elected to go on synthroid. I was cold at night, my body temp was low. What is his tempature like?
Overun,
Now THAT makes more sense. :)
Let me tell you what my doc told me. I am 49 so I am not a whole lot older than your husband. I too had trouble lowering my TC through diet alone. He told me I had a genetic problem and no matter what I do I will have trouble getting it down through diet. He said it is due to a "defective" gene that misreads info. Went on to say that the Statins were actually made for people like me.
And of course if something is defective then I personally wanted to kick it in the butt.
It looks like you wish to try diet first? Good idea. See what happens. In the end there are always Statins.
But his rundown feeling...Hmmm...just how much "in range" is his thyroid? Is it close to the edge? Mine was, so I elected to go on synthroid. I was cold at night, my body temp was low. What is his tempature like?