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I was bummed to find that although I've been a vegan for 2 years, my cholesterol has actually increased from 276 to 326. I'm not an unhealthy vegan either. I eat lots of healthy veggies, fruits and legumes and avoid processed food as much as possible. I'm 34, 6'2" and weigh 172 lbs. I have hereditary high cholesterol. My dad and his 7 siblings all have heart disease and are on statins, although for some, it doesn't look like statins make any difference. They lower cholesterol numbers but that's about it. The more I research statins, the more I read there is not enough evidence to support their claimed benefits. Does anyone know anyone who has lived well into their 80's and 90's with very high cholesterol without any problems? It would be somewhat encouraging to know if high cholesterol is not a death sentence for a relatively healthy person.
Herbivor,
I'm not a vegan, so I don't know anything about the diet. However, I know in the carnivorous world there are many foods that are extremely high in Cholesterol, like Shrimp. There may be similar high cholesterol foods in the beans and legums family. Also, many foods help to clear out cholesterol... you may do yourself a world of good by researching cholesterol levels in your diet staples and possible use that info to limit your intake. I'm not sure if you are an alcohol drinker, but that is also a huge source of cholesterol.
I don't know about life expectancy. I tried to do some quick research, but didn't have any luck. I would imagine it would effect your life expectancy because cholesterol is what causes that plaque build-up in your viens and arteries, and then causes heart attack and stroke.
Have you had your LDL and HDL checked? HDL is the good cholesterol. If you HDL is significantly higher than your LDL, it helps mitigate the effects of an overall high number. If the LDL is only slightly lower than HDL, it makes the effects worse. Find out which foods in your diet support HDL.
For example, if your cholesterol is 300, and 200 of that is HDL, it isn't so bad. But if only 110 of that is HDL, it is very bad.
Before going on Statins, I'd talk to a dietitian who specializes in vegitarian/vegan/raw diets... you might be able to control this with diet to some extent. Just because you are eating healthy doesn't mean your food lacks cholesterol. Although I would imagine that it is still much better than most American diets. Some is attributable to genetics, but mitigating that is the goal.
You must remember that many doctors don't believe in any type of alternative medicine... it's diagnose, prescripe RX medicines. See if you can get a referal to a dietician.
I was bummed to find that although I've been a vegan for 2 years, my cholesterol has actually increased from 276 to 326. I'm not an unhealthy vegan either. I eat lots of healthy veggies, fruits and legumes and avoid processed food as much as possible. I'm 34, 6'2" and weigh 172 lbs. I have hereditary high cholesterol. My dad and his 7 siblings all have heart disease and are on statins, although for some, it doesn't look like statins make any difference. They lower cholesterol numbers but that's about it. The more I research statins, the more I read there is not enough evidence to support their claimed benefits. Does anyone know anyone who has lived well into their 80's and 90's with very high cholesterol without any problems? It would be somewhat encouraging to know if high cholesterol is not a death sentence for a relatively healthy person.
70 to 80% of all cholesterol in your body comes from you (your own body) and not from diet. That is why Statins works so well and is prescribe often, they stop/prevent you body from making cholesterol.
All plant food is 100% cholesterol free. I consume no cholesterol whatsoever. I also know that most of the cholesterol is produced by my liver. Statins lower cholesterol but do nothing to prevent or reverse arteriosclerosis, so what's the point in taking them? They also increase ones risk of cancer and do not contribute to reducing mortality rates.... not to mention all the potential side effects and risks. So, no thanks to the statins. BTW, I eat all the "cholesterol lowering foods" on a regular basis, oats, onions, garlic, etc. I read a book called "11 steps to lowering cholesterol" and laughed because I already do all of them anyway.
All plant food is 100% cholesterol free. I consume no cholesterol whatsoever. I also know that most of the cholesterol is produced by my liver. Statins lower cholesterol but do nothing to prevent or reverse arteriosclerosis, so what's the point in taking them? They also increase ones risk of cancer and do not contribute to reducing mortality rates.... not to mention all the potential side effects and risks. So, no thanks to the statins. BTW, I eat all the "cholesterol lowering foods" on a regular basis, oats, onions, garlic, etc. I read a book called "11 steps to lowering cholesterol" and laughed because I already do all of them anyway.
It isn't how much cholesterol you have in your system so much as what you do with it. You could let it interact with Vitamin D and make sex hormones - or you could let it combine with calcium and encrust your circulatory system.
Best to ingest high amounts of lecithin and vitamin C to clean out, and keep clean, your arteries. Garlic and NAC are also helpful.
Even eggs are good for you in this regard as they contain more lecithin than needed to keep the egg's cholesterol emulsified.
Try getting a blood test to checks nutritional deficiency. 2 years does not erase 3 decades. And you can be unhealthy vegan if you are eating a lot of trans fats, are fat or don't get any activity.
You could be doing all the right things with the wrong genes too. ^^^
My friend's mother had this issue. She ate totally perfect but still had a heart attack at 42.
My grandmother is over 90 with high cholesterol. The whole cholesterol thing is a bit sketchy since it means big money for pharm companies. I think overall high cholesterol is fine but when the ratios get messed up is when its dangerous.
All plant food is 100% cholesterol free. I consume no cholesterol whatsoever. I also know that most of the cholesterol is produced by my liver. Statins lower cholesterol but do nothing to prevent or reverse arteriosclerosis, so what's the point in taking them? They also increase ones risk of cancer and do not contribute to reducing mortality rates.... not to mention all the potential side effects and risks. So, no thanks to the statins. BTW, I eat all the "cholesterol lowering foods" on a regular basis, oats, onions, garlic, etc. I read a book called "11 steps to lowering cholesterol" and laughed because I already do all of them anyway.
Wrong every single cell have cholesterol in their membrane (including plants).
So if you think that "plant food" is 100% cholesterol free, you are wrong.
(why take statins?)To prevent further arteriosclerosis, also if you want to reverse it the key is to increase your "good cholesterol".
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I consume no cholesterol whatsoever. I also know that most of the cholesterol is produced by my liver. Statins lower cholesterol but do nothing to prevent or reverse arteriosclerosis, so what's the point in taking them? They also increase ones risk of cancer and do not contribute to reducing mortality rates.... not to mention all the potential side effects and risks. So, no thanks to the statins. BTW, I eat all the "cholesterol lowering foods" on a regular basis, oats, onions, garlic, etc. I read a book called "11 steps to lowering cholesterol" and laughed because I already do all of them anyway.
