# Cholesterol/Triglycerides Question



## TrudyPowell (Feb 9, 2005)

Last week my husband (age 42) went to the doctor for check-up and had labs done. His results, according to his doctor, indicated high cholesterol. 
Doctor wants my husband to start taking Tricor (not sure of spelling) in order to lower his triglycerides and raise his HDL. My father-in-law had bypass surgery probably 10-12 years or so, and the doctor is taking that family history of heart disease into consideration when recommending this drug.

My husband and I want to try diet changes, more exercise, and helpful supplements (fish oil, red yeast rice, niacin, etc.) instead of a prescription. I'm not impressed with any of the information on cholesterol medication that I have read in the past and don't want to go that way if not completely necessary, and I don't think we can afford those medications either.

Here are my husband's "numbers". 

LDL Direct - 126
Cholesterol - 177
HDL - 29
Triglycerides - 207 

I'm not clear on what LDL Direct is. 

I purchased some Niacin (slow-release, non-flush kind), as I read that's really good, but now I've read that the slow-release kind is hard on the liver. 

I'm hoping you all can help with your input.


Thanks,
Trudy


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2007)

The red yeast rice works very, very well. I don't know if it works for 100% of everyone, but it sure doesn't hurt to give it a try.


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## chris30523 (Jun 11, 2005)

You want the HDL high. It is raised by regular exercise.They should have given you some sort of ratio. HDL/LDL .The Triglycerides are increased by carbohydrates.Sugar,bread etc. Diabetics have high triglycerides . 
I don't know the effectiveness of some of the things you listed. I do know a diet high in fresh fruits,and vege's,a moderate amount of meat, complex carbohydrates and regular exercise show improvement in the HDL/LDL ratio.
It is hard to fight genetics, but if I were him I would do everything I could.The cheapest and easiest is to modify the diet. I have heard the red yeast rice works.Can't hurt. Alot of people can't take niacin.Good luck! I too fight genetics.


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## Pink_Carnation (Apr 21, 2006)

Cut down on cheese and meat, eliminate as many trans fats as you possibly can. Add in grape juice, oats, flax, and lots of exercise.


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## Ezrandi (Aug 6, 2007)

Triglycerides are Plant fat, Olive oil, peanut oil, etc..

Cholesteral is animal fat.. 

There has to be a balance between the two.. for your body to function normally


Oatmeal is one of the best ways to lower cholesteral, there are others but I have to look them up.
Excercise helps too.

as far as I know, the only way to lower triglycerides it to cut down on plant fats..

for us.. the cholesteral meds run about $35 dollars a month.


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## timmcentire (Apr 16, 2004)

I've been researching this lately and along with good nutrition and exercise, it appears that the Omega-3's in fish oil will help. 

The American Heart Association recommends:
"People with a high risk of coronary heart disease or of high-level triglyceride cannot obtain enough Omega 3 fatty acids from dietary fish. They may therefore need to supplement their diet with pharmaceutical fish oil."

Dr. Barry Sears is a big proponent of the benefits of fish oil. I am currently reading "The Omega RX Zone", one of his books, and it is very fascinating. I'm convinced that fish oil can help quite a bit. It might be a good idea to take a look at the book.


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## Marilyn in CO (May 12, 2002)

sluggish liver not doing it's job = high cholesterol.......... Liver cleanses and gallbladder cleanses AND bowel cleanses......it's all about routine toxin cleanup in the body.........taking digestive enzymes a must... Avoid sugar and processed foods.......walk at least 30 min. a day....... Cholesterol drugs do more harm than good.


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## oberhaslikid (May 13, 2002)

Trudy, I am the same age and went to the Dr. last year and I had the same as you husband.Iam currently on a Cholesterol med. I have to change my diet to avoid any more meds.
I eat pretty healthy I thought, but found out the white stuff Bread ,potatoes, rice ,Sugar are the killers.
I followed a LOW GI diet
I also use Flax in every thing I can 2 Tbls a day and just went to the Dr after 1 year and My HDL is out weighing my LDL GREAT.
As far as the Cholesterol think lean meat( turkey bacon ,ham ,and sausage) Low fat milk ,cheese, yogurt.
Olive oil, margerine. all are cheaper than a DR bill.
Adjust the diet and exercise more.


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## janeren (Sep 14, 2007)

Hi, I am a 30 year female and was in the hospitial Aug 2004 for severe pancreintitus (spelling?) Anyway, it was due to my HIGH colesterol and tryglicerides. I went in the ER the day I thought I was having severs heartburn. They ran blood work and it was TOOO high for hte lab at our hospital to read so they sent it to a special lab. I ended up being sent to another hospital for 2 weeks in ICU and was in pretty bad shape. When I got out and went to the doc for my follow up I asked him what my numbers were when I went in the ER. If he hadn't shown me the actual report I wouldn't of believed him. My cholesterol was 4367 and my tryglicerides were 5182. I should of been dead!!!! I am now on Tricor, Lipitor and omega 3 w/ fish oil daily and after 3 years my numbers have gone down the last time I had blood work done which was in July of this year. I didn't like the idea of being on meds either but sometimes you need to be. I had asked my doc if I could go the "natural" route but clearly my #'s were TOO high to do that but your husbands aren't very high at all and I would try the diet change and natural cures for a couple months and have his levels ran again in a few months and compare the difference. If it is lower then GREAT!!!!


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

The word triglyceride means 3 sugar and 1 fat. It is, if fact, made up of 3 sugar molecules and one fat molecule.

When I was put on the low-fat diet, my triglycerides shot up to 577. Tests were done and it was discovered that I was carbohydrate intolerant. Basically, low fat is ALSO high carb, and I could no longer handle the higher amount of carbs. 

Every time my blood sugar went over 170 after eating too many carbs my body was making triglycerides: it is what the body does. The body gets rid of high blood sugar by making triglycerides.

In order to bring DOWN my triglycerides, I ate fewer carbs in one sitting, ate frequent snacks (often non-sugar carb snacks), and I ate much MORE lean protien. The idea is to not eat a lot of carbs in one sitting: space them out throughout the day. Ate meal times fill up on more fish and chicken and lean beef.

Both my triglycerides and my cholesterol went down into the normal range. So did my blood pressure after a bit.

On a more practical manner, instead of eating more pasta and little meat (like on the low-fat diet) I ate less pasta and more lean meat with it. I would eat perhaps a cup of pasta and the rest of the meal would be LEAN meatballs and salad and diet cola.

I soon had more energy than I had had in years, and I felt pretty darn good!!!!!!! My blood pressure dropped into the normal range, and I lost 20 pounds without trying. 

Think lean protien and non-sugar between meal snacks!


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## FUNKY PIONEER (Sep 20, 2005)

This method will get you back to normal in 2 weeks

1. Cut out all sugar, grains, high sugar fruits apples, bananas ( rmember diet sodas, splenda, and High frutose corn syrup are just as bad as sugar if not worse)
2. Take 2 capsules of Milk thistle a day
3. Take 1 capsule non-flush niacin a day
4. take 6-9 fish oil caspsules a day ( don't buy anything thats not been refrigerated at the store)
5. Whey protien shake twice a day with tsp cinamon and 2 tbs flax seed
6. Take a good natural source vitamin ( vitamins from costco, walmart etc are worthless as they are synthetic source vitamins, rememeber you get what you pay for)


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Pioneer, I stick my finger now and do my own blood tests. Over the years, my carb intolerance has become type 2 diabetes.

Splenda, nutrasweet, and diet soda are not as bad as sugar. Trust me on that one! 

Yes, you CAN cut out all grain and fruit. I chose not to, which made me MUCH more comfortable! Instead, I avoided putting a strain on my system by not eating too much of them at a sitting.


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## FUNKY PIONEER (Sep 20, 2005)

:shrug: There is ton of research to the contrary. I was told my my doc never to touch it.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

FUNKY PIONEER said:


> :shrug: There is ton of research to the contrary. I was told my my doc never to touch it.


Did s/he say WHY not to touch it? Because IU can tell you that neither one raises blood sugar.

That does not mean that you should use it, there might be other problems, But, it does not raise blood sugar.


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## FUNKY PIONEER (Sep 20, 2005)

Besides the fact that its toxic (which should be enough) That sweet taste is a signal to the liver: âthereâll be lots of blood sugar from the digestive tract in a minute or two, canât have too much blood sugar at once, Iâll pull the blood sugar right now.â
And thatâs fine and dandy as long as that sweet taste really is a high-caloric fast-showing sugar. For instance candies, sweet pastries, honey, or the âhealth foodsâ grape, grape juice, or carrot juice. And similar things.
But if youâve just eaten an artificial sweetener (for instance aspartame), your liver is fooled into pulling the blood sugar, but you donât get the corresponding blood sugar surge from the food you just ate.
So you suddenly have low blood sugar, and all that comes with that: tiredness, irritation, and/or the Munchies with a capital M. You have low blood sugar, you need something sugary now.
So you add sweeteners to your coffee and munch on candies, all the time. And you wonder why you simply canât lose weight.
We all react to the low blood sugar which artificial sweeteners bring with them, but itâs rare to see it that clearly.
Forget about artificial sweeteners and the sweets, do magnesium, chromium, zinc, B6, and fish oils, in order to get the insulin - blood sugar system working properly.
Stevia or licorice wonât fool the liver into pulling the blood sugar, but their taste isnât just sweet.
The moral of the story: use sugar or honey if you have to sweeten your coffee. And enjoy that sweet coffee: sip it slowly, donât gulp it down.
Iâd also suggest ditching the âcholesterol is bad for youâ idea, and eating full-fat foods: most low-fat foods are loaded with sugar.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Funky:

If that were true, then my BS would drop after a diet soda.

And, it does not.

Is it toxic? Possibly so: they are still working on that one.


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## suzfromWi (Jun 1, 2002)

Boy, this is an interesting thread. More views on this would be great. I used Splenda for a long time but got conflicting reports on it, so I stopped and went back to real sugar. I for one, notice that whenever I have something sweet, IE cookies, cake etc, I get very sleepy. That should tell me something and you,d think I would stop, but I love sweets. When I stop eating them for awhile, I lose the cravings. Right now I have to get an excersise program going and get back on a sensible eating plan. Its hard to start tho.....


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## michiganfarmer (Oct 15, 2005)

chris30523 said:


> .The Triglycerides are increased by carbohydrates.Sugar,bread etc. Diabetics have high triglycerides . .


my doctor told me this very same thing yesterday. He told me to lower my carb intake.


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## veme (Dec 2, 2005)

I have very low triglycerides and I don't know if I believe all of this :shrug: cholesterol stuff. 
There's more to it than Dr.'s know if you ask me. They seem to get all their info from the drug reps :flame: 

My own doctor doesn't understand the difference between the two kinds of LDL cholesterol - type A & type B (triglycerides are calculated by LDL) or how they are measured.
He looked confused when I asked him about it.

I eat bread & lots of fruits,veggies, beans, nuts, raw milk,fish, chicken, beef, lamb pork, eggs and no sugar most days. I use olive oil & butter - no other kind of fat.

When I do eat sugar & white flour I'm usually binging on cookies, candy or pie.... and I mean binging. 
I have binge eating disorder. Have been treated twice without success. A 12 step program is the only thing that has ever helped me. :angel: 

I will eat a whole pie or 2 or 3 dozen cookies or 2 lbs of candy during the course of the day plus my regular meals. Sometimes I can't break the cycle for months.
I don't purge so the food goes through my system.

I don't drink sodas or do coffee, tea or any fast food. I never eat out.

I'm fat  walk every day and have white coat hypertension - really bad :help: 
My lipid profile numbers from last month are all going in the wrong direction from my last test 2 years ago. 
TC 216 - was 171 2 years ago
LDL 137 - was 92 .....been drinking gallons of milk & eat pounds of cheese for 2 months before the test. No wonder I'm fat :baby04: 
HDL 69 - was 72 
Triglycerides 50 was 42 
Fasting glucose 100 - was 90

My triglycerides are so low that I qualify for some kind of molecular medicine test study at NIH. 

I'm not sure if it's genetic because my mother, 2 sisters & brother all have "high cholesterol" . 
All of them are on Statin drugs :grump: 

I have never used any kind of artificial sweetener. 
I think they are bad news too.


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## Snuffy Smith (Dec 9, 2002)

Yep, last month I had labs done, and my blood sugar was high, and cholesteral was high, and my liver readings were abnormal. I went on a low carb diet and started working out at the gym again, and I have lost about 20 pounds in 1 month. I went back to the Doctor last week, and everything is back in a normal range now!!  *Diet and Exercise*


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Suz, you give a very good description of what it is like to be carbohydrate intolerant. 
Carbphydrate intolerance means that your body is not keeping your blood sugar as even as it is supposed to. 

This is how my doctor explained it to me. 

With carb intolerance, when you eat too many carbs, your blood sugar goes up. Your pancreas SHOULD release enough insulin to make the sugar enter the cells to be used as food, but your pancreas does not release enough. As a result, your blood sugar rises.

The symptoms of high blood sugar include sleepiness and frequent urination, and thirst, as your body is trying to flush out the high blood sugar. Triglycerides are also formed, as each molecule of triglycerides include 3 molecules of sugar. By tying up the excess sugar in the form of triglycerides, and flushing it out, your blood sugar drops rapidly. It drops, and KEEPS ON dropping! Your body SHOULD release stored sugar at this point, to keep your blood sugar level, but with carb intolerance this does not happen and your blood sugar then drops too low.

At this point, your blood sugar is too low. You crave carbs (especially candy) because because that is a quick way to get your blood sugar up to normal. But, AGAIN you body does not release enough insulin, and so your blood sugar goes up AGAIN, which means you get sleepy and form triglycerides, it then drops too low, you eat sweets and in a while you are tired and STARVING for sweets again.....

Signs of LOW blood sugar include grouchiness, shakiness, fatigue, and extreme hunger as the cells of your body are screaming "feed me! There is no sugar to consume in this blood!" So, you eat again because you NEED the food. And, if you eat too many carbs in one sitting it happens again.

The doc called it the blood sugar yo-yo. And, in time, it will give you high blood pressure because triglycerides will junk up your blood vessels just like cholesterol will!

When I changed my diet, my triglycerides went from 577 to the normal range, and gradually so did my blood pressure.

*A GOOD diet for carb intolerance includes snacks between EVERY meal, only a little carbs at one time, and PLENTY of lean protien. 

You ARE allowed some bread and spuds and such, just not too much at one sitting. A couple of sandwiches for lunch are good, but not if you add a mountain of fries with it and wash it down with sugary sodas! That would give you too many carbs at one sitting for your body to handle. I can eat ONE sandwich with fries and a diet drink, OR 2 sandwiches and the fries LATER for a snack , and so forth. *OR*, a mountain of vegetarian spagetti is too many carbs, but you can eat less noodles with plenty of meatballs and it becomes healthy.

Triglycerides are not tied to cholesterol: my cholesterol was only SLIGHTLY elevated, but 577 for my triglycerides was EXTREMELY high.


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## greenboy (Sep 5, 2005)

did you thanks your maker? becasue you should do that right now.



janeren said:


> Hi, I am a 30 year female and was in the hospitial Aug 2004 for severe pancreintitus (spelling?) Anyway, it was due to my HIGH colesterol and tryglicerides. I went in the ER the day I thought I was having severs heartburn. They ran blood work and it was TOOO high for hte lab at our hospital to read so they sent it to a special lab. I ended up being sent to another hospital for 2 weeks in ICU and was in pretty bad shape. When I got out and went to the doc for my follow up I asked him what my numbers were when I went in the ER. If he hadn't shown me the actual report I wouldn't of believed him. My cholesterol was 4367 and my tryglicerides were 5182. I should of been dead!!!! I am now on Tricor, Lipitor and omega 3 w/ fish oil daily and after 3 years my numbers have gone down the last time I had blood work done which was in July of this year. I didn't like the idea of being on meds either but sometimes you need to be. I had asked my doc if I could go the "natural" route but clearly my #'s were TOO high to do that but your husbands aren't very high at all and I would try the diet change and natural cures for a couple months and have his levels ran again in a few months and compare the difference. If it is lower then GREAT!!!!


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## greenboy (Sep 5, 2005)

His numbers are not that bad. Niacin is a good idea, sometimes people get "flush" turn red all over, this is not an allergic reaction this is a vasodialation a general one, if he takes an aspirin a day will help not to get like that, because may happen suddenly in a stange or unwanted place. like other people said in this forum he should start eating oatmeal, on regular basis now is autum so he should have oatmeal every morning during breakfast, and two or three times a day to substitute a meal with a good plate of oatmeal, and also like some of my friend have one too many beers this bother the liver, maybe he should cut down on the beer intake (which also bother your numbers) if he is a beer drinker, eat more fish, which a lot of people are not doing,and to move more....



TrudyPowell said:


> Last week my husband (age 42) went to the doctor for check-up and had labs done. His results, according to his doctor, indicated high cholesterol.
> Doctor wants my husband to start taking Tricor (not sure of spelling) in order to lower his triglycerides and raise his HDL. My father-in-law had bypass surgery probably 10-12 years or so, and the doctor is taking that family history of heart disease into consideration when recommending this drug.
> 
> My husband and I want to try diet changes, more exercise, and helpful supplements (fish oil, red yeast rice, niacin, etc.) instead of a prescription. I'm not impressed with any of the information on cholesterol medication that I have read in the past and don't want to go that way if not completely necessary, and I don't think we can afford those medications either.
> ...


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## praise4him (Feb 8, 2006)

He specializes in integrative medicine, which is natural medicine. Here is what he put my husband on and his cholesterol went down 70 points in 60 days.

EPA/DHA (Fish oil, good quality) 4000 mg daily
Sytrinol (a supplement that is phenominal at taking down the bad cholesterol
Niacin

These 3 things are wonderful at helping those numbers. The sytrinol I cannot stress enough and we put every patient on it that has high cholesterol.
Do some research on it!
Blessings,
Jennifer


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## Bricker (Apr 15, 2006)

My first cholesteral test showed 218. Dr. put me on Lipitor, Niacin, and to eat oatmeal plus almonds. He suggested cashews, although I know it's not a nut but a legume. I'm allergic to beans, so I think I have a little bit of reaction to cashews. More so as time went by. I love to eat them though. Well, the first 6 weeks I ate cashews and salads and oatmeal. I drank only water.My count was 116. He said that was awesome. But I can't eat like that on long term basis, I just bit the bullet to see how much I could lower it. Oh yeah, my wife and I were walking 4 miles a day most days. I got to eating good balanced meals that a person can stick with. Last visit, my number was 164, so he put me on a whole Lipitor pill of 10. He did say that if your on Lipitor to not take fish oil supplements, that it counter acts together. That surprised me but, he is the doctor. I am concerned about how easy it is today to get on all kinds of presc. medicine to correct a certain problem, but unknowingly may be overloading your other organs with side effects, that I'm not certain they really are 100% sure about. And I am concerned with getting on these different medicines and not being able to come back to a more natural way for your body to mend.


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## Bricker (Apr 15, 2006)

By the way praise4him, I'm going to look into what you posted. Sounds good. Thanks.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Bricker said:


> My first cholesteral test showed 218. Dr. put me on Lipitor, Niacin, and to eat oatmeal plus almonds. He suggested cashews, although I know it's not a nut but a legume. I'm allergic to beans, so I think I have a little bit of reaction to cashews. More so as time went by. I love to eat them though. Well, the first 6 weeks I ate cashews and salads and oatmeal. I drank only water.My count was 116. He said that was awesome. But I can't eat like that on long term basis, I just bit the bullet to see how much I could lower it. Oh yeah, my wife and I were walking 4 miles a day most days. I got to eating good balanced meals that a person can stick with. Last visit, my number was 164, so he put me on a whole Lipitor pill of 10. He did say that if your on Lipitor to not take fish oil supplements, that it counter acts together. That surprised me but, he is the doctor. I am concerned about how easy it is today to get on all kinds of presc. medicine to correct a certain problem, but unknowingly may be overloading your other organs with side effects, that I'm not certain they really are 100% sure about. And I am concerned with getting on these different medicines and not being able to come back to a more natural way for your body to mend.


Since your cholesterol is DESIRABLE, I would work harder on lifestyle changes and such. I am surprised you are on meds at all. Here is a source for what the numbers mean: http://www.lovaza.com/understanding/numbers


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## Bricker (Apr 15, 2006)

Thanks,Terri. I'll read that.


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