Cholesterol

Got my cholesterol tested and my total cholesterol and LDL Chol Calc were pretty high. How worried should I be and what are some good natural ways to lower these numbers? Also, was thinking about giving carnivore diet a try to see if it will resolve my other issues but not sure now. Thoughts?

Cholesterol, Total
257 mg/dL
reference: 100-199 mg/dL

Triglycerides
139 mg/dL
ref: 0-149 mg/dL

HDL Cholesterol
44 mg/dL
ref: >39 mg/dL

VLDL Cholesterol Cal
26 mg/dL
ref: 5-40 mg/dL

LDL Chol Calc (NIH)
187 mg/dL
ref: 0-99 mg/dL

Fermented red yeast rice extract supplements are used for cholesterol. But if you ever want to try a pharmaceutical like crestor or other statins, there have been studies that suggest statins on a whole may prevent against certain cancers. That's a plus if true.

shaftless wrote:Fermented red yeast rice extract supplements are used for cholesterol. But if you ever want to try a pharmaceutical like crestor or other statins, there have been studies that suggest statins on a whole may prevent against certain cancers. That's a plus if true.

Prior to starting this forum, a lot was said then about cholesterol. I'm surprised it's even still being talked about.
Also statins are dangerous. There are better ways to lower inflammation (the real reason why statins may show any benefit).

For one thing, early death is from low cholesterol, not high. All of our steroid hormones (including vitamin D)
are based on cholesterol.

Cancer is more likely to be formed from low cholesterol (think mercury poisoning).

Cholesterol's functions:

Necessary for the synthesis of all steroid hormones, and without it there is no testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, or any of the remaining metabolites

Used by every cell in the body to form and maintain the structure of cell walls

The brain contains vast quantities of cholesterol, and without it there is no memory

Cholesterol is converted to vitamin D when the body is exposed to sunlight

Cholesterol is essential for the production of bile acids. Without bile acids, essential fats cannot be digested. Bile acids are crucial for the assimilation of fat soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E & K

Anti-inflammatory

Protects against toxins[1]
We have been taught to believe that cholesterol is responsible for heart disease but the truth is that heart attacks occur regardless of whether people have high or low cholesterol levels.

Heart surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBakey, compared medical records for more than 1700 of his patients and found no relationship between cholesterol levels and heart disease.

As a matter of fact, people with the highest cholesterol levels tend to live longer than those with low levels. [2]

Cholesterol and the Brain

Cholesterol has even been shown to play an important role in brain function. In a Boston University research study, it was concluded that not having sufficient dietary cholesterol can cause a measurable decline in cognitive function.

When the lowest-cholesterol group was compared with the highest-cholesterol group, as many as 80% of the "low" group were likely to perform poorly on tests of similarities, word fluency, attention, and concentration.

References
[1] Eur J Clin Invest. 2007 Jul;37(7):573-9.
[2]. Age Ageing 29, 69-74, 2000
[3] Int J Cardiol. 2005; 99:65-70.