Cholesterol questions

[Halfnattyman44]

I'm 31 225lbs and around 14% bodyfat. Generally very healthy, lift weights about 4 times a week, sporadically play volleyball or basketball, and do some light cardio maybe once a week. I eat mostly whole foods and only 1-2 alcoholic drinks a week. I do eat on average a quarter to half a pound of grass fed ground beef a day and 3-4 eggs per day.

Now to my numbers:
ApoB 110 mg/dl (they say normal is less than 90)
LDL 131 (they say normal is less than 100)
LipoA 31 (they say normal is less than 75)
Non HDL 150 (they say normal is less than 130)
Total/HDL 4.3 (they say normal is less than 3.5)

So reading this it looks like my LDL is high which throws off the Non HDL and Total/HDL as well. Also my ApoB is high but LipoA is really good.

How would you handle this? Diet adjustments, more cardio, supplements, etc.?

 

[Hyde]

Losing weight (and therefore more bodyfat) will help, assuming you don’t use steroids to do so (steroids skew lipids to high LDL and low HDL). Losing even 5% bodyweight (6lbs for you) will results in lower LDL and trigs on the same exact diet & lifestyle.

Adding cardio, especially intense cardio, will definitely improve lipids.

Decreasing meat-based saturated fats for equivalents from avocado, olive, nuts (and their oils), as well as from dairy, can improve lipid profile, as can fatty fish/oil, and reducing carb intake - especially sugar and very processed carbs.

Increasing fiber intake can lower LDL. Consider fruits like apples & oranges, beans, whole grain options if you tolerate them well, and you could even supplement with psyllium husk daily. More vegetables you tolerate are always a good choice.

There are a handful of great nutraceuticals that will help lower LDL. Pantethine, Spirulina, Citrus Bergamot, etc. Keep an eye out for SNS Cholesterol Support when it drops if you want a serious otc supplement option.

 

[sns8778]

Hyde gave great advice above.

Cholesterol Support XT should be out within the next 4 to 6 weeks as far as I know, and it will keep people from having to have to buy a lot of different cholesterol supplements separately.

 

[Halfnattyman44]

Losing weight (and therefore more bodyfat) will help, assuming you don’t use steroids to do so (steroids skew lipids to high LDL and low HDL). Losing even 5% bodyweight (6lbs for you) will results in lower LDL and trigs on the same exact diet & lifestyle.

Adding cardio, especially intense cardio, will definitely improve lipids.

Decreasing meat-based saturated fats for equivalents from avocado, olive, nuts (and their oils), as well as from dairy, can improve lipid profile, as can fatty fish/oil, and reducing carb intake - especially sugar and very processed carbs.

Increasing fiber intake can lower LDL. Consider fruits like apples & oranges, beans, whole grain options if you tolerate them well, and you could even supplement with psyllium husk daily. More vegetables you tolerate are always a good choice.

There are a handful of great nutraceuticals that will help lower LDL. Pantethine, Spirulina, Citrus Bergamot, etc. Keep an eye out for SNS Cholesterol Support when it drops if you want a serious otc supplement option.

Thank you! This is a great list. I’m about 5 pounds over where I normally sit so that shouldn’t be too hard to get down to. I’ll also be a bit more mindful of the diet to make sure I’m getting fiber and limiting some foods as well as adding the fruits and veggies. I’ve been waiting for the cholesterol supplement from SNS for my dad then I did blood work and was wondering if even a half dose would maybe be of benefit to me too.

 

[Hyde]

Thank you! This is a great list. I’m about 5 pounds over where I normally sit so that shouldn’t be too hard to get down to. I’ll also be a bit more mindful of the diet to make sure I’m getting fiber and limiting some foods as well as adding the fruits and veggies. I’ve been waiting for the cholesterol supplement from SNS for my dad then I did blood work and was wondering if even a half dose would maybe be of benefit to me too.

I can’t say without knowing the profile, but most of the ingredients I’ve used individually did still provide some results at lesser dosages. And SNS normally has aggressive dosages for most products; lots of them provide some benefits at even half servings.

Improving lipids really is best done holistically anyway. It all adds up! Add that HIIT session, drop some sugar & lose that 5lbs, add some fiber, etc

 

[Halfnattyman44]

I can’t say without knowing the profile, but most of the ingredients I’ve used individually did still provide some results at lesser dosages. And SNS normally has aggressive dosages for most products; lots of them provide some benefits at even half servings.

Improving lipids really is best done holistically anyway. It all adds up! Add that HIIT session, drop some sugar & lose that 5lbs, add some fiber, etc

Sounds like a plan! I’ll be interested to see where I’m at in 6 months.

 

[Resolve10]

How tall are you? How active are you outside of your lifting? What else does your diet consist of? How much fiber?

The beef and eggs in isolation aren’t necessarily an issue and that amount isn’t crazy. Depends what else your fat intake consists of and the above advice of switching out some saturated fat sources, if they are high in your diet, for others is very sound. If not already taking or your don’t eat much fish you could add a quality fish oil aiming for 1-2g or combined EPA/DHA.

Also, boosting fiber if it is low may help. Aim for 14g per 1000 calories consumed (but if it’s currently very low you can build up to this to avoid discomfort with a large change).

Then depending on how active you are I’d look at bumping physical activity to at least 8000 steps and/or getting more cardio in each week. When looking at improvements to health you don’t need to worry as much about the type of cardio, as the large majority of benefits will be found by achieving adequate weekly volume. Just adding some walks, a small amount each day you train, or some longer on dedicated days can all be viable depending on your situation and commitments.

Good luck, some good supplement suggestions are already available in this thread as well.

 

[Resolve10]

Losing weight (and therefore more bodyfat) will help, assuming you don’t use steroids to do so (steroids skew lipids to high LDL and low HDL). Losing even 5% bodyweight (6lbs for you) will results in lower LDL and trigs on the same exact diet & lifestyle.

Adding cardio, especially intense cardio, will definitely improve lipids.

Decreasing meat-based saturated fats for equivalents from avocado, olive, nuts (and their oils), as well as from dairy, can improve lipid profile, as can fatty fish/oil, and reducing carb intake - especially sugar and very processed carbs.

Increasing fiber intake can lower LDL. Consider fruits like apples & oranges, beans, whole grain options if you tolerate them well, and you could even supplement with psyllium husk daily. More vegetables you tolerate are always a good choice.

There are a handful of great nutraceuticals that will help lower LDL. Pantethine, Spirulina, Citrus Bergamot, etc. Keep an eye out for SNS Cholesterol Support when it drops if you want a serious otc supplement option.

This is great advice and not trying to be annoying, but 5% of weight for him is 10+lbs.

 

[Halfnattyman44]

How tall are you? How active are you outside of your lifting? What else does your diet consist of? How much fiber?

The beef and eggs in isolation aren’t necessarily an issue and that amount isn’t crazy. Depends what else your fat intake consists of and the above advice of switching out some saturated fat sources, if they are high in your diet, for others is very sound. If not already taking or your don’t eat much fish you could add a quality fish oil aiming for 1-2g or combined EPA/DHA.

Also, boosting fiber if it is low may help. Aim for 14g per 1000 calories consumed (but if it’s currently very low you can build up to this to avoid discomfort with a large change).

Then depending on how active you are I’d look at bumping physical activity to at least 8000 steps and/or getting more cardio in each week. When looking at improvements to health you don’t need to worry as much about the type of cardio, as the large majority of benefits will be found by achieving adequate weekly volume. Just adding some walks, a small amount each day you train, or some longer on dedicated days can all be viable depending on your situation and commitments.

Good luck, some good supplement suggestions are already available in this thread as well.

6’5. I have an office job but average 5-8k steps a day depending on season. Eggs and chicken for most breakfasts, beef/rice/black beans/peppers for most lunches, whatever the wife makes for dinner, a protein shake, and some other snacking (nuts, cheese stick, fruit, etc.).

I do take 2grams of Now Fish oil every day so probably a little over 1g EPA/DHA. I eat fish probably 2x a month.

 

[Hyde]

This is great advice and not trying to be annoying, but 5% of weight for him is 10+lbs.

Yeah I don’t know how I got that lol; must have halved 22.5lbs twice in my head for some reason

 

[WesleyInman]

I like citrus bergamot at 1-2g per day split up with food.

 

[rodefeeh]

Those numbers arent too worrisome. But you do want to get that ApoB number down. Another number to check is your c-reactive protein (CRP) which measures inflammation. Cholesterol cant do much damage without inflammation. To take it a step further, you can get a calcium score which measures hard plaque build up.

Lots of good suggestions so far. I had a cholesterol scare too and lowering carbs and increasing unsaturated fat helped me.

If you want to learn more, check our Peter Attia's youtube videos on cholesterol.

 

[Halfnattyman44]

Those numbers arent too worrisome. But you do want to get that ApoB number down. Another number to check is your c-reactive protein (CRP) which measures inflammation. Cholesterol cant do much damage without inflammation. To take it a step further, you can get a calcium score which measures hard plaque build up.

Lots of good suggestions so far. I had a cholesterol scare too and lowering carbs and increasing unsaturated fat helped me.

If you want to learn more, check our Peter Attia's youtube videos on cholesterol.

My CRP was .2 and they said less than 1 was good. I’ve watched a Peter Attia video but it sounded like mostly pharmaceuticals. I got my HDL numbers back which were a little on the low side too.

 

[Anabolic66]

The only thing I found that worked (and I've tried EVERYTHING in the last 18 years for lipids) is Monacolin-K.
You can only get it via Red Yeast Rice from Non-US sites and have it shipped. Most of the stuff in the US is garbage. Sometimes a chore to find, but its the real deal, fermented Red Yeast Rice. (Not synthetic statin).

 

[Hyde]

The only thing I found that worked (and I've tried EVERYTHING in the last 18 years for lipids) is Monacolin-K.
You can only get it via Red Yeast Rice from Non-US sites and have it shipped. Most of the stuff in the US is garbage. Sometimes a chore to find, but its the real deal, fermented Red Yeast Rice. (Not synthetic statin).

But it is still a natural statin, it works the same, for all of the positives & negatives. And it’s just as illegal to import to the US without a script. You might as well import some dirt cheap pharmaceutical made Rosuvastatin - less money, manufactured professionally with higher quality standards, stronger targeted effects. I’m not advising this, but if you are going to import a statin against the law anyway…

I avoid statins due to the metabolic & muscle health concerns, and just use 5mg Ezetimibe as my primary management tool for LDL, besides the supplements.

 

[Danksta710]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the Weider brand still exists, is sold at costco and ppl buy because it has that natural statin in it. The one brand that didn't remove it?

Not personally interested but the info could help others.

 

[sns8778]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the Weider brand still exists, is sold at costco and ppl buy because it has that natural statin in it. The one brand that didn't remove it?

Not personally interested but the info could help others.

It’s against the law for any brand to sell a Red Yeast Rice that has a level of it in it that is enhanced or not naturally occurring.

The FDA takes it extremely seriously.

I don’t think Weider would take a chance like that. They may have before it got clarified years back, but they would be subject to FDA action and lawsuits if it were still the case.

 

[sns8778]

Here's a copy and paste of a post I made in the past clarifying the Red Yeast Rice situation.

There seems to be a lot of confusion as to the way that the FDA views Red Yeast Rice in the US.

The FDA does not have an issue with companies selling Red Yeast Rice in its natural form.

Their issue is with companies/raw material suppliers intentionally selling Red Yeast Rice products that are manipulated, enhanced, or extracted for monacolin k content &/or illegally adding Lovastatin (a prescription drug).

Monacolin K is structurally similar/identical to the medicine lovastatin.

Here are some things to help clarify some of the confusion:

• Red Yeast Rice can be legally marketed as a dietary supplement only when it is fermented in the traditional manner of production. Manufacturers and raw material suppliers cannot intentionally try to manipulate the extraction/production process to target or manipulate for the statin content.
• If a company standardizes its product or uses raw materials that are standardized/manipulated for monacolin content, then the FDA considers the product an unapproved drug. The reason for this is that monacolin is structurally identical to Lovastatin, which is a prescription statin drug.
• While it is legal for a company to sell a non-manipulated Red Yeast Rice supplement, it is NOT legal to sell the supplement if promoting it by promoting the monacolin or statin content.

Context:
The reason that a lot of people want to use Red Yeast Rice is to try to lower their cholesterol naturally in hopes to avoid having to go on a statin drug like Lovastatin to begin with; so companies intentionally manipulating for monacolin content or adding Lovastatin to their products is not only unsafe for unknowing consumers, but it defeats the purpose that most were using Red Yeast for to begin with. (Because if they wanted a prescription medication for cholesterol, they are easily obtainable from almost any general health practitioner).

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^^^ That's not me judging the situation or anything opinion related, there's just a lot of misunderstanding on it, so I wanted to explain it in a way that people reading or following along could easily understand.