Diet/Exercise/Health/Wellness Support Thread

Parent Cafe
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<p>Not, however, nonsensical to the pharmaceutical companies. They have parlayed the cholesterol scare into making statins the largest selling dollar volume drugs on the planet.</p>

<p>I believe that the only group to have shown a reduced risk of mortality from statins are men, under 59, who have already had a heart attack. Every other group, men over 60 (regardless of previous heart attack) and all women either have the same or higher risk of mortality on statins.</p>

<p>Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve being asked to spend several thousand dollars a year on a drug, there better be pretty solid evidence that the benefits clearly outweigh the side effects. I wouldn’t even consider statins without a detailed look at my total cholesterol profile: triglycerides, HDL, LDL, LDL pattern type, etc. For one thing, statins are known to cause muscle soreness, which is going to likely limit my exercise intensity. Cut back on my exercise, and now I’m going the wrong direction from a health, fitness, cholesterol, weight, muscle mass, and insulin resistance standpoint. You have to look at the total package.</p>

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<p>Actually, there is quite a bit of scientific evidence that does specifically recommend consuming increased quantities of fatty foods like olive oil and fish oil.</p>

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The only study I am aware of which involved women and statins was the JUPITER study, which was funded by the makers of Crestor. What was very interesting about this study was that the participants all had NORMAL cholesterol levels, but high C-reactive proteins, a hallmark of inflammation. The fact that a cholesterol lowering drug maker did not study participants with high cholesterol is suggestive that even the drug makers know that cholesterol levels are not what is predictive of heart disease, and by recruiting subjects with high inflammatory markers, they reveal their suspicion that it is the anti-inflammation effects that statins do possess which is actually the mechanism by which they can reduce heart attacks.

Why would I take a drug like a statin, with its high cost and potential side effects, some of them quite serious, when I can get a similar effect with an aspirin?

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<p>I"m going to post an opposite view. Some of this is your genetic makeup. I’m quite lean, have eaten oatmeal for breakfast for YEARS, eat brown rice, and basically eat a low cholesterol diet. My “good cholesterol level” is better than good but the other one was well over 200…despite good diet and exercise. I take Lipitor, and it’s now 110. I’m still very careful about my diet/exercise.</p>

<p>In our family, there is one person who is an indurance swimmer…not much fat on this person’s body…mostly muscle. Eats a very low cholesterol diet, close to being a vegetarian. This person’s weight and exercise, and diet would NEVER lead one to even think he would have high cholesterol…it was higher than mine.</p>

<p>I DO think folks should be careful with their diet, weight and exercise…but if that doesn’t work, it’s better to take medications than worry about the consequences if you don’t…in my opinion.</p>

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<p>We need cholesterol. Having too low serum cholesterol levels carries its own set of risks. Among other problems, there is a possibility that one increases their risk of hemorrhagic stroke with overly low cholesterol levels.</p>

<p>[Japanese</a> stroke clues: are there risks to low cholesterol? | Science News | Find Articles](<a href=“http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n16_v135/ai_7551979/]Japanese”>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n16_v135/ai_7551979/)</p>

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<p>Unless you don’t have health insurance, the cost of Crestor or the likes is next to nothing… I pay 20 bucks for 3 months supply… Fwiw, i have had similar experience as Thumper, i was around 260± total , and now around 110 also…</p>

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Doctors rarely run the full panel. You need a VAT test to determine if high LDL (“bad cholesterol”) is more of the dense particles (="bad’) or more of the big fluffy particles (not “bad”). Even my doctor (who is also a cardiologist in addition to doing internal med) didn’t order a full panel on me.

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<p>^^^Then I must live in the land of good doctors because they all run full panels and have since I first had one done - maybe 25 years ago. </p>

<p>“Actually, there is quite a bit of scientific evidence that does specifically recommend consuming increased quantities of fatty foods like olive oil and fish oil.”</p>

<p>Agreed - but I don’t think that includes bacon and animal foods.</p>

<p>Low carbs does not equal high fat diets (animal fats).</p>

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<p>@ Bromfield</p>

<p>I have struggled with the protein intake, because I have essentially gone from a low fat, low protein diet that was quasi-vegetarian to a (temporarily!) Atkins-eque diet. I have never really liked meat, ate moderate amounts of fish, preferably encased in sushi rice, had an aversion to eggs most of my life, dislike ground meat of any kind, hated sausages, not a fan of bacon, and almost always actively preferred the vegetarian version of every dish.
Because of my determination to shed these remaining pounds, I have adopted a really low carb approach, which unfortunately, limits things like nuts and soy, even much dairy for protein opportunities.</p>

<p>Keeping in mind this is not a long term proposition, my protein sources currently are:</p>

<p>the indispensable protein shake. I used to literally gag at these. Then, I learned to tolerate them as a smoothie mixed with yogurt or milk and fruit. Due to the carbs, this is a no go. I mix them now with unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk. I range between 1 -3 scoops a day. The brand I use is Optimum Nutrition’s Whey Protein, in part because I think they are a higher quality product than some of the other stuff out there, mainly because I have enured myself to the taste over time and can tolerate them. The two flavors I use “Delicious Strawberry” and “Double Rich Chocolate”. Taste profile basically equal to Nesquick Strawberrry Milk and Chocolate Milk :rolleyes:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Standard-Double-Chocolate/dp/B000QSNYGI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329343767&sr=8-1[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Standard-Double-Chocolate/dp/B000QSNYGI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329343767&sr=8-1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>In addition to that, I make sure I have a Costco sized bag of frozen chicken breast tenderloins on hand. They defrost in the micro very quickly, unlike the big chicken breasts, then can be cut and sauteed with any number of spice profiles. I alternate between Mexican chipotle seasoning, Indian curry and Thai, mainly.</p>

<p>I also will occasionally use frozen, cooked shrimp similarly, but I am picky about their source, so I don’t do this often.</p>

<p>I have hard boiled eggs in the fridge all the time. In addition to the ones I make myself, I will buy the pre-packaged, bagged ones and use them for travel, as well. Sometimes I make deviled eggs with a bit of mayo and spices to add variety.</p>

<p>Also I eat an omelette almost everyday. 2 to 3 eggs right there.</p>

<p>One or two times a week, I will sous vide some Costco filet mignon, as well as fresh, in season fish – mainly salmon and halibut, also picky about sourcing, so just the Pacific variety.</p>

<p>Occasionally, I will eat a chicken or turkey sausage, but only the ones that come in at 1g of carb per serving, Trader Joe’s has a variety of these.</p>

<p>Back up protein sources include: canned tuna, smoked salmon, canned oysters and mussels for a snack.</p>

<p>I keep a couple of vials (and these are vile!) of pure protein on hand, that I can just chug down, if I have limited access to anything else, just to get the protein in. 25g pure protein:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Profect-Orange-Pineapple-Ounces-Pack/dp/B001XUQJWE/ref=sr_1_6?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1329344315&sr=1-6[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Profect-Orange-Pineapple-Ounces-Pack/dp/B001XUQJWE/ref=sr_1_6?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1329344315&sr=1-6&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Of course, it would likely be even worse if he were fat, did not exercise, and ate a “typical American diet” heavy in bad fats (hydrogenated, saturated) and bad carbs (sugar, refined grain, sweet drinks). And if he is taking drugs for the cholesterol problem, he would likely need more drugs if he were fat, did not exercise, and ate unhealthily.</p>

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<p>3.5 miles, 8:20 pace, a Rod Stewart run.</p>

<p>Smith Machine and free weights too. Tired and hungry afterwards with asian sesame chicken as an afternoon snack.</p>

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Whether you pay it or your insurance company pays it or the government pays it, the cost is NOT next to nothing. I believe that Costco charges about $140 a month for Crestor. That’s over $1600 year.

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<p>I had a typo in my post. It is the VAP test, and is relatively new.</p>

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<p>I like Rod Stewart runs! Back in the day I ran a 100K race (62 miles) listening to Rod Stewart on my giant Walkman for the last hour or so. Fond memories…</p>

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I removed a link because it wasn’t the one I intended to post. Sorry.

Okay, this is a web site which has some pretty good information on cholesterol.

<a href=“35 Healthy Recipes For A Low Cholesterol Diet - Recipes.net”>35 Healthy Recipes For A Low Cholesterol Diet - Recipes.net;

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<p>Huh? Maybe Crestor is different, but my atorvastatin (generic for Lipitor) costs me $5 per month. My insurance charges me $15 for a 90-day supply of any generic medication.</p>

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The “full panel” my doctor orders is total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and calculated LDL cholesterol (Friedewald formula: LDL = Total Cholesterol - HDL - 1/5 Trigs).

Depending on the numbers, that may be all you need to know. If you have very good HDL and tiglyercide numbers and poor LDL numbers, you would probably want the more complete panel that gives you a direct measurement of LDL along with the LDL pattern type.

The full panel my doc runs is, at least, a good starting point. I paid the $69 and had the complete panel run at an independent lab because I was curious. I never shared the results with my doctor, although I might have had he prescribed a statin despite my very good HDL numbers (83mg/dl) and off-the-charts low triglycerides (43mg/dl). Fortunately, my LDL numbers (though high) were under the threshold, considering my other risk factors, where the guidelines allow for prescribing statins. Fine with me, because, after an evaluation of my overall risk profile, I would have thrown the prescription in the trash can.

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<p>I don’t post here often, but I would just like to share this link [Fitness:</a> Paleo diet - Sports & Fitness - Time Out Chicago](<a href=“Fitness: Paleo diet”>Fitness: Paleo diet) about a young man who is friends with my daughter.He’s an extremely talented singer/performer, who lost around 200 lbs doing a low-carb diet he devised on his own, and apparently now he’s doing a paleo diet. His story, along with interesteddad’s amazing transformation has inspired me (even though I’m a 53 year old woman) to embrace a low carb way of eating, and I’ve lost 15 lbs. If you check him out on youtube, you can see how losing weight has affected his musical performances.</p>

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<p>I would guess a doctor runs the cholesterol tests based on what your insurance covers, your age, your pre-existing conditions, family history and if you have any of the things that make you prone to heart disease - or if you specifically request a test.</p>

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<p>Yeah. I would have to check, but I don’t think they even knew about LDL particle size 25 years ago, let alone a $79 commercially available test for it. The VAP test (and there is a competing technology) for low cost testing of that sort is fairly new. It looks like FDA approval for the VAP test came in 2007:</p>

<p>[VAP</a> Cholesterol Test - The VAP Cholesterol Test Detects High Cholesterol](<a href=“http://cholesterol.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Drugs-and-treatments/The-VAP-Test-Beyond-Traditional-Cholesterol-Testing.htm]VAP”>High Triglyceride Levels: Symptoms, Causes, and More)</p>