The FastDay Forum

Coming up in a new episode of Trust Me, I'm a Doctor, Dr. MM seeks to find out if you can lower your cholesterol simply by changing your diet.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33601171

[carorees]

Such a shame that the article doesn't mention that cholesterol as a total is meaningless and so is LDL cholesterol unless you measure the particle numbers and density. The fact that some people had a reduction and others didn't does not tell you if they improved their health as we don't know what the distribution of LDL particles was. Reducing cholesterol in the diet is pointless as the cholesterol in the body is derived from excess blood glucose after eating carbohydrates. Glucose is turned into fat in the liver and transported as cholesterol around the body.

This article explains the biology of how cholesterol is made rather nicely: http://dietheartpublishing.com/node/282

So what's all the current hoo-ha about fibre I keep coming across? "It's good!", "it's bad!" "You need lots!"
Just the carb lobby fussing or something actually important?
Confused :0.

Anyone who gets to see the programme (unfortunately, it won't be me in the U.S.) - let me know what you think - thanks !!!!!

I love all this shared information, thanks!

I've read the article and have set my TV to record the series. I am on statins, my sister who is a nurse and my doctor however have both advised me that even if I lose another 50lbs that I should stay on statins and blood pressure medication as these are drugs that will help to stave off disease and illnesses in later life. We have a history of high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease in our family.

I now eat a pretty healthy diet though could probably do with eating more fibre and whole grains etc. Does anyone have any nice recipes for making real porridge? Sadly I like the package stuff flavoured with syrup lol. Not something I eat now, but then I don't have breakfast anymore either. Maybe the odd lunch at home could be porridge or high fiber home made muesli.

@Azureblue, I don't know what fibre is supposed to do to cholesterol and am not bothered, because I am of the same school of thought as Carorees, but I do make sure to have fibre (including raw potato starch) because it is supposed to help with blood sugar control and is a pre-biotic.

[carorees]

I love all this shared information, thanks!

I've read the article and have set my TV to record the series. I am on statins, my sister who is a nurse and my doctor however have both advised me that even if I lose another 50lbs that I should stay on statins and blood pressure medication as these are drugs that will help to stave off disease and illnesses in later life. We have a history of high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease in our family.

I now eat a pretty healthy diet though could probably do with eating more fibre and whole grains etc. Does anyone have any nice recipes for making real porridge? Sadly I like the package stuff flavoured with syrup lol. Not something I eat now, but then I don't have breakfast anymore either. Maybe the odd lunch at home could be porridge or high fiber home made muesli.

I would respectfully suggest that you make up your own mind about statins @jayegirl. Things to think about are: 1) what is the relevance of LDL cholesterol levels for your risk of disease (answer: not much unless you measure LDL in a different way to that which is currently done), 2) how much do statins affect the levels of the things that are relevant to your disease risk (i.e., HDL cholesterol and triglycerides), 3) is there any evidence that statins actually reduce your risk of disease and death (as opposed to these 'markers' such as LDL...because if LDL is not relevant then lowering LDL with statins is also not relevant), 4) how much do statins actually lower your LDL and particularly if you are a woman (most studies were done in men) and finally, 5) what are the risks of side effects from statins (some important side effects are an increased risk of diabetes and muscle problems).

The answers to Qs 3 and 5 above were addressed in this review (http://www.thennt.com/nnt/statins-for-h ... t-disease/) of the scientific studies on statins showed that for those who took the statin for 5 years: No lives were saved, only 1 heart attack out of 104 was prevented, only 1 stroke out of 154 was prevented, but 1 in 100 people developed diabetes and 1 in 10 developed muscle damage. Of course, if you happen to be the one heart attack saved then the statins would have been worth it. On the other hand your family history of diabetes could make you the 1 of 100 who developed diabetes on statins.

For some good reviews of the statin saga try the website Health Insight UK (www.healthinsightuk.org)

[Debs]

Nothing has touched my cholesterol and I have given up worrying about it. Jayegirl, what about making bircher muesli? I'm not a fan of porridge but I love this and add all sorts in, a few cranberries or blueberries for sweetness?

Does anyone have any nice recipes for making real porridge? Sadly I like the package stuff flavoured with syrup lol. Not something I eat now, but then I don't have breakfast anymore either. Maybe the odd lunch at home could be porridge or high fiber home made muesli.

You might want to give this a try @JayeGirl - I've posted this link before - several members tried adding an egg to their porridge and gave it a thumbs up.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/0 ... mg00000063

I'm behind having only just caught up on MM article. It is all so very confusing for the non educated on what to believe regarding cholesterol, statins and whether we really need to care or not. I was thinking of having bloods taken but not sure a)whether to bother at all and b)what I should be looking for as true key indicators of health.

[carorees]

They didn't mention on the program that in a review of Japanese studies, those with the highest cholesterol had the lowest death rate.

Also, there is an interaction with insulin such that if insulin levels are low, none of the blood lipid risk factors carry any risk.

On the program some people appeared to respond to the diet and others didn't but because only the small dense ldl particles appear to be a risk factor, you don't know if any of the participants actually lowered their risk of heart disease. The so called responders may have increased their risk. I noticed that MMs HDL had gone down as well as his LDL, it's possible he was in worse health after his diet!