Cholesterol

Want the latest on cholesterol?

While some drug companies are pushing to have the cholesterol numbers lowered again, recently, the Mayo clinic did a study to see how lifestyle changes would compete with taking a prescription (statin) to lower cholesterol.  The results . . . there was no competition.

In the study, the first group took 40 mg of a commonly prescribed statin and their “bad cholesterol” number did go down.  The second group was given vitamins and fish oil and placed on a 12 week program of healthy diet and exercise.  They were taught the Mediterranean style diet.  They also learned about saturated fat and were instructed to limit overall fat consumption to under 25% and to reduce sugar and processed carbohydrates.  They worked with an exercise physiologist to gradually increase their exercise to 5-6 times per week for 30-45 minutes per day.

In the end, the medication group did lower their bad cholesterol number.  But the lifestyle group also lowered this number without any medication and reported feeling better, having more energy and losing weight.  Another bonus is that the good (healthy) cholesterol goes up with proper lifestyle and diet and this second group also benefited from lower triglycerides (not seen with the statin group).

Whether watching your cholesterol or not, we all can benefit from a Mediterranean diet, exercise, and omega 3 fatty acids (such as fish oil).  This combination reduces the inflammation in the body that is linked to high cholesterol, heart disease, and virtually every other disease as well.