How I Lowered My High Cholesterol Without Meds - 10 Key Factors Your Doctor May Not Tell You
I was 33 when my doctor’s office called and told me that I had high cholesterol. “Sometimes it’s just genetic,“ they said, offering to call in a prescription for statins. A quick internet search informed me that the side effects of statin medications were not something I wanted when I could try addressing it with diet and exercise. If going on Lipitor or Crestor (or any of the plethora of statin drugs out there) was something that could be prevented, that’s what I wanted to do.
To be fair, most patients aren’t willing to make the lifestyle changes necessary to control their cholesterol naturally, so I’m not going to go down the path of blaming the doctors and big pharma. There’s a time and a place for pharmaceuticals. But not for me, an otherwise healthy adult male willing to make changes.
Here’s where things get a little weird. I did everything you are "supposed to” do — oatmeal for breakfast, low-fat dairy, whole grain bread, lean cuts of meat, etc. My cholesterol levels went up!
Something was wrong. At that point, I could have thrown up my hands and resigned myself to taking statins and living with possible side effects like achy muscles, dizziness, and sleep issues.
Unconvinced that I had done everything there was to do, I consulted a registered dietitian, who also happened to be a Precision Nutrition certified nutrition coach. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Together, we developed a plan for me to keep my cholesterol in a healthy place with diet, exercise, and supplementation. That was in 2012, and I am happy to say it is still working!
Recently, I shared this story with a client and emailed him a list of tips to help him get his levels in a healthy range. After I sent the email, I realized it needed to be a blog post so that as many people as possible would see this info.
You can go pretty deep on the topic of lowering cholesterol naturally, and although this list is longer than most, it only scratches the surface.
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What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty, wax-like substance found throughout the body. It is an ingredient that can be made into lots of essential things, including cell membranes, vitamins, and hormones. However, too much cholesterol can be problematic because it can be a sign of inflammation.
The optimal ranges on a typical test from your doctor are:
TC (total cholesterol) - 160-200 mg/dL
LDL-C <100 mg/dL
HDL (F) >50 mg/dL
HDL (M) >40 mg/dL
High cholesterol is a byproduct rather than the main problem, so the thing we need to focus on is addressing the root cause. Unfortunately, many health and fitness professionals don’t understand this and end up throwing all their time and energy the symptom. To be clear, inflammation, not just the cholesterol, is the real problem.
Causes of inflammation
Inflammation happens when your body is irritated by something. In response to the stimulus, your body raises cholesterol levels to try to repair itself. When inflammation is acute, like when you get a cut or a bruise, this is a good thing. When inflammation becomes chronic, the inflammatory response starts working against you. So aside from injury, there are quite a few things that cause inflammation. Here are 10 key factors to address:
Eating too many calories. Even if you eat the healthiest diet ever, too much of a good thing can be bad. The quickest way to become inflamed is to eat too much!
Too many "bad fats" relative to Omega-3 fatty acids. Certain fats are pro-inflammatory, while others are anti-inflammatory. Our western diet is high in pro-inflammatory Omega-6 and Omega-9 fats and low in anti-inflammatory Omega-3s. This can cause our body’s inflammatory response to always be switched on.
Alcohol. It messes with your sleep and gut function (more on that to come).
Not enough protein. Many people are simply eating unbalanced meals with little to no protein, which can disrupt blood sugar and lead to cravings.
Sugars and processed carbs. Having too many sugars and processed carbohydrates at once messes with your energy levels and blood sugar, which will affect sleep and motivation to move your body (you'll feel zapped and not want to take a walk). When blood sugar peaks and crashes repeatedly, inflammation is soon to follow.
Poor gut health. If your digestive system is off, it can interfere with other processes and cause inflammation. Try to eat lots of probiotic foods (like yogurt & kombucha) and take probiotic supplements if you aren't able to get probiotic foods daily.
Inactivity. Bodies want to move a lot, and they get irritated if they don't get to. this can lead to “injuries of inactivity” and a decrease in capillary density, which means blood has a harder time getting to tissues that need to be repaired. All of this results in chronic inflammation.
Stress that isn't being managed well. We all have stress, but how your body is dealing with it is a whole different ball game. This is where we talk about your sleep because the amount and quality of your sleep has a lot to do with how your body manages your stress. Getting good sleep can be a struggle for a lot of people, so check out this blog post for some pointers.
Food sensitivities. Certain foods can trigger inflammation, with the biggest contenders being gluten, cow dairy, soy, corn, eggs, and peanuts. You can try a special elimination diet to temporarily remove these foods from your diet or consider an IGG food sensitivity test if you want to get more specific.
Hormone Imbalances. Cortisol, insulin, sex hormones, and thyroid hormones exist in a delicate balance in our bodies. When one is off, it can cause inflammation. This inflammation can lead to further hormone disruptions, creating a cycle. This is a fairly uncommon chicken-or-the-egg situation, but it's worth mentioning.
What To Do About It
Everyone is different, but for a typical client, this is what I would recommend doing:
Eat at a slight calorie deficit. This would look like 200-300 calories per day below your metabolic rate (don’t forget to account for exercise, though). Everyone’s calorie needs are different, so you’ll want to calculate your individual needs. You can use an online calorie calculator to start, but ideally, getting a resting metabolic assessment at a metabolic lab would be best. Most universities with a sports exercise program offer them to the general public.
Move frequently - Get up and walk frequently. Use a FitBit, Withings, or Garmin activity tracker and aim for over 6k steps a day. This is different than cardio — it’s just frequent, non-exercise movement that keeps your blood circulation and helps your body shut off “sugar-burning mode” that happens with over 30 minutes of sitting at a time.
Cardiovascular Exercise - Get lots of zone 1 and 2 cardio to burn off triglycerides and lower your blood lipids. Read through this quick primer on heart rate zones and be sure to pay attention to what it feels like to be in each zone. There is also an active metabolic assessment you can take in a metabolic lab that can give you more details about what your heart rate should be in each of the 5 zones based on your physiology. I recommend doing one if possible. Ideally, you’ll want to get at least 2 cardio sessions a week, focusing 80% (or more) of your efforts on your zones 1 and 2. You can find out more about heart rate zone training here.
Lift Weights - Get 2 weight workouts a week to help with blood sugar control and hormone balance. Although heavy weight training correlates with an increase in LDL cholesterol due to the inflammation caused by the microtears in the muscle fibers during weightlifting, the benefits outweigh the risks.
Do Yoga - Get at least 1 yoga session a week to help with recovery. Yoga has been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect by triggering the regenerative side of the autonomic nervous system, which is also known as the parasympathetic response.
Sauna - Do a sauna session at least once a week to help with recovery and lower inflammation. 10-20 minutes in a traditional sauna should be enough, but more time may be needed if you use an infrared sauna blanket.
Limit alcohol use to 0-3 beverages a week. Use things like sparkling water, probiotic sodas, tepache, or kombucha in place of adult beverages.
Take mega-doses of fish oil. Something like 3600-4800 combined EPA/DHA per day. You could also add curcumin, which helps lower inflammation. Look for GMP-certified products to prevent contamination from mercury and other toxins. Ideally, Super EPA from Thorne would be the way to go, since they have a stellar reputation for quality.
Limit sugars to under 25g of added sugars per day, which is recommended by the World Health Organization. Aim for balanced meals that include unprocessed carbs like sweet potatoes rather than bread, chips, etc. Try to fill up on non-starchy veggies at meals and limit sugars as much as possible.
Eat a high-fiber diet. Fiber does a lot for you — it balances blood sugar, feeds the microbiome, and assists with detoxification. Aim for balanced meals that include unprocessed carbs like sweet potatoes rather than bread, chips, etc. Try to fill up on non-starchy veggies at meals and limit sugars as much as possible.Vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, seeds and nuts are a great place to find fiber, but you can also use a supplement like Thorne Fibermend. Just be sure to drink plenty of water to avoid bubble guts! You can multiply the positive effects of your high-fiber diet by also including probiotic foods like yogurt, kefir, kombucha, tepache, tempeh and miso.
Include protein at every meal and snack. Protein helps balance blood sugar and keep you feeling fuller for longer at meals, which can help you avoid food cravings and accidental binges. At the very least, you’ll want to get in at least a palm-size portion of protein-rich foods at every meal. If you’d like to learn more, check out my in-depth nutrition course on UDEMY.
Limit processed carbs to special occasions. Those simple carbohydrates break down fast and cause spikes and drops in your blood sugar, increasing inflammation.
Support hormone health by supporting your body’s natural circadian rhythm. If you are having trouble getting restful sleep, chances are, you may have a subclinical hormone imbalance. What it means is that while there may be nothing medically wrong with you, you could have the beginnings of a bigger problem that shows up down the line. The good thing is you may be able to prevent one. A 4-point salivary cortisol test is a good place to start.
This is pretty boilerplate stuff, and it’s possible to go way deeper, but most people will see results from what I’ve already mentioned. If you’d like to work on your nutrition, check out this online course or set up a no-cost consultation with me.
Because I’m a nerd, I have a nerdy questionnaire that I use with clients who want to go deeper. It gives you an idea about what areas would move the needle the most, and I plan to include it in one of my upcoming courses. If you want to learn more, join my email list or schedule a no-cost consultation! When you join my email list, you’ll get lots of great info you won’t find anywhere else, plus access to all kinds of extras.
The great news is that even if you are already taking cholesterol medications, the things mentioned in this blog post can only help things work better, and to have no known contraindications with common statin medications. None of this should be taken as a substitute for medical advice, and always be sure to talk to your medical team when making decisions involving medications.