Recently I got a quote for Life Insurance to help my family in the event of my passing.

The original quote was for $23 a month based on my age, risk factors and good health. Today I got a call with a new premium quote of $40 a month based on my cholesterol ratio. Apparently it needs to be under 4 and mine is 5.4.... I have no idea (yet) what that means ,but MAN should it cost me $17 more a month?!?

So... I've been Pescatarian for over a month now, is it common for numbers like that to up or down?... or is that even a fair question?

Just wondering if anyone has some advice or links.

My cholesterol has gone way down since becoming vegan and losing weight. I think it has something to do with family history, but more to do with diet and exercise.

My cholesterol has gone way down since becoming vegan and losing weight. I think it has something to do with family history, but more to do with diet and exercise.
Bingo! In as little as 2 weeks, following Dr. Mc Dougal's plan (vegan, low fat) participants have been known to reduce high cholesterol by 50 points!!! :guitar:

Go vegan (whole-foods, low fat, high veggie vegan) and barring *very* unusual circumstances, your cholesterol will drop to healthier levels.

i agree.

cholesterol is only made in animal livers, so if you eat ONLY plant derived foods, it is IMPOSSIBLE to have any dietary cholesterol at all! which means all the cholesterol in your body is what you made yourself.

the cholesterol ratio is the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (high density lipoproteins). under 5:1 is a good goal, and 3.5:1 is optimal. HDL is the 'good' cholesterol which takes the cholesterol away from your blood vessels and gives it back to the liver (LDL is the 'bad' cholesterol which puts cholesterol in blood vessels). btw, cholesterol in blood vessels is a bad thing, as it is one of the precursors to heart attacks and strokes. so you can see why the insurance company places such importance on that.

to lower cholesterol, you gotta use the ol' 1-2 punch of diet and exercise, as advised by a doctor. cholesterol can take months and months to change significantly, which means you have to start now on improving your lipid profile. if it doesn't improve after you've tried the natural ways, then you might have to start on a cholesterol lowering medication regimen, like a statin (lipitor, crestor) or niacin, or a few other things. ask your doctor about that.

here is a site where you can learn more, and compare your #s to their recommendations.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=183

hope this helps :)

I was eating a vegan diet for a few years, and exercising, and despite that, my cholesterol was sky high. (I also eat a ton of oatmeal) Some people do just have high cholesterol. *shrugs*

Thanks for all your replies... I'll be very curious how my numbers react the more I'm on this diet.

Also, if you eat anything with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in them, then stop.

Hydrogenated oils do much more harm than good. I kinda found that out the hard way when my numbers showed I was borderline high. :sweat:

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is supposed to be a better indicator for heart attacks and strokes than cholesterol readings (I've read of people with normal cholesterol having heart attacks and people with high cholestrol having no problems at all). That doesn't mean stuff yourself with chips, but it DOES meant that cholesterol is not the end-all as a heart disease indicator.

Since I became vegan and started exercising regularly about 3 years ago, my cholesterol dropped from 207 to 133. My ratio is perfect. I have a family history of high cholesterol, but at least in my case, I was able to counteract that with diet and exercise.

everything that people have said is true: 1. if you don't consume dietary cholesterol, your numbers will lower themselves; and 2. if you don't consume hydrogenated oils, then your numbers will go down.

high cholesterol isn't necessarily a problem or issue--in fact it can be healthy depending upon your age and heritage. menopausal women, for example, typically have higher cholesterol during 'the change' which actually works to their benefit hormonally. also, higher cholesterol numbers in elderly individuals often have lower mortality rates. but, most insurance companies are on the 'anit-cholesterol' band wagon and want numbers to be a certain ranges. For some individuals, those lower ranges can also be health risks in other ways (including depression, hormonal problems/thyroid problems, and neurological issues).

Cholesterol in the body is managed through a balancing mechanism. This mechanism will generally produce cholesterol if none is taken in through diet; and if it is taken in through diet, the body will naturally produce less and therefore balance out the cholesterol in the system.

What tends to cause a raise in cholesterol is either a breaking of the mechanism which balances, a natural need for a cholesterol increase (for a variety of reasons), or a problem with consuming too many hydrogenated fats and processed carbohydrates (sugars, high fructose corn syrup, flours). These elements are often processed into sticky saturated fats (not real, or quality saturated fats found in plant and animal materials), which then cause spikes within the cholesterol system. Most people who have high cholesterol have it for this reason.

i recommend cutting out all hydrogenated oils, sugars, and non-sprouted grain products. Moving toward whole foods instead of processed foods will make a huge difference. If the numbers still don't come down, then consider cutting other things (meat, milk, dairy).

For more information about this, i recommend two books: Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill by Udo Erasmus and Cholesterol Myths.

My sister's was up really high, and the only dietary thing she changed was to use raw sugar instead of granulated sugar. The numbers dropped beautifully.

everything that people have said is true: 1. if you don't consume dietary cholesterol, your numbers will lower themselves; and 2. if you don't consume hydrogenated oils, then your numbers will go down.

high cholesterol isn't necessarily a problem or issue--in fact it can be healthy depending upon your age and heritage. menopausal women, for example, typically have higher cholesterol during 'the change' which actually works to their benefit hormonally. also, higher cholesterol numbers in elderly individuals often have lower mortality rates. but, most insurance companies are on the 'anit-cholesterol' band wagon and want numbers to be a certain ranges. For some individuals, those lower ranges can also be health risks in other ways (including depression, hormonal problems/thyroid problems, and neurological issues).

Cholesterol in the body is managed through a balancing mechanism. This mechanism will generally produce cholesterol if none is taken in through diet; and if it is taken in through diet, the body will naturally produce less and therefore balance out the cholesterol in the system.

What tends to cause a raise in cholesterol is either a breaking of the mechanism which balances, a natural need for a cholesterol increase (for a variety of reasons), or a problem with consuming too many hydrogenated fats and processed carbohydrates (sugars, high fructose corn syrup, flours). These elements are often processed into sticky saturated fats (not real, or quality saturated fats found in plant and animal materials), which then cause spikes within the cholesterol system. Most people who have high cholesterol have it for this reason.

i recommend cutting out all hydrogenated oils, sugars, and non-sprouted grain products. Moving toward whole foods instead of processed foods will make a huge difference. If the numbers still don't come down, then consider cutting other things (meat, milk, dairy).

For more information about this, i recommend two books: Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill by Udo Erasmus and Cholesterol Myths.


i haven't read that book, but some of that sounds a little biologically sketchy. EVERYTHING i've learned about says that high cholesterol is NEVER good in any population, unless you are talking about HDL in particular. however, because HDL is present in a much smaller amount than LDL, high cholesterol almost always means a high LDL, which is bad. i'm just curious where you (or the author of that book) got the information from...

http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic1073.htm
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/new/press/aug08-99.htm

postmenopausal women have decreased amounts of estradiol (the most potent form of endogenous estrogen). as estradiol is associated with increasing HDL, when a woman stops making it after menopause, HDL drops and mortality actually increases. most people don't know it, but cardiovascular disease kills 1 out of 2 women.

http://www.ayubmed.edu.pk/JAMC/PAST/15-3/norin.htm


but the recommendations sound great anyway :)

I also just read that people who graze the through the day have lower LDL levels than people who eat 1 or 2 meals, even if they're taking in the same calories.

So, IMO, another thing to do to help lower your numbers would be to try to graze though your day instead of having square meals.

vegan tofuker:

i've read both sides of the argument, and i'm more inclined to believe the theories that i posted. they make the most sense in light of the science (and it's funding and origins) and in light of my own experiences.

vegan tofuker:

i've read both sides of the argument, and i'm more inclined to believe the theories that i posted. they make the most sense in light of the science (and it's funding and origins) and in light of my own experiences.

it's good to know you are informed about both sides, but you do know about udo and his own oil brand he sells? also, as a med student, i'm just saying what i've read in all my textbooks.