I'm on cholesterol medication because my bad cholesterol was at 248. Going next February to have it rechecked. I'm sure with the intense training along with cardio and a much better diet it will be much lower. I eat 3 large hard boiled egg whites every morning. Been reading about how the yokes have a lot of nutritional value but add a lot of cholesterol to the diet. Will eating the yokes every day be counter productive to lowering my cholesterol with the training and strict diet I'm on?

Vinny in little Rhode Island

Dietary cholesterol has a minor impact on blood cholesterol levels despite what is being told to the public. Triglyceride levels are the more dangerous culprit. Higher cholesterol levels are usually the result of eating too much processed food sugars (high fructose corn syrup) and other processed food additives like trans-fats. These lead to elevated blood triglyceride levels by the liver which is the only organ to metabolize fructose (not the Pancreas). As the liver produces the majority of the cholesterol your body needs, it ratchets down production if it sees higher cholesterol being absorbed from food. Some people absorb more cholesterol than others due to the make-up of their diet and microbiome and some people have a rare familial genetic disorder called hypercholesterolemia where the liver continually produces more cholesterol than is needed despite blood levels. Statins, in general, are useless and dangerous drugs and only benefit people with hypercholesterolemia as they interfere with a key cholesterol production pathway in the liver. However, they also destroy the pathway for the production of Co-enzyme Q10 which is critical to all muscles including the heart. This is why Statins come with so many nasty side-effects. A high fiber diet is a safer way to reduce blood cholesterol as fiber binds with cholesterol from food intake in the intestines and reduces absorption in the blood thus lowering blood cholesterol numbers.

More importantly, what is your triglyceride number? If it is over 150, then this is the cause of your high LDL and not dietary cholesterol. High triglycerides cause over-production of LDL and underproduction of HDL by the liver and cause inflammation of the endothelium (the lining of your arteries). They also oxidize your LDL particals such that they become small and dense versus large and fluffy. The only true predictor of heart disease is your HDL to Triglyceride ratio not your LDL amounts or total cholesterol. Inflammation of the endothelium by high triglycerides and high circulating blood glucose (HbA1C) causes a cascade of reactions by the body to repair the damage. In short, the body recognizes the tiny tears and sends immune cells, clotting factors, and cholesterol via LDL particles to fix the damage. As the LDL particles are now oxidized and smaller than normal, these particles actually pass under the tear and form a clump which pushes the artery wall inwards. This inward protrusion then causes additional LDL particles and cholesterol in the blood to form a plaque and eventually blocks the artery. Cholesterol and LDL did not cause this event but rather high triglycerides and high blood glucose levels did. High triglycerides is always indicative of low HDL as they cause the liver to produce more LDL and less HDL.

So, the long winded answer to your question is for those people who have normal blood lipid profiles (triglycerides under 150 and HDL levels at least 40 and higher) then eating any number of whole eggs will have no ill health effects - I have been eating as many as 7 whole eggs everyday for years with no issues. I also have very low triglycerides (60) and blood glucose levels and high HDL (62). For those people with high blood glucose levels (HbA1C) and high Triglycerides (over 150) and low HDL (lower than 40), then eating whole eggs in any amount could exacerbate their blood lipid issues. If you are recently transitioning from eating a typical American diet and losing weight as well, it will take time to get your blood lipid levels normalized. The good news is exercise and a strict diet of wholesome foods will normalize blood lipid levels over time. As I am not a physician, I will not nor can not recommend any reduction or elimination of prescription medicines. All I can say is that the reason you are on these meds is due to the falsity that is the "Lipid Hypothesis" and the fact that the majority of doctors today don't understand the true cause of heart disease and the dietary impacts as I have detailed above.

John

John wow,

That was detailed for sure. My triglycerides were high to and I'm also on medication for that. I'm very confident that with the 100% better way I've been eating and the medication that my levels will be in a safe range by the time I have my next blood test come February. I always associated high cholesterol with over weight people. My doctor said he could show me overweight people that have good cholesterol levels and prortionate weighted people that have high cholesterol. Even way back when I younger and in excellent physical shape my cholesterol was higher than normal levels. No where near as high as it was this time around. As for the medication I am on the same medication as last time simvastatin. Last time was for close to a year with no side efffects. I went off of it as soon as my cholesterol levels were in a safe range.

Vinny in little Rhode Island

The main culprit in high triglycerides is too much sugar and alcohol consumption. I am assuming you are not a big drinker so it will be the sugar. Sugar is in everything processed - even stuff you would not expect like bacon, cold cuts, and salad dressings. High fructose corn syrup is probably the biggest metabolic poison ever produced by man and the main culprit, along with man-made fats and salts, to a host of chronic diseases. The only way to avoid it completely is to buy your own fresh food, cook it yourself, and drink only pure water (not flavored or "vitaminized").

As for cholesterol and "normal" levels. There is no one-size-fits-all. There is nothing wrong with a total cholesterol level over the recommended 200 if your triglycerides are low and your HDL is high - regardless of LDL levels. What is more important is LDL particle size not total concentration per se. Unfortunately, LDL particle tests are expensive and not covered by insurance. Most doctors follow the same old AHA guidelines of under 200 for TC and under 120 for LDL without taking into consideration the entire lipid profile ratios, the health of the individual, and their eating habits. The world famous Framingham Heart Study has shown that those with the highest cholesterol levels have the lowest death rate of ALL CAUSES. Having cholesterol under 180 does provide some reduced heart disease risk but only for heart disease not all cause mortality. For those who put 100% faith in modern medicine being able to fix their blood lipid profiles rather than with proper diet and exercise, then drugs are the only way to sustain their health but they are already dead men walking as without the drugs they eventually die. That is not living in my book but rather being sustained with pharmaceuticals.

If I were you, my goal would be to get off the meds. They cause more harm than good and your body doesn't need them if you eat right. Doctors are not trained in nutrition anymore and their training is purely matching symptoms to drugs and drug doses. You have to take ownership of your health and remember doctors work for you and are not the be-all-to-end-all when it comes to knowledge on health.

John