Quote Originally Posted by Lizzie
Doesn't genetics have a role to play in this also? Some people are always going to have a battle with high "bad" cholesterol for that reason. That being said, my father died of a massive coronary at the age of 65 (6 years older than I am now), as did his father before him. He had very, very clogged arteries. My brothers and I (we live thousands of miles apart but apparently all decided this on our own) took this lesson to heart and all eat well and exercise. I do treat myself, in fact I just finished a macadmia toffee chocolate cake, but I've been vegan for many years and that seems to have helped. I keep getting things like "you're a cardiologist's dream" written across my blood results, which I find hilarious. Not that I should rest on my laurels since it could well be that we take after our mothers' side of the family and we'll all get cancer. Swings and roundabouts!
Yup. I come from a family of morbidly high cholesterol. I think my uncle's cholesterol level reading ran about 400, while my mother's was in the lower 300's upper 200's. Like it was mentioned before, a simple "229" doesn't do much for you because there is "good" cholesterol (HDL) and "bad" cholesterol (LDL). Ideally, you want more HDL and less LDL, so a blank 229 doesn't read much. If your HDL is higher than your LDL, the doctor won't put you on medication, but he probably will suggest increasing exercise and eating more whole grains.

You should examine what you eat daily because those French fries and bacon strips you get once every two weeks do start to add up, especially if you don't get enough exercise as is. My mother, in particular, made a permanent diet change when the doctor started recommending her to eat 80 mg of Lipitor. She quit eating meat, substituted her daily bowl of white rice with oatmeal, ate another bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, and ate more fish and vegetables. Her blood tests came back and I believe she lowered her cholesterol somewhere in the 180's, literally *half* of her previous reading. Her LDL levels dropped while her HDL levels increased. Simple lifestyle changes like substituting that hamburger with a whole-wheat sandwich (no bacon!) can do small wonders.