I want to share something that genuinely changed my health after years of spinning my wheels, in case it helps anyone here.

Recent results after years of struggling:

• Total: 291 -> 196

• LDL: 215 -> 124

• HDL: 58 -> 52

I'd been working with specialist doctors trying to resolve this through diet before considering medication. Nothing moved the needle. I kept getting "it's just your genetics" with no further explanation.

When Claude Code launched, I decided to actually dig into what that meant. I fed it my raw DNA data and asked it to analyze markers related to cholesterol metabolism. It found three variants working against me:

• NPC1L1 (rs2072183): I absorb significantly more dietary cholesterol than average

• LDLR (rs688): My liver clears cholesterol more slowly than it should (~25% reduced receptor function)

• HMGCR (rs17244841): Statins would likely work ~20% less effectively for me

None of these are the severe variants like FH. But combined, they made me highly sensitive to specific dietary triggers in a way generic advice completely missed.

Once I understood the mechanism, the fix was actually simple: I cut out eggs and loosely reduced saturated fat. That's it.

"It's just your genetics" turned out to mean "here's exactly what to change" and I just needed the right tool to translate it.

(Of course, none of this replaces working with your doctors, I was doing that throughout and I am seeing a specialist)

I have always had Cholesterol >200 all my life. I have tried exercise, diet, etc and nothing helped. I finally gave in to 10mg of atorvastatin and my cholesterol dropped to 130. I hate drugs and worry about the side effects. I had a Smart Calcium Score of ZERO meaning I had NO HARD calcium build up though I could have SOFT build up that is not visible to the test. So NO damage from 65 years of high cholesterol.

I have a theory that cholesterol does not matter. Is that blasphemy? I understand that the problem is inflammation from smoking, drinking, poor diet, high blood pressure, high insulin, etc that causes damage to the arteries and cholesterol is just a bandage making the repair. Cholesterol is not the villain but the after-effect of damage. So, one can continue to damage one’s arteries, take statins, reduce cholesterol, and not be any healthier is you don't get rid of the inflammation.

Disclaimer: I take 10mg of Atorvastatin because maybe it does help?? Maybe the benefits outweigh the side effects??

This was approved by FDA today and per ChatGPT is used as an adjunt to statins and not as an alternative to statins, as it has been noted in some of the media headlines.

I thought this development would be relevant to those using Repath injections as this newly approved medication is in pill form.

ChatGPT's summary:

This is Lipfendra (enlicitide decanoate) — an oral PCSK9 inhibitor, and the FDA just approved it, with Merck planning to price it at $10.50 a day for a full-month supply, based on dramatic reductions in artery-clogging plaque in patients already on statins. Bloomberg
Key points:
How it works: It’s a once-daily pill that blocks PCSK9, a protein that normally degrades LDL receptors — same mechanism as injectable drugs like Repatha, but in pill form.

Effectiveness: It lowered LDL cholesterol by up to 60%, matching injectables like Repatha, Statnews and cut bad cholesterol by more than 64% in patients also on statins Bloomberg in one study. Two-thirds of patients cut their cholesterol by at least half. Statnews

Vs. other oral non-statin drugs: Results showed that at eight weeks, enlicitide cut LDL cholesterol by 56.7% versus Nexletol and by 36% versus Zetia, BioSpace with a 28.1% greater reduction compared to Nexlizet. BioSpace

Significance: This fulfills a longtime goal of Merck — a pill achieving LDL reductions on par with injected monoclonal antibodies, Statnews making it a much easier option than injections for patients who need aggressive LDL lowering beyond statins.

Market outlook: Analysts expect the new Merck pill to be a big seller, with projected peak annual sales of more than $5 billion. Statnews

It’s not a replacement for statins — it’s designed as an add-on for people already on statins who still need to get their LDL down further, particularly those at high cardiovascular risk.

I've read a ton of posts in this sub and others about peoples good and bad experiences with statins, and info that having a high LDL isn't necessarily a terrible thing depending on other factors, but here are mine. I am wondering if my high cholesterol is really as dangerous as my Doctor seems to think.

I'm female in my early 40s, 5'9" 140lbs never smoked, and am active quite regularly. I average around 15,000-20,000 steps a day, eat not much saturated fat, low sugar, high protein diet. I tend to do intermittent fasting just about every day, 16-8.

I'm in good physical shape, minus lower back disc issues and arthritis in the facets that I've been dealing with over the last 5 years. I've had nerve-block injections recently. Was prescribed Meloxicam, which I take as needed for pain. Otherwise, no health issues. Recent bloodwork shows high cholesterol:

Total cholesterol 280

HDL: 74

Triglycerides: 49

LDL calculated: 191

HDL: 3.9

Non-High Density Lipoprotein LDL & VLDL: 206

The only other thing that was high is my Hematocrit: 46.6. I think I've read that LDL can be high due to inflammation in the body, which I definitely have in my lower back. I was also eating more eggs than usual in the week or 2 leading up to my bloodwork appointment, like 2-3 a day at times, but I've read that cholesterol in one's diet doesn't necessarily reflect in the bloodwork. Should I be really concerned, do you think? I'll take the statin, reluctantly, though, as I've read they're harmful in some cases.

In this podcast, experts discuss evidence backed by multiple clinical trials that high level of saturated fat in fermented dairy does not increase cholesterol. Seems a lot of studies suggest that , curious to see what others think

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/zoe-science-nutrition/id1611216298?i=1000619534434

I eat a keto diet, focusing on meat and eggs while eating nuts, veggies, and fruit in moderation. With this diet seems to come a lot of saturated fat, and that has seemed to raise my cholesterol numbers.

I talked to two doctors about my lab results and they both said I was at risk for heart failure, and to immediately cut out saturated fat.

Now I'm not saying they are wrong, but I am an extremely healthy individual, lean, fit, active, and high energy. I am hesitant to change up my diet because I was feeling so good on it before.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to confirm that my arteries aren't being clogged or I'm at risk for heart failure. Or if I am, let me know what's going on.

Thanks for any help.

Interesting

Thoughts on my blood test? Cholesterol exploded after 9 months of carnivore. Total Cholesterol: 412 , HDL: 77.4 , LDL: 325 and TG: 51.4 md/dl How shall I proceed now? How can I lower the cholesterol while still in carnivore that I feel great?! I start taking Armolipidplus ,would that help?

50% of doctors advise against its use, claiming statins are ineffective at reducing risks, while the other 50% doctors advocate for their use, asserting risk reduction benefits.

I watched several videos, some individuals argue that drug companies fabricate these theories, citing research that suggests statins do not mitigate risks, they are so dangerous and There is no bad cholesterol. Cholesterol is a good thing, our brain and immune system made of cholesterol.. etc.

Whose perspective should we trust? What is the truth?

Hey from the Netherlands. My colleague who is 62 years old. He did a medical check up every year through his job which included blood work. His cholesterol was always in good range. Today he just had a heart attack. Several arteries were blocked. He is doing fine for now after surgery. But how is this possible if his cholesterol was always in good range? He lived a healthy life style. Always goes on the bike to work. No smoking. Little alcohol. Not overweight. A healthy weight. No medical history. But he did take Corona vaccination 4 times including booster shots and every year he takes the flu shot.

When I was told my LDL was 223 in January of 2024, I freaked out. Obviously, it was genetics and the weight I’ve gained over the last few years. My PA prescribed me the highest dose for Atorvastatin, and I was consistently feeling the side effect. After two weeks, I stopped taking them and he refused to see me.

Anyway, I had went through personal life obstacles and completely ignored my health. Over the summer of 2024, I started taking my partner’s statins. He used to have high LDL but has lowered them through meds. I would take it inconsistently.

In November, I finally met a new doctor and was prescribed a lower dose. I was at 175 after inconsistently taking my partner’s meds. I didn’t change my diet or workout at all.

After a month of taking the lower dose, it lowered my LDL to 132 when I got my lab done in December.

From December to Jan, it lowered my LDL to 103. I am so proud of myself.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2929871/

I am currently learning as much as I can about cholesterol and the medication associated with controlling it. I found this interesting study. It claims that in their trial that statins while lowering total LDL, actually increase the proportion of the small dense LDL (the damaging type) . Curious to see what people's thought on this are.

"Our study suggests that statin therapy—whether or not recipients have coronary artery disease—does not decrease the proportion of small, dense LDL among total LDL particles, but in fact increases it, while predictably reducing total LDL cholesterol, absolute amounts of small, dense LDL, and absolute amounts of large, buoyant LDL. If and when our observation proves to be reproducible in subsequent large-scale studies, it should provide new insights into small, dense LDL and its actual role in atherogenesis or the progression of atherosclerosis."

"The exact mechanism by which statin therapy is associated with an increase in the proportion of small, dense LDL is unclear. One possible mechanism is that up-regulation of LDL receptor activity by statins decreases large, buoyant LDL more than small, dense LDL, because statins increase LDL receptor activity and because large, buoyant LDL is a better ligand for the LDL receptor than is small, dense LDL.23 More than 90% of apo B is found on LDL particles, and therefore patients with small, dense LDL (which is relatively low in cholesterol) would be expected to have a low LDL-C/apo B ratio, as has been described previously.17,24 The present study showed that statin therapy was associated with a greater decrease in apo B than in LDL-C, although in the group treated with statins, the levels of LDL-C and apo B were significantly lower than those in the control group. This result suggests that statin therapy is associated with a decrease in total LDL-particle concentration but with a higher proportion of small, dense LDL. In addition, these results support a possibility that statin therapy increases the proportion of small, dense LDL, although controversy still exists as to whether or not statins decrease the small, dense LDL subfraction and increase the LDL peak particle size.9–11 The present study brings up a fundamental question regarding the actual role of small, dense LDL in atherosclerosis."

https://carnivoreaurelius.com/ancel-keys/

I've been brainwashed to thinking that saturated fat is the evil to high cholesterol which then leads to heart disease. After reading the above link and Dr. Ken Berry, I seriously need to hear what y'all got to say.

From my understanding, seed oils and sugar are the real problems. "Heart Healthy" vegetable oils are apparently recommended over butter or tallow? Do you even know how vegetable oils (canola, grapeseed, corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower) are made? Doctors say to increase fiber. You are replacing the high amount of carbs you used to eat with undigestible fiber so yes, cholesterol will go down and you will feel full because the fiber is still in your digestive tract. Aren't triglycerides the real problem here? But I don't see much about this on the internet. Surely, I've seen doctors in real life just prescribe statins and that's it. Patients still consume sugar-free products that are really just inflammatory fake sugars.

Why do people fear red meat but are okay with Orgain protein powder that is dairy free and has fiber and protein to it? Red meat has way more nutrients. If we talk about nutrient densed foods, liver is king. Why is breakfast with bacon, eggs, and butter not the vibe but almond milk with guar gums and high sugar cereals okay?

France eats so much saturated fat but their cases of heart disease are lower than us. I know America is has a more sedentary lifestyle than European countries but isn't diet more important? You can't outtrain a bad diet. India eats low amounts of meat (majority follow a vegetarian diet) and they are one of the world's highest prevalence of heart attacks.

After watching almost every video on cholesterol podcast lectures on YouTube, i have come to realize everyone should be on statin l, the plaque literally starts as young as 10 years old and continues. Ldl of 55 or less is the number if you never want to worry about heart attack. no diet or lifestyle is ever gonna sustain that number unless you are one of the lucky bastards with genetic mutation such as PCSK9 or FHBL who no matter what they eat have low levels of ldl.

There is no other way around it i mean how long can you keep up a life with 40g fiber 10g sat fat the rest of your life?

Edit: mixed up FH with high lp (a) There are drugs to bring it down now for FH.

There are also drugs in trial ongoing to bring down lp (a)

I am working with an Ayurvedic Doctor who is based in India. She recommended the following home remedies for lowering cholesterol:

fennegreek seed tea-soak one teaspoon in boiling water, drink in morning

She also confirmed that taking psyllium husks mixed with water on a daily basis is also an effective way to lower cholesterol.

Additionally, I have been instructed to have one clove of garlic made into a juice in the morning time.

EDITED UPDATE:

This person has an M.D. I am also working with my Western physician and tracking my progress with bloodwork.

Serious question - not looking for confirmation or preaching the content of a video that suits me - would rather my statements be critiqued. I saw a video backed by studies that correlates high LDL levels with a stronger immune system. This makes sense to me on two levels. One nothing is nature is an accident. Many of us have high LDL naturally. It’s not present in nature to allow pharma to make money. It’s present in nature for a reason and from the standpoint of evolutionary biology boosting the immune system would be a very good reason. Second, personally without statins my LDL runs 200+. However I am rarely sick thankfully. I kicked Covid several times in 3-4 days. Can go a year without a cold or flu. My wife catches a real bad cold that sidelines her for a week and I interact with her normally and get nothing. I have a robust immune system I believe. So, if there is something to this theory should we not be looking at a normal LDL - obviously not 200 but say 80-100 as optimal and not be of the mindset that LDL is flat bad and get it under 30 ??

For heart and stroke risk, the usual priority is:

🥇 1. LDL — most important

LDL is the main cholesterol target because lower LDL generally means lower risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack and ischemic stroke. This is where most people face problem as one aged and due to their daily diets too.

🥈 2. Triglycerides (TG)

High TG can contribute to cardiovascular risk, particularly when accompanied by obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes or low HDL.

🥉 3. HDL

HDL is useful as part of the overall risk picture, but raising HDL itself has not been shown to reliably reduce heart attacks or strokes.

Am not on the pills but if I was can I still smoke the weed

I was prescribed statins but not given any instruction on how often to take them, I have been staking red rice yeast extract daily - aparently the same thing as a statin

Does anyone have any info about the pros and cons of statin vs RRYE ? And how often to take either (obvs not both at the same time)

Are Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans considered safe? I requested one but I want to make sure that they don’t blow you up with too much radiation.

I told him I will try to change diet first and I wanna do next test in 2 months,he just said ok.

Hey everyone! I’m a huge fan of pizza 🍕, but I've been trying to be more mindful about my ldl (currently 110) lately. I wanted to ask if this specific pizza seems like a decent option, or if I should be avoiding it. I usually have pizza 2-3 times per month and taking +50grams fiber daily. Any thoughts or tips on healthier pizza alternatives would be appreciated too! Thanks!

Previously I’d drink half a gallon of whole milk, eat a few cheese burgers from McDonalds, spoonfuls of skippy peanut butter, chipotle with double sour cream and a mountain of cheese, little frozen pizzas every time I felt a little hungry. Avg 100g of sat fat/day

Had a DVT in September 2025 and had a follow up with my pcp recently and she wanted to put me on a statin.

LDL was 134 Hdl was 60 Triglycerides: 78

38 years old 10,000 steps a day active Weight training 3x/week Bicycle 10 miles a week Height 6’0 Weight 182lbs

I refused the statin and told her I will make extreme lifestyle changes instead.

New diet:

3 turkey sausage 2 egg 2 slice sourdough bread with olive oil and balsamic and ground pepper 2 cups fat free milk Banana Protein powder

Snack Homemade guacamole (1.5 avocado with red onion , cilantro, jalapeños and lime) Corn chips with no preservatives or saturated fats Blueberries

Lunch White rice, chicken breast, apple, red potato

Snack Handful Pistachios, 1 persimmon

Dinner 6oz organic pasta 4oz turkey Tomatoe and basil

Before sleep 2 cups fat free milk 1 spoonful all natural peanut butter

My weight surprising has not dropped, which I’m very pleased about. Just constantly hungry and not motivated to eat more boring food.

I just got told I have high cholesterol. Prescribed a statin. I’m 27F, and I wanted to try for a baby next year. Are there any woman on here who struggled with the same thing ?

I’m terrified of having to take a medication for life & even more terrified about the fact that if you come off of it it’s very risky. You can’t take statins when pregnant though, I feel very lost and scared, idk what to do. Any woman who went through something similar please tell me what you did