How do you lower cholesterol when you have IBD?
I have been in and out of remission with UC for 29 years. You could say that most of that time my diet was not very healthy. Most of the foods that are good for lowering cholesterol, i.e., nuts, fruits, and veggies are not on my go to list to keep my colon monster happy. I do try to exercise daily by walking every day, but that depends on if I am in a flare or not. My family Dr. wants to put me on a statin medication to reduce my LDL cholesterol levels and I'm hesitant because I have family and friends say, "don't do it, the side effects are terrible." So, I have been doing research (Hello Dr. Google) and came across a supplement that contains plant sterols and stanols. Which supposedly helps reduce bad cholesterol by keeping you from digesting it. What I can't find is if that supplement would have a bad effect on a person who has IBD. So, my question is, has anyone here used plant sterols and stanols to help with high cholesterol and if so, has it sent you into a flair?
Might sound odd, but once I started a daily doublr dose of Metamucil my cholesterol dropped by 50% in 6 months and has held steady for years now. I eat steak at least 5 times a week a d use butter liberally as I need the fats to keep my weight up. Just FYI.
Best wishes
that is so interesting to hear. Sounds like a great, and somewhat simple, way that your cholesterol was decreased. I would be curious to know if other people have experienced this on Metamucil as well. I was reading that soluble fiber can help reduce cholesterol. I would guess that perhaps Metamucil has soluble fiber in it. Did your doctor happen to say anything about it? -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
Thank you for sharing. Maybe one of the ingredients in Metamucil contains plant sterols. I'll have to look into it.
I just wanted to chime in and share that I was doing a little googling and it looks like soluble fiber can help reduce cholesterol absorption in the blood stream, so perhaps the fiber from the Metamucil helped? I'm not sure, I'm not a doctor, but it is interesting to note, and perhaps worth bringing up with your doctor. I'm also intrigued about plant sterols and cholesterol. Something I'd be curious learning more about. Have you been able to ask your doctor about plant alternatives for lowering cholesterol, yet? Wishing you a gentle day. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
Not yet. I have my next appointment in 5 weeks.
Hi
. This is a really interesting question. There is definitely research showing that sterols and stanols reduce cholesterol. I looked for research on the impact on IBD and only found this one study on mice, which was cited several other places: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26501315/. It found improvement in intestinal inflammation in the cohort of the study with a low-fat diet, but not in the high fat diet cohort. Hoping your doctor can give you some answers/has some thoughts on sterols and stanols. Please feel free, if you like, to keep us posted. Best, Richard (Team Member)
Thank you for the information. I could not find anything. I have decided to start to take the sterols and stanols supplement, but at half the recommended amount. So far so good. If I don't have an issue with my UC I will up the does to a full dose in two weeks. At the same time, I am trying to watch my fat intake and walking 3 miles a day. Thank goodness I am in remission right now so the walking isn't a problem. Hopefully it stays that way for a while. Thank you, Erika
