HIGH CHOLESTERAL/MEDICATION

  DEAR DOCTOR,  I am a 38 year old female with a  history of elevated cholestrerol.
  The latest reading is 300 and extremely high triglyceride levels.....my doctor wants to
  put me on medication ex. zocor.  (family history of coronary artery desease)
  Can you recommend a diet...I have heard so many ideas...like the high protien diets and low carbs or visa versa....so confused here.  Do carbs raise trig ?  Not sure what to do...I was hoping to try a diet before taking meds....are there supplements I can take to help lower these levels?  I just had a baby 6 mos ago...my chol has never been
  quite this high...could the pregnancy have altered these levels?  My doctor doesnt seem to have the answers to these questions.  Please help me I certainly would hate
  to go through all the medical procedures my father has gone through.  One more important question.  Should I have any invasive testing to make sure my arteries havent already begun to clog?  Or any other type of testing?  I do smoke and will
  make a complete effort to stop,  I also have not lost all the weight from my pregnancy
  and hope that will help as well.
  Thank you so much.  joanne
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Dear Joanne
If you do nothing else, stop smoking. It is a waste of time to worry about changing your diet if you still smoke. Smoking will raise your chances of a heart attack much more than anything else you could do. I do not recommend invasive testing "just to look." That is a dangerous approach to diagnosing heart disease. A stress test may be indicated, but only if you are having real cardiac symptoms.
With your elevation of cholesterol, you will almost certainly need medication to lower the level. I would also recommend that you modify your diet. Stay away from the fad diets you mentioned. Stick with a low fat, low cholesterol diet. An example would be switching from whole milk to low fat or skim milk. Another example would be switching from ice cream to frozen yogurt. You can see a nutritionist for more specific info.  I cannot comment on the triglycerides, since you did not provide an actual value.
I hope this is useful. Feel free to write back. I wish you the best of luck.
If you would like to set up an appointment with one of our cardiologists here at the Cleveland Clinic please feel free to call 1-800-CCF-CARE.
Information provided in the Heart Forum is intended for general medical informational purposes only. Actual diagnosis and treatment of any particular medical condition can only be made by your physician(s).