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8.25.2012

Cholestoff (Product Review)


I've battled genetically-received high cholesterol.  Cardiac issues run rampant on my father's side of the family, and my own mother battles high cholesterol.  So, I have the good fortune of receiving this trait from my parents.  I'm going to give you the naked run-down of my physical make-up and my success (or not) with this cholesterol-reducing product.  I'm fighting this thing naturally because the long-term side-effects of cholesterol meds are just as bad as high cholesterol itself.

PHYSICAL MAKE-UP: I'm a white male in my mid 30's.  I'm approximately 5'7" and weigh 165 pounds.  I am in very good shape.  I consider myself and athlete and competitor.  I run for distance and sprints, and I exercise using various strength training approaches.  I tell you all of this because you need to know that I'm no couch potato, and certainly no slouch.  I rarely have time to just sit still.  I don't sit and watch TV while plowing down a bag of Doritos.  I like junk food just like the next guy, but I'm pretty disciplined in my eating habits. 

THE NUMBERS: I began tracking battling my cholesterol in 2006 until the present day.  Here is the numerical break-down.

2006: Total Cholesterol 243; Triglyceride 107; HDL 70; LDL 152; Glucose 98
2007:  "           "              231;        "            68;    "      54;  "  163;        "   (not tested)
2008:  "           "              228;        "            61;    "      52;  "  164;        "    79
2/'12:  "           "              245;        "            71;    "      54;  "  177;        "    86
5/'12:  "           "              233;        "            63;    "      55;  "  165;        "    (not tested) 
8/'12:  "           "              243;        "            47;    "      56;  "  178;        "    80

THE DIET: I have packed my lunch for 95% of my adult working career.  I dramatically increased my vegetable intake in February 2012, namely red, orange, yellow, and green peppers sauteed in extra virgin olive oil; green beans, broccoli, home made oatmeal, lots of fruit, etc.  I cut out packaged snack crackers and fake granola bars in exchange for home made natural granola bars.  I drink an average of 4-5 bottles of water per day.  I completely cut out all soda consumption from Christmas 2011 until I was tested in May 2012.

THE PRODUCT: I began taking Cholestoff as directed (2 pills twice per day, 15-30 minutes prior to the meal) on the bottle starting May 2012 until I was tested again August 2012.  I used Cholestoff Complete for the first 2 months, and Cholestoff Plus for the last month (which says to take the dosage with the meal, not prior to).  I strictly dieted for 3 months to see what would happen with my cholesterol, and then I moderately dieted while consuming Cholestoff for 3 months to see what happened again.

RESULTS:  As you can imagine, I was largely disappointed with the results Cholestoff provided.  I told you about my health history so you can see that I am truly a hard case study.  The only significant change I've experienced came in May after 3 months of strict dieting.  My total cholesterol has remained largely unchanged in 6 years, with only minor fluctuations.  My triglycerides, however, have dropped dramatically in that same 6-year time: from 107 to 47.  60 points!  From May to August alone, my triglycerides reduced 16 points.  During that same period, however, my LDL's increased 13 points.

All that to say, I don't give much credit to Cholestoff for the decreased triglycerides numbers.  I followed the directions and these are the unbiased results.  You can make your own decisions.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Dr. Mark Houston wrote a great book about the cholesterol battle in, "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Heart Disease".  I highly recommend it.  He debunks the common myth that high cholesterol equals greater risk, and low cholesterol equals being in the clear.  Check it out, it's actually quite an interesting read!


RELATED STUDY LINKS: Click here for a list of product reviews.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:01 AM

    Thanks for the info! I am going to try it myself and will let you know.

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  2. I don't have or remember exact numbers, but I have been taking 20mg of Novastatin for several years and my total Cholesterol between 200 and 250, but my triglycerides were always on the higher side, sometimes around 300. My doctor recommended as higher dosage of Novastatin, but I didn't want to go there and thought I'd try the Cholesoff Plus. I took a combination of Novastatin 20mg and just one Cholestoff Plus tablet daily for a year and the results from my blood test showed my total cholesterol was slightly under 200 (a little improved), but my triglycerides dropped drastically down to 70.

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    1. Thank you for chiming in, Bob. Glad your numbers are improving. I recently -- after turning 40 -- decided to turn to statins. Thankfully, my family doc is not pushing me into it, but supports my decision. So, he decided to prescribe a certain dosage, but then told me to cut it in half. It's certainly helping my numbers.

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  3. Not sure how Doctors are deciding if someone has a genetic disposition just because family members have high cholesterol. How do they determine why the liver is over producing without more testing? Couldn't it be pooling? Doesn't the improvement in triglycerides mean it helped? How did you decide which Cholest off to take, it tells the differences but not who should take what. Doctors go with statins almost everytime, so they don't help with this. I am also intersted in polysaccorides, Beta Glucan (Nutrim), & Niacin. Anyone? Good Luck Mike.

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