Fasting for Blood Tests a Must with Cholesterol

Q. I'm 56, 5'2" and weigh 185. I've lost 31 pounds and want to lose 39 more. I went from no exercise to walking daily and lifting weights. But I just had a blood test and my bad LDL cholesterol went up! From 143 to 170. My HDL's the same (35). I take fish oil, flax seed oil, plant sterols, and pantothenic acid. My so-so doctor (small town, few choices) suggested a statin drug but I already have muscle pain and know that's a common side effect of statins. I'm taking sustained-release niacin (250 mg) instead. Am I doing the right things?
-- Angie, via e-mail

A. Congrats on your weight loss so far! But your LDL blood cholesterol result is so unlikely that we wonder if this is a case of "garbage in, garbage out." Flash back. Did your doc tell you to fast (no food except water and no supplements -- especially oils or fats) for 9 to 12 hours before your blood cholesterol test? If you didn't fast, your LDL results are garbage; only your HDL is accurate. Get another test.

Otherwise, we're wowed. Almost everything we tell people to do for LDL and HDL you're already doing. Losing weight? Check. Walking daily? Check. Adding strength work? Check. Taking omega-3s, plant sterols, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)? Check, check, and check. Trying niacin? Check -- but we'd tweak that. Up your dose to 500 mg and take it with aspirin before bed to decrease the risk of hot flashes, a common niacin side effect. Try doing 2 minutes of stair climbing, too. It can have a remarkable effect on LDL.

If your LDL and HDL don't improve on your next test, boost the niacin to 1,000 mg and re-test in 3 months.

We'd like your LDL under 100 and your HDL over 55. Everything you're doing should get you there. Let us know how you do.

Try this for a surprising, zero-calorie way to lower your cholesterol.