Crazy high cholesterol

[Thomas2060]

I'm a 41YO male. I had a full blood workup done about 6 months ago, including CBC and metabolic panel. Everything was normal. The only thing not tested was cholesterol because I hadn't fasted. They reminded me to come in for that but I put it off because it was never the right time. I just saw the doctor for something unrelated and he finally ordered a non-fasting cholesterol test and said fasting wasn't that important.

The numbers came back crazy high. 340 total (!!!) and 260 LDL. Pretty alarming, obviously. Thing is, I had not had a cholesterol test in at least 15 years so there was no real baseline to compare it to.

I've been hitting the kava pretty heavy -- 6-10 tbsp daily, taking breaks of a week or two every 3-4 months. I've been consuming kava about 18 months. Besides kava, my lifestyle has not been healthy the last 18 months. I had to move back home to help care for a relative and all exercise effectively stopped for a while, and then the pandemic hit and I was reluctant to exercise outside. I was ready to get back into exercise then broke my toe 4 months ago, and am just now at the point of PT where I am starting to run and bike again.

My diet has been pretty poor, especially the last 3 months or so since I was Covid vaccinated. I started getting a lot of takeout, donuts, just being kind of a slob. As well, most of the pandemic my diet would fluctuate between healthy and quite unhealthy. I'm 6'1" was at a reasonable weight at the start of the pandemic (~200) but gained about 20 lbs in the last year.

The doctor wants me to start 40mg of Lipitor. After the nurse told me this, I explained my lifestyle factors and emphasized kava. Like everyone in my clinic, she hadn't heard of kava but said she'd let the doctor know and get back to me. I'd mentioned kava during the check-in process before, but the nurses would usually stare blankly, ask if it was illegal, and when I said no they'd just move on like it didn't matter.

I know kava can raise cholesterol in some people, though it's hard to tell how much, and can also compromise the liver. I also know statins can compromise the liver, and if I've been hitting kava heavy, could it be dangerous to start Lipitor even if I stop kava? I kind of feel like I should stop kava for at least a few weeks before I start this medication.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the doctor and obviously that advice takes priority, but I'm curious what others think of my predicament.

 

[The Kap'n]

I made a kava fact on this subject containing my results from 15-16 years of daily kava drinking at 40g (5-6 tablespoons) per day every single day.

Kava Fact of the Day - Kava and Cholesterol.

Kava fact of the day: Kava’s effect on cholesterol. Today we’re going to touch on the proposed effect of kava to raise cholesterol levels in heavy kava drinkers. Several studies over the last two decades have found increased levels of LDL and HDL in kava drinkers. The author responsible for the...

kavaforums.com

 

[Thomas2060]

Thank you. I think it's safe to say kava can increase your cholesterol by moderate amounts over time. But while you have been consuming it for 15 years, I've been consuming it not quite 2 years and my cholesterol is sky high. Kava is part of the picture but I suspect my other lifestyle factors are collectively much more responsible. I may be genetically predisposed too. I feel a conflict because there's apparently a lot of evidence, and people on this forum are fairly convinced, that noble kava doesn't harm your liver or cause cholesterol to go up hugely. But I also don't want to play with fire and put myself at risk.

The doctor responded to my concerns about statins and kava. He said: change your lifestyle, discontinue kava and test again in 6 months. This was conveyed through a nurse so I don't have more details. Does he think kava is responsible for the cholesterol? or does he think I need that time for my liver to recover so that statins won't harm me? I don't know. I also realize that many doctors take a very conservative approach to things like kava and may have an outdated view if they know anything at all about it.

I realize the easiest way to remove all doubt is to eliminate kava completely. But of course, I don't really want to do this. I'd rather take a break, change my diet and continue to increase exercise, take sterols/stanols and other supplements known to decrease cholesterol. And maybe restart kava in a month at more reasonable levels with more frequent breaks.

I'd like to see how my levels are after 3 months of this plan. If levels are not coming down in a pretty big way, then maybe it really is time to completely cut kava and take Lipitor.

 

[Jacob Bula]

Good plan. Cut out everything. Eat better. Exercise and lose weight. Then if you get better kava restart kava if you want and then retest after a few months.

 

[Donnyy]

I'm a 41YO male. I had a full blood workup done about 6 months ago, including CBC and metabolic panel. Everything was normal. The only thing not tested was cholesterol because I hadn't fasted. They reminded me to come in for that but I put it off because it was never the right time. I just saw the doctor for something unrelated and he finally ordered a non-fasting cholesterol test and said fasting wasn't that important.

The numbers came back crazy high. 340 total (!!!) and 260 LDL. Pretty alarming, obviously. Thing is, I had not had a cholesterol test in at least 15 years so there was no real baseline to compare it to.

I've been hitting the kava pretty heavy -- 6-10 tbsp daily, taking breaks of a week or two every 3-4 months. I've been consuming kava about 18 months. Besides kava, my lifestyle has not been healthy the last 18 months. I had to move back home to help care for a relative and all exercise effectively stopped for a while, and then the pandemic hit and I was reluctant to exercise outside. I was ready to get back into exercise then broke my toe 4 months ago, and am just now at the point of PT where I am starting to run and bike using it again.

My diet has been pretty poor, especially the last 3 months or so since I was Covid vaccinated. I started getting a lot of takeout, donuts, just being kind of a slob. As well, most of the pandemic my diet would fluctuate between healthy and quite unhealthy. I'm 6'1" was at a reasonable weight at the start of the pandemic (~200) but gained about 20 lbs in the last year.

The doctor wants me to start 40mg of Lipitor. After the nurse told me this, I explained my lifestyle factors and emphasized kava. Like everyone in my clinic, she hadn't heard of kava but said she'd let the doctor know and get back to me. I'd mentioned kava during the check-in process before, but the nurses would usually stare blankly, ask if it was illegal, and when I said no they'd just move on like it didn't matter.

I know kava can raise cholesterol in some people, though it's hard to tell how much, and can also compromise the liver. I also know statins can compromise the liver, and if I've been hitting kava heavy, could it be dangerous to start Lipitor even if I stop kava? I kind of feel like I should stop kava for at least a few weeks before I start this medication.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the doctor and obviously that advice takes priority, but I'm curious what others think of my predicament.

Hey, I hope you are feeling better now and you have lowered your cholesterol levels. After you changed your lifestyle in a certain way, did you give up kava? How did it affect your physical and psycho-emotional state?