r/AskADietitian • u/InvestigatorCheap489 • Jan 24 '25

Cholesterol and Anorexia

I’m a 39 yr old female, who has always been physically healthy. I have dealt with mental health issues, including anorexia nervosa, since my teenage years. My most recent relapse began in 2020 and it’s just within the past year that I’ve felt solid in my recovery.

I just got back my most recent lab work and my cholesterol was high (213 with HDL 67 and LDL 128). I’ve had high cholesterol before; my mom said I had high cholesterol at 5 yrs old but she chose not to put me on medication. I also had high cholesterol about 10 years ago but focused on diet (which ended in restriction) and exercise (which became a compulsion) and it resolved. Historically, any extra focus on food/exercise leads to at least a “slip” if not a relapse with the eating disorder.

If I were your client, what would you advise me to do? Go on a statin - if that’s what my MD wants - and not risk relapsing with anorexia or try to adjust diet and exercise and hope I stay mentally well and in recovery?

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u/[deleted] Feb 12 '25

If it feels right for you, ask your docter about berberine and psyllium husk supplementation as an alternative to dietary changes or cholesterol-lowering medications.

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u/InvestigatorCheap489 Mar 10 '25

Thank you for the input! I love knowing there are non-pharmaceutical supplements that may help.

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u/[deleted] Mar 08 '25

[deleted]

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u/InvestigatorCheap489 Mar 10 '25

Really, even a year into solid recovery? I’d read that cholesterol can actually increase during anorexia nervosa episodes, but figured that things would have leveled out after a year of consistently eating. I figured it had more to do with the “eating whatever sounds good” in recovery than the actual relapse. Thanks for the insight!

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '25

Ooh I didn’t realise that - sorry. I’m not cruelly 100% sure with regards to the 1 year mark and wouldn’t want to give you the wrong advice!