withing Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 This interesting article says that dogs who chase their tales have higher cholesterol. They link that to people who are anxious and have a tendency to have high cholesterol as well. Past studies have found that people with panic disorders and certain phobias often have higher cholesterol levels, possibly as a result of increased activity of hormones tied to the "fight or flight" response. Anyway, I have high cholesterol, and I have bi-polar (which leads to paranoia and some phobias). I wonder if there is a link somewhere? What do y'all think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrea3821 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Interesting. I have a history of high cholesterol and I have general and social anxiety. Garlic supplements and diet change have not helped the cholesterol. Once it was like 260-something! I also think something is wrong with my other hormones but all fall within normal range. I wonder if being a Type A personality has anything to do with it, as that is associated with a higher cortisol level and increased adrenaline response. Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olga Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Well, it's an interesting theory, but I'm a person who has never had more than a fleeting moment of anxiety, and my cholesterol has been 300-400 when I wasn't watching my diet. I'll keep an eye on Finley in future. olga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 My physiology major senses tell me that Andrea has a good point about the cortisol - this is probably less of a correlation and more of an indirect effect. For instance, prolonged anxiety/stress, such as in patients with anxiety disorders, will generally cause elevated cortisol. Cortisol (and I'm taking this from my endocrinology notes) tends to produce, among other fun things, increased lipolysis and hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol). Incidentally, this is also why lots of hospital patients tend to have high blood sugar - cortisol decreases glucose uptake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Well, I had high anxiety when my LDL was 131 and my trigycerides were 184. Then through good diet, I dropped them over the course of two years to 112 and 141, respectively. Anxiety didn't change one bit. Can't remember what my total cholesterol level was, but I think it's in the 140-160 range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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