I’ve been on a bit of a health journey since 2019. I consistently exercising, I eat very little sugary foods, and for the most part eat quite healthily. Yet from 2019 to 2024 my cholesterol has gone from not great to bad, and I’ve watched my blood pressure move from optimum to the top end of normal, which is a big jump in just a few years.

When my cholesterol got worse between my 2022 and early 2024 test results, my doctor, not knowing the extent of my healthy routines, suggested I watch my diet for a few months and test again. I booked another appointment with her. I explained that I could definitely increase my fibre intake, but that cholesterol was a genetic issue on both sides of my family.

I shared that my mom’s dad died too early due to cholesterol issues. My mom has been on statins for 17 years, and my dad’s brother is 20 years older than me and was put on statins 20 years ago. Basically requested to be put on statins. Her immediate response was why I value her as a doctor. She said that she would rather that I consulted a cardiovascular specialist first, and set up an appointment.

That was great until, still waiting for my appointment 2 months later, I learned that I was declined an appointment. It seems that being on the cusp of unhealthy, (based on norms of people far less healthy than I am), I am not critical enough to get a specialist appointment. As a bit of a rant, do I really need to have a heart episode or stroke before I fix my cholesterol issue? I think that’s the sign of a broken medical system. So, with this news, my doctor said she would put me on statins and we could retest my bloodwork after 6 months.

It has been just over 7 months on medication and I just got my bloodwork results. The results are shockingly good. I assumed they would be better than they were on my last test because during the past few months I’ve seen my blood pressure drop into the low range of normal, almost back to optimal. But to see such a large drop in my cholesterol in only 7 months definitely shows the medication is working.

I can control a lot of my heatlh with exercise and healthy eating, but the reality is that cholesterol is mostly genetic, and when it comes to cholesterol, I’ve got bad genes on both sides of the family. I chose to take statins under doctor supervision, and I did my own research too.

In all honesty, I was not expecting such positive results. A previous blood tests showed that I have high lipoprotein (a) which is a bad combination to have with high cholesterol because this protein likes to hold onto the bad LDL cholesterol. And new research shows that statins are less likely to show success in people with high lipoprotein (a). But my test results speak for themselves.

So now I’m probably going to be on statins for the rest of my life. And frankly I’m quite happy about that. It’s working for my mom, and my uncle, and it’s fixing something that I don’t have the power to fix with my lifestyle. I won’t pretend that I’ve noticed any physical or health changes in the last few months. In reality I feel the same as I did before I started medication. But internally my body is dealing with a lot less stress. My heart doesn’t need to pump as hard, and I’m probably having a lot less plaque build up in my veins.

It’s wonderful to see such positive results. And on that note, it’s time to get on the treadmill… I’m not staying healthy by medication alone, I’m also sticking to a healthy routine. I like to joke that I plan to die healthy. And while I hope that won’t happen for many years to come, I plan on being active, mobile, and fit when my time comes. To paraphrase Dr. Peter Attia, I want a good healthspan, not just lifespan. For me that means taking statins as well as exercising and maintaining a healthy diet.