DEAR DR. GOTT: I am so confused! I am a 47-year-old female, 5’5” tall, 128 pounds, pre-menopausal. My hypothyroidism is managed by Synthroid 25 mcg per day. Also, I have a vitamin D deficiency managed by 50000 units per week. I do not eat any red meat, exercise at least 30 minutes per day (breaking a light sweat through using a stationary bike at 15-16 mph).

I eat a balanced diet consisting of beans and legumes for protein and I cook with olive oil and other “good” fats. I consume two to three ounces of red wine with dinner nightly. Despite all this, my cholesterol is 221 and my triglycerides are 195. My HDL is 59 (I worked hard to raise it from 50) and my LDL is 123. I am dumbfounded! How can I lower my cholesterol and triglycerides further? Also, the lab collected blood after a 5 hour fast only and they did not instruct me to abstain from alcohol [Read more...]