Cholesterol

Do you know your cholesterol level? Had mine checked recently and it's gone up quite a bit.

Re: Cholesterol

yes mines at 6 for one year only it was 4 , i believe they made a mistake when it came out 4..

There is two parts to the Cholesterol test , i was told one part was good but the other was high ..

Re: Cholesterol

Eliza, mine was 6.4 and is now 8.5. I attend a gym regularly, am not overweight and don't smoke.
I'm hoping they've made a mistake with mine !

Re: Cholesterol

I'm just back from the nurse who told me my cholesterol was high had a five minute discussion about statins and why I am determined not to use them. Then she admitted it was the good stuff that was high not the bad !

Re: Cholesterol

Oh, that's excellent news, Julie! What is your secret, vegetarian diet, maybe?
I have to lower mine, somehow, not keen to have statins although not been offered them yet.

Re: Cholesterol

Yes mine is 4.6, I have always had quite good levels.

Re: Cholesterol

Mine was not particularly high but because I also have high blood pressure they put me on statins. I'm careful what I eat, lost weight, got my bmi to normal and lowered my cholesterol level but no suggestion I come off the tablets.

Re: Cholesterol

Thats a big jump if its in one year,more than likely a mistake .
personally i think its luck of the draw , by that i mean how your body behaves .

Re: Cholesterol

I have been taking statins for more than ten years. Back then my count was over seven. Since taking statins it has dropped to a little over four. I have monthly blood tests to check for kidney functions etc.
Stepping aside now to await the words of wisdom from Realist.

Re: Cholesterol

Your overall reading of Cholesterol is meaningless without knowing how it is made up Cranberry.

HDL......[High density liprotens].......This reading should be over the value of 1...
It stops the dangerous LDL [Low Density Liprotens] from being sticky and adhering to the sides of your arteries.
Triglycerides......also bad for you and derived from sugar and should be lower than 1.7

Ask for a breakdown of these three components of your Cholesterol.

Take your Overall reading and divide it by your HDL reading. This is called your 'Ratio' and should be under 4........Your Doctor should use your 'Ratio' to determine whether your levels are too high....

Dieting will do very little to lower your Cholesterol because it is mainly produced in the Liver. Make sure you fast for twelve hours before you go for a Cholesterol Test, otherwise your Triglycerides might be high and give a false high overall reading.

Triglycerides are raised by the amount of sugar in the blood and if you have eaten any carbohydrates prior to your test your body will not have had time to disperse the sugar. All of your sugar should have been dispersed after twelve hours, if not, there is a problem, possibly diabetes.