Cholesterol Levels

[SpiritualT]

I have been under a Cardiologist because I had an abnormal ECG and I am only 35 but I do suffer from severe health anxiety following a trauma I had a few years ago.

Anyway, I saw the Cardiologist who said the abnormality in the ECG was purely positional (I had a normal one since) the echocardiogram was fine so the structure of my heart was fine and the sinus tachycardia was down to anxiety. He said my chances of a serious cardiac event in the medium term is less than 1%.

I have had my cholesterol levels checked privately because I want to be in the best health that I can and they have frightened me because they have come back as follows

Cholesterol - 5.24 mmol/L - High

LDL Cholesterol - 2.89 mmol/L - Normal

HDL Cholesterol - 1.28 mmol/L - Optimal

Triglyceride/HDL ratio - 1.84:1 - Abnormal

Non HDL Cholesterol - 3.96 mmol/L - Normal

Triglycerides- 2.35 mmol/L - Abnormal

Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio - 4.09:1 - Abnormal

I am only 35 and my diet hasn’t been the best I weigh around 146lbs and I am trying to exercise.

I am really frightening myself because I am worried about a heart attack now because my cholesterol looks really bad.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Hello and welcome to the forum! The only result of issue are the triglycerides which push up your Total Cholesterol.

Things that can help are:

Limit total carbs to around 120gms per day. These should be complex carbs and not sugars.

Avoid trans-fats

Eat oily fish about three times a week

Increase your intake of monosaturates and reduce saturated fats.

Was it a fasting test? If not it may be worth repeating when fasting. Did your GP suggest a low dose statin?

[SpiritualT in reply to MichaelJH]

My Triglycerides are only just in the abnormal range according to the test results so hopefully can get them down with dietary changes

[SpiritualT]

No GP did not advise about a statin and I dont want to either I am only 35.

I cannot remember if it was a fasting test or not. I think I will incorporate dietary changes and exercise and retest in 3 months.

[Hidden]

Okay, let’s put this in perspective. The normal cut off values for someone without a heart problem or cardiac history are as follows:

Total cholesterol: 5.0 or under

Non HDL: 4.0 or under

HDL: 1.0 and above for a man, 1.2 and above for a woman

LDL: 3 or under

Triglycerides: 1.7 or below for a fasting test, 2.3 or below for a non fasting

TG:HDL ratio: ideally 1.0 or less

TC:HDL ratio: ideally 4.0 or under. Anything over 6.0 is considered high risk

Yes, some of your values are marginally higher than the cut off, but it’s that - marginal. The system flags them because it works in absolutes, but a human doctor would most likely look at those and say there’s nothing to particularly worry about. That’s not to say that there’s not room for improvement, and that can be achieved by a healthy diet and exercise (and weight loss where appropriate, but you don’t say how tall you are to know if you’re significantly overweight), but these are not ‘bad’ cholesterol results by any stretch of the imagination.

Don’t let these very slightly out results feed into your health anxiety: take control and focus on getting and staying as healthy as you can. That will have a dual benefit of helping you get the couple of ‘abnormal’ numbers back down, but also help with mental well-being and longer term health generally.

[SpiritualT in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Charlie that was really helpful.

Im 5”4 and weigh 10 stone 6lbs but I am losing weight and I have incorporated exercise.

After having a heart scan etc at 35 and seeing a Cardiologist everything has worried me and I definitely dont want to go on statins.

I suppose I have let my anxiety take over my biggest health anxiety is having a heart attack (I have absolutely no idea why).

I will focus on my weight loss and healthy eating. Thank you for your response it has really helped my frantic mind. I am grateful

[Hidden in reply to SpiritualT]

You’re very welcome, and I’m glad you found it helped. It’s very easy for our minds to run away with us sometimes, particularly when stressed, and particularly at the moment with the way the world is generally. With regard to the statins, I’d be extremely surprised if anyone offered you any under the circumstances, and even if they did, I personally wouldn’t take them with similar results to yours, not without taking a serious crack at my diet and lifestyle factors first. I had my first episode at the tender age of 26 (arrhythmia), and I’m a single dad aged 36 now, so I know how daunting it can be to worry about heart issues whilst still wild young things as we are 😉

Done the ol’ bmi, and I’m sure you already know you’re at the very top end of ‘healthy’ from that perspective, so you don’t necessarily *need* to lose weight unless you want to, but getting moving and staying fit will have a number of benefits beyond just weight control. From experience, it really can play a part in managing stress and anxiety, and general levels of mental well-being. I think the reason people with health anxiety often worry about their hearts - and people generally, tbh! - is because you can usually function to some degree without pretty much anything else, but if your heart stops? It’s a very understandable fear, but hard to justify if you’re not having any symptoms of a cardiac condition and all the tests are saying you’re ok. It may not be relevant for you, but for many people, some of the difficulty lies in anxiety routinely causing a number of symptoms of cardiac issues, which compounds the fear and anxiety, and before you know it you end up going round in circles convinced you have a heart problem. That’s not to say that anyone should ever ignore any symptoms or things that are worrying them, regardless of whether they suffer from anxiety: there is never any harm in getting things checked out, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

If you ever want a chat, feel free to message, but without wanting to sound patronising, I’m pretty sure you’ve got this. Take care.

[Heythrop51]

I found to get my cholesterol right I have to take a low dose statin so I would not dismiss it outright if your GP suggests it. My BMI us now in the healthy range. I achieved this by following a following a Mediterranean diet (carb restricted as I was also pre-diabetic web I joined the forum). You can do it!

[SpiritualT in reply to Heythrop51]

Thanks but I will be making dietary changes if they are only marginally out.

Im only 35 I do not want to take statins.

[DavidG1971]

Your numbers aren’t that bad. So a few small changes should make them perfect. I swapped most white carbs for brown (easier than I thought). Stopped sugar in tea /

coffee. Porridge for breakfast. Dark chocolate only .....it killed my desire for milk

Chocolate. I still mess up and make bad choices - but the shift helped my total down to 2.4 (from 6.4). You don’t need anything like that level of adjustment.

[SpiritualT in reply to DavidG1971]

Thanks David. Thats great you was able to do it with diet. I should be able to hopefully.

I actually have a friend who is 33 and hers is nearly 7 because of a genetic condition.

I was getting myself in a state thinking the numbers were really bad. Im going to make dietary changes and retest again in a few months.

[SpiritualT in reply to DavidG1971]

Can I ask how long of a period if took you with dietary changes?

[DavidG1971 in reply to SpiritualT]

I had assistance of statins as well - but my tests were 3 months apart. Also went back to my early twenties weight around 10 stone .....lost 10lbs. I now use my weight as main barometer. At one point I’d snuck upto 11 stone 8......no wonder there was far inside my pipes as well.

[SpiritualT in reply to DavidG1971]

My weight has snuck up too since I turned 30 that was 5 years ago.

Im weighing at 10 stone 6 but Im only 5”4 so I am not massively overweight but I am 25.1 on the BMI chart.

Did you achieve your weight with diet and exercise? Thats what I am trying to do and hopefully the exercise will help this horrific anxiety also.

[DavidG1971 in reply to SpiritualT]

I actually lost that weight exercising less (I was doing a lot prior to my stents). Which highlighted to me the impact of diet ....shows that you can t exercise away a pack of digestives. My exercise and fitness are climbing again now.....but the weight loss came first.

[SpiritualT in reply to DavidG1971]

Thank you. I am going to change my diet immediately. Make sure I get up and move more. At only 10 stone 6 I see people who are a lot bigger than me and smoke ( some being friends).

After my echocardiogram, ECG, blood tests and seeing the cardiologist I just wish I could take some comfort in the fact that my heart is okay.

[DavidG1971 in reply to SpiritualT]

Make sure you do take LOTS of comfort that you’ve no damage and plenty of time to change. It’s no fun when the damage is real.

[SpiritualT in reply to DavidG1971]

I am trying David but now I am actually worrying myself stupid that I wont be able to get this cholesterol down and am going to do some damage to my heart. (I have a massive fear of heart attacks and I dont know why)

[DavidG1971 in reply to SpiritualT]

I guarantee that your worry is far more dangerous than your cholesterol. That’s what you need to get a handle on.

[SpiritualT in reply to DavidG1971]

I know. Im really trying. I thought the reassurance from the cardiologist and the heart scan would have helped but I still keep worrying over every little ache and pain in my chest.

[DavidG1971 in reply to SpiritualT]

I’ve had more chest twinges and pains since my stent than I ever did before - when i was running and swimming with a blocked artery. Which tells me the mind is very powerful.

Did you get chest pains before your first scan? If they only started afterwards, that does suggest your mind might be overworking. Your cholesterol reading alone means nothing - people with low cholesterol have heart attacks, and people with high cholesterol can go with no issues at all.

It sounds like you need to take your anxiety more seriously though. That is a major health risk.

[SpiritualT in reply to DavidG1971]

No I continually get chest pain probably because I hold myself tense all the time. I have attended the hospital on that many occasions worried. I have now been seen by a cardiologist had x2 holter monitors and x 2 echocardiograms and since I found out my cholesterol results I have just been frantic.

Your right David the mind is very powerful it’s actually ruining my life thinking everyday there is something seriously wrong with my heart when the medical evidence suggests otherwise.

[DavidG1971 in reply to SpiritualT]

If you know that - it’s a good start. I have anxiety too - but probably not quite as bad. That’s 100% something to work on. Even if you just remind yourself every morning that’s your biggest opponent of the day.

[SpiritualT in reply to DavidG1971]

I keep attending the hospital though David thinking im having a heart attack even though I have been checked out it isnt normal

[DavidG1971 in reply to SpiritualT]

If you have the money - why not have a stress test to clear your mind?

[SpiritualT in reply to DavidG1971]

Would the echocardiogram and holter monitors not have shown a problem? My cardiologist didn’t suggest a stress test, he said my sinus tachycardia was caused by anxiety.

[DavidG1971 in reply to SpiritualT]

I’m sure it would have done. If you know it’s stress / anxiety.....then you know what to work on.