High cholesterol, freaking out!

[Klaker]

I had my over 40s health check and my cholesterol is 10 and I'm freaking out! Awaiting GP appointment for bloods again and a consultation but anyone have any words of wisdom! Thanks so much!

[gilreid1]

Your bio does not tell a lot ? Your health normally good? Are you overweight? Your diet ? All these are a pointer for avoiding high cholesterol. At your age you can fix it before it becomes a major problem. Listen to your GP and if it means medication take it. Or you will be joining this forum for more serious problems. You can fix this. Good luck

[Klaker in reply to gilreid1]

Hi, health good, overweight but only just according to BMI, my diet could be better but is not awful by any means. I don't eat red meat, eat lots of fruit and veg, but do like butter and cheese! I don't exercise but I am active with 2 year old twins! Results today were from prick test so will wait for fasting results!

[gilreid1 in reply to Klaker]

Take it as a warning. You may think all is well with your life style and diet. But if simple changes help reducing your cholesterol then try very hard to do it. I fully understand that looking after twins does not leave you a lot of time. But as I have said it can be simple changes that make big a difference Good luck and take all this as a positive

[RufusScamp]

Overhaul your diet. Cut back on heavily processed foods and refined carbs, and get plenty of exercise, even if it's only a daily walk. If you are overweight, try and lose some.If these don't work, consider meds if they are offered.

[Klaker]

Thanks all, I am a bit overweight after the birth of my twins and don't exercise much but am moderately active all day. I eat generally a healthy diet and don't drink or smoke . I am in good health otherwise. I was just so shocked!

[Ewloe]

Was the blood test you had fasting? It should be for a more accurate result. You need to have a copy of your results And look at nice guidance. There’s a calculator to work out your risks.

[Jack2019]

cholesterol is a vital part of the bodies healing mechanism, having a high level in your blood indicates you are having an inflammatory response to injury and your body is responding, so it is not a bad thing to have acute high cholesterol. What needs to happen is to discover why it is high, it could be you have a sun burn, a recent injury, a bad diet etc.. I would try to be your own detective to uncover why you have inflammation, and give yourself time to finish the healing process or correct a bad diet etc. Have another check in maybe 6 months. Chronic inflammation is a huge problem and is revealed with chronically high/low lipid numbers, not just ldl, and good care ,imo, would be surveillance of your lipids and guidance to correct negative life style habits. All to often people are just prescribed a statin to remove cholesterol. Cholesterol is dynamic and changes constantly as it responds to the needs of your body, lowering with a statin inhibits healing to my thinking. This is my opinion I am offering you.

[Hidden]

If your total cholesterol is about 10 it is likely you could be subject to familial hypercholesterolaemia (also known as FH), look it up, including posts on here and a website section by the BHF . A genetic test will confirm this, which you should discuss with your GP. I was found to have total cholesterol of about 10 over 20 years ago. I was fit and healthy, exercised , and had a good diet, with little pre-prepared foods. But after a rigorous miserable diet of low fat this low fat that, which was the only thing I could change in the lifestyle category, the best I ever achieved was a cholesterol of 6.5. So My GP put me on statins which I have taken ever since. My current reading is about 4.5 -5. 0 on 80mg Atorvastatin. Anyway whereas life style changes might make things slightly better for you, treatments for people with exceptionally high cholesterol are much improved nowadays including injections in conjunction with statins if required. All of which you need to discuss with your GP. And you may even qualify for a visit to a lipidologist as some folks on here do. So in short it's nothing to panic about.

[HeartofLondon]

I once got a high cholesterol reading after a test. It was because they forgot to tell me to fast before the test, I'd just had lunch at a restaurant. At the test no one mentioned about the last time I ate. Naturally I was worried until I realize the cause of the error.