High HDL cholesterol

[Muli]

Hi everyone. Had an annual health check. They did a finger prick test. It said my cholesterol is 7.6 and my HDL above 2.6. Poor machine was unable to calculate LDL but my triglycerides were o.8. I was told that HDL is bad when it is too high...so here wo go... what on earth am I supposed to do with this?

I will go to my GP and get a proper blood test, but all advice online is how tomlower LDL and incraese HDL.

Do I still reduce saturated fats and all that? Is it the same advice for increased HDL?

I really need some advice here x

[pasigal]

Interesting, can you give me some of your extra HDL? Mine is stubbornly low.

On a serious note, I think this is a question for a cholesterol clinic or expert.

[sandandkev]

I've got to get my cholesterol down from 3.1 to 1.9- your gp can help,it's statins that reduce it and diet- low or no fat! You have to look at labels a lot more- but also with me- these statins have lots side effects!

[Lowerfield_no_more in reply to sandandkev]

Statin side effects are reported to affect less than 10% of users, but if you personally are suffering' lots' of side effects from the statin you have been prescribed, you should go back to your GP and discuss whether moving across to another statin is possible, especially since there are about four generally available. You might then be able to better tolerate statins. But if you are statin intolerant due to side effects there is other medication available to your GP to try to manage your cholesterol.

[sandandkev in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

Well I'm one of those as now on no 3 statin,we'll see how this one goes,already said if get any side effects will stop them

[Lowerfield_no_more]

You need to seek guidance from a health professional such as your GP. If your total cholesterol is normally around 7.6 then it is unlikely that lifestyle will get it down to the current NHS recommendations of <5 (or even lower if you have known heart disease) especially if your diet is already heart health friendly. However I do suggest you look the recommendations on the BHF website regarding lifestyle measures to reduce your heart health risk which typically cover diet (e.g. the Mediterranean diet), exercise, smoking and alcohol and take it from there, since any further measures you can implement compared to what you are already doing will support any medication you are likely to be prescribed to manage your cholesterol levels.

[Misstibbs]

I would ask the doctor what the cholesterol ration is and how good your triglycerides are

What should your triglyceride levels be? HEART UK experts state that we should aim for a non-fasting triglyceride level below 2.3mmol/L. If your doctor has asked you to fast for a test (usually for 10-14 hours) then your triglyceride level should be below 1.7mmol/L.