Total cholesterol 4.7. HDL 1.5...ratio... - Cholesterol Support
Total cholesterol 4.7. HDL 1.5...ratio 3.2. No LDL figures...what do these numbers mean?
Hi,
Here we go,
What cholesterol results should you expect?
In order to understand the risk that cholesterol poses to your health it is important to know your numbers: Your surgery may only tell you there is nothing to worry about or they may only give you your total cholesterol (TC) figure. Be sure to ask them for all the results they have and keep a note of them. As a minimum you should know your total cholesterol and a measure of your HDL (high density lipoprotein; good) cholesterol.
• Total Cholesterol (TC) – the total amount of cholesterol in your blood – ideally less than 5 mmol/L (less than 4 mmol/L in those at high risk).
• LDL Cholesterol (LDL-C) – the amount of LDL -cholesterol or “bad” cholesterol – ideally less than 3 mmol/L (less than 2 mmol/L in those at high risk).
• HDL Cholesterol (HDL-C) – the amount of HDL cholesterol or “good” cholesterol - ideally over 1mmol/L (man) over 1.2mmol/L (woman).
• TC:HDL ratio – This is the TC figure divided by the HDL-C figure. A ratio over 6 is considered high risk - the lower this figure is the better.
• Triglyceride (TG) - This reflects your body’s ability to clear fat from the blood after a meal. Ideally it should be below 1.7mmol/L when fasting between 8 – 12 hours.
You need to look at the medical condition for every individual!, age, BMI and many more before looking to take any action on cholesterol!
The blood test numbers may be confusing, you need to side down with your GP or a practice nurse to fully understand all the blood test numbers.
good luck.
Thanks bala.
I had the total figure from the doc last week and tried today for the full picture. GP wasn't there and the receptionist pulled my results. She could see no LDL or triglyceride numbers and from your reply what I have got doesn't look too bad.
I told the doc that I had stopped taking my statins a few months back because they made me feel awful and it does look like my TC has gone up a little.
I agreed to restart the statins and she said she'd cut the dose right down if it made me bad again and build up to an acceptable level.....Trouble is,I can already feel the neck ache and twinging joints coming back and it's only been a few days back on them.
Think I'll get an appt with the practice nurse or my GP and get the full details, then I can juggle my diet to help.
Also had a load of stress recently, divorce/ fights about the kids etc...so that hasn't helped.
For those whose levels are not dangerously high and cannot tolerate statins, I would suggest trying Kyolic garlic tablets. When I started to take Kyolic tablets from my local Health Food shop, my total cholesterol levels dropped two whole points in twelve months. The "experts" told me this was just coincidence so I stopped taking them and my cholesterol went up. I started to take them and, once gain, my levels dropped. To me this proves these tablets, with no side effects, work for me. Hope they might work for you too.
scrumpyjax if you feel it all coming back then stop and go back to your GP and ask for an alternative or none at all.
Also your GP will have a much more detailed list from your bloods and ask for a print out.
Dont ask dont get i am afraid.
But yes your figures are not bad.
Always work on getting a higher HDL figure by eating HDL friendly foods.
Which, specifically, are HDL friendly foods?
All those things that we know are good for us! I have recently been told by a health nut friend that an apple a day is as good a plant sterol as a statin! Good start! Fresh fruit and veg, preferably raw (keep off those prepacked salads - they are dying in the bag as we buy them and have no vitamins or minerals left!) Try to buy those growing salad leaves and if like me you are a bit of a gardener put them in pots and keep growing them on!
I was taught that exercise is good at pushing up your HDL. Foods considered good at helping to reduce total cholesterol levels are those reinforced with plant sterols and stanols, oily fish, onions, garlic. HEART UK's website gives lots more advice.
get a lpa blood test and try niacin google both good luck
Please please don't worry about cholesterol levels, it doesn't matter if it's 4.3 or 7.5, the ' Cholesterol causes heart disease ' is a complete myth. It was invented by pharmaceutical companies to aid their huge profits in statin production.
Don't take my word for it see for yourself by watching a program called ' Statin Nation' just YouTube and you'll find it.
More importantly watch a BBC program called ' The men who made us spend' hopefully you can watch it on BBC catchup or iplayer. The program looks at how companies con us into spending money, half way through there ex drug company executives openly stating that cholesterol was used as a marketing ploy to put fear into people, they even conned the medical profession by getting scientists to agree with them for funding. It is an outrage.
If you feel fine and have no health problems then just enjoy life and forget the numbers.
Stop worrying would be my advice . If you have achieved these figures by just leading a healthy lifestyle then you should continue. Your total Cholesterol divided by your HDL ("good" cholesterol) should give you a healthy figure of under 4. As this is the case with you then you can relax! The confusion around Cholesterol, statins, etc., has been stirred and stirred over the past few years. It is a personal choice whether or not you see cholesterol as an enemy or a friend. As cholesterol is a natural process in the body I see it as a friend - therefore I help him along by being as good a I can be to my body by eating well and organically if possible, keeping off the junk food, watching the carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice and cereals especially wholewheat) and sugars eating fresh fruit and veg and taking exercise - not necessarily hours in the gym - just an hour's walking every day! If you do have any questions at all you should see your GP but from what I can see I would just carry on as you have been doing! I wish you well.
