Cholesterol

[paxwekk]

My cholesterol came out that is 6.1.... can i ask how much must be wen its normal ?

[sandybrown]

If you Google cholesterol numbers you can get a lot of information on cholesterol numbers and explanation. You need to understand all the cholesterol numbers. Just total cholesterol number is not good enough, your GP needs to look at all the numbers from the blood test and can provide you an explanation. Life style change, food intake control and going for regular exercise can help to reduce cholesterol numbers but slow process. Cholesterol is necessary for human to enjoy life!

Good luck

[Sonyajba]

NHS advice is 5 or below, my advice is any number is fine as cholesterol is essential to our bodies. Throughout our life our levels go up and down depending on any health issues we may have.

6.1 is absolutely fine as is my reading of 7.85

[Aliwally]

I actually don't think the vast majority of people, especially over 50 could achieve the current "recommended level" without statins and I don't think that's right.

[ursa]

NICE recommends it to be below 5; there is no clear sufficient scientific explanation as to why this should be so. Doctors are 'told' to offer statins to everybody who cannot reduce their cholesterol to around that number with other means.

I would like to see some truly scientific evidence coming from NICE that everybody should have the same low level of cholesterol, or that reducing cholesterol levels to a certain number or below will safe lives.

[Penel]

If you are a post menopausal woman, your cholesterol levels go up naturally.

The cholesterol level on its own is only one indicator, things like your weight and BP also need to be taken into account.

[sandybrown in reply to Penel]

Am at the moment in Singapore looking after my brother who is 85 still teaching, a professor and a surgeon. Most of the time we discuss comments on HU. Agree with the above comment after discussion, cholesterol numbers differ depending on may conditions! yes there are guide lines, had a look at me brother's blood test for a heart appointment, consultant said all OK, the numbers are different from guide lines.

[Mariangel]

According to the British heart foundation It should be 5.5 to 5.6

[DakCB-UK in reply to Mariangel]

What's the source for that? bhf.org.uk/heart-health/con... seems to say 4 but only if you're at risk.

[Aliwally]

When does fine become not fine and when does "normal" become pathological, that is symptomatic of disease?

I don't know the answer.

[sandybrown in reply to Aliwally]

A cardiologist is the bet person to give the correct answer! Who has all the medical records and the latest full bold test, BP and any other additional information at the time of consultation.

[DakCB-UK]

Is that only for FH (it seems a likely consequence of nice.org.uk/guidance/cg71/c... ) or is it hiding in the QRISK part of non-FH guidance nice.org.uk/guidance/cg181/...? Otherwise that looks like they only get worried above 7.5mmol/l.