Hi All,
I have just had a cholesterol test and I am a bit confused about the results. My total cholesterol is pretty high BUT when I use the NHS website (calculating heart age) it says my ratio is healthy?
Results are:
Total: 6.89 (267)
HDL: 2.07 (80)
LDL: 4.16 (161)
Triglycerides: 1.45 (127)
I understand that my 'bad' cholesterol is high at 4.16 but my 'good' cholesterol is also OK at 2.07 which gives a ratio of: 3.3
Any further input would be appreciated! Thanks
There are many factors for hearts health and one of them is cholesterol, you need to look at all the blood test levels namely blood pressure, blood glucose and blood cholesterol.
Understanding cholesterol is also very important.
Heart age calculation or qrisk calculation ask for number of things.
If you are happy with the calculator result doctor's calculation doctor may say no action required or may offer medication to reduce cholesterol!
You may need to look at life style change and regular exercise for a healthy life before considering and medication to lower cholesterol.
Thanks Bala... my blood glucose level is normal as is my blood pressure. I exercise everyday (and always have). I am not overweight BUT my eating habits at the weekend include lots of fats! I'm thinking a diet change is the first thing on the risk... as an aside the qrisk calculator gave me 3.8% chance of a heart attack in the next 10 years... so lower than average.. (for my age)
For my age, daily exercise on the tread mill in the gym for 30 minutes. I check the starting BPM and take to 50% during the exercise, 15 % incline, speed 6.5 KMH and make sure I cool down at the end of 30 minutes.
I do take butter, coconut oil, olive oil and may be twice a week rice at weekends. My breakfast and lunch is controlled but dinner whatever is home cooked. Only time will tell.
Watch the video in cholesterol worries, 79 minutes long. You can discover the benefits of plant based food.
Get a fuller set of tests, these results are only skimming the surface and are not really giving you the better risk factors
Eating saturated fat is fine it's the processed fats that should be avoided, like vegetable oil, low fat spreads and cheese, just cut carbs down.
Full dairy is also much healthier.
As for cholesterol mine is 7.9 and I'm extremely healthy, cholesterol doesn't cause heart disease so no worries for me. Doctor put me on statins a few years back, cholesterol dropped to 3.1 and I was so ill, that's when I started researching statins and cholesterol and found the truth.
Our brains are 25% cholesterol so it's no surprises to me when I hear people taking statins having side effect of depression and memory loss.
The only level we should be concerned about is Triglycerides and this we can keep down by cutting out sugar and lowering carb intake.
Hope that helps
Please watch this video.
youtube.com/watch?v=U1varII...
Please summarise that video to explain why people should spend over an hour of their short lives on it!
No comments!
OK, if you won't then I will: it's a video of an overlong rant by a notorious doctor and Olympic gold medallist advocating yet another extremist diet similar to Ornish's, based on SECONDARY treatment of a relatively small group of Americans. The application of it to PRIMARY treatment (=before you have heart problems) is unproven, with some studies finding no link between eating some meat/dairy/... and heart disease. The speaker may have the ear of Bill Clinton, but that video is a waste of an hour and a quarter for most people here who are trying to find the best primary treatments.
There's not much evidence about any of that, is there? Like the triglycerides claim: like my ancestors AFAIK, my triglycerides are fairly low and constant, yet the last few generations dropped dead young from heart disease.
I'd follow best medical advice. If any drugs - including statins - aren't working for you, keep going back to the doctors and they will take you off them (or if they won't, replace your doctors).
One family member who is 85 had first stent 15 years ago, second stent and a TAVI procedure last year. A surgeon still teaching new intakes into medical university!
For 6 smalls meals he has each day there is at least 2 green leafy vegetables. Only time will tell, one person who take at least 10% information from the video clip to improve their heart health then I have achieved my objectives.
But that's not news and not the bulk of the message in that extremist video. Does he also avoid meat, fish, oils, fats, dairy and coffee?
Simply eat food that can help to produce nitric oxide to help heart related problems.
Why can't I add a link to support my opinion? I've tried so many times to add links but for some reason I'm unable too.
Cholesterol Update
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My latest cholesterol numbers 
