Cholesterol level

[Abubakker]

Hi. My cholesterol is at 5.5. I am a 27 year old male. Is this very bad considering my age? I don't exercise and was told exercising could make a huge difference and bring it down quickly.

[sandybrown]

Ok, What was the reason for blood cholesterol testing?

Do you have all the lipid blood results?.

You can control your blood cholesterol with life style change, regular exercise and food and drinks intake control.

You GP can give you a risk analysis and can comment how to do the necessary life style change and control.

You have to watch out for hidden and free sugar in food and drinks.

[Abubakker in reply to sandybrown]

Thanks Bala

We had a Wellness day at work so we could do all these tests. It was the basic blood prick test so I so not have lipid blood results.

I don't feel sick or anything of that sort. I'm also very skinny. I was never a health conscious person and after the testing today I feel that I need to become more conscious.

Regards,

Abu

[sandybrown in reply to Abubakker]

Thank you. You can go to your GP and ask for full blood and health check. Some time it is better to start early to do life style change. South Asian people in UK have to take care early in life!!

A GP is the better person to start asking your written questions and keep a record for future reference.

[Bazza1234]

Check out the "Couch to 5K" progamme NHS forum here healthunlocked.com/couchto5k LOTS of people having great success with this

[Markl60]

A cholesterol reading of 5.5 tells you little or nothing about your risk. Go to a doctor and get the following test which is free and will include

Total Cholesterol

LDL levels

HDL levels

Triglyceride levels

CRP levels

Make sure you specify that you want all of the above and get a print out. If you are a vegitarian ask for a B12 and Folate test. these are also free for Veggies.

[sos007 Ambassador]

If you would like a baseline for your cardiovascular health, get the ApoB and ApoA1 blood test as well as the CRP, triglyceride, and MPO (myeloperoxidase) tests. These values will provide more relevant information than the LDL value.

You should also develop good lifestyle habits by walking for 30 minutes per day at a brisk pace and avoiding sugars in your diet, especially soft drinks, even diet drinks. Try eating fresh foods and avoid packaged foods that come in a box or bag from the grocery store. Also avoid white flour products, eat whole grain foods instead.

Good luck.

[happydodderer]

It's so easy to become obsessive about these kinds of tests. The medical profession seems to have adopted cholesterol as the danger flavor of the month. Historically 5 was considered fine.

I remember a few years ago in the USA a group of medics got a similar obsession of trying to drive blood sugar levels lower and lower in diabetics. In the end the project was ended when patients began to die.

Personally if you feel well I would stop worrying and get on with enjoying your life. Just have a general check-up every six months or so to make sure everything else remains OK.

[Tibblington]

Hello Abubakker Who told you that 5.5 was high? How do they know what is correct for you? Neither your doctor nor anyone else knows what you cholesterol level ought to be; cholesterol is an important component of the blood acting as a repair mechanism on the site of any injury. Rather than go into a long description I would recommend that you read what a heart surgeon says when he admits to having been wrong over 25 years. Go to: healthscams.org.uk/heart-su....

No matter what anyone tells you saturated fats are a vital part of your nutrition, stay away from all seed oils and butter substitutes, watch out for added sugar and certainly don't go for "diet" products.

Lastly do avoid going down the Statins route. You will find an article about them on the same site as the heart surgeon article. happydodderer has the right approach in his reply.

Best of luck, enjoy life that's what it's for! Tibbly

[Celtic]

I wouldn't think you have much to be concerned about with a total cholesterol level of 5.5, depending, of course, on the breakdown of the HDL and LDL. The ratio is the important figure. However, some regular exercise wouldn't go amiss!

I have recently had my cholesterol checked and the result was 6.7 with a recording of "normal" on the printout! That was a new one on me as in the past they would have told me it was abnormal and been encouraging me to take statins. A GP actually gave my hubby a prescription for statins a couple of years ago when his cholesterol was 4.5! The prescription was filed in the bin! I have now discovered that my cholesterol/HDL ratio at 2.6 is the reason for a "normal" recording. It seems that more is being learned and different methods of reporting are coming to the fore. Ask your GP to explain it all.