High LDL cholesterol

[Lucy0311]

Have just seen my doctor who has advised that my LDL cholesterol is 4.2 and I need to get it down - I currently eat quiet healthy, i make low f

at choices, don't eat a lot of animal fats - so I am unsure what i need to do to reduce my cholesterol

[Anne76]

4.2 is not high, generally statin prescribed when over 5.00

[Edward_H in reply to Anne76]

The NHS say LDL should be 3mmol/L or less for healthy adults

2mmol/L or less for those at high risk

[sandybrown]

Please ask for a print out of your test results and post the lipid numbers, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglyceride and other given numbers.

LDL is a calculated number, mistakes can be made!!

[JAS9]

I always try the easy, safe, more natural solutions first. Amla is the fruit of a plant found in India that has a very good effect on cholesterol. Powdered amla is cheap and it worked for me! Here's a very short video: youtu.be/hNj6V7kIqGY(Not working as expected?)

[sos007 Ambassador]

I have accomplished what you are trying to accomplish, so follow my guidance.

Heart disease and elevated LDL cholesterol are not caused by dietary fat. Instead they are caused by dietary sugar and simple carbohydrates.

That said, fat is calorie-dense so from that perspective you want to be careful of quantity. You should consume primarily healthy fats contained in cold-water fish (omega 3 fatty acids) nuts, olive oil, and avocado among others.

Cut out all sugar, white potatoes, and white rice. Also cut out all white flour products such as bread, pizza dough and pasta. Avoid ALL fried foods (fried oil is oxidized).

Focus your diet on legumes - beans, green peas, lentils, and chick peas.

Complex carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables should be eaten in greater quantity. Whole grain bread, brown or wild rice, sweet potato, sour dough, and spelt are all good alternatives to their white equivalents.

Triglycerides are the most important metric in your standard lipid profile. By following the diet above, the triglyceride value will drop which will in turn reduce LDL-C.

Avoid processed foods - prepare food from natural ingredients. Processed foods are generally high in sugar, salt and trans-fats or unhealthy oils, and most importantly - they lack fibre. Fibre is critical for lowering cholesterol and for a health gut.

The dietary advice regarding fats has been discredited over a decade ago, but the front-line medical professionals are well behind the research.

Good luck.

[sandybrown]

American Formula:

LDL-C (mg/dL) = total cholesterol – HDL-C – (triglycerides/5),

Below is from the Internet:

Different formulas for Calculation of LDLc [6,9–13,16].

European and USA units and calculations are very different.

Friedewald et al., [6] LDLc=TC-HDLc-TG/5

Cordova and Cordova [9] LDLc =3/4 (TC-HDLc)

Vujovic et al., [10] LDLc=TC-TG/6.85-HDLc

Ahmadi et al., [11] LDLc=TC/1.19+TG/1.9-HDLc/1.1

Anandaraja et al., [12] LDLc=0.9TC-0.9TG/5-28

Puavillai et al., [13] LDLc=TC-HDLc-TG/6

Hattori et al., [16] LDLc=0.94TC-0.94HDLc-0.19TG

you can ask you doctor to explain how your LDL was calculated.!!

[sandybrown]

Your LDL is 4.2, this number is within the limits of calculation.

LDL can also be tested from Blood.

There is more from the Internet:

"Lipoproteins

Fats which circulate in the blood are often referred to as lipids. The two major lipids in the blood are cholesterol and triglyceride. As fats do not dissolve easily they are carried around the body in ball-like structures which are water soluble. These structures also contain proteins and are called lipoproteins.

There are five major lipoproteins which have been named by the way in which they are separated in the laboratory.

• Chylomicrons

• Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL)

• Intermediate Density Lipoproteins (IDL)

• Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL)

• High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)

All of these lipoproteins contain both cholesterol and triglycerides but in varying amounts e.g. VLDL contain a lot of triglycerides and a little cholesterol and LDL contain a lot of

cholesterol and little triglycerides.

Measured total cholesterol includes cholesterol from all five lipoprotein structures. Hospital laboratories usually measure total cholesterol and HDL- cholesterol and calculate a value for LDL- cholesterol. Chylomicrons are found in the blood only after meals and so are not usually present in fasting samples.

VLDL and IDL-cholesterol are not included in the figure generated by the calculation of LDL-cholesterol.

Non HDL- cholesterol is the sum of all the lipoproteins which contribute towards the development of atherosclerosis

(narrowing of the arteries) and is thought to be a better predictor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) than using LDL cholesterol

alone. It incorporates the harmful elements of the lipoprotein profile to include triglyceride rich remnant particles

from VLDL and IDL, as well as LDL-cholesterol. It is also better for monitoring response to treatments such as lifestyle changes and medication.

It can be calculated by a simple subtraction (TC minus HDL), there is no need to fast for the test and it has been recommended as the target for lipid modification in guidelines by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Joint British Societies (JBS3)

LDL– is calculated using the Friedewald Formula as follows (all measurements are in millimoles per litre/mmol/L):

LDL = Total cholesterol – HDL – (Total triglyceride ÷ 2.19)

The formula used is reasonably accurate providing total triglyceride levels are below 4.5 mmol/L but unreliable when triglycerides are

high due to the effects of triglyceride – remnant particles which will be included in VLDL and IDL measures.

Cholesterol/HDL ratio is another measurement used to determine CVD risk and is obtained by dividing total cholesterol

by HDL-cholesterol.

So just for example a lipid profile may look like this:

Total cholesterol = 5 mmol/L

LDL = 3.49mmol/L

HDL = 1.2 mmol/L

Non-HDL Cholesterol = 3.8mmol/L (5mmol/L minus 1.2mmol/L)

Triglyceride = 0.7 mmol/L

TC/HDL ratio = 4.2 (5 mmol/L ÷ 1.2 mmol/L) "