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zip2play - hey you seem to know something - for almost the last year I have been on fish oil - lecithin - baby aspirin as specified to dosages suggested here by others - I have also taken reliv the product for two months straight daily and two days ago I had cholestrol check and its hdl 23 and high number 149 with ratio being 8.3 --- I have lost 30 lbs in last year - and yet this is still a plague to me - the only thing I can come up with is I take seroquel anti psycotic med for anxiety - and I do read that this can mess with cholesterol numbers - but I thought the fish oil and such would off set it - I do try to get out and walk the dog at least a mile when weather permits - I read something you said about cod liver oil making a difference to you - and I have a bottle of the stuff and will begin the tablespoon deal - I have contacted my psychiatrist and requested change of med but my system is kind of picky about what it will tolerate on those realms - pehaps someone else has tolerated seroquel well then switched to something else with no wacko effects - I was on simvastin for awhile but too many leg cramps - now what? oh ya I was told I have a fat pad around heart how do you get rid of fat pad around heart? I take L-lysine every day too.. 3000mgs. vitimin c 3000 mgs also. also I have been taking co q 10 200mgs everyday for eight months.. call from doctor just now hes sending me fluvasatin to start taking,(I will look this up here on board to see what others say of it) I was also on niaspan but could only get up to 750mg level before body said no.

dad massive heart attack at age 53 died on table they brought him back still alive now age 73 - empezemia is what will kill him
mother heart attack at age 65 - shunt put in still alive at age 74
her brother dead from heart attack age 59
her father heart attack dead age 76
dads father heart attack dead age 63

the writing is on the wall for me - no need to worry about nursing home - but I am only 49 now and would like to see another few years at least.. lol gee I guess that is not a foreign thought to the rest of you here.. .

[QUOTE=enochtwo days ago I had cholestrol check and its hdl 23 and high number 149 with ratio being 8.3 --- I have lost 30 lbs in last year [/QUOTE]

Enoch, I will let Zip (and others) answer you w/r/t to the fish oil and perhaps other suggestions (I take that also). The aspirin won't impact your HDL value. It might help with hs-CRP, but it doesn't sound like you had that done.

You said you shed 30 lbs--does this put you in the healthy/desired weight range for your height, etc?

The reason I ask is because all the meds and fish oil I took could not get my HDL over 40 alone. I had to lose weight and incorporate exercise (first walking, then running) to get my HDL up higher and my ratio of TC/HDL to approach 2.0 and my LDL/HDL to approach 1.0.

You could still see some additional benefit if you have some more weight you could lose and if you don't do much cardio now.

Finally, you wrote something about a "high number of 149?" Is this your total cholesterol? If so, then despite the low HDL, your risk of heart disease is going to be pretty low (the statistics read < 150 mg/dL total cholesterol). Now if you meant this was your LDL, then in your shoes, I would be doing all I can to improve that ratio. Based on the 8.3 ratio, I would guess that your LDL was 149 mg/dL, so doing something now is wise, based on the family history you posted.

HOWEVER :) Here comes why I offer that advice based on my life's experience. When I had my MI at age 35, my total was 162 mg/dL with an HDL of 25 mg/dL. Father died at 58 of a MI, after his triple by-pass at age 51--I thought I was getting away with something until my fateful day.)

Anyway, it sounds like my numbers were close to yours. I would aggressively work to keep your cholesterol low and bring the HDL up, as it sounds like you are doing. You are only 49 and if your knees can stand it, I certainly would (and do) walk, run, bike...