how often do people get cholesterol checked? my husband gets his done once a year, and the number is ALWAYS different. it's usually high, but not scary high. we generally eat a pretty well balanced diet (we eat out a couple of times a month), and we try to get out and exercise on a regular basis. a year or so ago, his doctor threatened to put my husband on statins if his levels didn't go down, we were traveling a lot from that time until his next test, and who eats well when they're traveling??? so for three days before his next test, my husband ate healthy cholesterol lowering foods, drank tons of water, and exercised for half an hour on each of those three days. his levels on that test were in the low-normal range. his doctor said it was a fluke and to come back in three more months for another test. my husband did the same thing again for three days before the cholesterol test, and again came up with low-normal numbers. we figured maybe he'd just gotten it under control, and so didn't worry about it anymore. then at his last cholesterol test, his numbers were high again, and what a coincidence! he hadn't done the three days of eating perfectly, drinking tons of water, or exercising. we asked his doctor about it and his doctor said it has nothing to do with it because my husband had fasted for 12 hours before the cholesterol test, and so it didn't matter what he'd done up until then. i don't get it.

so i'm wondering how often people get checked and how accurate are the numbers??? do the results really reflect the average levels of cholesterol in our bodies, or just what we've done to ourselves in the few days prior to the cholesterol test???

do my questions actually make sense here? my concern isn't actually for my husband, it's for my father. he's got stage iv melanoma, and high cholesterol, and had been on lipitor for a few years to keep it under control. we decided to take him off the lipitor because he'd been having side effects that matched lipitor's and he has enough issues right now! BUT as potential heart disease is also an issue (heart problems run in his family), i'm trying to figure out where cholesterol levels really fit into the equation? any input would be greatly appreciated! :)

I had my Cholesterol checked on the Friday after July 4th. Well as everyone knows summer holidays consists of cookouts...salads..cakes, hotdogs, etc. Well I did fast 12 before my blood work, and got the results this past week. My cholesterol was 257. My LDL was 178. WOW..so I met with a dietition 2 days ago, and asked her if all the unhealthy food ate during the week of July 4th had anything to do with my high numbers, she said it wouldn't make it jump up that much, it must of been high to begin with. I have no numbers to compare with, since I haven't had my cholesterol checked in years. I just went for a physical and then they set me up for blood work. I eat very healthy, very active, not overweight. So in the back of my mind I wonder if the week of July 4th eating unhealthy did play a role in my high cholesterol. I opt for not taking any medicine, just watching what I eat, and change a few eating habits. So I also wonder, like you, did this play a role in it.

I'm not sure exactly how much the previous week's diet affects chholesterol levels. Certainly SOME because triglycerides change from hour to hour and they are used to calculate LDL.
They TRY to isolate eating patterns by having one fast but all they are actually doing is adding an unrealistic situation...we DON'T fast most of the time. :D

mcr,
I agree...with stage 4 melanoma I think one can safely say "to Hell with cholesterol." (Tee, hee I'll bet none of you thought you'd ever hear ME say that! :D) Your father has enough on his plate.
After all, when a truck is barrelling towards us, who needs to worry about what's on TV tonight. One must prioritize.

I guess your husband knows his answer. It's clear that he should eat the way he did in those 3 day periods...ALL the time.

I have no clue what scientific studies may or may not exist on this issue, but I can tell you from personal experience that triglycerides, total cholesterol, and HDL are very responsive to what I've been eating the week before. LDL seems less so.

My cardiologist always says he can tell who is eating right and who isn't by their triglyceride reading.

I have no clue what scientific studies may or may not exist on this issue, but I can tell you from personal experience that triglycerides, total cholesterol, and HDL are very responsive to what I've been eating the week before. LDL seems less so.

My cardiologist always says he can tell who is eating right and who isn't by their triglyceride reading.

You bet. If you've eaten shrimp, scallops or lobster in the 3 or 4 days before your tests just watch and see how your TC comes out! You will get at least a 30 point rise. I live on the Gulf coast and love shrimp and sushi but boy you can watch cholesterol skyrocket for days. There are varying medical opinions on the harm from this. I try to limit the shell fish but fall off the wagon every now and then. Sigh.....

thanks so much for all of your replies! this is something i'd really love to research, but i'm kind of busy researching for my dad's cancer, and don't really have time for cholesterol right now... ONE DAY though...

anyway, thanks... :)