I just got my numbers in. I've never had any kind of health "scare" so I'm pretty concerned.

Triglycerides: 224
total cholesterol: 203
HDL: 36
LDL: 122
Cholesterol Ratio: 5:6

I'm a tall, slender, 24 year old male. I'm busy and don't get to excercise as much as I used to. What should I do? Have I done irreversible damage?

Originally posted by rgoodwin:
I'm a tall, slender, 24 year old male. I'm busy and don't get to excercise as much as I used to. What should I do? Have I done irreversible damage? [/b]



Heart disease begins in our teens but I doubt you've done irreversible damage. Watch your intake of transfats. They are in a lot of baked goods(cookies, snack cakes) as a preservative. Learn to read your food labels. Exercise is sometimes helpful in raising your HDL but doesn't work for everyone. Some people add niacin to help raise it, but I would try exercise first. There are people who have had success lowering their trigs with fish oil tablets. Also watch your carbs and alcohol consumption. You don't have to be a health fanatic to lower those numbers just try to make healthier choices and it should show in the numbers. Follow your doctors advice. My cardiologist stated at at a conference that strictly following a heart healthy lifestyle can reverse heart disease to some extent.

[This message has been edited by cutup (edited 10-10-2003).]