Miserable about test results

[Cherokee_Fox]

I just got my test results back from my doctor, and I was stunned by the results. My cholesterol is 207, my HDL 39, and my LDL is 155. I thought I was being careful about my health; I'm 21, excercise constantly, don't smoke, and eat very little junk food. In fact, I eat very little, period. I've always been a picky eater, and what I do eat tends to be healthy: whole wheat breads, skim milk, Ensure. I take pre-natal vitamins to make up for what I lack in my diet, and I've been taking flax seed pills to help my skin. My family does have a history of high cholesterol, so what can I do to combat heredity? I don't fancy the thought of taking drugs to control this for the rest of my life...

I'm also on the birth control pill Nordette 28 to ease my PMS problems; I know that the pill can cause strokes and such if your cholesterol is high. Do I need to worry about this?

I will be making an appointment to talk to my doctor about it all, but I'm just so stressed about it now. I want to feel in control of this problem. If anyone can offer me any advice, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

[dazedandconfused1]

sorry to hear u are so stressed out that doesnt help i just got my results back after u see mine maybe it will help so u arent so stressed your numbers arent that bad compared to mine here goes cholesterol 313 triglyceride 1377 hdl cholesterol 51 couldnt get a reading on my vldl or ldl because other numbers to high u could probly bring yours down with a diet for lowering cholesterol your doctor will probly talk with u about it

[JimBBB]

CF,

I reverse calc'd your Triglyceride level as a 65 -- that is damn good so I guess you really are eating very little saturated fat and must be exercising a lot.
The only other thing I can suggest is to look over your diet again for anything that might have naturally high cholesterol levels hidden in there. One thing I learned is that all the 'good' foods you eat won't really counteract the bad ones -- except of course for daily Peanuts-In-Shell <<As seen on my other post>> So you also have to be vigilant about the High Chol foods. How much of your exercise it Cardio? I assume most of it? Do you have some numbers/minutes? How about food groups servings?
(grain/bread/cereal)
Fruit
Veg
Dairy/Eggs
Meat/Fish/Poultry (watch out for shrimp! Hi Chol).
Nuts/Seeds/Legumes
Fats
Sweets

Hey I have an empty Ensure bottle right here at the computer -- seems healthy enough from the nutrition label stats and almost, but not quite, tastes pretty good.

jim

[Tobias]

Are you under weight or dieting? Your numbers aren't all that bad but ratios could be better. Don't let some doctor talk you into statin drugs quite yet. Increase fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet and eliminate some of the offending junk food items. You don't mention many sources of protein for your diet. Where do you get your protein (besides drinking Ensure)? You can't live a healthy life on whole wheat bread and skim milk.

[HubbleRules]

Cherokee_Fox,

Put things in perspective. Your numbers are not bad, in fact your total is quite good. Your HDL is a bit low however. I'd work on increasing the HDL. You can try Omega-3 Fish Oil (but you need to take at least 4-5 grams/day for it to work on HDL). Eliminate trans-fats from your diet also (anything with the word 'hydrogenated' on the label) - it will help HDL also.

For some, their high cholesterol is genetic, and no matter how much they eat or exercise, it remains stubbornly high. My total was always around 240 even in my prime when I was thinner and exercised all the time.

Since I had serious problems with statins a year ago, I've done a lot of research, and found the high cholesterol and heart disease are not nearly as closely linked as most believe. Over 40% of heart attacks happen to people with low to normal cholesterol levels. Clearly something more than cholesterol is going on to cause heart disease.

Chronic inflammation is thought to be at least (if not greater) a risk factor as cholesterol. To control inflammation, take 800mg/day of Folic Acid. A small dose (81mg) of buffered Aspirin will help also. Have your doctor test your homocysteine level - it is a measure of inflammation.

Also have your Lp(a) level checked - it is thought to be at least as significant as cholesterol in plaque formation. Try vitamin-c (1-2 grams daily in 2 doses) to control Lp(a).

Keep in mind also that the cholesterol guidelines have changed A LOT over the last 20 years. THey are constantly being lowered. I for one am suspicious of the motivation for this lowering. There is a 10 member panel that came up with the recommendation for the current lower guidelines. Nine of the 10 receive speaking fees or consult for the pharmaceutical companies that produce statins - talk about financial conflicts-of-interest!! Lowering the guidelines is a financial bonanza for the makers of statins. So, it's sort of like putting the defense industry in control of the national defense budget - suddenly overnight we'd be told we need to spend far, far more on missiles and fighter planes and tanks and aircraft carriers to be safe....

Also keep in mind that cholesterol is a vital substance - it is a necessary part of every cell in our bodies - especially the brain. I don't think anyone knows much about the long-term effects of extremely low cholesterol levels. I've seen some brag about drugs reducing their total cholesterol to 100, not knowing anything about what this extremely low level could be doing to their body. I've seen studies where death rates increased when total cholesterol dropped below 150.

I don't know anything about birth control pills and high-cholesterol, but I'm sure if you searched the web you'd find a lot of info.

Best of luck...

HubbleRules