Question about Cholesterol...

MFS27

Ok, so I've been counting calories, watching my sodium, fat etc. but never really paid attention to cholesterol. When I turned 30 (the big 3-0, lol) last year, I decided to ask my doc for a lipid panel, since I have never had that done before. He looked at me funny - as if I asked a stupid question - but went ahead and ordered the lipid panel (what is it with docs and not wanting to take preventive measures??) Anyways, got the results in the mail last night and I was surprised. The numbers are "normal", but just barely, except for my triglyicrides, which are very low. I was expecting all the numbers to be low, since I generally eat well and have lost weight, finally have a healthy BMI, BP is 115/70, exercise daily, etc.

Here's what my numbers look like:
Total Cholesterol: 198 (should be below 200)
LDL: 138 (should be below 130 for women, some say below 100)
HDL: 47 (should be above 55 for women)
Trig: 45 (should be below 160)

I'm a "newbie" to managing cholesterol, so checked out some books from the library to try to "edify" myself, lol. The only thing I can think of is: 1) family genetics, since my dad has high cholesterol, and both paternal grandparents died of heart disease, and 2) I really LOVE feta cheese (it's the only cheese I eat - maybe 1-2 times a day) - but can the cheese alone be the cause of the higher-than-expected numbers?

Anyways - let this be a message - don't wait to get your blood work done! Ask (demand) for it now, so you can take preventive measures, since weight and BMI alone are not a good enough indicator of heart health. I will be going back in 3 months for a recheck (now I gotta figure out how to lower it!)

MFS27

Ok, so I've been counting calories, watching my sodium, fat etc. but never really paid attention to cholesterol. When I turned 30 (the big 3-0, lol) last year, I decided to ask my doc for a lipid panel, since I have never had that done before. He looked at me funny - as if I asked a stupid question - but went ahead and ordered the lipid panel (what is it with docs and not wanting to take preventive measures??) Anyways, got the results in the mail last night and I was surprised. The numbers are "normal", but just barely, except for my triglyicrides, which are very low. I was expecting all the numbers to be low, since I generally eat well and have lost weight, finally have a healthy BMI, BP is 115/70, exercise daily, etc.

Here's what my numbers look like:
Total Cholesterol: 198 (should be below 200)
LDL: 138 (should be below 130 for women, some say below 100)
HDL: 47 (should be above 55 for women)
Trig: 45 (should be below 160)

I'm a "newbie" to managing cholesterol, so checked out some books from the library to try to "edify" myself, lol. The only thing I can think of is: 1) family genetics, since my dad has high cholesterol, and both paternal grandparents died of heart disease, and 2) I really LOVE feta cheese (it's the only cheese I eat - maybe 1-2 times a day) - but can the cheese alone be the cause of the higher-than-expected numbers?

Anyways - let this be a message - don't wait to get your blood work done! Ask (demand) for it now, so you can take preventive measures, since weight and BMI alone are not a good enough indicator of heart health. I will be going back in 3 months for a recheck (now I gotta figure out how to lower it!)