Help with cholesterol please

healthygreek

My total was 222
HDL was 91
LDL was 141.
All the other numbers were within normal limits.

My doc wants me back in 6 weeks for another test.
I eat a healthy diet-lots of veggies, etc but I do eat a lot of chocolate. Not a lot of beef-no fried foods.
My weight is 125-5'2"
I exercise 6 days a week.
My doc wants me to modify my diet and retest. I also eat about 6 eggs per week-love them!
Does anyone have any suggestions diet wise?

healthygreek

It's mostly saturated fat then you need to cut out. You can see on most packaging the saturated fat content. Are you also taking a statin tablet on the night for cholesterol ?

The only thing I eat out of a package is Ezekiel cereal, pasta and chocolate-so I guess it's the chocolate:-(
I'm not on a statin and do not want to be on one.

yarwell

My total was 222
HDL was 91
LDL was 141.
All the other numbers were within normal limits.

222 / 91 = 2.4, a nice low ratio implying low risk of heart disease.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/expert-answers/cholesterol-ratio/faq-20058006

There is no clinical evidence that statins reduced CVD in primary prevention in women.

healthygreek

My total was 222
HDL was 91
LDL was 141.
All the other numbers were within normal limits.

222 / 91 = 2.4, a nice low ratio implying low risk of heart disease.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/expert-answers/cholesterol-ratio/faq-20058006

There is no clinical evidence that statins reduced CVD in primary prevention in women.

Thanks so much for that info and link! I thought I had heard that it is the ratio that matters.
I wonder why he might not know this? I'll have a little chat with him next time I see him.

beachgod

I wouldn't worry about it and would ask your Doctor why he or she wants you to come back. I had bloodwork done last week and a Nurse told me the ratio of total cholesterol:HDL is the main thing to consider and I'm doing fine.

My numbers were

Total 210
HDL 82
LDL 120

While 210 may look a little high, the ratio (210 ÷ 82) of 2.6 is optimum. Yours is even better than mine at 2.4 even though your total cholesterol is higher than mine (222 ÷ 91).

Keep in mind I am not a Doctor or Nurse so I'm only going by what I was told but I've looked this up and here's what I found:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0205c.shtml

excerpt from link: "The ratio of total cholesterol-to-HDL is important; the smaller the number the better. For example, someone with a total cholesterol of 200 and an HDL of 60 would have a ratio of 3.3 (200 ÷ 60 = 3.3). If that person’s HDL was low — let’s say 35 —the total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio would be higher: 5.7."

edit: someone beat me to it while I was typing this reply!

NCchar130

I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist and I'm not giving official medical advice and was not part of a controlled double-blind study but here is an interesting personal anecdote nonetheless:

I had a physical a few years ago and my cholesterol was at the high-end of normal. I think it was 199 (total cholesterol) No particular advice from my doctor or anything that needed to be done, he just said something for me to keep my eye on.

Shortly after that, I started eating oatmeal every morning (for reasons unrelated to cholesterol). I ate it pretty much every day and had bloodwork again about a year later at my next physical and had lowered my total cholesterol about 50 points (with the biggest change in LDL levels). Since I had not otherwise changed much of anything else in my diet, I've always figured it was the oatmeal, though I suppose it could have been something else I'm not aware of.

FredDoyle

I lowered my LDL and increased my HDL to an optimal range by lowering my carb intake and increasing fibre.
I ate more fat, meat, and fibre. Doc wanted to push me on Crestor. I just ate less carbs. Sorry Crestor.

NERRY15

Please! watch those egg yolks, they are very high in cholesterol. I have cholesterol problems too so I only eat two yolks per week. I go for my annual check up in July and I want to see a drastic decrease in my levels.

healthygreek

You could try replacing oils with olive oil, grilling meat, poaching eggs and if possible substitute milk chocolate with dark chocolate

Thanks for these ideas. I already grill or bake meats and use olive oil too.
As far as dark chocolate goes-I love it but I also love good milk chocolate. I guess I'll try sticking with the dark.

healthygreek

I wouldn't worry about it and would ask your Doctor why he or she wants you to come back. I had bloodwork done last week and a Nurse told me the ratio of total cholesterol:HDL is the main thing to consider and I'm doing fine.

My numbers were

Total 210
HDL 82
LDL 120

While 210 may look a little high, the ratio (210 ÷ 82) of 2.6 is optimum. Yours is even better than mine at 2.4 even though your total cholesterol is higher than mine (222 ÷ 91).

Keep in mind I am not a Doctor or Nurse so I'm only going by what I was told but I've looked this up and here's what I found:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0205c.shtml

excerpt from link: "The ratio of total cholesterol-to-HDL is important; the smaller the number the better. For example, someone with a total cholesterol of 200 and an HDL of 60 would have a ratio of 3.3 (200 ÷ 60 = 3.3). If that person’s HDL was low — let’s say 35 —the total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio would be higher: 5.7."

edit: someone beat me to it while I was typing this reply!

Thanks anyway, it's good to see another person supporting this view.

healthygreek

I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist and I'm not giving official medical advice and was not part of a controlled double-blind study but here is an interesting personal anecdote nonetheless:

I had a physical a few years ago and my cholesterol was at the high-end of normal. I think it was 199 (total cholesterol) No particular advice from my doctor or anything that needed to be done, he just said something for me to keep my eye on.

Shortly after that, I started eating oatmeal every morning (for reasons unrelated to cholesterol). I ate it pretty much every day and had bloodwork again about a year later at my next physical and had lowered my total cholesterol about 50 points (with the biggest change in LDL levels). Since I had not otherwise changed much of anything else in my diet, I've always figured it was the oatmeal, though I suppose it could have been something else I'm not aware of.

Great suggestion! I love oatmeal. I usually have oatmeal one morning and eggs the next. Maybe I should have the oatmeal every morning and see what happens with the LDL. I would still want to eat eggs but maybe less than 6 a week?
I don't know-a lot of people on these threads say eating whole eggs is fine.
I love the yolks most of all!

healthygreek

I lowered my LDL and increased my HDL to an optimal range by lowering my carb intake and increasing fibre.
I ate more fat, meat, and fibre. Doc wanted to push me on Crestor. I just ate less carbs. Sorry Crestor.

My HDL is already at an all time high of 91 and I eat tons of fiber cause I love veggies of all kinds but I could definitely reduce my added sugars (in the form of chocolate) intake!

healthygreek

Please! watch those egg yolks, they are very high in cholesterol. I have cholesterol problems too so I only eat two yolks per week. I go for my annual check up in July and I want to see a drastic decrease in my levels.

How is your HDL?

tennisdude2004

What is your triglyceride count? If you have a low ratio between tri and Hdl that's a good indication of low risk.

Also the only thing to really focus on if you are worried is diet and fitness.

Exercise will improve Hdl count and diet will reduce triglycerides.

Watch the amount of food you eat which will increase inflammation and oxidation.

The only fat you need to avoid is man made trans fats.

A diet high in sat fat and low in carbs has been shown to reduce triglycerides and increase LDL particle size.

I would suggest doing your own research into this for a better understanding.

Good luck.

healthygreek

What is your triglyceride count? If you have a low ratio between tri and Hdl that's a good indication of low risk.

Also the only thing to really focus on if you are worried is diet and fitness.

Exercise will improve Hdl count and diet will reduce triglycerides.

Watch the amount of food you eat which will increase inflammation and oxidation.

The only fat you need to avoid is man made trans fats.

A diet high in sat fat and low in carbs has been shown to reduce triglycerides and increase LDL particle size.

I would suggest doing your own research into this for a better understanding.

Good luck.

Thank-you. He didn't tell me triglyceride but he did say aside from the high LDL, everything else was within normal limits.
I think I will reduce the stupid amounts of chocolate I eat and keep doing the research. I don't eat any transfats and do eat a healthy diet except for saturated fats. Don't eat much saturated fat at all except for eggs. I eat beef just once a month, but I do eat some chicken and lots of fish. I have maintained my weight at 123-125 for a couple of years and I exercise 6-7 days.