Cholesterol Levels?

kateistoned

Hi all,

Just wondering what are "good" cholesterol levels to aim for as a 20 year old girl with a family history full of heart disease?

I got a lipid panel today and I don't know what any of it means!

Mine -
Cholesterol: 198
Triglyceride: 77
HDL: 79
Cholesterol, non-HDL: 119
LDL: 104

Anyone know what those numbers mean? I could just google it I guess...

mrscouchpotato

Total Cholesterol should be below 200
Triglycerides below 150
LDL should be below 130

Don't know the rest. Hope this helps.

nosey_rosey

It all looks good to me... my husband's just got back and was very high!! I have cleaned out the fridge and cabinents and he is on a heart healthy diet now ))

MayhemModels

Your numbers are normal

rwd5046

mrscouchpotato has got it right.

MayhemModels

Your Triglycerides are EXCELLENT and the most important, thats the fat in your blood and thats very very good

zenchild

I don't remember all the numbers but with total cholesterol at nearly 200, you need to make some changes. I believe 200 is considered high and you'll be there before you hit 25 if you don't make some adjustments.
Trust me, I'm 31 and on Lipitor. I'm just barely overweight but last year my cholesterol was 231. I eat red meat maybe once a week. Most days I don't eat meat at all. And it was still high. The last 6 months I've added an over the counter cholesterol med, baby aspirin and fish oil. I've upped my whole grains. I've been walking 4-5 days a week since February and added workout DVDs a little over a month ago.
Genetics are working against me. My dad had a quadruple bypass about a year after he finished building a house. And I mean he really built the house, a big house, from foundation to roof. No contractors except for pouring the concrete foundation. He was in great shape and just seemed more tired than usual. So he went to the doctor for a check-up. And had surgery that night. Luckily he didn't have a heart attack so he recovered quickly. That's when I learned that all four of his mom's brothers died young of heart disease. And his mom had high cholesterol even though she was anorexic before there was even a word for it.
I got my cholesterol checked a few weeks later and I was borderline high with numbers very much like yours. I watched what I ate but thought I was already doing pretty good. One year later and I'm officially high and on a prescription. I've decided that I'm going to do all I can to get off the meds. I want to get healthy. I do not want open heart surgery. That's a pretty nasty scar.

jenilla1

Your numbers look ok. You are very young to be at the upper end of the acceptable range, though. I'm in my thirties and right in the middle of the healthy BMI range (21) for a female and I eat a very healthy diet and exercise regularly. My cholesterol still sucks. My doctor said that sometimes bad cholesterol is genetic and it doesn't matter what you do. I'll probably eventually have to go on meds, but right now I'm supposedly ok to have high cholesterol. I guess estrogen gives women some extra protection until menopause. We'll see...:flowerforyou:

realme56

Good but cholesterol is close to that 200 level so watch the levels. I have my diary track cholesterol as I have elevated levels and can't take statin drugs. HDL is good(helpful) cholesterol and your level is excellent. LDL is bad(lousy) cholesterol. They say having a higher HDL can counteract the other levels being high.

nygiantschick

I think you should go back to your doctor and have her/him explain those numbers to you and what they mean. I go over all of my numbers with my doctor to make sure I know that things are what they should be.