Cholesterol Numbers Question

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kimny72
kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
edited July 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
So I went for my first physical in a long time last week and when the blood work came back they called to tell me that everything was normal and to have a nice day. But I'm a data geek and asked for a copy. Everything was in the normal range, except my cholesterol numbers which have me confused

Total cholesterol 229 (goal is 0-200)
HDL is 82 (goal 40-60)
Triglycerides 69 (goal 0-150)
VLDL is 14 (goal 29-56)
LDL is 133 (goal 0-100)

So it's great I have high HDL and low triglycerides, but is that high LDL really not a big deal? I'm at a healthy weight (5'5 130 lbs) and exercise regularly. My dad has been on statins but says his problem is crazy low HDL, and my mom's HDL is high and LDL is low.

Anyone with any insight?

And yeah, I tend to overthink things:)

Replies

  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited July 2017
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    My LDL is 140. I am making changes.
    " cutting back on foods high in saturated fats, which promote LDL formation"
    http://health.usnews.com/health-conditions/heart-health/lowering-ldl-cholesterol/overview
    The American Heart Association recommends reducing saturated fat to no more than 5 to 6 percent of total daily calories
    "Eating foods containing saturated fat and trans fat causes your body to produce even more LDL"
    http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/PreventionTreatmentofHighCholesterol/The-Skinny-on-Fats_UCM_305628_Article.jsp#.WVmJRfnyvIU
    "In humans, saturated fat intake increases LDL cholesterol"
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2943062/
  • SapioEnigmate
    SapioEnigmate Posts: 15 Member
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    The ratio is more important than the actual numbers. My numbers are very similar to yours and I had a conversation with my doctor about it. She noted that that although LDL was above the "recommended" level, the high HDL meant she wasn't at all concerned about it.
  • folgers86
    folgers86 Posts: 84 Member
    edited July 2017
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    IMHO your doctor should have mentioned this to you especially since your dad has been on statins. When I got a reading not so dissimilar to yours I was told A) Fish oil B ) exercise C) watch the diet. I was also a healthy weight and at 29 my doctor told me it was likely genetic in my case. A year later and my labwork was BEAUTIFUL (I had never seen concerning numbers for my cholesterol before this) and I had done...none of those things. I gained weight, weight which I'm trying to get off. Was it a lab error? Maybe I didn't fast even though I swear I did? Could be many things. I recommend talking to the doctor and seeing if they'll recheck the numbers next year or 6 months from now.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    SapioEnigmate wrote: »
    The ratio is more important than the actual numbers. My numbers are very similar to yours and I had a conversation with my doctor about it. She noted that that although LDL was above the "recommended" level, the high HDL meant she wasn't at all concerned about it.

    This! You HDL/Total ratio is 3.6. I don't know what it is for women but for men, 4.5 is average risk. You are doing great! Fish oil (filtered for mercury) and exercise are always a good idea. But you are doing great!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Thank you everyone I appreciate the perspective. I already exercise regularly and take fish oil on days I don't eat seafood. My sat fat usually falls below the mfp default limit. Perhaps it is just my normal. I will def get it checked again soon.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
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    mmapags wrote: »
    SapioEnigmate wrote: »
    The ratio is more important than the actual numbers. My numbers are very similar to yours and I had a conversation with my doctor about it. She noted that that although LDL was above the "recommended" level, the high HDL meant she wasn't at all concerned about it.

    This! You HDL/Total ratio is 3.6. I don't know what it is for women but for men, 4.5 is average risk. You are doing great! Fish oil (filtered for mercury) and exercise are always a good idea. But you are doing great!

    Actually, OP's total cholesterol/HDL ratio (which is how the ratio works, not the other direction) is 2.8, so even better than the number you came up with (looks like maybe you inverted the 9 and second 2 in her total cholesterol of 229 when you did the calculation).
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    Ditto pp's that the ratios are really important. That's great that you didn't inherit the tendency toward super-low HDL. (I feel for your dad; raising HDL is tough! My husband has super-low HDL and ended up with CAD at 45. Our dr said the super-low HDL can be genetic so our twins were tested at 6 and we found out one of them inherited that gene. His HDL is below 15. :( )
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    SapioEnigmate wrote: »
    The ratio is more important than the actual numbers. My numbers are very similar to yours and I had a conversation with my doctor about it. She noted that that although LDL was above the "recommended" level, the high HDL meant she wasn't at all concerned about it.

    This! You HDL/Total ratio is 3.6. I don't know what it is for women but for men, 4.5 is average risk. You are doing great! Fish oil (filtered for mercury) and exercise are always a good idea. But you are doing great!

    Actually, OP's total cholesterol/HDL ratio (which is how the ratio works, not the other direction) is 2.8, so even better than the number you came up with (looks like maybe you inverted the 9 and second 2 in her total cholesterol of 229 when you did the calculation).

    Yes, possibly. Either way, great ratio!

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