High cholestoral in early 20s

xxthoroughbred
xxthoroughbred Posts: 346 Member
edited October 5 in Health and Weight Loss
I recently got bloodwork done that shows me as having high cholestoral. I don't have the numbers right in front of me and nothing is super high (I think LDL was 98 when the high is 100?), but it was still a shock. I'm in my early 20s, active and am otherwise in great health. I had an EKG this year and my doctor said it was the most perfect she'd ever seen, and my parents' cholesterol isn't too high (on the upper end but nothing overly alarming). My doctor didn't say anything about it so I guess it's not a concern to her, and I know cholesterol for the most part has nothing to do with your diet and is moreso genetic, but is there anything I can do to lower it? Besides the usual drinking water, staying active, avoiding bad fats, etc?

Replies

  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
    What's your height and weight?

    Losing body fat will almost always result in lowering cholesterol.
  • xxthoroughbred
    xxthoroughbred Posts: 346 Member
    5' 8.5" and 132 lbs. I'm 20% according to my scale (unreliable, I know--but I can see abs if I squeeze!).
  • tladame
    tladame Posts: 465 Member
    I attended a cholesterol education class once. They recommended eating plenty of healthy fats, such as nuts, olives, avocado, etc. That worked for me.
  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
    I've had high cholesterol since I was 15. I'm now 19, and have been a vegetarian since I was 7. My doctor says it's genetic =/ Sorry for the news!
  • abellone7289
    abellone7289 Posts: 70 Member
    Hi there. I am also in my early 20s and had high cholesterol too. I managed to bring mine down from 204 to 153 in a year and I cut my triglycerides in half in the same amount of time. I did the usual, diet and exercise. I didn't really lose much weight, but cutting out the junk helped. Also, I highly recommend Fish Oil pills. I'm not big on supplementation, but I hate fish and these are super rich in omega-3s which are helpful in lowering cholesterol. It worked for me anyway =)

    Good luck!
  • xxthoroughbred
    xxthoroughbred Posts: 346 Member
    Hi there. I am also in my early 20s and had high cholesterol too. I managed to bring mine down from 204 to 153 in a year and I cut my triglycerides in half in the same amount of time. I did the usual, diet and exercise. I didn't really lose much weight, but cutting out the junk helped. Also, I highly recommend Fish Oil pills. I'm not big on supplementation, but I hate fish and these are super rich in omega-3s which are helpful in lowering cholesterol. It worked for me anyway =)

    Good luck!

    I take (I think) 3,000mg of fish oil a day. I love the stuff! :smile:

    I guess I just have to live with the genetics factor.
  • normusnonaliam
    normusnonaliam Posts: 128 Member
    I feel your pain! My cholesterol is in the 300's. There is basically nothing I can do about it. Genetics. Ugh.
  • PBJunky
    PBJunky Posts: 737 Member
    Hi there. I am also in my early 20s and had high cholesterol too. I managed to bring mine down from 204 to 153 in a year and I cut my triglycerides in half in the same amount of time. I did the usual, diet and exercise. I didn't really lose much weight, but cutting out the junk helped. Also, I highly recommend Fish Oil pills. I'm not big on supplementation, but I hate fish and these are super rich in omega-3s which are helpful in lowering cholesterol. It worked for me anyway =)

    Good luck!

    I take (I think) 3,000mg of fish oil a day. I love the stuff! :smile:

    I guess I just have to live with the genetics factor.

    3 grams of fish oil or 3 grams of DHA/EPA?

    On the top of my head I think 3 caps of my fish oil would equate to 0.9 grams of DHA/EPA.
  • saffir27
    saffir27 Posts: 68 Member
    One thing to remeber is that it is not your overall numbers that are the best indicator of health but the ratio between your LDL and HDL. If your doctor did a complete Lipid panel ask for the risk ratio and this will be a better indicator of your heart disease risk than just the LDL level.
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