Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Cholesterol levels

23 replies

Nik2015 · 11/11/2022 17:41

My cholesterol level was 6.1 in Sept 2021 and 6.5 in July 2022.

Does anyone know how worried I should be at this stage? The nurse wasn’t too interested and told me to eat more veg with my meals.

I’ve put myself on a diet and aim to lose 1.5 stone.

OP posts:
Marmut · 11/11/2022 18:09

They won't be concerned unless your cholesterol level reaches 7. It might be worth keeping an eye on your daily saturated fat intake. I have predisposition to produce too much cholesterol, so I try to limit my saturated fat intake and that means letting go butter, cheese and all nice things. You could also include products that have sterol in it in your diet to lower down your cholesterol.

xogossipgirlxo · 11/11/2022 18:10

It might be that you had bit more cheese or chocolate recently, this puts cholesterol levels up.

cavily1806 · 11/11/2022 18:13

They worry more about your balance of HDL and LDL too. My cholesterol is high but my ratio of HDL to LDL is good. HDL is protective against LDL. Get a breakdown id you can

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Nik2015 · 11/11/2022 18:19

Thanks, I didn’t get a breakdown…trying to get the full info is impossible.
Am hoping losing weight will help, but it seems it’s doesn’t always from what I’m reading on here.
7 doesn’t seem that far away from 6.5….

OP posts:
mamabear715 · 11/11/2022 18:21

6? Mine's 11..

Marmut · 11/11/2022 18:27

If you are over 40s you could ask for a health check up at your GP, including detailed blood test to check cholesterol (If the result you have now was dot done through your GP).
If your test was done through your GP, to see your test result in detail, you could see them in your online account at your GP. If you haven't got one, you could ask your GP for an online access. You could normally use it to book GP appointments etc. In there, there is a way to request your health data so you see the test results, GP diagnosis etc.

minipie · 11/11/2022 18:31

Agree about the HDL/LDL ratio

Is there high cholesterol in your family (parents)? Do you have PCOS?

Dedontdodatderdode · 11/11/2022 18:49

‘Normal’ total cholesterol is ideally 5 or below but does depend on:
HDL (good cholesterol) ideally 1.20 or above
with a ratio of less than 4.5.

we would be advising you to make dietary changes -not just lose weight. You can be thin and still have high cholesterol. Statins are prescribed at a lipid level of 7.5.

Increased cholesterol, weight, lack of exercise etc can all increase your risk score of developing CVD.
BHF has quite a few leaflets

www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/high-cholesterol

www.bhf.org.uk/-/media/files/publications/heart-conditions/understanding-series/u003-understanding-cholesterol_download-0818.pdf?rev=ed1f9426e836432f88cc4a1dffc54140

www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/high-cholesterol/five-top-questions-about-lowering-cholesterol

RandomPerson42 · 11/11/2022 18:51

About 80% of the cholesterol in your body is created by your liver, and if you eat less cholesterol your liver will make more and vice versa - so diet only has a relatively small effect.

Some people absorb more cholesterol than others and others absorb less cholesterol than others — so there are genetic factors too.

The foods made to lower cholesterol do so by including stanols which compete with cholesterol for absorption.

6.5 isn’t high - mine was over 11 at one point but not had it checked for 3 years.

In the 70s they talked of high cholesterol and low cholesterol.

Then medicine advanced and in the 90s doctors talked about good cholesterol and bad cholesterol.

Now medicine has advanced further and consultants should know that there is a big difference between large cholesterol particles and small cholesterol particles - so big LDL can be “good” and small LDL is thought to be “less good” as it’s more likely to get under the endothelium.

As someone who had a heart attack 3 years ago, I must comment that my consultant cardiologist has no problems with me eating a keto diet with plenty of eggs.

Eating more leafy greens is never going to be bad advice, same for eating some good quality oily fish and less processed food. If you want to lose weight stopping eating all grains is what worked for me.

Crikeyalmighty · 11/11/2022 19:07

Following some fairly horrid and frightening symptoms, blood tests found I had a lovely combo of high blood pressure 162/86. Cholesterol level of 8.3 and pre diabetes - 42- my cholesterol levels had far too
Much of the bad stuff . Suprisingly I don't eat loads of rubbish but I definitely did eat far too much white carb and pastries etc - particularly when we lived in Denmark - probably far too much salt too

I'm now on a lowish carb diet, stopping smoking, banged up the fruit and veg-no white rice, white pasta, white bread- all wholemeal stuff- plus statins and blood pressure tablets!

I would get it under control OP - you don't want to be taking the stuff I am

Wilma55 · 11/11/2022 19:15

Mine was 6.4, managed to reduce it to 6.1 but they still want to put me on statins.

Wombat27A · 11/11/2022 19:29

You can work your own Q-risk out.

Mine is high, my diet is great but I don't process fat or sugar well, so have to be super-careful with diet. Never made a jot of difference to my cholesterol but its best to avoid all the other things, like high blood sugar...

Now on statins tho.

Nik2015 · 11/11/2022 20:47

mamabear715 · 11/11/2022 18:21

6? Mine's 11..

Do you take medication for it?

OP posts:
Nik2015 · 11/11/2022 20:52

Thank you for all your replies. They’re very interesting and good to know where I ‘sit’ on the scale.
The nurse did the Q score and wasn’t too bothered. Father and mother both died ‘early’ and hard heart issues. But that barely shifted my score.
My sibling is very slim and has high cholesterol, so could be hereditary.

OP posts:
mamabear715 · 12/11/2022 08:46

Hi @Nik2015 I do now have medication, yes, Avorvastatin, liver's been dodgy for a while so I actually have a GP appt coming up soon - yes, I am the lucky recipient of an actual face to face appt! :-)
Funny you mention your sibling, I was always the slim one (until post menopause) but then got the sky high cholesterol level, whereas my sister has always been a little heavier & her cholesterol levels are fine.. I must take after my late Dad.

DoraSpenlow · 12/11/2022 09:29

My doctor rang me out of the blue to say it would be sennnsible for me to go on statins as I had high cholesterol. Apparently it was 5.5 at the last blood test 3 weeks ago. Perhaps I should have done more research before agreeing to it. If over 7 is when they get worried perhaps I'll just take myself off them. I'm already on three other tablets a day for other stuff so don't really want to be taking medication I don't really need. Note to self, check things out before agreeing.

Nik2015 · 13/11/2022 07:37

Oh wow @DoraSpenlow I’d maybe as to speak to another doctor? Sometimes they don’t agree.

@mamabear715 have they done a follow up blood test to see if the levels have decreased?

Lloyds chemist do cholesterol tests for £18, has anyone done one?

OP posts:
Nik2015 · 13/11/2022 07:37

*ask

OP posts:
mamabear715 · 13/11/2022 08:06

Hi @Nik2015
I had several follow up blood tests over the last decade or so - wasn't told exactly what but think it was fatty liver.. I started taking more vitamins, fish oils etc, & the last test came back normal! Astonished.. the downside of that is that I haven't been tested since.
I have a face to face appt in a few days so will query it all then. I'm thinking I have Bile Acid Malabsorption - I will ask what my cholesterol levels have been, too.
It's no fun getting older,lol, but it sure beats the alternative! ;-)

Nik2015 · 13/11/2022 08:12

Hope it goes well @mamabear715 someone else recommended omega 3 supplements, so I might give them a go. I can’t eat oily fish as I don’t like it.
I agree about it being no fun getting older, our bodies need to slow down ageing!!!

OP posts:
Theradioisoncoco · 13/11/2022 08:12

I think statins once you're on them you're not supposed to come off them if I'm right?

mamabear715 · 13/11/2022 08:27

Thanks @Nik2015 I take omega 3 too. Tip - make sure you get ones that are small enough to swallow easily..
#stands at the sink trying to force large ones down.. ;-)

Not sure about permanent statins tbh, @Theradioisoncoco

pc03780 · 13/11/2022 10:49

Hi @Nik2015

My wife had a venous cholesterol test at the Doctors and had a TC reading of over 6.00. We didn’t want to take statins so we concentrated on her diet, oats, salmon, chicken etc. we tried to restrict her saturated fat to between 10 - 12 grams a day against the general target of 20grams.

After 3 months we had a finger prick test at a pharmacy. We were told the TC reading was 4.12, so we were very pleased. About 4 weeks later we had another venous test at the doctors, and TC reading was 0.5 lower, but nowhere near 4.1.

I have seen other comments about this on some of the Facebook cholesterol forums, and it seems to be fairly common, so I don’t think we will have another. Bit ridiculous really, when the NHS websites recommends the finger prick test.

I the meantime we re continuing to manage her diet.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page