anyone know anything about cholesterol levels?

[twik]

My GP just told me that my cholesterol is 5.4 but that as I'm in my mid-30s I shouldn't take any notice of that reading although it's high. I don't know a thing about cholesterol. Anyone able to shed any light?

twick - the average is 5.5 and most gps have a target to get cholesterol under 5 for patients. However there are then 3 types of cholesterol good, bad and something that I can't quiet remember!. Apparently it is the balance of good an bad that are the thing that we should be taking notice of i.e you could have cholesterol of 5 but a really high bad cholesterol level which is therefore worse than 5.5 with a low bad cholesterol (hope that makes sense!).
So 5.4 is good, but you would probably need to aks what the components are to make sure.
Sounds like I know a lot but my dad just had a heart attack and has to watch his cholesterol and I am waiting for my results and we are now both walking talking cholesterol fiends!!

Bellie, thanks, that's really helpful. I don't know the balance of good and bad. He just told me 5.4 and that it was 'high'. Whenever I look it up on the net it always mentions figures like 200 and 250 and I can't work out how 5.4 equates. GP didn't think it was particularly good though. Should I go back and ask for a breakdown of good and bad?

Gp not very helpful then??

I would ask for the breakdown and if he thinks it is high what he can suggest for you to do about it!!
Not particularly helpful to say it high and leave it at that IMO

No, it wasn't helpful. Do you know if there's a way of translating the 5.4 he mentioned into the 200-ish scores I see written about on the net? Could 5.4 be potentially dangerous then? I'm so unsure. He just said it was high and that if I was over 50 he'd be getting me to make changes.

Grrr ... He's a very arrogant chap, my GP ...

Twick - not sure if this helps any more - it is taken from a drug company's website that manufactures and sells a cholesterol lowering drug, but they are not allowed to distort any medical information so it is factual.

"In the UK, the following categories which refer to Total Cholesterol levels are a guide:

IDEAL CHOLESTEROL LEVEL: less than 5.0mmol/l
MILDLY HIGH CHOLESTEROL LEVEL: 5.0 to 6.4mmol/l
MODERATELY HIGH CHOLESTEROL LEVEL: 6.5 to 7.8mmol/l
VERY HIGH CHOLESTEROL LEVEL: above 7.8mmol/l

?BAD? cholesterol (known as low density lipoprotein: LDL-cholesterol)
?GOOD? cholesterol (known as high density lipoprotein: HDL-cholesterol)

Too much ?BAD? LDL-cholesterol can block up
our arteries, leading to heart disease or stroke.

?GOOD? HDL-cholesterol can remove excess
?BAD? LDL-cholesterol from our bodies."

I wonder if the 200's figures that you are finding on the net are actuall 2.0 (i.e. mmol/l)?? No idea if that is correct or not though.

If your gp is unhelpful does your surgery run a healthy heart clinic, or could you see the practice nurse - I know that now you have had your tests done a nurse should be able to help explain the scores and indicate anything that you could do to help with diet etc.

I will be getting mine on Monday so will let you know - I am also mid 30's so we can do this together!!

The Americans use a scale that goes in the 100s, thus the talk of 200, 250, etc. I seem to recall anything over 300 is pretty "bad". The British system measures it differently (speaking as a transplanted Yank).

I would worry if mine were 5.4. But before worrying too much I'd ask GP if they could measure the balance of good vs. bad cholesterol, and go with the results from there.

You need to have a fasting lipid profile done to measure the components. It sounds like you have had a random level done which could be affected (not much though) by recent food intake.
I would be more worried if I had a family history of heart disease and the HDL level was low and the LDL level was high.
At a level of 5.4 most people would be advised to change their diet, unless they had other risk factors (high BP, diabetes) then drug treatment might be considered.

twik, my cholesterol was measured at 5.8 and I was told not to be concerned (I have mine measured every couple of years as my dad has hypercholesterolaemia). I know what foods to watch though - I think (as it explains in taht article) because I don't smoke, don't have high blood pressure and have a good diet then the only factor I have to worry about is family history. This is the net doctor blurb on cholesterol - I think it explains it quite well.

high cholesterol

I think I will have to go back actually and get the breakdown won't I? Unfortunately it's so bloody hard to get appointments with my GP and I can't ask for an emergency for this I don't think?

I have quite low blood pressure, no diabetes, I have been a bit of a smoker on and off but at the moment pretty off, only about 2-3 a day tops. And I drink a bit in the evenings, maybe a couple of beers. I tend to be under rather than overweight. I eat a lot of cheese but am vegetarian and eat loads of vegetables. Do any of these things count in my favour?

I really don't know whether to be worried or not ...

My father died of a heart attack but he was 69 and had been a heavy smoker for much of his life. I don't think there's any problems of this kind on my mum's side of the family.

Occasionally I wonder about an odd tingling sensation in my left foot and leg, about artherosclerosis.

twik - I'm 37 and I have acholesterol level of 7

But they did a test on the computer and because a don't (& have never) soke, have low Blood pressure and a healthy diet ( have lost 4 st) my increased chance of heart disease in the next 10 yrs is 2%

I decided not to worry to much, as I can live with 2%.

But I am looking at the idet sheets (but they aren't very suitable for me as I have IBS)

How did they do that test katymac? I'd be interested. And why do they think your cholesterol is so high given that you're doing all the right things?

They just asked me some Q's (smoking, diet, weight) and took my BP (checked my bp against my records)

Apparently there is an inherited problem and I may have it? Who knows?

When you say 'they' you mean your GP? And you don't have to do anything about it now?

GP - yes

Well I'm supposed to stick to the diet sheet and they will check it in 3 or 6 months (he wasn't sure)

however all the stuff on the good side of the list cause my IBS to flare up and after a long discussion with DH - we decided that if the choice was dying a bit earlier or living with chronic diahorrea (sp) - we'd go with dying early.

That sounds very flippant - but my IBS is really debilitating and affects me all day everyday when it is bad

Gosh and did they just do this test for you or did you have to push for it? Do you think I could ask?

I'm really sorry to hear about your IBS, I suffered from it in my 20s, it was awful, I lost so much weight and barely had a life for years. Have you had it long? Have you tried hypnotherapy? It was a miracle for me.

My IBS is directly food related. I can predict my symptoms, based on what I eat. If I eat mainly fresh (unprocessed food) and no fruit & veg (or only eat it if it's cooked within an inch of it's life) & no milk then I'm fine. But add benecol or lowfat spread then I'm F*ed

Yes I whinged to get the test (it was on the PC)

do you know what the test was called?

No - sorry it was just on the PC

I found it on-line and did it and got the same result (but I can't find it again)

any vague ideas where I might search for it?

No - I was googling alsorts to find info

I think it was american - I think I did a thread or 2 on here (during the summer) - you might find it

Sorry

No problem, Katy, I'll do some searching!

Hi twick,

your cholesterol should be under 5 if possible, and your 'bad cholesterol should be under 3.
Unfortunately I did not get any diet sheets to help as my cholesterol is under 5 and it costs too much to give them to everyone!!!!

Hi Bellie, that's good news for you isn't it? I think I have to get a proper breakdown of mine done don't I?

twick, yes it is good news considering the family history. I think you really need to go and get a breakdown and then at least you will know what you are dealing with properly.