Cholesterol - any experts?

[minxthemanx]

Just had a test and been told my cholesterol is a whopping 6.8 - I had got it down to 4. something for the last test. Chuffing nora. Is stress a trigger, does anyone know? Been through a pretty big trauma in last few months. Don't see how it can just be diet related, as my diet hasn't really changed - blardy porridge every day, loads of fruit and veg, and no meat. Ok the odd cake. Am a bit at the thought of having to be even more careful with food!

bumping

Sounds like you are doing all the right things with your diet, so it might just be your genes unfortunately. Have you tried plant sterols? These are effective if you use them regularly and found in products like flora pro-active, but can be a bit pricey. Fish oil also helped in some studies (but not all) so might be worth a try.

Worth asking your gp for more detailed info on your results:

LDL is the 'bad' cholesterol and HDL the 'good'. It is recommended that your LDL is less than 4 and your HDL more than 1, so it is possible that you just have a high HDL which would mean less to worry about. Other blood lipids worth asking about are your triglycerides (high levels a risk factor for things like type 2 diabetes or can indicate too much booze intake).

Not sure that stress is a factor but if you are in doubt probably wise to ask for a retest before you start on any medication (statins are v effective but have some side effects).

HTH

Thanks for that. Yes, my Mum's side of the family have high cholesterol, so that may be a factor. Also, I know it sounds daft, but I had to grab a sandwich at the hospital before the blood test (they said it didn't need to be fasting any more), and the only non-meat one was Brie! Would that have had an effect on the cholesterol reading? Not that quickly, surely! (less than an hour)

People on statins usually tested annually (provided no complications)so the Brie would not make any diff ! I think you need a while before you can tell if your diet etc is working Are you on any medications? SOME raise choleserol a bit ( on av 15 to 20%) 4 on the scale is the ideal measurement. Sometimes I think it is just individual -how you are.

For 'most' people fasting does not make a significant difference for total cholesterol, but of course that might not be the case for you - I would ask for another fasted test to put your mind at rest.

My cholesterol highish but told to be retested when I had stopped breast feeding as some say breastfeeding can raise cholesterol levels. [Need to get tested again soon].