Got a shock - my chloresterol has gone up a lot.

[friedakahlo]

My chloresterol level was always normal - 4.4 was my last reading about 6 years ago.
Last week I went for my well woman check, and asked for a blood test, and my result came back with a highlighted result - 6.4
Now ,the things that have changed in these last few years are -
I'm now post menopause. (56)
I've changed my diet from vegetarian, to a high protein, low carb diet.
I've lost about a stone, and I do a lot more exercise than I used to.
My blood pressure is normal,
I'm not overweight.
I'm very active.
I feel healthy.
So, do you think its the diet change that has caused this rise in chloresterol?
And how should I modify my lifestyle to improve it, or is it my age, or what?
I must admit, it gave me a bit of a shock - Is this an unmentioned danger in a low carb diet? which I must admit, seems to suit me?

Some people just have high cholesterol. Mine is okay apart from one particular part, which is high for no apparent reason. I do have hereditary high blood pressure (how high came as quite a shock) and it was expected my cholesterol would be the same, but its fine. My late godmother was always slim and fit and ate healthily, but had shockingly high cholesterol naturally and it resisted all attempts to bring it down. Have a chat to your practice nurse or GP and they will tell you what is best.

You need to get a test which distinguishes between LDL and HDL cholesterol. It sounds like you just got a combined reading.

A low carb diet can increase HDL. However this is good because HDL decreases furring of the arteries, ie there are health benefits to having a high HDL.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-density_lipoprotein

I have a well below average bmi but very high cholesterol level. Doctor just shrugged and said as imam healthy it is "just one of those things".

If you feel healthy I would just ignore the reading.

Thanks for replies.
I feel a bit reassured.
I think I will try not to worry, but I will eat more oily fish and take some omega supplements, maybe eat a little less butter!
I suppose I was suprised that there was such a change, even though I actually felt better, and also felt I was eating more healthily. Which is why I thought it maybe was me getting older too.
I think I will try modifying my diet a bit, and then get a re-check in about 6 months, see if it's gone down at all. And then not worry about it.

Is that what the doc advised? I have wondered about changing what I eat. I don't have a very varied diet but I don't eat, sweet things, fried food, meat or pasta. I know I don't do enough exercise.

I think that a vegetarian diet is very healthy. I'm no doc, or have no medical
Knowledge. I just had one of hose checks too, and mine came back as low cholesterol. I've no idea why so healthy - apart from that my diet is 90% vegetarian now. I wonder if that is what helps. I always have porridge too, apparently v good for cholesterol.

Total cholesterol means nothing. As previously said, you need to find out what your LDL and HDL levels are, as it's the ratio which is important.
Also, get them to check your triglycerides.

I do have the levels -
LDL 4.3 (reccomend less than 3.0)
HDL 1.2 (reccomend 2.0 )

The advice was to increase healthy fats, decrease unhealthy fats.

No mention of triglycerides - is that blood sugar?

Squeegle, I think you could be right, I think I do eat too many animal products since low carbing. I'm really thinking of returning to non meat eating mainly for animal welfare reasons, but I think my health would benefit too.

You might like to read this article by Zoe Harcombe about cholesterol.

Low cholesterol levels amongst women are associated more strongly with heart disease.

And it's also worth having a look at some of the stuff written by Dr Malcolm Kendrick about cholesterol.

Some info about his book

OP couple of things to think about...

1 You may have reduced fibre in your diet by going non-vegetarian- were you eating lots of pulses before? Fibre from fruit, veg and pulses reduces cholesterol by carrying it out of the body.

2 Do you eat a lot of fatty meat- ie all the red meats , especially fatty types like mince, sausages etc.

Do you eat good fats from oily fish, avocado, certain nuts?

Remember that the Kendrick book is just the opinion of one man.

Well yes, of course it is!

But it's still worth reading something written by someone who has researched the whole thing, surely?

Triglycerides are a type of fat. If raised they can indicate a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
I've also read Kendricks book. Interesting that statistically going onto statins won't prolong your life (unless you have a hereditary form of severely increased cholesterol. Then they are useful), you'll just die of something else and it's more likely to be liver disease. A very low level of cholesterol which some doctors are keen for us to have, is likely to impair brain function in older age. It makes for a very interesting read.
At the end of the day it's about calculated risk.....

But it's still worth reading something written by someone who has researched the whole thing, surely?

yes of course.
But in science there is always more than one research paper and others will find different results.

I think big pharmaceuticals have a massive influence on what studies are done and how the results are interpreted. I also think they influence decisions within government depending on who shareholders are. Call me a cynic...

pink - I'm not trying to say that isn't the case. Just giving the OP something else to consider.

But, to show my true colours, I also think - like piggychops - that there's a whole body of stuff out there pushing people to take statins, based on financial motivations rather than the genuine needs of patients. And thus building a case for statins that isn't necessarily there in the first place.

Red fruits containing lycopene, an antioxidant have been shown in studies to reduce LDL the bad one. Think toms, apples, cranberries, red currants etc. I don't know if these constitute low carb or not.

BIWI I do actually agree with you :) But playing Devil's advocate I think it's unwise to take one man's view of something and believe it negates all the work done by other researchers. To make a real comparison then we'd have to know who funded all the research and how independent the researchers were- and whether the outcomes of research are peer-reviewed and by whom.
I'm waiting for the results of my first cholesterol test, just to see what it is. In my family one parent has high cholesterol so it's familial, even though they have an uber healthy lifestyle and diet- so they started taking statins at 80 ish. If mine is shockingly high I don't know what I'd do because the whole topic is still not clear, just the same as the new research is now saying that high fat diets don't cause heart disease.

Stress has a big part to play in heart disease.
Huge spike in Glasgow when they pulled down the Gorbals and rehoused people in towerblocks. Thought to be related to the fact that whole communities were pulled apart...

Thanks so much for all these posts.
Really interested in those links, I always thought that I would try to avoid medication if I could, and address my lifestyle firstly, and the statins info is v. interesting, also the low/high chloresterol in women info.
Also, it's almost like ignorance is bliss - if I hadn't requested a blood test,I'd be happily unworried, and who's to say if I'd be any worse off?
Stress, yeah, that's the the big health damager.
Idefix, thanks for that info, I will definately be drinking cranberry juice.

Interesting views - my reading was 6.9 last time it was checked (when I stopped taking statins after much research). I do not have high blood pressure not any sign of heart disease and felt the side effects (memory loss, muscle pain) were not worth it. What you eat makes no difference to cholesterol - only drugs can lower it (and I never got below 5). I am going to take my chances with this one.

I have high cholesterol but haven't been checked again for 18 months because I am too scared.

Mine was 6.1 the first time and 5.9 the last time.

My GP said that because I have no other risk factors he was not worried and there is new evidence that women with higher cholesterol live longer and new evidence is coming out to say that it isn't a risk factor in heart disease as 50% of people who have heart attacks have normal levels.

A different gp I sometimes have to see keeps going on at me so I asked her for my triglycerides and she said that they were within the normal range.

A part of me thinks I should get a test again but with my awful health anxiety I can't bring myself to do it yet. My blood pressure is perfect, I am a good weight and do not smoke or drink. I am leaning on the side of just living as healthy as I can and stop thinking or testing my levels. I won't go on statins anyway as they are not proven to increase life span and only really helpful in those who have had heart attacks/stroke.

It's nice to see that more people are questioning this.

Meat does also not cause high cholesterol.

There is so much research out there to disapprove that.

sorry for serial posting

ally that really makes me feel better to see your post.

With having severe health anxiety I want to make sure I am not doing it out of fear if that makes sense.

Do you plan to have regular blood tests still?