Can anyone help me understand my cholesterol levels? Should I be worried?

[LeeMiller]

I'm 35 and I've just had my cholesterol levels tested for the first time and apparently mine is too high. My GP said my (good) HDL is high too but seemed quite concerned about my (bad) LDL and overall level. She wants me to diet (though I already eat pretty much along the lines she suggested, apart from maybe too many biscuits) and exercise and take some supplements, but she said if it doesn't come down in 3 months I might need medication.

According to online calculators my ratio of good/bad is 'ideal', but the 'bad' and overall levels are very high - is this still as bad if the ratios are good? I'm not in the UK and my results seem to be presented differently, but I've converted them below.

My results were in mg/dhl but I thinnk mmol is used in the UK.
Cholesterol: 290 mg/dhl (online conversion to mmol: 7.5)
LDL: 189 mg/dhl (4.9 mmol)
HDL: 85 mg/dl (2.2 mmol)
Triglycerides: 82 mg/dl (0.93)
VNL: 150 mg/dl

Ratios according to online calculators:
Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio is: 3.41 - (preferably under 5.0, ideally under 3.5)
HDL/LDL ratio is: 0.450 - (preferably over 0.3, ideally over 0.4)
Triglycerides/HDL ratio: 0.941(preferably under 4, ideally under 2)

My mum and my sister both have high cholesterol despite healthy diets/lifestyles but have been told their high 'good' cholesterol balances it out. I am slim, eat fairly healthily but could exercise more. I have low blood pressure. No family history of heart disease except my grandmother had a heart attack aged 88. Could I have familial hypercholesterolaemia?

Mine was similar to yours
So will be interested to see what's said

I exercise 12 hours per week, eat plenty of fruit and veg and don't eat at take sways or ready meals

So have reduced my dairy and meat consumption and upped green veg

Not sure what else to do?

Oh my good cholesterol was high and bad cholesterol lower but overal figure the same? Not sure if that matters?

Cholesterol can be hereditary. Mine is.
I'm trying benecol ....

Mine in hireditary too, mine is 11.5 (uk level) 😱

Did any of you manage to lower it significantly though diet and exercise? I read that's less likely to have an impact when it's hereditary.

Or, did anyone ever mention to you thyroid issues, or pcos, or other stuff with a strong link to cholesterol (according to Dr Google?), or test cholesterol for particle size breakdown (apparently a more accurate risk assessment but expensive)? I don't want to end up on statins at 35 without feeling like its been investigated properly!

I ditched statins but I'm not advocating anyone else does... Have you heard of Dr Malcolm Kendrick?

I stopped the statins too (side effects) and am currently trying Red Rice Yeast and will get re-tested soon (last result was 7.4)

Maybe read The Great Cholesterol Con for more info.

Anything over 5.0 for cholesterol reading is classed as "high". I'm not sure aboutthe other readings. They will try to manage it on diet and exercise first but if that doesn'the work, they start you on medication.

@allypally999 my GP suggested red rice yeast, but isn't it the same active ingredient as statins - with similar side effects? Or are you taking a low dose?

Bibidee and Rizlett I've read about his ideas before but forgotten about them and just had another look at his blog. He's very convincing though it's hard to really know when you're not a scientist and haven't read the papers yourself. But he is persuasive.

Did you change to a low carb- high fat diet (which as far as I can work out he mentions in relation to diabetes and insulin resistance which can elevate cardiac risk)? Or just stop worrying about cholesterol in general, ignore your GP and come off your statins?

I also read elsewhere that the best predictor of risk is tryglycerides/hdl ratio (mine is low), not LDL? But my doctor didn't seem very interested in the ratios.

I just stopped worrying about it to be honest as I have other more pressing health issues. Off to find out what's in the Red Rice Yeast though!

Have you watched this? It's long but it watched it in instalments:

Sounds like you could have familial hyper chlosterol - ask for a test - there's a specific test for it. You should know as it can be hard to treat and also any children you have will need to be tested. Please don't ignore your chlosterol levels - a family member died in their 30s from a heart attack from not taking this disease seriously

@applesandpears56 I'm sorry to hear about your family member.
I didn't realise there was a specific test (genetic?) for the familial kind, I'll look into it and ask the GP. My mum and sister have high levels but not as high as mine, but have never been offered a test.

heartuk.org.uk/fh-familial-hypercholesterolemia/genetic-testing-for-familial-hypercholesterolaemia-fh

Mine was high (5.9) but I read some research about it, including the book mentioned above and came to the conclusion that I am not at all concerned.

My weight is good, I exercise, bp is good, my diet could improve but to lower my cholesterol and further I would need statins I think and I refuse to take them due to the research and the side effects.

I haven't had mine tested for a long time so I don't know what it is now but I wont be testing again.

BTW my good cholesterol levels were good. I had to ask my GP and she was uninterested in the ratios as well.

Great Ormond Street do the genetic testing for FH. Your dr should contact GOSH, the hospital should then send a spit test (for want of a better word) to your GP for you to do then return it. If it comes back positive for FH, you'll go on the FH register at GOSH.

Your cholesterol should be

I was told that the good outweighs the impact of the bad. Mine is high but the other one counterbalanced.

My great grandparents were mid 80s d in mid 60s

My grandparents were 85 and 91.

My mother is 82.

Grandad and mother had high cholesterol. Grandad was 91.

I'm just enjoying myself