Cholesterol 7.0

[mikado1]

I'd love to know people's experience or knowledge on this. I have been eating more healthily than I ever have, no flour or sugar for months before my blood test. I am active and have a healthy weight. I have looked up signs of high cholesterol and have none of them and apart from cheese, which I don't eat to excess but put in salads and food in small portions, I can't see that I'm doing anything terribly wrong.. My BP is low.

Have you had your thyroid function tested? Hypothyroidism causes raised cholesterol (not saying you have that, but just a general headsup).

Also, is this your first cholesterol test? Have you any previous values to look back at?

Also, I forgot this and I can't recall where I copied it from but it points out that you also need to know your HDL and LDL levels, without those you can't make much sense of your total cholesterol value:

total cholesterol includes both "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and the "bad" varieties, chiefly low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). So if your total cholesterol is in the desirable category, it's possible that you may have unhealthy levels of HDL (too low) and LDL and VLDL (too high). Think of total cholesterol as a first glimpse, a peek.

Total cholesterol and HDL. HDL is the "good" cholesterol because it sponges up cholesterol from blood vessel walls and ferries it to the liver for disposal. In contrast, LDL deposits the harmful fat in vessel walls.A HDL level of 60 or above is protective against heart disease, and below 40 makes you vulnerable to it.The ratio of total cholesterol-to-HDL is important; the smaller the number the better.

You cholestorol is most likely genetic rather than food induced... it was the gift that keeps on giving that my father gave to me. I cannot lower it with food, once spent an hour with a nurse going through my diet, forswearing mayo in sandwiches when she ended the conversation with, "But unfortunately this will not work for you..."

So I have a lifetime of statins ahead of me, without I hover around 9.5 / 10, I was delighted to get down to just under 8 but the pharmacist freaked out and wanted to increase my statins but thought she couldn't, but you can so I have gone from 40mg to 80mg daily.

Ok I will get the full details. It was given over phone but I've forgotten. The good cholesterol was vg and thyroid, blood sugars, vit B all good. My previous test was 12m earlier and all fine but in higher end of normal range.. was eating much worse and was a stone heavier! Could the dairy be doing the damage on its own I wonder. I don't want to go on stating really as I've read they increase likelihood of diabetes.

Wholefood plant based is great for lowering cholesterol.

My Dad had it also at a similar age and worked hard to reduce and did and then went back to normal over time but yet it was never an issue again, he took a daily aspirin, and his cholesterol was absolutely fine in his later years.

Thank you. I eat a lot of vegetables but can increase. I also eat almonds and walnuts. One big helper I don't eat is salmon..

Has anyone any opinion on the fact I have zero signs of having high cholesterol or is that irrelevant? I basically hoping that I should be cynical about the seriousness of it. I have requested the hdl and ldl numbers.

You wont always see signs of high cholesterol, that a high blood pressure dont always show signs and thats what can make them dangerous conditions. What signs would you expect to see?

You do need to know the ratio, that is an important figure as someone else has pointed out., not just the HDL and LDL, you need to know what the ratio was.

You don't have any signs of high cholesterol sadly. My mum had out of control cholesterol in constant double figures and not touched by statins. Rock on her heart attack and the cardiologist put her on another lipid lowering drug back then, this was only available from cardiologists, and bam normal cholesterol. However she now also has vascular dementia. Her high cholesterol has caused all of her significant health issues.

She also has hashimotos which is probably what caused it. I do too, my cholesterol is fine now. But I had a period of time when I stopped dairy but ate lots of eggs. My cholesterol was at its best then.

But you do need your HDL, LDL and triglycerides too.

Headaches, fatigue, high BP are all listed under signs of high cholesterol you see. Thanks for replies, v helpful and sorry others have the same. It's both annoying and frightening.

I have a similar cholesterol to you, & also have a very healthy diet. I am overweight though. My QRISK2 has been assessed as less than 5% so I've been told no action & to test again in a year.
My ratios of HDL:LDL were good but my lipids are also high.
Eggs will not raise your cholesterol, btw.

Ah thank you, ok. Yes I eat lots of eggs and have cut my dairy and completely cut butter. I am not sure what QRISk2 is, I got all the results from nurse over phone and tbh felt quite defensive and fed up about it.

Definitely get the break down. On paper my cholesterol is high but that's because my HDL is really high. LDL and triglycerides are low so my dr said not to worry.

QRISK calculates your risk of having a heart attack (or possibly any cardiovascular event?) in the next 10 years, I think. I believe the NICE guidelines are that if your risk is less than 5% the advice is for no action.
I'm no expert though, this is just what my understanding is from researching it.

Do you eat a lot of carbs?

No sugar or flour so v low carb, bar berries, sweet potato and brown rice (rarely and v little). I'm hopeful now that the overall ratio might be more reassuring snf to know about the risk percentage.

They can be associated or sometimes (more often) there are not associated other symptoms or conditions.

My mum has very high cholesterol, her BP is good, no other symptoms

What do you eat?

I eat meat, fish, vegetables, egg, oats, nuts, greek yoghurt... everything really.

Mine constantly hovers around 6.9 and triglycerides are high - I'm fit, regularly exercise, on the skinny side and my BP always within normal limits or on the low side. All my other blood tests normal. I don't drink or smoke and eat a good diet. The GP practice keep saying to me to eat better and exercise more and retest me ever so often. I've even tried eating a vegan diet and the scores don't budge - but my cardiac risk is too low to be prescribed statins. It's perplexing

Hi op, my qrisk was 3%, ecg's were clear, but cholesterol jumped from 5.5 to 7.3 in 12 months. A heart scan showed I have a blockage in one artery. I have no signs, and this is likely genetic and my age and lifestyle. I want exercising, but also I thought i knew how to eat low fat, and i was wrong. I've got mine down to 6 in just 4 months and although i hope to get it lower i do take statins now for the heart disease. Low fat diet is all sat fat below 1.5 per 100g. It was an eye opener for me.

That is perplexing and a similar situation tho nurse on phone said Doc wants me on statins, to try improving diet and go back for a retest shortly. I really got the hump as have been so healthy! She was quizzing me on smoking, drinking etc which I don't do either.

Oh wow, great you could get heart scan and know what you're dealing with. What other changes did you make? I eat full fat, only because I understood that fat has been given a bad rap and that good fats are important. As I said above I have ditched butter, cut down cheese v much and I now have a rare skinny latte rather than a daily full fat one. I've switched back to olive oil for cooking. But perhaps I need to go more low fat, yoghurt and milk maybe?

I know exactly what you mean - I feel a bit short changed! Im doing all the things you're supposed to and none of the things you're not supposed to and it stays high. Grrrr