Cholesterol results

[afrikat]

Had some private bloods done and wondering how worried I should be about the following. Will contact Dr next week but not much I can do til Monday

Cholesterol 6.3 mmol
Triglycerides 3.9 mmol
LDL 3.3 mmol
HDL 1.3 mmol
Non HDL 5.1 mmol
Total cholesterol/HDL ratio 5.1:1 mmol
Triglyceride/HDL ratio 3.14:1 mmol

That last one inparticular flagged up as 'very high'

Worried no, but it does need bringing down. You can improve this by reducing your alcohol and saturated fat. Increase your fibre, omega oils and exercise.

Your numbers are higher than recommended.

Thanks. Exercise is tricky as I have ME but I've been managing to get out for walks and some weights at the gym recently for the first time in 7 years so will keep that up. I'll have to revisit my diet as I currently eat low carb paleo but I don't eat many saturated fats, mostly avocado, olive oil, nuts etc. Very little red meat and nothing processed. Was drinking alot of alcohol last year but cut that right down

My results are similar and I was pretty surprised TBH. I don't drink or smoke, don't eat meat (we're pescatarian) bloody hate milk and cream but do eat cheese and I go to the gym 3 or 4 days a week. The doctor suggested I cut out cheese - I'm happy to cut down but I don't eat it every day or anything. Also coffee is a big one apparently. Instant or filtered is ok but the rest is "oily" so maybe cut that down if you drink a lot? They explained though that 1/3 is likely through lifestyle and the rest is genes so maybe you're just unlucky?
I need to go back for another test in 6 months where they will tell me if I need meds. I'm pretty pissed really. I'm 46 and I live a daily healthy life. Seems like it shouldn't be something I have to worry about.
Hope there are some changes you can make to get it sorted without drugs

Read up on plant sterols and change your diet to include/increase them.

Prawns and some fish are high in cholesterol, your salt intake affects it and paleo diets are notorious for raising cholesterol. Reduce your dairy products and go for fat free where possible.

You could request a statin but these can have side effects for some users.

Thanks. I do eat alot of prawns. Its annoying because eating paleo really helps my chronic health condition 🤷‍♂️

I think my dad had high cholesterol so there definitely could be a genetic factor too

@Samsond the coffee that is oily is it the pods? The ones in Costa etc?

I grind my own beans and use a filter machine. This is okay?

I was going to buy a pod one but if they are oily I won’t now.

Yeah anything that uses pods or fresh beans without a filter (which filters out a lot of the oil) is oily apparently. Instant is fine because it's so far removed from actual coffee that the oil is already stripped out anyway. Good news if you're a philistine like me 😂.

Your triglycerides tend to be the ones linked to diet and lifestyle. Yours is high.
LDL is the one made by the liver, and this can often run in families.
Your ratio is high, less than 4.5 would be better.
They wouldn't give you a statin for those readings unless your Qrisk (of cardiovascular disease over next ten years) is greater than 10% unless you had significant family history.
Ask them what your Qrisk score is.
Make sure your blood pressure is ok.
Presume blood glucose levels were ok?

My levels are similar but being honest I smoke which I know pushes it up.statins give me wobbly weird feeling lower legs, doesn't happen to everyone but it does me and I've tried a couple of types- I eat very well and don't eat much sugar or fat at all

@Sunnnybunny72 that's interesting. My cholesterol levels are similar to the OP but my triglycerides are 0.7 which is normal according to my GP. So does that suggest that mine does point to genetics then?
My mother sadly died of a heart attack at 49 but she was under general anaesthetic at the time so no idea whether it was linked to a heart condition or a reaction to meds.

GP recommended eating avocados which seemed to help but also told me that higher levels of cholesterol were genetic.

I had high cholestrol a few years ago, had it measured recently and it was perfect. (I was surprised)

I had a step counter, so rather then focus on loads of exercise, it was more just being mindful, walking more.

I quit alcohol, i use to smoke 😬 i quit that too. Started eating better. Bulking meals out with salad, veg adding in fruit ect. Still have chocolate ect but ensure i fill up on fresh veg food first and eat proper meals.
I cook with olive oil, just did a few swaps. I didn't want to get obsessive as then it wouldn't be sustainable for me long term

Seems to have worked in many ways, first time ever i have had a stable weight. (I would yo-yo) better blood pressure, sugar levels as well as cholesterol. I have also found i don't need as much sleep, i use to constantly feel exhausted, but not sure if thats also mentally i am in a good place, i use to struggle with that too.

Porridge oats contain beta-glucans which collect the HDLs so you can eliminate them (by pooing). DH's cholesterol levels have halved in 18 months since he started having porridge x 5 mornings a week. The doctor was staggered.

No way! That's incredible and so useful to know. What sort of porridge oats and what milk 🙂🙂

That’s good to know I’ll stick to my £20 filter machine using my filters. I do have instant decaf at night.

@Bestyearever2024 I just buy plain Scottish or Irish rolled oats by the kilo and make it in the microwave with semi-skimmed milk. Half a cup of oats; one cup milk, microwave 3.5 minutes, stir, and repeat. If the weather is very damp, it sometimes needs a little more cooking.

0.7 is fine for triglycerides. Very good.
A raised LDL might point to hereditary factors.
HDL is the good cholesterol and helps mop up the bad stuff.

@Bestyearever2024 DH was and is still on statins as part of managing heart issues. But the big change coincided with having porridge most days.

That’s interesting. Has he also made other dietary changes alongside eating porridge to help?

@ArrestHer , no, not really. We eat fairly healthily and always have done. The porridge appears to have been the game-changer.

Check any medication that you are on as some can affect the lipids in your blood tests. I have this issue and for the moment my GP is happy not to prescribe statins - did try them but couldn't cope with the brain fog and cognitive issues. But have regular health checks to monitor it.

Lots of high cholesterol food (eg prawns) don't actually effect your own cholesterol. These are whole ingredients like meat, eggs etc. processed fats and processed foods however do.

Keto often has a positive effect on cholesterol so if it helps your other condition I would actually stick to what you are doing. If you are eating processed food as part of that then I would cut down on that and ensure that you are eating plenty of keto friendly veg to ensure you get lots of fiber and see if you can test again in a few weeks to see if there improvement.

I know a fell runner, and mountain rescue Guy. He is also vegetarian. He has very high cholesterol. Unfortunately it is a genetic thing for him. Interestingly all his relatives lived into their late 90's without medication, so it's not a simple matrix of food and lifestyle.

Thanks. Mines not causing red flags yet but is on the high side so as well as moderating some other bits (I eat pretty well but have a love of cheese 😭) I’m going to give this a try. It can’t do me any harm!