Cholesterol: how bad is yours?

But I have been on Statins for three months (TIA, not actually high cholesterol)

Prob statins for you. From what I gather, you can try cutting down on bad stuff, but it's an age thing - your body isn't working as well as it used to. No Biggie. Only negative being if you do go onto them, you will be one of many who have to join the queues at chemists. And if you have kids, they lose even more respect for you.

I took part in the My Future Health survey a while ago. I was expecting my cholesterol to be high as my diet is pretty poor but all good.I do about 3000 miles a year on bike and they reckon that this keeps it lower as it helps push the fat molecules round in the blood stream, no idea if this is right and it sounds a bit simplistic Cholesterol was just over 4. LDL and HDL were in middle of acceptable range.Blood pressure was a bit high and is still a bit on the high side but doc says I have no other mitigating circumstances( I don’t drink or smoke and weight is good) so he’s left it for time being. Its about 175/85 I’m 58y.o

Yeah, some of the side effects of Statins don't sound appealing so I'd rather work on improving my diet if I can...but I'm not sure whether I'm "beyond hope" stage yet...

Mines horrific, I think it was close to 6 last time it was tested, however my BP is below average and my resting heart rate is in the low 40's, I exercise pretty much daily and my diet whilst not perfect is mostly free of UPF with plenty of veggies and I only eat meat 2-3 times a week, any way my GP wasn't all that concerned, just said that we'll keep monitoring it.

Mine was tested recently and is very similar to the OP's (High 'good' cholesterol).  I was offered statins, but I've elected to try and cut down on the butter and crisps (I'm hooked!) and have another test in 12 months or so.  I'm 69 and (I guess) pretty fit for my age.

@Bazz - that sounds positive. My resting HR is 46 and my blood pressure is borderline clinically low (not taking any meds for it) and I also exercise almost every day. According to Garmin my BMI is 23.7 so no excess weight or (much) body fat...

Age 61 FWIW

Cut ultra processed food, seed oils and carbs (sugar) out of your diet as much as you can. If you can get below 20 grams of carbs per day you’ll be entering the amazing world of ketosis with all the health benefits that come with it.

Don’t sweat it over cholesterol and keep away from Statins. Statins= a man made sticking plaster for a man made problem.

5.9.  I’ve been to exercise more, cut carbs and eat fibre

Aside from my previous post, I was flagged as high a few years ago - sorted it to the point where my GP was seriously impressed within 6 weeks on diet alone.

Cut out prawns, dairy, processed meat and probably chips

I got a high reading for Triglycerides, but everything else within the normal range (just for Serum cholesterol) ... Blood pressure is fine, fairly fit, 53, BMI says just overweight but I've no belly/moobs just muffin tops 😀

I think I am proof that you can't out-exercise a poor diet. Work provides free 'healthy' snacks and I was getting through 3 packets of baked crisps a day, and various 80-100kcal snack bars, and eating way too much cheese at home. Also red wine. Nothing crazy but enough to not lose weight despite cycling 9-12 hours a week...

Am a few weeks into cutting all of the above right down, reducing red meat, increasing fish intake and skipping booze during the week, have so far not fallen off the wagon.

I was tested as an age-related routine thing a few years ago, mine was borderline so I was prescribed statins  - along with a supplement to control age-related macular degeneration, vitamin D, Naproxen, Omeprazol and Co-codamol when needed, I’m glad I don’t have to pay for prescription meds.

Had some bloods done last week (PSA thread....) and my cholesterol is a touch high for ldl and hdl. Been told to follow a Mediterranean diet and come back in the new year to retest. I guess that's not cote du rhone and brie.

(PSA results pending)

This falls in the "do I really want to know" category for me 🙂

Probably higher then it should be.

@vlad do you know your A1C level?

Also forget BMI results as they aren’t accurate at all. Better off with working out your height to waist  size ratio.

lambchop

Free Member

@vlad do you know your A1C level?

No, I don't believe the blood was tested for this (at least I can't see anything on the results). Why do you ask? I'll ask my quack if relevant...

Mine was 7.3 at the last test 6 months ago

I knew it was high but I wasn't expecting to be the highest on here!?

I'm due a retest after supposedly making some changes to my diet, rather than go on statins. Unfortunately after a few months of good intentions I fully admit I have relapsed and back to scoffing all the biscuits in the house...

Mine was over 8! I had side effects from statins too which stopped me exercising at all. I've cut upf, alcohol, sugar etc but it's still nearly 7.

Just looked again at the numbers, and my total cholesterol was 5.9, and LDL 3.9, so those two over the recommended range. Recommendation to retest in a couple of years after Mediterranean dirt.
Sound like your numbers are similar Vlad, so if you don't fancy statins tell em you're gonna go full Mediterranean perhaps. I'm 59, and my BMI is in the orange zone.

A1c is blood glucose. High levels suggest pre diabetes could be on the cards.

Was 8. Told to change diet then it dropped to 6. That diet was a bit unsustainable for many reasons. Not had a retest for a while now so suspect it's now somewhere between the 2. I am expecting to be on statins at some point as everyone on my Dad's side of the family is on statins from 50ish and/or already had heart attacks.

What I do know is that all of them went through several different statins before they got to one with no side effects. Some being unbearable side effects. So I will collate this info from family members and see if I can short cut the rounds of trying them all and go straight to the good one, if possible.

7.8 about 5 years ago. Diet and genetics. Sorted the diet out but still high.

Been on "sticking plaster for manmade problem" or Statins as most people call them ever since. Now runs around 4.3. Not exercising as much as I need to but will sort that out with retirement in March.

Have been having a read online and an important metric is the ratio total cholesterol to HDL. So if you have the HDL number you can calculate that. My test result gives me that ratio as part of the report. A lower ratio is better apparently and better predictor of reduced cardiac risk.

My cholesterol was 6.7 in July but since then I have started biking 3 or 4 times a week, using an indoor trainer and been on a diet.

I have lost 3.5 stone and my cholesterol has come down to 5.5 and I am hopeful it will be in the normal range next time its tested in January. Apparently it takes quite a while to reduce cholesterol.

My blood sugar is now normal.

If I were you I would carry on doing what you are doing and see how much it reduces next time before you consider medication - I am not a medical professional

Cholesterol has been as high as 8.5 , now down to 4.2

HDL cholesterol ranges from 1.1 to 1.5

Non- HDL has been as high as 7, now down to 3.

My gamma GT is the corker, should be below 50, has been as high as over 700, now down to 300.

Currently struggling with a new statin........................

Have been having a read online and an important metric is the ratio total cholesterol to HDL.

This is what I was always told when I had regular checkups at work and it's reflected in the QRisk2 and QRisk3 calculators. On the Information tab of the QRisk3 calculator it states "It is the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol that is the best predictor of risk, better than either total cholesterol or HDL cholesterol alone".

I was called in for my Age 70 MoT last year and my total is 5.8, LDL 2.9 giving a ratio of 2.23. So although total is high, the ratio is low. QRisk3 gives a risk score of 14.3% compared to 17.8% for "a healthy person with the same age, sex, and ethnicity". I've had further tests during the year with similar results and I'm being steered towards statins which I'm resisting on the basis that if statins reduce my total cholesterol to say 4.0 the improvement in risk score is about 2%. The only way to get below 10% (which is the current trigger level for recommending statins) is to suddenly get 6 years younger.

Started on statins in my 30s, 61 now and currently not taking them. Was tested young due to family history, dad died at 44 of a heart attack and was found to have furred up arteries. Despite being a keen fit sportsman he had lived on a very lard based diet since childhood.

My own levels have always been around 8 despite the fact that I was living on a pescatarian mediteranian type diet for years prior to first testing. Statins did very little to the levels and I struggled to find one that I could get along with, all of the ones I tried seemed to cause problems one way or another.

Ten years or so ago I was found to have high CK levels and was advised to stop statins in case they were the cause. It turned out they weren't but I never got around to trying statins again but this year while having a routine examination I asked the Doc about a strange patch of skin on my lower eyelid and Doc said it looked like a cholesterol pouch and I should be on statins.

I figured that if it was starting to collect in my skin then it was probably also collecting in my arteries so recently asked my GP to start me again. Statins duly arrived and thinking they looked familiar I checked my records to find they were one of the ones that didn't agree with me in the past so I'll have to ask for something different.

Really not keen to start them again and still in two minds whether to take them or not. My high levels are obviously genetic and on the one hand I have Dad dying at 44 with obviously diet based causes and on the other I have a Mother with simillar high cholesterol levels still alive at 91 and only recently had a heart attack and then an uncle with high levels who lived to 95.

Mines good and stable, i cook pretty much everything and make cake with pretty much no sugar and half butter. I could get cholesterol lower but its a trade off, my doc says take cholesterol reading with bp, height, weight and lifestyle, ie, not in isolation. Look at trends too, aim for stability.

I'm 53, my Q-Risk score was 6.8, Doc recommended statins, I've opted to improve my diet instead and retest again. I had booked myself in early in January but plan on moving that further way from Xmas...

I probably didn't help my scores by almost being late for the test so having to run, not reading the instructions so had eaten breakfast first and had been on lots of camping, snowboarding, holidays, ect, in the build up, so way too much booze.

Obviously it could just be genetic too but having read up on it since, that Q-Risk score seems too low to start on Statins.

These days my breakfasts are almost always overnight oats, lunch is now salad and fish instead of a sandwich, any bread is homemade sourdough and snacks are nuts or fruit. Booze wise I have 3 to 4 days off and exercise restraint when I drink.

I have read that the only foods that are actually proven to improve cholesterol are tomatoes, almonds and flaxseed so plenty of those in my diet. Anybody found anything else?

I also did a bit of fasting a couple of days a week this year and my weight has dropped from 80kg to 75kg. I'm on Naproxen at the moment for a long term shoulder problem so need breakfast to go with the tablet, age's a bitch innit!

Mine reached 8 at one point when I lived abroad. I was at the time regularly playing rugby and cycling home most nights in any weather. I was lucky I worked for a pharma company that tested employees each year for all sorts of health issues.
Mine was pure hereditary - so I was told. Under control now with statins. But no amount of positive lifestyle changes would have moved the dial - so I was told.

I've just had mine done, the company I work for funded it. Now with my results I need to see my Doctor.

TC 6.14 - should be bellow 5, HDL 0.78 - should be plus 1, non-HDL 5.36 - should be bellow 4, TC:HDL ratio 7.87 - should be bellow 5.

This is an improvement over the last time I was tested, but nowhere near where I should be. Yes I'm am little over weight (at the top end of my height range), but I can't seem to lose the weight. I'm now 57 and I'm leaning towards it's my age. I exercise a bit, ride twice a week, go to the gym once a week and do some yoga and I generally eat healthily. I'm a vegetarian and mostly eat home cooked meals from fresh ingredients. But I also have a stressful job, which I'm told doesn't help with cortisol levels so I'm considering statins

I have just been listening to one of the ZOE pod casts with Dr. Sarah Berry, which was quite interesting. It was suggested that diet change could bring cholesterol levels back into a healthy range. If you interested 

Based on that pod cast, I'm going to give diet another chance. Firstly I need to up my HDL levels to balance the ratio out, so I've started snacking on nuts during the day.

It was north of 7. Tried the diet thing to no avail. Went on statins years ago and now sub 5. No side effects no drama. 53yo

yeah I think people are worrying too much about taking statins. If you get side effects, just stop the statins and they'll go away.

You can take statins AND do the lifestyle changes after all.

Mines way high was 9 at one point.

I genuinely don't care much about it from what I've been told by the GP you're pretty much stuck with it and only a  15% attributed to diet.

In other metrics I'm really good so I'm not worried. And personally I'm not fussed about taking statins.

Recently it just came down to about 6 combined. Which I thought was great. No real changes in my lifestyle.

I don't eat sugar about 99% of the time.

Dad has got high numbers too.

I feel cholesterol info appears a bit up in the air, and confusing as to what causes what.

and confusing as to what causes what.

I thought it was clear that high levels of cholesterol cause coronary heart disease and strokes.

'I feel cholesterol info appears a bit up in the air, and confusing as to what causes what'

I read that as to what causes cholesterol to improve or get worse, such as eggs for example, as opposed to whether Statins work or not but I could be wrong.

On that note though, I was once listening to a discussion between a GP and a chap who wrote a book called The Great Statin Swindle (or something like that). He kept badgering her with the question, 'do statins give you on average and extra week of life or not?'. Eventually she rather testily admitted, yes (it might have been more than a week, its a long time ago).

What they didn't discuss though was what the last years of that life might be like though. If the statins prevented a stroke years befor you die, your life would be very different.

Mine was tested earlier this year , around the same as it's been forever . But " It's a bit higher than we'd like " I was 68 all my mates had been prescribed Statins I was the last one , only one had an adverse reaction so just to keep the quack happy I went on them , no side effects, level has come down slightly, quacks happy, carry on . I reckon they're on commission from the sweetie makers to get as many popping them as possible ?

Had follow up call with my GP yesterday and she's "happy" with my results and just suggested diet improvements and to get my blood pressure tested and let her know results ?

To be followed up with an in person appointment (rather than phone consult I've had the last few times) sometime in January.

Statin bullet dodged for now...

Had mine tested in late June and it was total 6.5 non hdl 4.7 hdl 1.77 ratio 3.7 Doctor wanted me to go on statins and not keen on diet change but i wanted to at least have a go .
As i felt my diet was pretty good mainly veg not much processed food or drink i thought I'd try those cholesterol lowering yoghurts and changed to cholesterol lowering spread as well. Also started eating oats every day mixed with the yought above with some berries frozen or fresh. Retested in October and total 4.8
Non hdl 3.3 hdl 1.53 ratio 3 1
So it seemed to have worked quite well I think but will need to keep an eye on it.

I had a heart attack while out on the road bike just over 3 years ago.Result was a triple heart bypass.Cholesterol at that time was less than 5.

Besides the other drugs,statins were also prescribed after leaving hospital.After a year or so i was only taking a statin and a very low dose blood pressure tablet.

Getting back into cycling my legs and back ached badly and talking to a medical professor friend he said its likely to be the statins responsible.He had the same side effects on statins.He stopped taking them as he couldn't use his home gym because of muscle pain.He had a blood test done showing a high KC level.

He said changing statins wouldn't alter the side effects.Also that surgeries are "incentivised" to prescribe statins.

So stopping them and the aches gradually decreased.My cholesterol without them was 3.3 but the doctor said my target is 2.8 because of the heart attack.Trying a different statin the side effects were worse within 3 days.

He knows my reluctance to take them and understands they inhibit my cycling.Now i take the bare minimum dose to get close to the target.

Mine is 5.1 on a very low dose of statins as it's genetic, but I'm shockingly bad at taking them and maybe only take them less than half the time. No side effects at all.  It would be bang in range if I remembered - trying taking them into work to remember. Heart attack risk was super low when I was put on them years ago, but both parents have been on statins for years - I didn't know until I went on them as I tried diet etc.

I'm fine with it as no side effects. Both parents are approaching 80 now and still active, even my dad with his dodgy knees - they will go first.

How is this number calculated?

I live in Germany and had a combined reading so high my doctor retested 2 weeks later to make sure it wasn't an analysis mistake.

I was proposed for cholesterol dialysis (private health insurance played a part) but after 3 months not drinking A and doing lots of sport I was rejected because of my liver function. Should I be proud that not drinking A for 3 months messed up my liver values? My doctor (now sadly deceased) called me her Sorgenkind who kept her interested in medicine ??

So a couple of months ago I had a blood test which showed that after years of gradual increases, and a previous reluctance to take statins, my cholesterol level had hit 6.

My reaction was typical and I declined the offer of statins insisting to my GP that I was going to focus very strongly on a healthy diet. He said okay and that I could have another cholesterol test in 3 months although he pointed out that I was already doing all the right lifestyle things.

He was obviously not convinced that I would succeed and frankly nor was I. A couple of weeks ago I became resigned, despite small adjustments to my diet, that I would eventually have to go on statins. I decided to wait until January/February for my cholesterol test as I have recently upped my exercise regime (started jogging again about 3 weeks ago) and I wanted to lose more weight (I'm about two pounds overweight according to the NHS)

Then this morning I had a phone call from another GP for the results of another unconnected blood test. I had no idea that cholesterol levels had been included and whilst she went through it she said "your cholesterol level is very good"

"What?!?" I thought. Apparently it's now 4.8 ! Which totally stunned me, it hasn't been that low for years. If it helps anyone all that I did was cut out full fat milk, cheese (I was eating a lot), butter, and almost daily fried eggs. Now I have totally skimmed and only one fried egg a week. I also eat jumbo oats every day. And I have lost about a quarter of a stone.

I have also been taking vitamin D as I discovered that a deficiency can cause your liver to produce more cholesterol. I'm also doing much more fasting exercise which although I know will effect my liver function I don't know if it has any particular bearing on cholesterol levels.

I don't know what the good/bad cholesterol ratio is in the latest test but my good cholesterol has always been very high due to a heavily influenced Mediterranean diet - loads of olive oil and fish etc.

Anyway just wanted to make the point that even fairly small adjustments can make a difference. Although it presumably needs to be significant small adjustments.

Blessed to be 29. I must say cholesterol can be balance by walking, exercise and a good diet. It is not that tough to have a healthy diet as it seems to be.

Excellent news Ernie!

@ernielynch this is exactly what I wanter to hear.  I had a full set of blood tests (went private), I was concerned about Testosterone.  I then met up with a Consultant Urological Surgeon I was recommended by a friend of my wife.

Had a full examination for the first time at 57 and he said we could look at Testosterone treatment, but he was concerned about Cholesterol.  My results were:

LDL CHOLESTEROL 3.3
NON-HDL CHOLESTEROL 4.46

He just said take Statins.  I then read here all the negatives.  My diet isnt bad, but I have lost my riding mojo in the past 12m and my diet has gone wrong a bit.  Very busy at work and home (primary carer two teen with special ed needs).  We eat all good home made Greek food and wholesome stuff at home.  Take-away every few months.  We really try.  I think I have fallen off the wagon on cheese, crisps, biscuits, chocolate, ham, mostly cheese..

I was recommended Organic Red Yeast Rice caps.  I have stopped eating cheese almost entirely, in fact gone back to habits I was in before meeting my wife and having kids, ie no butter on toast whenever possible, low fat and salt beans, etc, etc.  I never used to have sweets, chocolate and biscuits in the house, so I didnt eat them.  Every now and then I would just go buy a packet and eat.

So back to basics with less cheese.  Its only been a couple weeks and next week I am back for a fasted (this time) Testosterone and I have asked for a Cholesterol test again.  It will be interesting.   I am going to say no to Statins and be good for a few month and see if there is a change.

Well obviously I can't tell which of the adjustments I have made has resulted in significant drop in my cholesterol level in a relatively short time, maybe each thing contributed a little? I certainly didn't expect it and treated it as a last ditch attempt which I felt reasonably certain would be futile. 

My suspicions though are that the daily jumbo oats have been a significant factor as I have never eaten oats regularly before. Also maybe cutting out cheese and possibly fried eggs as I was having both in very large quantities, now they are no more than a once a week occurrence.

I wouldn't have thought that cutting out full fat milk and butter had a dramatic effect as I have done that in the past and it didn't seem to have a significant effect on my cholesterol level.

I did start using Benecol recently but that was at about the time of my blood test and it can apparently take up to about 12 weeks to be fully effective.

I can't really find much information on the effects of fasting exercise on cholesterol levels, which I have upped recently, so I don't know the likelihood of that contributing. It has certainly had a huge effect on my insulin sensitivity though.

Also I don't know if I was vitamin D deficient before so I don't know if taking it as a supplement has had an effect on my cholesterol level. Although thinking about it iirc my GP said it was a bit within the normal range now so perhaps it was.

Anyway I feel that what I have done is really minimal although presumably significant. I haven't actually changed my lifestyle! Probably the thing that I miss most is full fat milk although I will still occasionally drink it as a recovery drink, but I just tell myself "would you rather have this tasteless fully skimmed milk or statins?"

Total 3.64

HDL 1.96

ratio 1.9

64 years old, the results haven't changed since the first time I tested 15 years ago. We eat more Mediterranean than UK but don't work to any specific diet. Pizzas and cheese toasties get eaten but not every day, meat rarely, fish often. No alcohol, added sugar, added salt or milk, anything with a lot of sugar is avoided as are empty calories - things with little nutritional value other than the calories.

Quick question, can a blood test for Cholesterol be affected by fasting, or not?

Just had a retest for Testosterone fasting this time and was concerned Cholesterol wasn't being retested and Specialist said it wouldnt be effected.  I am sure I had the same and a fasted retest done back when I turned 50 and it was different.

but don’t work to any specific diet.

Pizzas and cheese toasties get eaten but not every day, meat rarely, fish often. No alcohol, added sugar, added salt or milk, anything with a lot of sugar is avoided as are empty calories – things with little nutritional value other than the calories.

Fixed that for you.

Quick question, can a blood test for Cholesterol be affected by fasting, or not?

I can certainly remember fasting before the test being a big thing. But apparently the effect of fasting is so small that nowadays the guidelines are don’t bother fasting before your test.

This is all a bit new to me - got round to my 50 year old MOT (at age 51...) mebbe a month ago. BP's high, so on Ramipril, need to lose weight, total cholesterol is 5.6 mmol/L, HDL is 1.45 so cholesterol:HDL Ratio = 3.86, which they don't seemed too concerned about. Of more interest to them was an ECG last week - took it first thing, they called that afternoon to check I was ok as it suggested I'd had a heart attack! News to me, never had anything close to what I imagine a heart attack's like - doctor called on Wednesday and said it looked like a heart attack in progress, either that or an arterial blockage of a nature that would leave me feeling deeply sad. Had a second ECG Friday, message today is it was much more reassuring so might be an issue with the first, being referred anyhow to be on the safe side.

Been quite the week, though. If that's a message, I'm listening loud and clear - one week of good diet, moderate exercise and less than 14 units and I've lost 7 pounds and feel great. 🙂