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Blood Test Showed Total Cholesterol= 252, HDL = 37 And LDL = 188. What Are The Risks?
Question: Good afternoon, i just got my blood exams and i got 252 for total cholesterol, HDL = 37, and LDL = 188! i am very concerned about this! for the past 3 weeks i have been doing walks in the evenings for 30 mins (abuot 4-5 times a week)...but now that i got tihs result my concern is if i continue excersising, wont this put me at risk considering that my heart will have to work harder? i know it is said that excersice is the right thing to do for reducing colesterol....am i ok to keep walking!? ...also my tryglicerides are 133 and glucose is at 78....oh, i am 36, 5 foot 6 and weigh 160lbs (which by the way used to weigh 173 and i have lost 13 pounds in the last 6 months)...thank you for your responses!
Hi friend
Welcome to Health Care Magic
LDL (& non-HDL) is bad cholesterol – lower, the better.
HDL is good cholesterol – higher, the better.
The value of 188 is very high for LDL cholesterol. In the absence of any other risk factor 100 is ideal. [130 was allowed before.] In the presence of ischemia, 70 should be the aim.
• Keep your weight to normal / even a little less (up to 10 % less than normal).
160 pounds is in upper ranges of normal for this height and large frame. 140 is for small frame and good. Go slow. No hurry. Aim to reduce 2 to 4 pounds in a week.
• Quit smoking, if you are a smoker
• Continue your walking - 30 minutes a day / even more later on / even jogging is good /at least 5 days in a week / It helps. Don’t be afraid – walking is prescribed even after a heart attack! – it is part of rehabilitation program...
It is the isometric exercise (like bull worker) that is bad for the heart. Isotonic like walking is good.
• Healthy FOOD is a must. Avoid saturated fats – coconut oil, palm oil, butter, ghee, full cream milk... Avoid junk foods in particular – French fries have palm oil / Pizza has cheese / Most sweets are made in butter ...
Change to Poly-un-saturated oil – like sun flower oil.
Include Mono-un-saturated oil – Olive oil.
Repeat the test in 6 weeks.
• Cholesterol can still be high, in spite of diet and exercise – you need drugs / Because it is also manufactured in the liver – and that is determined by heredity.
Because of the high level, you have to start it straight away. STATIN is the first choice. Any statin is good enough - say Atorvastatin 20 mg to start with. Check again in 6 weeks. If still high step up to 40 mg or add Ezetimibe
You sound intelligent and you are young. You will be well. See your Physician and get appropriate prescription.
Take care
Wishing speedy recovery
God bless
Good luck
Welcome to Health Care Magic
LDL (& non-HDL) is bad cholesterol – lower, the better.
HDL is good cholesterol – higher, the better.
The value of 188 is very high for LDL cholesterol. In the absence of any other risk factor 100 is ideal. [130 was allowed before.] In the presence of ischemia, 70 should be the aim.
• Keep your weight to normal / even a little less (up to 10 % less than normal).
160 pounds is in upper ranges of normal for this height and large frame. 140 is for small frame and good. Go slow. No hurry. Aim to reduce 2 to 4 pounds in a week.
• Quit smoking, if you are a smoker
• Continue your walking - 30 minutes a day / even more later on / even jogging is good /at least 5 days in a week / It helps. Don’t be afraid – walking is prescribed even after a heart attack! – it is part of rehabilitation program...
It is the isometric exercise (like bull worker) that is bad for the heart. Isotonic like walking is good.
• Healthy FOOD is a must. Avoid saturated fats – coconut oil, palm oil, butter, ghee, full cream milk... Avoid junk foods in particular – French fries have palm oil / Pizza has cheese / Most sweets are made in butter ...
Change to Poly-un-saturated oil – like sun flower oil.
Include Mono-un-saturated oil – Olive oil.
Repeat the test in 6 weeks.
• Cholesterol can still be high, in spite of diet and exercise – you need drugs / Because it is also manufactured in the liver – and that is determined by heredity.
Because of the high level, you have to start it straight away. STATIN is the first choice. Any statin is good enough - say Atorvastatin 20 mg to start with. Check again in 6 weeks. If still high step up to 40 mg or add Ezetimibe
You sound intelligent and you are young. You will be well. See your Physician and get appropriate prescription.
Take care
Wishing speedy recovery
God bless
Good luck
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
thank you for your response....i was wondering if i can eat beans, rice, nuts (any kind), white bread, cook with margerine?
Hi
Rice is alright - mostly carbohydrate / beans - mostly proteins / Nuts - protein and fat, but anti-oxidants and so OK in moderation / Margarine is vegetable oil and has saturated fats; some turn to Trans-fat in cooking; small amounts OK / Whole wheat or mixed grain bread is better because of fibre content.
Discuss with a dietician / you may need a few meetings; with time, trial and error you will master the information.
Regards
Good luck
Rice is alright - mostly carbohydrate / beans - mostly proteins / Nuts - protein and fat, but anti-oxidants and so OK in moderation / Margarine is vegetable oil and has saturated fats; some turn to Trans-fat in cooking; small amounts OK / Whole wheat or mixed grain bread is better because of fibre content.
Discuss with a dietician / you may need a few meetings; with time, trial and error you will master the information.
Regards
Good luck
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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