Help! Cholesterol Readings

[Lynn1]

Have just received latest HbA1c result and am pleased with a 38 mmol/mol reading.

Can someone in the know please put me in the picture regarding my cholesterol result which is raised from last September?

Serum cholesterol 7 mmol/L
Serum HDL. 1.6
Total cholesterol:HDL ratio. 4.4
Non HDL cholesterol 5.4

All double dutch to me and my surgery not very good at explaining!

Thanks.

 

[Freema]

7 mmol seems rather high... I was told a diagnosis that the health care do aim for under 4 mmol when people are diabetic... mine was around 6 mmol.. But after discarding sugar and all grains bread and potatoes and going lower carbs and low calories (1000 calories ) for 3 month my numbers got down to around 4mmol so you can change your numbers , I also did preferably eat non-saturated fats, like olive oil , olives and avocadoes and different kinds of nuts mostly brazil-nuts and lately macadamia nuts...
I believe that it is the high carb eating style that bring ones cholesterol up, and that our body makes most of it by it self in amounts the body need for maintenance and repair... but that is my personal idea... but it is a fact in my case that low carbing also lowered my cholesterol numbers to "ideal" levels... there is a lot of controversy concerning what cholesterol levels really ought to be.. as it seem the official guide lines doesn´t take in consideration that for instance elderly women with a high cholesterol seems to actually live longer than those with a low number..

 

[Lynn1]

Thanks. To keep my weight up, I know I've been going overboard on the butter and cream. A really good place to start cutting back!

 

[librarising]

It would be indelicate of me to ask your age, but higher cholesterol is better for women aged 60 or over. Unfortunately, don't ever expect to find a GP who knows that.
Here's some possible readig for you :
https://www.google.co.uk/search?num...1j0i131k1j0i10k1j0i46k1j0i22i30k1.bK2VM-BB3sY

I would ask one thing (two really). Were your triglycerides tested, and was the test a fastingone ?
Geoff

 

[Lynn1]

It would be indelicate of me to ask your age, but higher cholesterol is better for women aged 60 or over. Unfortunately, don't ever expect to find a GP who knows that.
Here's some possible readig for you :
https://www.google.co.uk/search?num...1j0i131k1j0i10k1j0i46k1j0i22i30k1.bK2VM-BB3sY

I would ask one thing (two really). Were your triglycerides tested, and was the test a fastingone ?
Geoff

Hi. I am 65 (how did that happen?) and no mention of triglycerides.

 

[librarising]

Hi. I am 65 (how did that happen?) and no mention of triglycerides.

Triglycerides are usually tested as part of a full lipid panel test. They can be useful to determine whether your LDL is largely harmless or largely harmful. A fasting test is essential for an accurate trigs result. Perhaps next 'bloods' test try to get an early appointment, so any morning food can be taken afterwards.
If your GP is online, register for online access. You can peruse any non-headline results you weren't given.
Is your GP pushing for statins ? Dr Malcolm Kendrick has this to say :

"Statins do not save lives in women.
Statins do not save lives in women.
Statins do not save lives in women.
Is it possible to highlight how important this fact actually is ?.
STATINS DO NOT SAVE LIVES IN WOMEN !"
(From his great The Great Cholesterol Con)
Geoff (born in 1952)

 

[Lynn1]

Triglycerides are usually tested as part of a full lipid panel test. They can be useful to determine whether your LDL is largely harmless or largely harmful. A fasting test is essential for an accurate trigs result. Perhaps next 'bloods' test try to get an early appointment, so any morning food can be taken afterwards.
If your GP is online, register for online access. You can peruse any non-headline results you weren't given.
Is your GP pushing for statins ? Dr Malcolm Kendrick has this to say :

"Statins do not save lives in women.
Statins do not save lives in women.
Statins do not save lives in women.
Is it possible to highlight how important this fact actually is ?.
STATINS DO NOT SAVE LIVES IN WOMEN !"
(From his great The Great Cholesterol Con)
Geoff (born in 1952)

X h

Triglycerides are usually tested as part of a full lipid panel test. They can be useful to determine whether your LDL is largely harmless or largely harmful. A fasting test is essential for an accurate trigs result. Perhaps next 'bloods' test try to get an early appointment, so any morning food can be taken afterwards.
If your GP is online, register for online access. You can peruse any non-headline results you weren't given.
Is your GP pushing for statins ? Dr Malcolm Kendrick has this to say :

"Statins do not save lives in women.
Statins do not save lives in women.
Statins do not save lives in women.
Is it possible to highlight how important this fact actually is ?.
STATINS DO NOT SAVE LIVES IN WOMEN !"
(From his great The Great Cholesterol Con)
Geoff (born in 1952)

No, to be fair she hasn't mentioned medication. I won't take statins anyway. I have been given a booklet on reducing cholesterol and I'm confident that I can do that by reducing fats.

 

[aqualung]

Triglycerides are usually tested as part of a full lipid panel test. They can be useful to determine whether your LDL is largely harmless or largely harmful. A fasting test is essential for an accurate trigs result. Perhaps next 'bloods' test try to get an early appointment, so any morning food can be taken afterwards.
If your GP is online, register for online access. You can peruse any non-headline results you weren't given.
Is your GP pushing for statins ? Dr Malcolm Kendrick has this to say :

"Statins do not save lives in women.
Statins do not save lives in women.
Statins do not save lives in women.
Is it possible to highlight how important this fact actually is ?.
STATINS DO NOT SAVE LIVES IN WOMEN !"
(From his great The Great Cholesterol Con)
Geoff (born in 1952)

I had a non fasting test that gave me triglycerides, is that not an accurate level?

 

[aqualung]

My cholesterol is going up too. It is 6.8. I am sure it is due to the cream and butter (although high cholesterol runs in my family). The GP didn't seem concerned and didn't mention statins.

 

[douglas99]

Dairy does seem to have that effect on some people.
Any saturated fats pushes mine up.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Have just received latest HbA1c result and am pleased with a 38 mmol/mol reading.

Can someone in the know please put me in the picture regarding my cholesterol result which is raised from last September?

Serum cholesterol 7 mmol/L
Serum HDL. 1.6
Total cholesterol:HDL ratio. 4.4
Non HDL cholesterol 5.4

Because your non-HDL cholesterol is 5.4 this means your triglycerides added to your LDL (bad cholesterol) total 5.4

These are the standards
HDL 1.2 to 3.5
Total/HDL ratio under 4
Non HDL under 3.4
LDL 0 to 3
Triglycerides 0 to 1.7

@aqualung

If you have a test after eating, your triglycerides will be at their highest as they will be swimming around your blood stream doing their job, especially if it was a fatty meal. Our liver makes them and they are needed to clear away the fat. Without them we would be in a mess. On a fasting test they are at their lowest as the liver has not made any and only a few are hanging about because they are not needed.

 

[librarising]

I had a non fasting test that gave me triglycerides, is that not an accurate level?

After eating, your triglycerides will increase temporarily. Only after fasting will you find out your 'base' rate.
Here's an analogy - you wouldn't weigh yourself after Xmas Day for a true measure of your weight.
If you get a morning bloods in future, no one needs to know (GPs don't always know about fasting). Get up, have bloods taken, eat.
Geoff

 

[zbluebirdz]

Would a very low fasting triglycerides reading (<0.5) along with a "high" LDL reading (>4.0) be of any concern?

 

[Bluetit1802]

Would a very low fasting triglycerides reading (<0.5) along with a "high" LDL reading (>4.0) be of any concern?

LDL is mis-named. There are several componants to LDL. The main ones are small, dense particles and these do damage. The other main ones are larger fluffy particles, and these are beneficial. The lower your triglycerides, the more of the large fluffy particles you will have. You can have a test to show your LDL breakdown of particles, but these are not routinely done by GPs. They are available though, so you could ask, or find a private test.

 

[librarising]

Would a very low fasting triglycerides reading (<0.5) along with a "high" LDL reading (>4.0) be of any concern?

I would only want to know what your HDL figure, in conjunction with your trigs figure, was.
This ratio will give you a very good indication of how 'friendly' your LDL is e.g. trigs 0.5 HDL 1.0 = ratio of 0.5 indicating very friendly LDL.
Stop thinking of LDL cholesterol as 'bad'. High trigs are bad, and indicative of unfriendly LDL. High LDL with low trigs = most probably friendly.
Geoff

 

[douglas99]

I would only want to know what your HDL figure, in conjunction with your trigs figure, was.
This ratio will give you a very good indication of how 'friendly' your LDL is e.g. trigs 0.5 HDL 1.0 = ratio of 0.5 indicating very friendly LDL.
Stop thinking of LDL cholesterol as 'bad'. High trigs are bad, and indicative of unfriendly LDL. High LDL with low trigs = most probably friendly.
Geoff

That would be less worrying without the 'probably'.
That's why I like to keep my cholesterol under control.

 

[librarising]

That would be less worrying without the 'probably'.
That's why I like to keep my cholesterol under control.

If you read the first part of my reply, you'll understand the second.
Call me lazy ; )
Geoff

 

[dbr10]

I had a non fasting test that gave me triglycerides, is that not an accurate level?

I think it needs to be fasting otherwise it's affected by what you eat.

 

[douglas99]

If you read the first part of my reply, you'll understand the second.
Call me lazy ; )
Geoff

Call it hedging your bets.
If it was laziness, you'd leave words out, not put more in.

 

[librarising]

Call it hedging your bets.
If it was laziness, you'd leave words out, not put more in.

"High LDL with low trigs = most probably friendly."
"Probably" because doing the extra step of comparing those low trigs with your HDL will confirm it for you.
Geoff