Confused at cholesterol result??

[Jaxx01]

I rang up for my cholesterol result today and was told the followng :

Good cholesterol is a little low told to eat more oily fish..
Bad cholesterol is an ok level.
Total is 5.9 so I said 'is that bad?' to which he replied No!!

He also said that theyve been discussing me and although theyve caught it early (Im 31) and originally sent me on my merry way to control by diet they think its a good idea to now take Metformin?? Is this normal..

The thing about the cholesterol result that confuses me is that my mum also got her results today and her cholesterol is 5.8 (shes on statins) and was told that its not good??

So how can her 5.8 be not good and my 5.9 be good??

Im probably missing something major but I am just totally struggling at the moment to get my head round it all

 

[Defren]

I rang up for my cholesterol result today and was told the followng :

Good cholesterol is a little low told to eat more oily fish..
Bad cholesterol is an ok level.
Total is 5.9 so I said 'is that bad?' to which he replied No!!

He also said that theyve been discussing me and although theyve caught it early (Im 31) and originally sent me on my merry way to control by diet they think its a good idea to now take Metformin?? Is this normal..

The thing about the cholesterol result that confuses me is that my mum also got her results today and her cholesterol is 5.8 (shes on statins) and was told that its not good??

So how can her 5.8 be not good and my 5.9 be good??

Im probably missing something major but I am just totally struggling at the moment to get my head round it all

You're confused? You're not the only one. This was my cholesterol in July:

Plasma total cholesterol 3.4mmol/L
LDL 1 mmol/L
HDL 1.2 mmol/L
Trigs 2.6 mmol/L

My GP still kept me on Statins. I have now stopped taking them as they made my hair fall out. I can't remember the cholesterol figure that is said to be good, someone will post it. I think it's something like 5 and under, but don't hold me to that. I eat oily fish anyway because I like it. I also eat daily: butter, double cream and full fat Greek yogurt. I also have cream in my coffee and I drink quite a bit. Those fats are all healthy, as are, olive oil, lard, ghee, cheese, and the fat on meat, you should eat those to replace any lost calories from cutting out/down carbs. The healthy fats will push up your healthy cholesterol, your HDL. My trigs are slightly high, under 1 is good, but my GP is pleased with those, so try not to worry too much, just make sure you skip the bad fats and eat lots of sat fat.

 

[Maryannonsilk]

I'm confused too ...
I was diagnosed as T2 18mnths ago with an HbA1C of 7.7 ... After 3 months on Metformin it was 6.2 ...
I then began to low carb and have lost 7 kilos and take only one Metformin at breakfast ... My number is still 6.2 which every one is happy with. However since low carbing my overall cholesterol has doubled from 3.2 to 6.6 and my DN is panicking. She has prescribed Crestor as I said I wasn't prepared to try anything else having read many negative reports ... She is really concerned about the rapid rise in cholesterol and I guess I am too ... I love low carbing but not this result!! My DN has been really supportive and is delighted that I'm pro active in management ... I really don't know what to do now :-(

 

[Indy51]

In Australia our healthy guidelines are:

Total Cholesterol < 5.5
Triglycerides < 1.8
HDL 1.1 - 3.5
LDL < 3.5
Ratio/Risk Factor (Total Cholesterol divided by HDL) < 3.5

I assume they would be similar in the UK.

In someone who is low carbing, the expected result is decreases in Triglycerides and LDL and an increase in HDL. It's really only LDL that should be an issue, I think.

 

[viviennem]

Triglycerides are also bad for us - they should be below 1.7 and the lower the better. My best-ever was 0.65 :thumbup: . They're just over 1 at the moment, which is perfectly okay but could be better . But that's just me :crazy:

Viv 8)

 

[noblehead]

Triglycerides are also bad for us - they should be below 1.7 and the lower the better. My best-ever was 0.65 :thumbup: . They're just over 1 at the moment, which is perfectly okay but could be better . But that's just me :crazy:

Viv 8)

My trigs was 0.5 in September..........0.7 earlier in the year.

 

[Maryannonsilk]

So ... How do we get cholesterol levels down without taking statins if we're already on a lw carb diet .... I knew my BG would be fine and was convinced that my cholesterol would be too :-(

 

[viviennem]

I'm surprised that your cholesterol has doubled. Quite often, at the beginning of low-carbing, your cholesterol including triglycerides does rise because of the ketosis metabolizing the fats (a simplistic explanation but about right), and then settles later. However, there are always exceptions to everything.

Did you discuss your full lipid profile with your GP? What are the others, and particularly your Total:HDL ratio?

I'm perfectly happy with my total in the mid-5s, but even I wouldn't want to be over 6. As for alternatives, I'm trying Red Rice Yeast (or Red Yeast Rice) combined with Co-Enzyme Q10 at the moment, but I'm not going to recommend it - I'm not qualified in any way at all. Do your own research on it, and maybe discuss it with your GP .

Viv 8)

 

[catherinecherub]

There is another post about red yeast rice worth reading.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33968&p=319643&hilit=red+yeast#p319643

 

[viviennem]

Thanks for that link, Catherine. The links you and Indy gave on there are very interesting. I'm trialling it on me at two-thirds the recommended dose of the one I bought, and have enough to last until mid-December, at the time of my next revue/blood tests etc. No adverse reactions up to now; I'll report back in December, or earlier if I have problems.

Viv 8)

 

[MartinAU]

I can see that everyone is talking about themselves here, instead of helping the poor guy go around this....

Don't worry mate. My friend had similar situation and you are still close to normal... start with some fitness and drink plenty of water and DO NOT worry !!! Catch a few pages here: http://loweringcholesterolguide.com/

 

[destiny0321]

hi over 2 months ago i was put on simvasstatin as my cholestrol was 8.1 & dn said i am supposed to be 4
i am a 58 yr old female i would double check with your gp statins do not suit everyone because can give cramps, runs, muscle problems if any of this happens the dr/dn need to know striaght away.

 

[badcat]

If you google portfolio diet you'll find a proven way of eating to lower cholesterol by up to around a third. It's one that would fit with low carb eating as long as you're careful about which sources of soluble fibre you go for