High Cholesterol
Discussion
Having had my second ever blood test at the age of 49 I was informed today that I have a cholesterol reading of 6.7. The breakdown is Hdl = 1, ldl = 4.7
Both of my parents are on statins, apparently my aunt (who has had a minor heart attack in the past) was 14 when she was tested.
I have a BMI of 25.3, if I am honest I could do with losing a few KG which are slowly accumulating around my stomach. I work from home, so as you can image I am very inactive.
I wouldn't say my diet is that bad, I don't eat any fried foods, rarely have takeaways, rarely drink, don't smoke, never eat cheese, red meat once a week etc, etc,
I admit I eat two of those roast in the bag chickens a week, judging by what is left in the tray at the end I should cut those out immediately. The only other thing I can think of doing is swapping my margarine to a low cholesterol version.
But if I do this and regularly exercise what are the chances this is going to make a significant difference? I have been advised to make lifestyle changes and have another test in 3 to 6 months but I have a sneaky feeling it will make little difference
Are statins pretty much an inevitability?
Has anyone successfully lowered their cholesterol by lifestyle changes?
And just how dangerous is a level of 6.7? I last had a blood test five years ago and it wasn't an issue then.
Both of my parents are on statins, apparently my aunt (who has had a minor heart attack in the past) was 14 when she was tested.
I have a BMI of 25.3, if I am honest I could do with losing a few KG which are slowly accumulating around my stomach. I work from home, so as you can image I am very inactive.
I wouldn't say my diet is that bad, I don't eat any fried foods, rarely have takeaways, rarely drink, don't smoke, never eat cheese, red meat once a week etc, etc,
I admit I eat two of those roast in the bag chickens a week, judging by what is left in the tray at the end I should cut those out immediately. The only other thing I can think of doing is swapping my margarine to a low cholesterol version.
But if I do this and regularly exercise what are the chances this is going to make a significant difference? I have been advised to make lifestyle changes and have another test in 3 to 6 months but I have a sneaky feeling it will make little difference
Are statins pretty much an inevitability?
Has anyone successfully lowered their cholesterol by lifestyle changes?
And just how dangerous is a level of 6.7? I last had a blood test five years ago and it wasn't an issue then.
Total cholesterol doesn't predict anything very well, apart from a statin prescription. They were the first $1Bn drugs and are still pushed hard. They can have nasty side effects, and only demonstrably benefit men who have had a heart attack. For most there is no mortality benefit.
To really understand your risk you need a full cholesterol profile including Triglycerides, and you want to see high HDL and low Triglycerides or the equivalent as ratios.
You can definitely reduce Triglycerides and increase HDL with diet.
To really understand your risk you need a full cholesterol profile including Triglycerides, and you want to see high HDL and low Triglycerides or the equivalent as ratios.
You can definitely reduce Triglycerides and increase HDL with diet.
I wouldn’t say your BMI was that bad being just over the normal threshold of 24.9?
My cholesterol last checked was 5.8 when I was invited in for the over 50s health check and is above the recommended NHS guidelines? BMI top end of normal and I keep fit but generally eat anything I want including all the stuff that will give me high cholesterol like cheese etc. because I like it. I discussed statins with my GP and she was indifferent saying I needed to decide whether the benefits would outweigh the associated side effects. As yet I’ve not taken up the offer. My QRISK2 score is 4.4% for 57yrs old which may have informed the GP position on medication?
On the other hand a pal of mine same age as me wanted to go on them immediately as his view is anything as preventative medicine is better than not taking it. His cholesterol is similar to mine and he’s not in any form of risk category.
My cholesterol last checked was 5.8 when I was invited in for the over 50s health check and is above the recommended NHS guidelines? BMI top end of normal and I keep fit but generally eat anything I want including all the stuff that will give me high cholesterol like cheese etc. because I like it. I discussed statins with my GP and she was indifferent saying I needed to decide whether the benefits would outweigh the associated side effects. As yet I’ve not taken up the offer. My QRISK2 score is 4.4% for 57yrs old which may have informed the GP position on medication?
On the other hand a pal of mine same age as me wanted to go on them immediately as his view is anything as preventative medicine is better than not taking it. His cholesterol is similar to mine and he’s not in any form of risk category.
There are so many variables that can affect cholesterol readings - GP surgery ones are not entirely accurate (I read less than 80% accurate) and it's been recorded that even the lab ones can vary by as much as 1.3mmol/L. Take my scenario, I was late getting to the GP, so parked up and ran. Yeah, in my 8th decade and I can run! (running can increase your reading, as can being anxious - what bloke is never anxious visiting their GP?).
Add in the variables and someone with a normal cholesterol level could in practice now have a 'high' level.
Just like Blood Pressure readings, one reading in isolation is totally meaningless. But I know people who have been put on BP pills after one high reading.
It seems the continuing message is that you/we/me all need to be on pills of some sort, most especially, it seems, statins.
This old potato has been pushed for years now.
Let's go back to May 2006
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-387247/St...
And only last week Jan 2023, anyone over 18 can 'ask for a statin'.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1162733...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/12/ne...
Add in the variables and someone with a normal cholesterol level could in practice now have a 'high' level.
Just like Blood Pressure readings, one reading in isolation is totally meaningless. But I know people who have been put on BP pills after one high reading.
It seems the continuing message is that you/we/me all need to be on pills of some sort, most especially, it seems, statins.
This old potato has been pushed for years now.
Let's go back to May 2006
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-387247/St...
And only last week Jan 2023, anyone over 18 can 'ask for a statin'.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1162733...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/12/ne...
You can do a lot with diet, exercise and lifestyle, if in your case the high reading is due to these factors.
I developed a high cholesterol reading in my late fifties. Already reasonably fit and a long time veggie I tried going fully vegan to rule out the remaining dietary variables (cheese, butter, beer etc) and upped the exercise regime a bit. And it made no difference, in my case it's down to age and genetics.
The standard test is to show your chances of developing serious heart problems within the next 10 years, if it's over 10% the recommendation is statins.
Decision time. Statistically for me the risk of a clutcher outweigh the risks of statins so pass the pills comrade.
I developed a high cholesterol reading in my late fifties. Already reasonably fit and a long time veggie I tried going fully vegan to rule out the remaining dietary variables (cheese, butter, beer etc) and upped the exercise regime a bit. And it made no difference, in my case it's down to age and genetics.
The standard test is to show your chances of developing serious heart problems within the next 10 years, if it's over 10% the recommendation is statins.
Decision time. Statistically for me the risk of a clutcher outweigh the risks of statins so pass the pills comrade.
There is lots of evidence that cholesterol in the blood is not linked to dietary fat. Indeed there is lots of research that people with high cholesterol live longer. Plenty of people cleverer than me think that heart disease is not caused by dietary fat.
Do your own research, don't just accept the prescription of statins without doing some reading first. If you are happy that statins will help you live longer after doing some reading, then take them.
Do your own research, don't just accept the prescription of statins without doing some reading first. If you are happy that statins will help you live longer after doing some reading, then take them.
popeyewhite said:
Only about 20% of total cholesterol comes from diet, the rest is produced by the liver. I imagine faffing around with diet will likely only put a tiny dint in % or ratios.
This is what I suspect as well, as I said earlier my diet isn't that bad and I struggle to believe that me changing the few "bad" foods I eat is going to make much difference. I rarely drink, I don't smoke, I am not really overweight, don't eat cheese and the only fried food I eat is fish and chips occasionally.Steve_H80 said:
if it's over 10% the recommendation is statins.
Decision time. Statistically for me the risk of a clutcher outweigh the risks of statins so pass the pills comrade.
The doctor did this calculation and said my score was 5%. I am happy to change my diet and do some exercise and take another test in 3 months but I honestly don't think it will make much difference.Decision time. Statistically for me the risk of a clutcher outweigh the risks of statins so pass the pills comrade.
If the next test is as bad then I will probably go for the Statins, I don't really want to as I have never taken any prescription other than antibiotics a couple of times in my life.
The joys of getting old(er) I guess
You could take a look at this video, which is a good explainer about cholesterol before making any decisions.
Note that the units of measurement are mg/dL, so he mentions numbers such as 200. You can do the conversion or just take the general principle.
https://youtu.be/Swc4ps4iPXs
Note that the units of measurement are mg/dL, so he mentions numbers such as 200. You can do the conversion or just take the general principle.
https://youtu.be/Swc4ps4iPXs
I am 49 next week, and have been on statins for about 4 years. My family history consists of parents and grand parents having high cholesterol or dying of a heart attack.
I was first diagnosed with higher cholesterol at about 30, and again at about 40 ( 7.0 I think). I really didn't want statins so I changed my diet and removed a significant amount of fat, as well as upping my exercise regime. I was able to reduce my cholesterol to 4.5, for which the Doctor stated was a the biggest improvement through diet/lifestyle he'd seen. I should add that I am neither over weight nor unfit.
However maintaining the dietary changes is hard over the long term and so eventually I had to take statins. So my cholesterol is low 5's I think ( but I am 5kgs heavier).
I have had no side effects as far as I can tell from the statins, and I mainly take them as it reduces the risk of having a stroke. Whilst I don't want to die, I am not sure I want to live with the quality of my life being significantly reduced through a stroke.
However what statins don't do is clear out your arteries, they merely reduce the rate at which your arteries clog up. It would still be important to keep an eye on chest pains, heart beats, and breathlessness, as all these could be an indication that all is not well.
I was first diagnosed with higher cholesterol at about 30, and again at about 40 ( 7.0 I think). I really didn't want statins so I changed my diet and removed a significant amount of fat, as well as upping my exercise regime. I was able to reduce my cholesterol to 4.5, for which the Doctor stated was a the biggest improvement through diet/lifestyle he'd seen. I should add that I am neither over weight nor unfit.
However maintaining the dietary changes is hard over the long term and so eventually I had to take statins. So my cholesterol is low 5's I think ( but I am 5kgs heavier).
I have had no side effects as far as I can tell from the statins, and I mainly take them as it reduces the risk of having a stroke. Whilst I don't want to die, I am not sure I want to live with the quality of my life being significantly reduced through a stroke.
However what statins don't do is clear out your arteries, they merely reduce the rate at which your arteries clog up. It would still be important to keep an eye on chest pains, heart beats, and breathlessness, as all these could be an indication that all is not well.
If statins are the ‘miracle cure’ to prevent serious conditions then why are we not all on them?
Naturally I don’t want to have a stroke nor a heart attack but I’m not sure on the evidence base that statins significantly reduce your chances when you have no obvious underlying health conditions. If a medical professional advises me to go on them I’m likely to take them but not as in my case as they weren’t on the radar.
Naturally I don’t want to have a stroke nor a heart attack but I’m not sure on the evidence base that statins significantly reduce your chances when you have no obvious underlying health conditions. If a medical professional advises me to go on them I’m likely to take them but not as in my case as they weren’t on the radar.
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