Hmmm.... interesting testing results

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Hmmm.... interesting testing results
2
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 6:51am
I went for a health screening organised by DH's work and the report was explained to me by a nurse. It came back with very high cholesterol (296) and very high LDL cholesterol (219). Worrying..... But then I went home and worked out the ratio. The total cholesterol to HDL is 4.3:1, which is considered okay by Americanheart.org. So, what the report didn't highlight was that my HDL was also very high (68).

So, I'm confused: do I look at total cholesterol or at the ratios? I'll be asking my doctor next time I see him and have already begun changing my eating patterns (I went a bit overboard on the animal products when I started my low-carb regime) but can anyone enlighten me in the mean time?

Thanks

Laura

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-18-2003
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 7:09am


 








 
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2000
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 9:01am
Phyllis! Good to see you! Thanks for the link, too - I've bookmarked the site too, it looks like a good resource.

Laura, though the article says it all, I'd heard that the whole numbers are more important than the ratios. I'd also heard that you can't look at just the total cholesterol - that's like considering the roof of a house and trying to determine how many bedrooms it has. My cholesterol, as of 3 years ago, was borderline at 202... but my LDL was 99 (below the threshhold), VLDL at 24 (12% - also at acceptable levels), and the "good" HDL was 79 (way above the minimal threshhold they want to see). Triglycerides were below the threshhold. I saw a cardiologist about 3 months later because of arrhythmia which didn't go away by modifying my diet, and he actually raised his eyebrows at the HDL number being that high and commented on it. I guess I'm sharing that just as an example of how they look at the whole picture, but with the actual numbers rather than ratios.












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