Cholesterol: how bad is yours?

I had a heart attack while out on the road bike just over 3 years ago.Result was a triple heart bypass.Cholesterol at that time was less than 5.

Besides the other drugs,statins were also prescribed after leaving hospital.After a year or so i was only taking a statin and a very low dose blood pressure tablet.

Getting back into cycling my legs and back ached badly and talking to a medical professor friend he said its likely to be the statins responsible.He had the same side effects on statins.He stopped taking them as he couldn’t use his home gym because of muscle pain.He had a blood test done showing a high KC level.

He said changing statins wouldn’t alter the side effects.Also that surgeries are “incentivised” to prescribe statins.

So stopping them and the aches gradually decreased.My cholesterol without them was 3.3 but the doctor said my target is 2.8 because of the heart attack.Trying a different statin the side effects were worse within 3 days.

He knows my reluctance to take them and understands they inhibit my cycling.Now i take the bare minimum dose to get close to the target.

Mine is 5.1 on a very low dose of statins as it’s genetic, but I’m shockingly bad at taking them and maybe only take them less than half the time. No side effects at all.  It would be bang in range if I remembered – trying taking them into work to remember. Heart attack risk was super low when I was put on them years ago, but both parents have been on statins for years – I didn’t know until I went on them as I tried diet etc.

I’m fine with it as no side effects. Both parents are approaching 80 now and still active, even my dad with his dodgy knees – they will go first.

How is this number calculated?

I live in Germany and had a combined reading so high my doctor retested 2 weeks later to make sure it wasn’t an analysis mistake.

I was proposed for cholesterol dialysis (private health insurance played a part) but after 3 months not drinking A and doing lots of sport I was rejected because of my liver function. Should I be proud that not drinking A for 3 months messed up my liver values? My doctor (now sadly deceased) called me her Sorgenkind who kept her interested in medicine ??

So a couple of months ago I had a blood test which showed that after years of gradual increases, and a previous reluctance to take statins, my cholesterol level had hit 6.

My reaction was typical and I declined the offer of statins insisting to my GP that I was going to focus very strongly on a healthy diet. He said okay and that I could have another cholesterol test in 3 months although he pointed out that I was already doing all the right lifestyle things.

He was obviously not convinced that I would succeed and frankly nor was I. A couple of weeks ago I became resigned, despite small adjustments to my diet, that I would eventually have to go on statins. I decided to wait until January/February for my cholesterol test as I have recently upped my exercise regime (started jogging again about 3 weeks ago) and I wanted to lose more weight (I’m about two pounds overweight according to the NHS)

Then this morning I had a phone call from another GP for the results of another unconnected blood test. I had no idea that cholesterol levels had been included and whilst she went through it she said “your cholesterol level is very good”

“What?!?” I thought. Apparently it’s now 4.8 ! Which totally stunned me, it hasn’t been that low for years. If it helps anyone all that I did was cut out full fat milk, cheese (I was eating a lot), butter, and almost daily fried eggs. Now I have totally skimmed and only one fried egg a week. I also eat jumbo oats every day. And I have lost about a quarter of a stone.

I have also been taking vitamin D as I discovered that a deficiency can cause your liver to produce more cholesterol. I’m also doing much more fasting exercise which although I know will effect my liver function I don’t know if it has any particular bearing on cholesterol levels.

I don’t know what the good/bad cholesterol ratio is in the latest test but my good cholesterol has always been very high due to a heavily influenced Mediterranean diet – loads of olive oil and fish etc.

Anyway just wanted to make the point that even fairly small adjustments can make a difference. Although it presumably needs to be significant small adjustments.

Blessed to be 29. I must say cholesterol can be balance by walking, exercise and a good diet. It is not that tough to have a healthy diet as it seems to be.

Excellent news Ernie!

@ernielynch this is exactly what I wanter to hear.  I had a full set of blood tests (went private), I was concerned about Testosterone.  I then met up with a Consultant Urological Surgeon I was recommended by a friend of my wife.

Had a full examination for the first time at 57 and he said we could look at Testosterone treatment, but he was concerned about Cholesterol.  My results were:

LDL CHOLESTEROL 3.3
NON-HDL CHOLESTEROL 4.46

He just said take Statins.  I then read here all the negatives.  My diet isnt bad, but I have lost my riding mojo in the past 12m and my diet has gone wrong a bit.  Very busy at work and home (primary carer two teen with special ed needs).  We eat all good home made Greek food and wholesome stuff at home.  Take-away every few months.  We really try.  I think I have fallen off the wagon on cheese, crisps, biscuits, chocolate, ham, mostly cheese..

I was recommended Organic Red Yeast Rice caps.  I have stopped eating cheese almost entirely, in fact gone back to habits I was in before meeting my wife and having kids, ie no butter on toast whenever possible, low fat and salt beans, etc, etc.  I never used to have sweets, chocolate and biscuits in the house, so I didnt eat them.  Every now and then I would just go buy a packet and eat.

So back to basics with less cheese.  Its only been a couple weeks and next week I am back for a fasted (this time) Testosterone and I have asked for a Cholesterol test again.  It will be interesting.   I am going to say no to Statins and be good for a few month and see if there is a change.

Well obviously I can’t tell which of the adjustments I have made has resulted in significant drop in my cholesterol level in a relatively short time, maybe each thing contributed a little? I certainly didn’t expect it and treated it as a last ditch attempt which I felt reasonably certain would be futile. 

My suspicions though are that the daily jumbo oats have been a significant factor as I have never eaten oats regularly before. Also maybe cutting out cheese and possibly fried eggs as I was having both in very large quantities, now they are no more than a once a week occurrence.

I wouldn’t have thought that cutting out full fat milk and butter had a dramatic effect as I have done that in the past and it didn’t seem to have a significant effect on my cholesterol level.

I did start using Benecol recently but that was at about the time of my blood test and it can apparently take up to about 12 weeks to be fully effective.

I can’t really find much information on the effects of fasting exercise on cholesterol levels, which I have upped recently, so I don’t know the likelihood of that contributing. It has certainly had a huge effect on my insulin sensitivity though.

Also I don’t know if I was vitamin D deficient before so I don’t know if taking it as a supplement has had an effect on my cholesterol level. Although thinking about it iirc my GP said it was a bit within the normal range now so perhaps it was.

Anyway I feel that what I have done is really minimal although presumably significant. I haven’t actually changed my lifestyle! Probably the thing that I miss most is full fat milk although I will still occasionally drink it as a recovery drink, but I just tell myself “would you rather have this tasteless fully skimmed milk or statins?”

Total 3.64

HDL 1.96

ratio 1.9

64 years old, the results haven’t changed since the first time I tested 15 years ago. We eat more Mediterranean than UK but don’t work to any specific diet. Pizzas and cheese toasties get eaten but not every day, meat rarely, fish often. No alcohol, added sugar, added salt or milk, anything with a lot of sugar is avoided as are empty calories – things with little nutritional value other than the calories.

Quick question, can a blood test for Cholesterol be affected by fasting, or not?

Just had a retest for Testosterone fasting this time and was concerned Cholesterol wasn’t being retested and Specialist said it wouldnt be effected.  I am sure I had the same and a fasted retest done back when I turned 50 and it was different.

but don’t work to any specific diet.

Pizzas and cheese toasties get eaten but not every day, meat rarely, fish often. No alcohol, added sugar, added salt or milk, anything with a lot of sugar is avoided as are empty calories – things with little nutritional value other than the calories.

Fixed that for you.

Quick question, can a blood test for Cholesterol be affected by fasting, or not?

I can certainly remember fasting before the test being a big thing. But apparently the effect of fasting is so small that nowadays the guidelines are don’t bother fasting before your test.

This is all a bit new to me – got round to my 50 year old MOT (at age 51…) mebbe a month ago. BP’s high, so on Ramipril, need to lose weight, total cholesterol is 5.6 mmol/L, HDL is 1.45 so cholesterol:HDL Ratio = 3.86, which they don’t seemed too concerned about. Of more interest to them was an ECG last week – took it first thing, they called that afternoon to check I was ok as it suggested I’d had a heart attack! News to me, never had anything close to what I imagine a heart attack’s like – doctor called on Wednesday and said it looked like a heart attack in progress, either that or an arterial blockage of a nature that would leave me feeling deeply sad. Had a second ECG Friday, message today is it was much more reassuring so might be an issue with the first, being referred anyhow to be on the safe side.

Been quite the week, though. If that’s a message, I’m listening loud and clear – one week of good diet, moderate exercise and less than 14 units and I’ve lost 7 pounds and feel great. 🙂