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Female, 32, low HDL--worried about heart problems

Female, 32, HDL 37, LDL 82, TG 97 VITD 28 (mildly low)

I have struggled with low HDL for a few years since I started getting it checked.  I do have some family history of heart disease (grandparents and my father has low HDL 35 for 15 years).  I have seen a cardiologist who didn't feel it was needed to do anything with my HDL at this time or to do any tests further than an echo and my bloodwork. My regular GP agreed as well.  He said that I am young and healthy.  I also have sinus tachy and anxiety.

My questions is I am concerned about the stresses of pregnancy if I might already have early onset of heart disease.  I exercise 3days a week, eat right, and am at a good weight.  I take fish oil daily.  Should I see another doctor for a second opinion.  Should I have more tests done or am I worrying about this too much.  I know 32 and being pregnant isn't easy on the body without added complications.

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159619 tn?1707018272
COMMUNITY LEADER
The Karvonen formula is primarily used by atheletes in training and individuals with existing heart disease. It is very precise and is a little to specific and aggressive for most applications. I am a cyclist and train 7 days a week at a target heart rate of 135-140. Based on the Karvonen formula, it would have me training at 140-150 which my cardiologist has discouraged. Much dedends on your age and overall conditioning and for the average individual it is best to stick to 200-age and keep workouts between 65% to 85% of that max predicited heart rate to get best results from exericse on HDL.

Just my 2 cents,

Jon
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm also sending you a message with a link to automatically calculate your  Karvonen
heart rate just put in your age resting heart rate check female and then hit calculate.


the typical way we calculate MHR is with the formula 220-age. This formula is a bit controversial because it doesn't reflect the differences in heart rate according to age. A more accurate formula, offered in a study published in the journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, is 206.9 - (0.67 x age).

The Karvonen Formula is a mathematical formula that helps you determine your target heart rate zone. The formula involves using your maximum heart rate (MHR) minus your age to come up with a target heart rate range (which is a percentage of your MHR). Staying within this range will help you work most effectively during your cardio workouts.

Below is an example of the Karvonen formula for a 23 year old person with a resting heart rate of 65 beats per minute (*to get your resting heart rate, take your pulse for one full minute when you first wake up in the morning or after you've resting for a while). This formula also includes an updated calculation of maximum heart rate (the previous formula was 220 - age, which has now been shown to be inaccurate):

206.9 - (0.67 x 23 (age)) = 191
191 - 65 (resting heart rate) = 126
126 * 65% (low end of heart rate zone) OR 85% (high end) = 82 OR 107
82 + 65 (resting heart rate) = 147
107 + 65 (rhr) = 172
The target heart rate zone for this person would be 147 to 172
Helpful - 0
159619 tn?1707018272
COMMUNITY LEADER
These are good questions, but based on what I'm reading I don't think you have much to be worried about. Keep in mind what role HDL plays, it binds with the LDL or bad cholesterol and takes it back to the liver to be eliminated or recycled. Your LDL level is very low and near optimal. The less LDL in your system, the less HDL you need.

The best way to increase HDL is exercise, but only after you have discussed it with your doctor. To have an effect on HDL, you really need between 30 - 60 mins a day at 75% of your max predicted heart rate (220-age) most days of the week. You could ask about niacin, but recent studies may indicate that artificially created HDL is not as effective in removing LDL as naturally occurring HDL.

Again, I think your numbers are fine and if I were you I would trust my doctors about this.

Hope this helps,

Jon
Helpful - 0
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