Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Cholesterol levels
Answered by
Cleveland Clinic - Heart
Cleveland - OH
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
Cholesterol levels
by rkbhill, Sep 25, 2007 09:57AM
I have some questions about my cholesterol levels. I am 44 year old male, nonsmoker and no alcohol and weigh 168 lbs. For the last year and half I have been lifting weights 4 to 6 times per week and jogging 2 to 3 times per week for about 30 to 45 min. I have lost about 25 lbs. I watch what I eat. No trans fat and little as possible of the saturated fats. I do not eat anything fried or very little. I take flax seed oil and other EFA’s. I drink protein shakes 3 times a day and one with soy milk (added DHA).
My father died at age 69 with a heart attaches and my brother died at age 39 with lung cancer.
6/30/07 cholesterol screen
Total cholesterol 184, hdl 31, ldl 123, triglycerides 154, hdl ratio 5.9, ldl ratio 4.0
7/30/07 cholesterol screen
Total cholesterol 149, hdl 27, ldl 97, triglycerides 123, hdl ratio 5.5, ldl ratio 3.6
My family Dr put me on crestor 5mg 8/6/07.
9/10/07 cholesterol screen:
Total cholesterol 97, hdl 29, ldl 50, triglycerides 90, hdl ratio 3.3, ldl ratio 1.72
Should I be concern about total cholesterol being to low? Does this increase my chances of getting cancer?
Why is my hdl still low after exercising? Is it just my genetics? How concerned should I be? What else should I do to increase my hdl? Is drinking one glass of red wine an option? Since my last hdl ratio is less than 3.5, should I still be concerned as much with
My father died at age 69 with a heart attaches and my brother died at age 39 with lung cancer.
6/30/07 cholesterol screen
Total cholesterol 184, hdl 31, ldl 123, triglycerides 154, hdl ratio 5.9, ldl ratio 4.0
7/30/07 cholesterol screen
Total cholesterol 149, hdl 27, ldl 97, triglycerides 123, hdl ratio 5.5, ldl ratio 3.6
My family Dr put me on crestor 5mg 8/6/07.
9/10/07 cholesterol screen:
Total cholesterol 97, hdl 29, ldl 50, triglycerides 90, hdl ratio 3.3, ldl ratio 1.72
Should I be concern about total cholesterol being to low? Does this increase my chances of getting cancer?
Why is my hdl still low after exercising? Is it just my genetics? How concerned should I be? What else should I do to increase my hdl? Is drinking one glass of red wine an option? Since my last hdl ratio is less than 3.5, should I still be concerned as much with
Doctor's Answer
by Cleveland Clinic, Sep 25, 2007 10:04PM
, Sep 25, 2007 10:04PM
You can increase your HDL by one drink of red wine daily, by taking medications such as Niacin or Gemfibrozil, or by continued aerobic exercise. I would make sure that the protein shakes do not contain any anabolic steroids or their derivatives (DHEA, etc), as this can seriously lower you hdl, and increase the risk for coronary atherosclerosis. The crestor usually lowers LDL by 20%, and also tends to increase HDL in small amounts, but in your case it had the opposite effect on the HDL; it is not clear why this happenned.
The original publication on mevacor showed that the intestinal cells of rats became hypertrophied and looked cancerous macroscopically, but when seen under microscope actually simply contained cholesterol and other fatty acids. These cells were not cancerous, and there has been no evidence of cancer linked to low HDL, although advanced cancer can through hormonal dis-regulation, malnourishment and chemotherapy lower both LDL and HDL.
The original publication on mevacor showed that the intestinal cells of rats became hypertrophied and looked cancerous macroscopically, but when seen under microscope actually simply contained cholesterol and other fatty acids. These cells were not cancerous, and there has been no evidence of cancer linked to low HDL, although advanced cancer can through hormonal dis-regulation, malnourishment and chemotherapy lower both LDL and HDL.
Member Comments (3)
by rkbhill, Sep 26, 2007 02:44PM
Should I try to increase my HDL to above 40? Since my HDL ratio is less than 3.5 is that enough protection for my heart?
by OneScaredBuckeye, Oct 09, 2007 09:42PM
To: rkbhill
I'm not a doctor, of course, but optimally, your HDL should be over 60 and your LDL under 100. HDL over 50 is still good as long as the LDL remains under 100 or 110. I think mine's 57 and 108. I'd like to get my HDL over 60 and my LDL down a little, but I've been told I'm in the safe range.
