Cholestrol Level

[pandagirlw]

I am 35 years old female. Since last year I found out My cholestrol is on the border line high, My MD asked me to keep excises, watch my diet and check regularly. I've been doing so. Here is my current cholestrol level :

Total Cholestrol:  207   (221 last year)
HDL:64   (71 last year)
LDL: 126 (138 last year)
TG: 85 ( 80 last year)

I am very thin person. Both of my parents had heart diseases, but they were not died of it.Do I need to take medication at this point. It is very hard not eating meat because I feel hungry all the time.

Thanks

[JKJ]

i used to also have boarderline high cholesterol....i took the meds for a little while, my numbers came down and i've been able to stay off the meds now for well over a year just on diet alone.
so the meds, i think, are a good "jump start" to get the numbers down.
good luck!!!

[Barbarella]

If your MD asked you to keep on exercising maybe he wants to see if your cholesterol will go down further.  However, since your parents both had heart disease I agree with Jim should your doctor want to go the statin route I would take it.  Its the LDL what is bad for the heart, the rest of your numbers are excellent.  Since your parents both had heart disease your doctor might want to see your LDL numbers below 100.

On 20mg of Zocor my LDL dropped from 231 to 130 in only 6 weeks. Statins also have an anti inflammatory and are good for the heart.

I don't think eating meat makes that much difference.  I know people with normal and one person with very low cholesterol (not on statins) who eat meat every day, and junk food and their cholesterol is not effected at all, and they are not very young poeple but middle age to older.  Sometimes the high cholesterol is inherited for example if your parents had it too.

[jim62]

The HDL is excellent.

The LDL and TOTAL  need to be lower, especially with your family history.

I'd take the drugs.  Probably just a low dose of a "statin" drug would fix you right up.  And they're very good for you.