high LDL perfect health

44 year old male, run 10 miles a week, swim 2 miles a week, eat all low fat or no fat, practically no butter anymore, all mediterranean diet, nuts,etc. 6 ft tall, 150 lbs. LDL hovers around 122, cholesterol around 196, HDL around 57.  I take multi vitamins and Beta Sitosterol.  Very healthy lifestyle. One doctor says take LDL reducing drug, another says no.  Any advice?- Only othe person in the family with high cholesterol is my brother- also healthy otherwise.
Thank you
JDP67

[ed34]

The problem is, although people feel fit and healthy, they don't see what's going on in their arteries. CAD is a silent disease until blockages become significant. I used to do a lot of physical exercise and believed CAD would never get me. I was very shocked when I had a heart attack but it made me realise no one is safe. I had high cholesterol, but one key factor with me is that since my teen years I had high blood pressure. Back then, Doctors used to just say "oh you are just made that way" and it was ignored. So, it's good to keep checking your blood pressure because this can be a clear sign of stiffening arteries caused by plaque build up. I had my first heart attack at 47, always believing it was a disease for the elderly. The blockages I had, obviously built up over a few years and I remember feeling strange symptoms from the age of 45. My cholesterol is very low now, and has been since 2007 when I started taking cholesterol meds. However, I had to have another 2 new blockages treated this year, so I'm not convinced that low cholesterol works. I read report after report on how low LDL reduces your risk but through my own experience I haven't seen this and probably why I'm so sceptical. Maybe they just don't suit some people. One thing I have noticed is that times of high stress are always in line with my problems. My wife was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and with 3 children the stress was incredible, having to support her too and keep a job going. Two years later I had my first heart attack. Last November she was told she needed surgery and I was scared stiff because she suffered a stroke and ended up on life support, not expected to make it through the night. Within weeks I was getting bad chest pains. She made a full recovery but my symptoms didn't improve and I had another heart attack this march, needing 2 more stents. I used to thrive on stress, I loved the buzz, but I've realised there are different levels of stress and the experiences I went through were obviously too much. So from a sceptical view point, I would have to say that I am not sure if cholesterol pills will help. However, I do believe a healthy lifestyle free of stress will work miracles for your body.  

[JDP67]

Thank you Sir.  Best of everything for you and your family.  You have gone through a lot and I hope things get less stressful from now on,
JDP67

[ed34]

Thank you, and remember, avoid stress :)

[Occupant]

I am not saying what I have experienced is typical, but you should consider all options. First of all I know a guy - granted, he was overweight - but his total Cholesterol was always were yours is now. He had a quintaple bypass a year ago - it can happen. In my case I have taken Cholesterol reducing drugs (Statins) and Diuretics for ~15 years, yet my Calcium Score is over 1200 - Statin drugs don't seem to have done very much about it. Recently I had a gout attack in my left ankle. Very painful, you need crutches to get around. Also kidney stones in my right kidney. Now the doctor says, in your case kidney failure is caused by a combination of Statins and Diuretics.

[erijon]

With your numbers, I don't know if I would be too concerned about my LDL. Your HDL is high for a male and your TC is good. Much depends on your risk factors for CAD. If you are at low risk with one or no risk factors other than age and sex, you should be under 130 for LDL. If you have 2 or more risk factors then most doctors along with the AHA recommend a level of under 100. So you need to look at the whole package, do you have high blood pressure, a family history of early onset CAD and do you smoke ect.

If you are concerned, get a stress test and see if there are any indications of problems in your arteries. If I had your numbers, I think I would be satisfied, but that is only my opinion, I am not a doctor.

Hope this helps,

Jon

[JDP67]

Thank you both for your insights.  Best of health to you both,
JDP67