Re: Opinions of Cholestrol levels
Hi Harrie,
I had to puzzle over this same question. My diet has been focused on balancing omega-3's and omega-6's types of fats, and my cholesterol results are quite similar to yours.
My PCP is especially educated about cardiac matters, but was persistent in recommending that I take medication to help lower the 2 cholesterol readings that are still high, in spite of the "good" cholesterol (HDL) being excellent and the "bad" cholesterol (LDL) being excellent.
Some of this is new territory for not just us, but for the docs as well. As a way of deciding whether or not the high triglycerides and high total cholesterol were enough for me to take medication in spite of the low LDL and high HDL, I agreed to have the cardiac CRP test done, which measures cardiac risk.
My cardiac CRP didn't come back as high risk, or even as being moderate risk, but as LOW risk.
My best guess at what is happening is that because we are eating a much better balance of foods (and in particular, fats) than the population than docs are using in establishing their "normal" cholesterol readings, that those norms are less applicable to us. I am just guessing but I think our choice of fats is resulting in the higher total cholesterol and triglycerides, but may still be protective for us.
It is also possible that the therapy we have had has changed the way that fats are processed, but unfortunately not much study is done on people before and after treatment to be able to know whether that might be true or not.
There are other risk factors that would be essential to consider as well. If you have diabetes, hypertension, or possibly other health problems such as being very overweight, those also DO count.
I don't have diabetes, hypertension, or other medical problems. I declined to take the medication, and my PCP agreed with me.
AlaskaAngel
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