Cholesterol numbers

Back in 2005 I took out life insurance. I was a runner only, not a triathlete. My numbers were:

Total Cholesterol- 225
HDL- 86.4
LDL- 126

So yes, athlete produce a lot of cholesterol, but have an excellent LDL/HDL ratio. Mine then was 1.45.

Mine wasn't as a triathlete since this is my first year, but last year my numbers were:

TC = 160

HDL = 80

LDL = 60

I'm kind of curious what mine is like now.. I'm eating a lot more, so I can imagine everything will move up.  I was losing weight at the time, so just about any time you're in a calorie deficit, cholesterol numbers go down.   

(this is also eating 2-3 eggs a day)

I got told by my dr to come back. I don't remember totals, but I think LDL was like 124 and HDL was 69. I have to get retested because my LDL was high.

Total: 200
LDL: 134 (I think, can't remember- it was high)
HDL: 57

Dr put me on a low cholesterol diet (red meat once a week, no yokes, no bacon *cries*) and asked me to take fish oil 3x a day.  Burping fish oil isn't bad- I'm fooling myself into thinking I've been eating sushi.  I get more blood work done in 3 months to see if the numbers have gone down.  I am adopted so I have no family medical history- don't know if high cholesterol runs in the family or not.

I'm the only person I know that has total cholesterol in the double digits (99) and was told that I might end up needing medication to raise my HDL (which was 26, they like it to be above 40) Fortunately, since my ratio was OK my doctor said we'd just keep an eye on it. That was 6 years ago, and before I started doing triathlons... wonder what it would be now?
 I should really get it tested again.

I read on Dr. Andrew Weil's website that an HDL that's too high is not good either.  But I don't remember if he addressed a high number in an athlete.  His website is great for health info, drweil.com. 
My total and LDL were also high until I started taking red yeast rice, it's like taking a statin's first cousin.  You have to take CoEnzyme Q10 also, and fish oil (the kind I take doesn't make me burp).  Read more about this on Dr Weil's website.  I've been running for 3 years, and my numbers didn't drop significantly.  I have my first tri this coming weekend (woohoo!) and won't be tested again until November.  When I took a big dose of red yeast rice my LDL dropped a lot, when I stopped taking it but still ran it climbed back up near 200, then it has dropped again to a respectable level as I'm taking the red yeast rice again.  My HDL has risen but not as much as I'd like it to rise.  I'm not a doctor, so I can't tell you it's safe for you, but I'm healthy otherwise, take only a multivitamin, eat fairly well, exercise 2-5 days weekly.  So for me, red yeast rice, CoQ 10, and fish oil have kept me off an expensive statin drug.

My HDL was 24 last time I had it checked. I was told it needed to be much, much higher. I asked how I accomplish this. They told me to exercise more. I said I train 6 days a week for triathlons, just check my logs. They told me to eat more beans. I told them I'm vegetarian and eat plenty of beans. Then they had nothing else to say to me

This was not my doc, but one of those "health assessments" at work.

Anyone know how to raise HDL without a perscription drug?



Edited by lisac957 2009-07-06 11:00 PM

Just got tested a couple weeks ago.  I had a test for life insurance a year and a half ago and I know it was high (205 comes to mind) because I didn't get the top rate but the next one down.  Which is one of the reasons I started doing triathlons.  I have been training for triathlons about a year now and my numbers are
total: 182
HDL:  59
LDL: 113 

Sorry but I think that is hilarious.  We had one of those crazy health assessments at work and the lady who did the evaluation told me " you are too short for your weight"  I am 5-10 and 180 pounds which means I am on the low end of the moderately obese range from the BMI charts or so she said.  She told me I needed to eat better and exercise more.  It took a while but I finally stopped laughing about my complete inability to do anything about my height and got on my bike and rode back to my office.  I spoke with my family doctor about it and he said the charts don't mean anything for athletes and that the "nurse" was nuts.

My guess is that the test was off or that the assessment team screwed up.  But if you are in fact at a 24 you should be talking to a doctor. 

I must say however that after my first year of training for triathlons my HDL went up 12 points to 42 and my total cholesterol dropped 40 points from 204 to 164.  I figure that is a good thing and is attributable to training 6 days a week and healthy diet that includes red meat, fish, chicken pork, lots of vegetables, lots of fresh fruit, oatmeal, yogurt and fruit loops. 

It has been a while since I've had it checked, but I just happened to have the last two sets of results saved in a Word doc, so I'll share. The first set was right around the time I started to get serious about fitness and lifting heavy weights. The second set was after nearly do years of lifting heavy weights. Bare minimum to no cardio until this year. I have always worked out intermittently doing either some sort of cardio or resistance machines, and been a pretty healthy eater, so I attribute the improvement more to the heavy lifting than serious nutrition changes, although I did make changes there as well, so that likely also contributed. And I lost about 10 lbs. But I never gave up anything like fatty red meats, carnitas and the like. I know my total cholesterol could be lower. I guess I'll have to have them checked out again in a few months now that I've added all this fun cardio to the fitness picture.  I was pretty proud of my HDL...but wow, some of you are really up there!

Lipid panel results, 3/24/2005
Total cholesterol: 242
LDL: 157
HDL: 70
Triglycerides: 76

Lipid panel results, 3/8/2007
Total cholesterol: 197
LDL: 110
HDL: 74
Triglycerides: 65

Lisa, my doctor was a bit concerned that mine was so low, but she said that the ratio of HDL to LDL was actually more important than the number (assuming your LDL isn't sky high...) and since mine was right around the ideal ration (don't recall what that was) it wasn't a problem. Anyway, you might want to talk to your doctor to see if she agrees with that. Otherwise, my docotor told me that increasing my intake of olive oil would increase my HDL.

i had my cholesterol checked this past March, after losing 35lbs over the previous 15 months (almost 15 more from march till now), and had been training for triathlons for 3 months.

total cholesterol = 122  (125-200)
HDL = 42  (40 or >  a 5 point increase from 4 years ago.
LDL = 74  (130 or <  cant remember what it used to be
Triglycerides = 38  (150 or <    cant remember what it used to be

My B.P. has also dropped to an acceptable level, instead of being near borderline high.  and pulse rate drop too, of course.
thanks triathlons!!!

I am not a physician and you should of course consult with your doctor but I believe that some studies show that taking Omega-3 FA will help some people raise their HDL's.    Also under a physicians supervision (and with an rx which I know you where avoiding)  niacin has shown some benefit on raising HDL levels. 

I am debating starting the Omega 3. If my next hdl reading is low I will likely start

My Lipid panel as of May

Triglyceride 66
Cholesterol 103
HDL 23 which is down from 25  
LDL 67
VLDL 13

I guess at least my hdl/ldl level is 2.91 which is in the average risk group. 



Edited by kklems 2009-07-07 7:54 AM

I can't remember my exact numbers, but both my HDL and HDL/LDL ratios were high just before I started getting heavily into fitness.  I tried for more than a year to use exercise and diet to bring them down, to no avail.

I've been on Zocor now for several years and have noticed no side effects, so long as I don't accidentally take two in one day.  It keeps my cholesterol in control and doesn't effect my ability to train, so I'm just sticking with it.

re: BMI - I've heard the same thing from my doctor.  I'm 5'10", 180 (my triathlon season weight - it fluctuates a bit throughout the year) but my BMI says I'm moderately obese :-(

You probably aren't eating enough fat in your diet. (specifically MUFA, ala olive oil, nuts can help too) 

Edited by Bioteknik 2009-07-07 8:54 AM

Just checked again and my 24 number was from 2006, but 2007 it (HDL) had raised to 36. Total cholesterol was 129. Haven't had it checked since then.

Re: the fats in my diet, I cook exclusively with olive oil (almost every day), eat mixed nuts almost every day, and guacamole about once a week. Guess I still need more!

Applying for new health insurance and just got my numbers back.   The insurance company want to increase my premiums by 25% due to high cholesterol.  I don't get why the medial profession can not agree on their parameters.  I have spoke with 4 different doctors.  Two of them say my ratio is great and not to worry and the other two state that it is high because it is above the 200 number and ignore the ratio.  I plan to lower it but am just frustrated that the so called experts can not agree.
Your total cholesterol = 250 High
HDL = 75 Best/Optimal
LDL = 152 Borderline High
Tri  = 114 Normal/Desirable
Chol/HDL Ratio = 3.3 Normal
LDL/HDL Ratio = 2.03 Normal

oh yeah.. forgot about the awesome avocado

The experts do agree.  It's just that not all doctors are aware of (or use) current guidelines based on their recommendations. 

There is a very set criteria for cholesterol goals that is used and is updated every few years.  It's based on your individual risk factors for heart disease, so one size doesn't fit all.  The table about halfway down in this link (step 5) shows goals based on risk factors.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/atglance.htm

I don't have the individual number handy...

Life insurance assessment this past winter, before I started getting in shape: 225 overall cholesterol. BP was 120/80

A couple of months ago for a health assessment at work, after I'd been eating healthy and working out for a couple of months: 184 overall. BP 122/88 (A fluke). They also did the BMI think and at 5'11 230# (at the time I filled out the survey before the meeting with "nurse") I'm considered obese. I told the nurse doing the interview that was just so wrong and she agreed with me.

Saw the doc a couple of months ago about pneumonia/sinus infection, BP 110/78.

BMI is just so wrong. It does not take into consideration at all your build, physique, muscle mass, etc. I read somewhere that only a small portion of the male population actually falls into the "perfect" zone of BMI.

I can't recall the numbers, but my Dr. said I had the best numbers he had ever seen in his office.

I think being a vegetarian has helped with those numbers.