High cholesterol. Should I be worried?

[Monkey_in_suit]

Cholesterol 7.1 mmol/L (275 mg/dL)

HDL-Cholesterol 1.2 mmol/L (46 mg/dL)

LDL-Cholesterol 5.6 mmol/L ( 216 mg/dL)

Triglycerides 0.7 mmol/L (62 mg/dL)

Cholesterol and LDL-Cholesterol are high but how really bad are results? Should I be worried and what to do to get better results?

Would like to hear opinion from @Michael569, @undeather and others that know more about this topic

[undeather]

A LDL-Cholestrol of above 200 puts you in the 99th percentile - meaning that you are in the top 1% of people with high "bad"-cholesterol. This directly translates to an high amount of Apo-B particles in your blood, which are the atherogenic (atherosclerosis causing) parts of the LDL-molecule. This is a significant risk factor you should deal with, but it's not a cause for concern in the short run. Cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol are functions of time and magnitude - meaning that they increase your risk of a stroke/heart attack to the extent of how long and strong (higher/lower numbers) they exert influence on your body. 

Also very important to consider is that there are many risk factors that go into that equation. If your blood pressure is normal, you don't have diabetes, are not obese, don't smoke - then your risk of getting into serious problems in the next 10 or 20 years is very low (I am assuming you are in your 20s/30s). That said, I am sure that it is in your interest to live a long and healthy life - therefore it's important to start working on this right now! 

The first and most important step towards better blood lipids/cholesterol is lifestyle modification! 
How does your diet look like? Are you overweight? Are you sedentary or is there some form of exercise routine in your life? 
I have seen that you are from Croatia, which is known for having one of the worst cardiovascular dietary patterns in central Europe.

Also, are there any early age heart attacks/strokes in yoru family history? Especially before the age of 60?

Edited January 12 by undeather

[LfcCharlie4]

@undeather why is Crotia worst? 

 

I am going there on holiday this year so guess will see their diet haha

[undeather]

1 hour ago, LfcCharlie4 said:

@undeather why is Crotia worst? 

 

I am going there on holiday this year so guess will see their diet haha

"one of the worst" - Some parts of Croatia show one of the worst cardiovascular risk outcomes across the whole european continent. One big factor is an increased consupmtion of high claoric, high saturated fat, high salt food plus a good amount of alcohol intake (especially beer!). This made Croatia the most overweight country in the european union. The healthcare system is also lacking in many different regards. It's really a shame, because the traditional croatian cuisine also involves many classic mediterranian influences (fish, olive oil, beans..), which is among the healthiest diet patterns you can find. 

That said, croatia is insanely beautiful and the people are pretty chill- I visit as often as possible because I also live only a few hours drive away. Enjoy your trip! 

Edited January 12 by undeather

[Monkey_in_suit]

9 hours ago, undeather said:

A LDL-Cholestrol of above 200 puts you in the 99th percentile - meaning that you are in the top 1% of people with high "bad"-cholesterol. This directly translates to an high amount of Apo-B particles in your blood, which are the atherogenic (atherosclerosis causing) parts of the LDL-molecule. This is a significant risk factor you should deal with, but it's not a cause for concern in the short run. Cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol are functions of time and magnitude - meaning that they increase your risk of a stroke/heart attack to the extent of how long and strong (higher/lower numbers) they exert influence on your body. 

Also very important to consider is that there are many risk factors that go into that equation. If your blood pressure is normal, you don't have diabetes, are not obese, don't smoke - then your risk of getting into serious problems in the next 10 or 20 years is very low (I am assuming you are in your 20s/30s). That said, I am sure that it is in your interest to live a long and healthy life - therefore it's important to start working on this right now! 

The first and most important step towards better blood lipids/cholesterol is lifestyle modification! 
How does your diet look like? Are you overweight? Are you sedentary or is there some form of exercise routine in your life? 
I have seen that you are from Croatia, which is known for having one of the worst cardiovascular dietary patterns in central Europe.

Also, are there any early age heart attacks/strokes in yoru family history? Especially before the age of 60?

I am 30 years old. Everything else with my health is perfectly fine. I am not obese(190cm/75kg),I drink alcohol rarely, go to gym 2/3 times per week and I do weightlift there. My diet is not perfectly clean but I would say it's better than vast majority of people's diet. I eat red meat and processed food rarley. Only I don't eat enough vegetables. 

Downsides are a lot of stress because I have stressful job and bad sleep because of that. Also bad sleeping schedule as I go to sleep at 5am and wake up 1/2 pm. My job is sedentery also.

My uncle had heart attack in mid 50s and my grandma stroke in mid 70s.

I said to my doctor that stress is probably main reason for those numbers but she said it can't be the only reason.

Last few years my number were on higher side but never this bad. My last test was april 2022 and LDL was 129 mg/dL.

 

[undeather]

14 minutes ago, Monkey_in_suit said:

I am 30 years old. Everything else with my health is perfectly fine. I am not obese(190cm/75kg),I drink alcohol rarely, go to gym 2/3 times per week and I do weightlift there. My diet is not perfectly clean but I would say it's better than vast majority of people's diet. I eat red meat and processed food rarley. Only I don't eat enough vegetables. 

Downsides are a lot of stress because I have stressful job and bad sleep because of that. Also bad sleeping schedule as I go to sleep at 5am and wake up 1/2 pm. My job is sedentery also.

My uncle had heart attack in mid 50s and my grandma stroke in mid 70s.

I said to my doctor that stress is probably main reason for those numbers but she said it can't be the only reason.

Last few years my number were on higher side but never this bad. My last test was april 2022 and LDL was 129 mg/dL.

 

Okay - very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

Here is what I would recommend: 
- Don't stress out about this!  You are young, live an above average lifestyle and your previous blood test (2022) shows that you propably do not suffer from an inherited lipid-disorder (hypercholesterinemia). 
- From a medical perspective, I want you to do a checkup at an internal medicine doctor (if that is possible under your current circumstances). He should do an ultrasound of your carotid arteries and the heart. 
- I also want you keep an eye on your LDL! Defintitely do another screening in 3-6 months and see if it changed! There are plenty of potential reasons why your LDL almost went up 100 points in the span of that short period of time. While stress plays a role in LDL-synthesis, I agree with your doctor that this is unlikely only due to increased stress. I would put my money on a mixture of causes (increased stress, circadian changes, foods that screw with fasting mechanisms and lipids in the short term..)
- As for your diet, you hinted that you don't enough vegetables. This immediatly makes me think about you not getting not enough fiber, which is important because you might be a so called "cholesterol/fat hyperabsorber" and fiber blocks this absorption process to some degree! You don't have to go crazy on this, you can still enjoy your meats - but I recommend adding some fiber-containing foods to your diet (vegetables, beans, lentils, fruit, nuts..). You could also start adding "Psyllium Husk" to your protein shakes if you take them.
- If you eat a lot of saturated fat (butter, ghee, fatty meats..), you could start experimenting with replacing it with better fats like olive oil or leaner cuts! Again, don't go crazy on it!
- The big red flag is your stress level & sleep though! Stress, especially long term stressors and through activating the cortisol axis, can definitely elevate your LDL-C. Poor sleep quality is also known for scewing with your lipid-metabolism! Often, as well I think in your case, bad sleep is triggered by a stressful life. You should think about implementing some sort of techniques that help you dealing with the work-stress. This is a complex topic and might contain anything from a simple meditation-technique to breathwork you regularly do during worktime (alternate-nose breathing) or some form of active recovery like Yoga/Tai Chi or Qigong. There are also some supplements you can look into, which could improve your sleep (Melatonin 300mcg, Magnesium Threonate (300–400 mg), Apigenin (50 mg))

- Medications: I personally would not perscribe you a drug right now. This could be a temporary increase that will get better with time!

Cheers

[MarkKol]

14 hours ago, LfcCharlie4 said:

@undeather why is Crotia worst? 

 

I am going there on holiday this year so guess will see their diet haha

The staple food in Croatia has become sausages, white bread, chips, pop, and bacon, people here usually buy the whole pig and have something called "Svinjokolja" where they slaughter the pig and cut it to pieces. Fatty red meat is considered very healthy here by the uneducated public.

I also don't wanna know how much radiation/pollution is left after the Serbian-Croatian war ended not so long ago.

I'm moving to Canada anyway, I hate it here 

Edited January 13 by MarkKol

[Monkey_in_suit]

On 12. 01. 2024. at 7:13 PM, undeather said:

Okay - very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

Here is what I would recommend: 
- Don't stress out about this!  You are young, live an above average lifestyle and your previous blood test (2022) shows that you propably do not suffer from an inherited lipid-disorder (hypercholesterinemia). 
- From a medical perspective, I want you to do a checkup at an internal medicine doctor (if that is possible under your current circumstances). He should do an ultrasound of your carotid arteries and the heart. 
- I also want you keep an eye on your LDL! Defintitely do another screening in 3-6 months and see if it changed! There are plenty of potential reasons why your LDL almost went up 100 points in the span of that short period of time. While stress plays a role in LDL-synthesis, I agree with your doctor that this is unlikely only due to increased stress. I would put my money on a mixture of causes (increased stress, circadian changes, foods that screw with fasting mechanisms and lipids in the short term..)
- As for your diet, you hinted that you don't enough vegetables. This immediatly makes me think about you not getting not enough fiber, which is important because you might be a so called "cholesterol/fat hyperabsorber" and fiber blocks this absorption process to some degree! You don't have to go crazy on this, you can still enjoy your meats - but I recommend adding some fiber-containing foods to your diet (vegetables, beans, lentils, fruit, nuts..). You could also start adding "Psyllium Husk" to your protein shakes if you take them.
- If you eat a lot of saturated fat (butter, ghee, fatty meats..), you could start experimenting with replacing it with better fats like olive oil or leaner cuts! Again, don't go crazy on it!
- The big red flag is your stress level & sleep though! Stress, especially long term stressors and through activating the cortisol axis, can definitely elevate your LDL-C. Poor sleep quality is also known for scewing with your lipid-metabolism! Often, as well I think in your case, bad sleep is triggered by a stressful life. You should think about implementing some sort of techniques that help you dealing with the work-stress. This is a complex topic and might contain anything from a simple meditation-technique to breathwork you regularly do during worktime (alternate-nose breathing) or some form of active recovery like Yoga/Tai Chi or Qigong. There are also some supplements you can look into, which could improve your sleep (Melatonin 300mcg, Magnesium Threonate (300–400 mg), Apigenin (50 mg))

- Medications: I personally would not perscribe you a drug right now. This could be a temporary increase that will get better with time!

Cheers

Thanks a lot!

Next week I will do checkup with internal medicine doctor.