I have been getting my cholesterol checked annually for a
few years now although it is only recommended to get your levels checked once every
five years.
Before I joined WW, the
OBGYN I was seeing at the time checked my cholesterol and put me on
Crestor. It was a miracle drug and my
cholesterol numbers dropped pretty rapidly.
Not too long after starting the drug my liver function tests became
abnormal and there was a chance the medication was causing more harm than good. She took me off the drug so we could monitor
my liver and I have been off it ever since.
I started WW during the time I was off the drug, changed doctors, and
told the new OBGYN that I wanted to stay off the drug and see how far I could
go on WW.
Here are my cholesterol numbers from 2006 before I
started Crestor and WW:
Total Cholesterol: 247
Triglycerides: 108
HDL: 38
LDL: 187
Here are my cholesterol numbers from last
week:
Total Cholesterol: 176
Triglycerides: 64
HDL: 50.3
LDL: 113
Before we can really talk about cholesterol, it is important to know what these terms mean and what the range is for the numbers.
“Cholesterol
comes from two sources: your body and food. Your liver and other
cells in your body make about 75 percent of blood cholesterol. The other 25 percent
comes from the foods you eat. Cholesterol is only found in animal products.”
Total cholesterol
level should be less than 200. The
range from 200-239 is considered borderline high. Anything 240 and above is considered high
blood cholesterol. This means you are
living with twice the risk of heart disease.
Triglyceride level
should be less than 100 to be considered optimal. Less than 150 is considered normal. The range 150-199 is borderline high. 200-499 is high. Above 500 is considered very high. The
mean level of triglycerides for adults age 20 and over is 144.2. Remember when I talked about healthy fats? Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated
fats are your friend!
HDL "good" cholesterol level
should be above 60 to be considered protective against heart disease. For men anything less than 40 causes a major
risk and for women anything less than 50.
LDL "bad" cholesterol level
should be less than 100. The range from
100-129 is considered near or above optimal. 130-159 border line high. 160-189
is high. Anything over 190 is considered very high. The
mean level of LDL cholesterol for adults age 20 or older is 115.
We
discuss all the time how the number on the scale is just one indicator of
healthy living. If you have not had your
cholesterol checked, or if it has been a while, consider getting that
done. Know your numbers and know how to
arm yourself with the right foods and exercise to make the changes needed and talk to your doctor.
In reading through the research to post
this blog, I already feel better.
Consistently, my LDL is over 100.
However, seeing that I am right around the mean does make me feel
better. High cholesterol runs in my
family. My HDL is the highest it has ever been and I am just barely at 50 right now. It is almost always low. Seeing my low
triglyceride level lets me know that my diet and exercise is paying off and
keeping up with that every days is a small commitment to living longer and
staying healthy!
I learned a lot about nutrition when I attended the Basic
Dispatch Academy at POST. The Health and
Wellness Instructor encouraged us to get our cholesterol numbers checked. Central District Health will do a full blood
panel for just $20, which is now increasing to $25 on July 1st. Some medical plans might even reimburse you the
cost. Check with your provider and also
check to see if there is a community type program available. It is important to know your numbers!
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