Cholesterol

[FoozMike]

I am 24 yr old male i weigh about 190 pounds. For about 4 years my cholesterol has been high my total around 250(fast food diet). It seems to stay at that level. Recently 2 1/2 months ago stress test done and everything came back fine. I do not normaly do any type of exercise. I also had my cholesterol taken before the stress test and my results where TC=225 HDL 32 LDL (do not know) TRI=424. The Cardio dr told me to cut out the fast food exercise and take omega3 and come back to see him in novemeber. So i have done all that and about 2 weeks ago i had my cholesterol taken again at my primary doctor. My results where TC=250 HDL=34 LDL (do not know) TRI=609. I would like to know how come before when i was on the fast food diet my results were lower? I am eating now a million times before. I cheat every once in a while but not with fast food maybe cookies some candy etc.. But nothing compared to eating Burger king everyday. My primary dr scheduled me to retake my cholesterol again in 6 weeks but i am going to take all these results to my cardio in novemeber. Is it possible that the lab results of my second test were not correct?
Thanks!

[tlf54]

I had biometric screening done at work and my LDL was 159. I didn't get to my doctor for 2 and a half months and in the meantime I changed my diet and started exercising for 30 to 60 min a day. When he saw the 159 he wanted to start me on medication but I asked for another test first. He took blood right then and the LDL came back at 129. So he gave me a 2 month prescription for ZOCOR.If I had been fasting would the results have been lower? Will diet and exercise continue to lower it or is there a limit to how much diet and exercise can do? I don't want to be on medication if I can keep it down on my own. Also what can I do to raise my HDL levels? Mine is 39.

[Healthyself2]

There is a pretty good current study article showing that the Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio is still the best predictor of CAD at:

http://heart.health.ivillage.com/news/index.cfm

I've been following this forum and news articles over there (used to be HeartCenterOnline.com) for years.  They always have the latest news relating to heart disease.

I'm not plugging them, just think it's good reading for anyone interested in heart disease.

[Healthyself2]

No doctor, I am just someone who had a profile similar to yours and developed coronary artery disease over my lifetime.

They've done autopsies on young men killed in war and found CAD already well expressed.  The disease typically develops for years before there are any symptoms or can be picked up on non-invasive testing.  I used to run 8k runs with well advanced CAD and never knew that I had it.

I'm not saying that you have it, but you are at high risk.  The bottom line is that the disease can be reversed by maintaining a good lipid profile for life.  If that can't be done with moderate diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes, there are drugs that can help.

You have done the right thing in recognizing that you are at risk.  You have plenty of time to correct the situation and live a life without suffering the effects of coronary artery disease.

Good Luck

[FoozMike]

You make it sound like everyone with high cholesterol is developing the disease. Maybe you should read more about how high cholesterol is a risk factor. Risk factor does not mean you have it. How can it be well progressed i am 24 and ate junk food up until 2 months ago. I have had a complete stress test done and as of 2 months ago i run 30 minutes a day on the treadmill. So if it is well progressed why am i wasting my time i should go eat what i want and die. This is a doctor to patient forum. Are you a doctor?

[FoozMike]

I had a Thallium Stress Test done. Doesnt that show signs of artieries clogging?

[Healthyself2]

The bullet may miss you, but you are at high risk and the disease is probably already well progressed.  

You can do anything you want and eat anything you want when you are young, but one day the bill comes do and, in my case, it was a ***** when it did.

Do what it takes to maintain a perfect lipid profile and you can get your "get out of jail free" card.

[FoozMike]

I cut out the fast food like 2 months ago. Just working on my diet and exerise but i dont think its going to help i might need meds either way.

[Itschuck2c]

You may want to try Vytorin instead of Lipitor, it works much better. Also I was like you with the fast food/crappy diet. I did exercise too...and at 37 had a double bypass done. No history on either side of family. So a couple burgers a day and yes you to in 13 years can get your chest split wide open.

[FoozMike]

I thought having high cholesterol was a risk factor and does not definitely get CAD.

[Healthyself2]

You fit the profile of someone who is already developing coronary artery disease and is at high risk of having a coronary event as early as your 30's.

You have an upside down lipid profile.  The most significant danger is your low HDL.  This is probably the best predictor of longevity and coronary artery disease development.

If you want to miss out on all of the fun of having a heart attack and possibly surgical intervention and possible early sudden death, you need to attain and maintain a perfect lipid balance.

In order to do this with lifestyle, exercise, and diet alone you will have to be very radical and very disciplined.  Most of us can't do that, so we have to use drugs.

A statin drug, such as Lipitor, can take your total down to 150 even with a low dose.  To get your HDL up into the safety zone, which I would say is above 50, you have few choices at the moment.  Exercise raises it a bit, but the only effective drug is high dose Niacin.  The no-flush Niacin in the drugstore has no effect on HDL - you need the real stuff and that is hard to take in high dose.  There is a drug called Niaspan which is pretty tolerable.

I had the same profile as you and ignored it until I had a heart attack and one totally occluded artery and 3 vessel coronary artery disease.  After 6 years of maintaining a perfect lipid profile with a mult-drug coctail, I feel that me disease is in total remission.  I didn't drink the kool-aid and go for the bypass surgery or stenting.  I just felt that if I walked into the woods with a horrible lipid profile for 30 years I could walk back out ot the woods by maintaning a perfect profile for a number of years.

Winners act early and agressively!

Good Luck

[Cleveland Clinic]

You will be OK.  High triglycerides usually cause symptoms of fatigue, tiredness, sometimes even shortness of breath, abdominal pain and confusion.  Obviously, if you experience any of those, report to your physician.  I doubt that you will though.  You just need to be started on a medication that will help spend down your lipids.    

[FoozMike]

If i continue my lifestyle change and wait till Novemeber to see my cardio dr again would that be ok? I am worried that by waiting a few months I am making a big mistake. I want to make sure I wont drop dead by then.

[Cleveland Clinic]

Those results are probably true as long as you were fasting at the time of the blood draw.  If that was the case than it appears that you have some type of hypertriglyceridemia with hyperlipidemia.  There are many different types and some are related to the diet, others are related to alcohol consumption, diabetes, body habitus and some are even familial in nature, meaning they are genetic and run in the family.  Having high triglycerides and high cholesterol poses a significant cardiovascular risk and you definitely need to be on top of things.  Of course eating better and exercising will help.  Make sure you are not a diabetic.  Cut down on ETOH.  Usually, doing all that does not completely help, as you have seen in your case, and patients get started on various medications that help reduce the cholesterol and the triglycerides.  The fact that your triglycerides went up despite the dietary modification suggests that it is probably not your diet ALONE that drives this process.  It also suggests that you need to be started on a medication that will help reduce those high levels of lipids.