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High cholesterol questions that aren’t answered by online searches.

Hello, everyone.

My doc says my cholesterol is 252.  My doctor did a test last year when I was 220, and it was like a heart sonogram.  They said it was fine.

1) Is high cholesterol reversible?

2) I have left sided chest pain... is that high cholesterol or has it progressed to the more serious coronary heart disease?

3) If I continue to diet(low carb and mostly vegetarian), and exercise... what’s my prognosis?

Thank you!

1 Responses
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15695260 tn?1549593113
Hello.  Welcome to the forum and thank you for your question.  We're sorry that you have this concern regarding your cholesterol.  So, your total cholesterol number is 252 now rising from 220 last year?  Here is an article on how to interpret a lipid or cholesterol panel. https://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/understanding-your-cholesterol-report#1.  Total cholesterol is an estimate of all the cholesterol levels. So, if you have a high total cholesterol, it helps to know your LDL (which is likely high if you have a high total number) and know your HDL which is likely low (as again, this would contribute to a higher total cholesterol number).  LDL is the bad cholesterol that is artery clogging, HDL is the good cholesterol that is helpful to us.  Exercise raises HDL, even just a simple walk every day for a straight period of time will help.  And a low cholesterol diet will help lower LDL.  Balancing those two pieces of your lipid profile will bring down your total cholesterol number.  However, please know that some people can not do this strictly through lifestyle things like diet and exercise. This is where cholesterol lowering medication becomes necessary.  Has your doctor mentioned this to you?
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2 Comments
Hello, and thank you for responding.

They are telling me to just diet and exercise.  They don’t care to medicate me for this.

They did give me some muscle relaxer for my back pain.

I am 35.

Tomorrow I continue to exercise and lose 20lbs to my ideal weight.
Lifestyle change and losing weight can be very effective in managing cholesterol for some people. Give yourself a bit of time to lose this weight healthfully and once you do, if your cholesterol is still high, then it will be time to consider something like a statin medication.  Not everyone can lower cholesterol through what they eat and exercising. There are children that have high cholesterol due to their genetics.  So, do your very best and then go from there.  Good luck and let us know how it is going!
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