Just wanted to get your take on my latest test results, below. I eat a pretty spartan diet already and I’m not sure what else I can do in the way of lifestyle changes to improve these–so I suppose my big question is, “Do these numbers warrant any further action?” (I checked the Mayo Clinic Statin Choice Decision Aid, and from what I can tell statins would do little for me.)
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Total cholesterol: 259 mg/dL
Triglyceride: 75 mg/dL
HDL: 71 mg/dL
LDL Calculated: 173 mg/dL
Cholesterol to HDL ratio: 3.6
My concern with applying that particular decision aid in your situation is that it is a 10-year risk calculator, i.e., what would be the expected impact of statin therapy for you between the ages of 42 and 52 … which isn’t necessarily what we’re concerned with. It says nothing about your risk between, say, 42 and 82, which is likely to be much greater (and therefore more modifiable).
This tool can give a better estimate of lifetime risk, although it still frustratingly locks anyone out of seeing the effects of treatment if their short-term (10 year) risk is low. A workaround is to manipulate input numbers and compare resultant lifetime risks in different scenarios. With the data you provided here (and making a few other assumptions about your health), it calculated an estimated 50% lifetime risk with these lipid numbers … and this could be modified significantly by getting your non-HDL-c (currently 259 - 71 = 188) lower. Otherwise, your HDL-c and triglyceride numbers are quite good and reassuring though.
It’s a bit higher than I’d prefer, but does not confer as much long-term risk as the elevation in non-HDL-c. Most of the same lifestyle recommendations described in the articles would apply to improve the blood sugar anyway.
Gotcha. The diet and lifestyle recommendations in the articles are adjustments I’ve already made–these numbers are my numbers with the lifestyle adjustments. I eat 30+ g fiber per day, without fail; I don’t eat processed foods; I avoid saturated fats, etc. And it’s definitely the case that this is a genetics issue for me–I have grappled with this since my late teens–although my lifestyle was terrible at that point–but I managed to keep things at the ‘borderline-high’ level for a few years. At this point, medication is something to seriously consider, I take it?
And re the blood glucose: If I commence medication for the cholesterol, this will remain roughly at this level, right?