Cholesterol - who can tell me

[lmh2402]

If my total cholesterol is high (258!) but my LDL is normal and my HDL is elevated (90), will that have a negative impact on my life insurance application? Confusing. Thx.

[Pinky]

If my total cholesterol is high (258!) but my LDL is normal and my HDL is elevated (90), will that have a negative impact on my life insurance application? Confusing. Thx.

I don't know anything about life insurance but I do know that having an elevated HDL is a GREAT thing so I can't imagine that you would be penalized for it. I'm guessing they will look at the individual numbers since the total doesn't really tell you much.

[Globetrotter]

My mom had high hdl, which increased her overall cholesterol above 200, and the doctor was pleased. I think they consider the different types and ratio.

[MSWR0319]

It should help you as long as they don't look at just the total number. Mine used to be very similar and the dr. told me that they also look at ratios like pp mentioned. You just have a high total cholesterol because your good cholesterol is extra good, which is a great thing!

[MaiseyDog]

Having a high HDL is great most of the time and 90 is not out of the realm of normal for a female of childbearing age, especially one who also works out regularly. High HDL can sometimes be abnormal but it's a lot less likely. However your non-HDL cholesterol is 168 which indicates increased risk for heart disease. Non-HDL cholesterol is what is left when we factor out the good stuff. Its is a way to evaluate all the atherogenic particles. We focus on non-HDL in my diabetic patients as it has been shown to be a better marker for actual risk than just LDL and is especailly helpful when the LDL numbers aren't greatly elevated. It can also indicate problems with LDL-particle size which increases risk for athrosclerosis. Not knowing what your LDL results actually were, but since you said they were normal, I assuming that your triglycerides were probably fairly elevated. I would recommend you work on lowering your triglycerides. Limiting alcohol and carbohydrates can help as well as exercise. You can also take fish oil supplements to help lower triglycerides, but you want to target a dose of 2-4 grams of EPA plus DHA per day. You have to read labels carefully, because not all fish oil supplements will actually clearly state the EPA plus DHA amount and will just give you the total amount of fish oil of which only a certain percentage is the EPA and DHA component. The back label will tell you how much of each there actually is and then you can just add them together. The bottom line is don't take the number on the front of the bottle at face value.

[lmh2402]

Having a high HDL is great most of the time and 90 is not out of the realm of normal for a female of childbearing age, especially one who also works out regularly. High HDL can sometimes be abnormal but it's a lot less likely. However your non-HDL cholesterol is 168 which indicates increased risk for heart disease. Non-HDL cholesterol is what is left when we factor out the good stuff. Its is a way to evaluate all the atherogenic particles. We focus on non-HDL in my diabetic patients as it has been shown to be a better marker for actual risk than just LDL and is especailly helpful when the LDL numbers aren't greatly elevated. It can also indicate problems with LDL-particle size which increases risk for athrosclerosis. Not knowing what your LDL results actually were, but since you said they were normal, I assuming that your triglycerides were probably fairly elevated. I would recommend you work on lowering your triglycerides. Limiting alcohol and carbohydrates can help as well as exercise. You can also take fish oil supplements to help lower triglycerides, but you want to target a dose of 2-4 grams of EPA plus DHA per day. You have to read labels carefully, because not all fish oil supplements will actually clearly state the EPA plus DHA amount and will just give you the total amount of fish oil of which only a certain percentage is the EPA and DHA component. The back label will tell you how much of each there actually is and then you can just add them together. The bottom line is don't take the number on the front of the bottle at face value.

Thanks, guys. That's the weird thing - I thought you would add the two numbers for total cholesterol but my LdL was 130. Strange