Cholesterol...
 

I recently got back from my physician and some of the blood work I had done indicated that I had over 300mg of cholesterol (fasting), and the Dr. kind of brushed it off saying that I'll have another blood test done next time I come in and if it's still elevated she'll take action.

I'm 21 years old and about 180lbs, and not overweight at all. This isn't the first time my cholesterol was elevated, and about a year ago another test came back that indicated elevated liver enzymes.

Should I be at all worried? My diet really isn't all that high in fat/meat and I mostly eat salads. My next appointment is in 2 months, because the Dr.s' around here are unusually busy.

Re: Cholesterol...
 

I'd be a little concerned. Anything >240 is considered high.

I assume that you got a lipid profile in addition to the total cholesterol count. If the results from that were ok (high HDL, low LDL) then that may explain your physician's subdued response.

If you smoke, have high blood pressure, have a family history of hypercholesterolemia, or have low HDL then you are considered to have higher risk. So take those into consideration if they apply to you.

Re: Cholesterol...
 

I'm pretty sure that a diet consisting of mostly salads is not good. Do you drown in it ranch dressing as well?

Re: Cholesterol...
 

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I'm pretty sure that a diet consisting of mostly salads is not good. Do you drown in it ranch dressing as well?

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Diets that are high in fruits and vegetables are good for limiting cholesterol intake. You're supposed to avoid meat (particularly red meat) and dairy (particular eggs/egg yolks).

Edit: RED meat.

Re: Cholesterol...
 

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You're supposed to avoid meat (particularly meat)

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Elaine?

Re: Cholesterol...
 

you don't win friends with salad

Re: Cholesterol...
 

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you don't win friends with salad

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loooooool

Re: Cholesterol...
 

High cholesterol is a long term problem, not a short term one. You can make a significant improvement in your cholesterol profile with diet and exercise modifications. If you already eat well and exercise, then you can blame your parents for bad genes. I eat like crap, get no exercise, yet have a great cholesterol panel.

Your doc will look at your other risk factors to consider how important cholesterol lowering therapy is. Smoking, family history of heart attacks (or clogged arteries that got stents or bypasses), especially at younger ages or among women, diabetes, high blood pressure are all risk factors. The level of your cholesterol as well as the level of the seperate components are important in assessing risk.

Your doctor probably checked liver enzymes at the same time as cholesterol because the first line medication she would use for treating you can have an effect on them and should be monitored.

2 months isn't really that long time before another appointment. I frequently pick 3 months (or even more) in order to give someone a chance to make some lifestyle changes.

The risk factor models that I use don't really apply to people as young as you (age cutoff for the Framingham models are 30).

As an example, for a 30 year old, with total cholesterol 300, HDL (good cholesterol) 40 (low normal), blood pressure 150/90, nonsmoker, and nondiabetic, your 10 year risk of coronary heart disease is 8% (which is way above the average risk of 3% for that age group). Add smoking and diabetes, and bump up the blood pressure to 160/100, and you'd bump up your risk to 25%