Gaelen
04-30-2006, 07:04 PM
"Help, I just got my cholesterol checked and the (nurse/doctor) told me I need to lower my cholesterol and change my diet!"
The following ratios are the recommended benchmarks for evaluating cardiac risk, based on the combination of numbers in your lipid profile and not on the total cholesterol number alone. They appear in Protein Power, Chapter 13 "Cholesterol Madness," Section My "Bad" looks good, but my "Good" looks bad:
TTL Chol/HDL = < 4
Divide the number for Total Cholesterol (TTL Chol) by the number for High Density Lipoprotein (HDL). The number that results should be less than 4.0
LDL/HDL = < 3
Divide the number for Light Density Lipoprotein by the number for High Density Lipoprotein (HDL). The number that results should be less than 3.0
An additional recommendation that indicates risk of heart disease is:
Trig/HDL = < 1.8
Divide the number for Triglycerides (Trig) by the number for High Density Lipoprotein (HDL). The number that results should be less than 1.8.
Many doctors and labs (including the ones available to me) no longer send out panic messages based solely on the total cholesterol reading, and now include similar ratio recommendations right on their lab reports. The one I received Friday from Laboratory Alliance of CNY contains the following information printed right after the lipid results:
Under HDL results
Reference Guidelines: Results lower than 40 m/dL are suggestive of increased risk for coronary artery disease. Results > or = to 60 mg/dl are considered a negative risk factor.
Under Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio
Interpretation of CHOL/HDL Ratio
Female CHD risk:
very high >8.3; high 5.6 - 8.3; avg 3.7 - 5.6; below avg 2.5 - 3.7; protected < 2.5
Male CHD risk:
very high >14.3; high 6.7 - 14.3; avg 4.0 - 6.7; below avg 2.7 - 4.0; protected < 2.7
Under LDL CHOL (calculated)
per NCEP ATP III guidelines
optimal <100; near optimal 100-129; borderline high 130-159; high 160-189; very high >189[/CENTER]
The Eadeses also recommend in PPLP that your aim for total cholesterol should be neither too high nor too low, and that the safest area (as long as all ratios are within recommended guidelines) is a total cholesterol between 180-220.
So do the math when you get your numbers, and then talk to your doctor. If your ratios put you in the lowered risk categories, then a total cholesterol number over 200 is not necessarily a ticket to cholesterol medication...and controlling carbs (and your insulin production), getting adequate protein and ensuring that you are getting adequate amounts of healthy fats is probably the best dietary change you can make.
The following ratios are the recommended benchmarks for evaluating cardiac risk, based on the combination of numbers in your lipid profile and not on the total cholesterol number alone. They appear in Protein Power, Chapter 13 "Cholesterol Madness," Section My "Bad" looks good, but my "Good" looks bad:
TTL Chol/HDL = < 4
Divide the number for Total Cholesterol (TTL Chol) by the number for High Density Lipoprotein (HDL). The number that results should be less than 4.0
LDL/HDL = < 3
Divide the number for Light Density Lipoprotein by the number for High Density Lipoprotein (HDL). The number that results should be less than 3.0
An additional recommendation that indicates risk of heart disease is:
Trig/HDL = < 1.8
Divide the number for Triglycerides (Trig) by the number for High Density Lipoprotein (HDL). The number that results should be less than 1.8.
Many doctors and labs (including the ones available to me) no longer send out panic messages based solely on the total cholesterol reading, and now include similar ratio recommendations right on their lab reports. The one I received Friday from Laboratory Alliance of CNY contains the following information printed right after the lipid results:
Under HDL results
Reference Guidelines: Results lower than 40 m/dL are suggestive of increased risk for coronary artery disease. Results > or = to 60 mg/dl are considered a negative risk factor.
Under Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio
Interpretation of CHOL/HDL Ratio
Female CHD risk:
very high >8.3; high 5.6 - 8.3; avg 3.7 - 5.6; below avg 2.5 - 3.7; protected < 2.5
Male CHD risk:
very high >14.3; high 6.7 - 14.3; avg 4.0 - 6.7; below avg 2.7 - 4.0; protected < 2.7
Under LDL CHOL (calculated)
per NCEP ATP III guidelines
optimal <100; near optimal 100-129; borderline high 130-159; high 160-189; very high >189[/CENTER]
The Eadeses also recommend in PPLP that your aim for total cholesterol should be neither too high nor too low, and that the safest area (as long as all ratios are within recommended guidelines) is a total cholesterol between 180-220.
So do the math when you get your numbers, and then talk to your doctor. If your ratios put you in the lowered risk categories, then a total cholesterol number over 200 is not necessarily a ticket to cholesterol medication...and controlling carbs (and your insulin production), getting adequate protein and ensuring that you are getting adequate amounts of healthy fats is probably the best dietary change you can make.