So I had some bloodtests done as part of my pre-work for a 3rd Accutane treatment. My cholesterol showed up as 209. I’m 5’11, 175#, 32"waist and never been member of a gym…
How much in trouble (if any at all) am I?? Do I need to do anything immediate? Or can I take my time looking for a gym?
Any input will be greatly appreciated…
Cholesterol below 200 is considered healthy by most medical professionals. You are only slightly above that, so I don’t think you have to worry too much. simply cutting out some high-cholesterol foods from your diet should bring you down.
Or, better yet, increase your physical activity.
How old you are matters. Your family history matters too. And the fact that you don’t workout matters big time.
If you don’t workout (use your body for more than sitting, standing and pigging out), you will have problems in life, whether they be cholesterol related or not.
Ooppss - I thought I mentioned my age…I’m 28. I don’t use my body just for sitting, standing and hanging to the side of the bar - I walk 20 mins each way to the metro each day plus a 2 hour (minimum) hike each weekend…
Also how serious do I have to take the side-effects of Accutane?? It comes with a release form I need to sign before even starting the treatment. Has anybody out there ever had any of the more serious side-effects of Accutane? (besides the usual dry/chapped lips)
What’s your ration of HDL to LDL, and what is your triglyceride level. These are generally considered more important than total cholesterol.
Or, better yet, increase your physical activity.
For cholesterol, does that matter? For body fat, you burn more by exercising more, but does exercise affect your blood cholesterol if you’re eating a lot of cholesterol-rich foods?
Below the age of thirty, a high cholesterol won’t usually increase your risk of having a heart attack (in the next five years) very much.
But cholesterol has an additive effect over time. Better to start exercising and eating less saturated fats now. Eat a mediterranean diet including fish twice per week. Better yet, stop smoking.
In patients with known heart disease, lowering cholesterol has been shown to prevent death – the 4S trial showed treating 150 patients with a history of angina or heart attack with Zocor for one year prevented one coronary death. The AFCAPS trial showed treating middle aged people with high lipids and no known CAD reduced events – treating 250 people with Lipitor for one year prevented one event. Data on benefits for women and young people remains sketchy, but it has been proposed the risks of cholesterol medications outweighs the benefit before the age of 40.
You do not have a high cholesterol. It needs to be treated only if you have a strong family history of strokes and heart attacks before 60, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity or smoke.
Maybe. Exercise lowers the rates of all-cause and coronary mortality, even if the lipid levels do not change. For some people, exercise seems to bring on a beenficial, but short term, change in lipids. Ironically, for many people, a healthier diet does not help cholesterol levels much, either. But it is worth eating healthy and exercising since it reduces death rates from heart disease.
Target lipid levels depend on the presence of disease and the number of risk factors, listed in my post above. Exercise decreases risk of coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and stroke. It is the cornerstone of managing claudication.