# Do you want to know your cholesterol? Your kids?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-know-your-cholesterol-your-kids/618735>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [April 14, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-know-your-cholesterol-your-kids/618735 "2012-04-14T03:01:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-know-your-cholesterol-your-kids/618735/21 "2012-04-17T14:13:55Z")

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Here’s my latest cholesterol profile:

> [@](#):
>
> Component…Your result…Standard range…Units  
> CHOLESTEROL…212…\<200…mg/dL  
> TRIGLYCERIDE…32…\<150…mg/dL  
> HDL…88…\>/=40…mg/dL  
> LDL CALCULATED…118…\<100…mg/dL  
> CHOLESTEROL/HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN…2.4…\<5.0

Since my total cholesterol is over 200 I’ve been advised to take statins (I refused). Note that my total cholesterol/HDL ratio, the one that has better predictive value than total or LDL cholesterol, is excellent. Also note that the LDL levels aren’t even measured directly.

Interestingly I had one lab result where my HDL cholesterol mysteriously dropped from the 80s to 39 mg/dl. Although my LDL remained the same, my total cholesterol finally dropped to below 200 mg/dl. The doctor’s response? “Good job.” :rolleyes:

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**Author:** ![SnakeBabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@SnakeBabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeBabe)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-know-your-cholesterol-your-kids/618735/22 "2012-04-21T01:14:11Z")

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I don’t know the numbers, but my doctor just says everything is excellent and that my Vegan (not vegetarian) diet is the reason. So, happy happy me! I dont have kids but the same goes for my hubby who was a bit on the high end. Diet changed it all many years ago.

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**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-know-your-cholesterol-your-kids/618735/23 "2012-04-21T01:32:00Z")

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I love knowing my cholesterol/lipids numbers. That’s the one bright spot I can count on when I get my bloodwork back. Unfortunately, the last time my doctor decided he didn’t need to run those numbers because they’re always awesome.

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**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-know-your-cholesterol-your-kids/618735/24 "2012-04-21T05:52:42Z")

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I do like to know my cholesterol levels- gotta keep that stuff in check.

Most of the time I want to know my kids, but I have to admit, there are days that I really wish I didn’t.

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**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-know-your-cholesterol-your-kids/618735/25 "2012-04-21T17:04:16Z")

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Well played **Alice**.

**Surreal** , nice numbers. Pertinent to the thread, how often are you checking and why? (Given that you have made it clear what you think of your physician’s expertise in this matter and feel completely comfortable otherwise ignoring his/her advice, “my doctor orders it” seems an inadequate answer.)

**Renee** , **Michael…** , and **Crafter Man** ,  
**Eve** ’s anecdotal experience is often used as justification for screening those not at identified current high risk. Despite **Dogzilla** ’s position, very few in the field would dispute the wisdom of treating those with “super duper high cholesterol” with statins. Does **Eve** ’s story, as relatively infrequent as the circumstance might be, influence your belief set at all?

Thank you all for your insights.

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**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-know-your-cholesterol-your-kids/618735/26 "2012-04-21T23:34:06Z")

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> [@DSeid](#):
>
> Well played **Alice**.  
> **Renee** , **Michael…** , and **Crafter Man** ,  
> **Eve** ’s anecdotal experience is often used as justification for screening those not at identified current high risk. Despite **Dogzilla** ’s position, very few in the field would dispute the wisdom of treating those with “super duper high cholesterol” with statins. Does **Eve** ’s story, as relatively infrequent as the circumstance might be, influence your belief set at all?
> 
> Thank you all for your insights.

I don’t have any history of cholesterol problems in my family, and I actually do know my numbers are fine because I had it checked for a life insurance policy about a year ago. I didn’t see the numbers, but I was declared in perfect health, and assume there wasn’t anything alarming. There are scary stories about every medical condition, cholesterol doesn’t particularly scare me.

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**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-know-your-cholesterol-your-kids/618735/27 "2012-04-22T16:27:24Z")

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No offense **Renee** , but what you are saying is that you’ve been screened so you feel no need to be. Sort of a non-answer.

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**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-know-your-cholesterol-your-kids/618735/28 "2012-04-22T16:31:50Z")

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> [@DSeid](#):
>
> No offense **Renee** , but what you are saying is that you’ve been screened so you feel no need to be. Sort of a non-answer.

No, I think she’s saying that she doesn’t need to know the numbers, she feels fine knowing that a doctor has looked at them and declared them “fine”. Not exactly the question you asked, but it’s an answer.

I can’t live like that myself, but lots of people do.

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**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-know-your-cholesterol-your-kids/618735/29 "2012-04-22T19:33:39Z")

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Well, if I hadn’t been screened I wouldn’t bother, so there’s that. Eve’s experience doesn’t really bother me–crazy things happen, I’m just not a worrier.

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