What is High Cholesterol?

I went to my doctor to have some blood tests. I had all the standard tests and everything came back normal except in his opinion my cholesterol. I would like to use my cholesterol numbers as an example of how to determine if your cholesterol is high.

My total cholesterol is 205. My HDL is 45. My LDL is 145. My triglycerides are 105. I will go over each of these numbers and tell you what each of them means in relation to risk factors for heart disease, coronary heart disease and stroke.

First off total cholesterol is a meaningless figure. Most alternative doctors and some allopathic doctors no longer use this number. There are too many variables that can influence the total cholesterol number like triglycerides, VLDLs, amount of saturated fats in your diet, smoking and heredity. If you would like to know how to the lab calculates total cholesterol the equation is this:
Total cholesterol=HDL + LDL +(triglycerides/5)

The main problem with this calculation is that as HDL go higher, TC also goes higher. While higher levels of HDL, the so-called good cholesterol, does in fact reduce your risk for coronary artery disease, it appears that your risk is increasing because the TC number is also rising. This doesn't make a lot of sense. In the last five years, a new way of thinking about cholesterol is taking hold. Many doctors now use the ratio of HDL:TC and HDL:LDL to determine risk factors.

Lets take my HDL of 45 and use the ratios above to see where my risk factors are. The ratio of HDL to TC should be 1:4. That is TC should be no more that 4 times HDL. Multiply 45 x 4 and we have 180 for a TC number. We compare that to my TC of 205 and we find that my ratio is a little high. Now lets determine my upper limit of LDLs. The ratio of HDL to LDL should be no more that 3 times HDL. Multiply 45 x 3 and we have 135 for the upper limit of LDLs. My LDL are 145. Again my ratio is a little high.

Now that we know all of this how do I improve my ratios which may help to decrease my risk for coronary artery disease. My regimen includes the following supplements that have been shown to increase HDLs and conversely lower LDLs. I am currently taking 3000 mg of omega-3 fish oil per day. I am also taking 2 capsules of the herb Guggul. This has been used in India for over 5000 years to help lower cholesterol. About ten years ago, the active ingredient in guggul was identified and given the name guggulsterones. A study showed that guggul taken for 60 days increased HDL, lowered LDL and TC without the side effects of cholesterol lowering drugs.

I am scheduled for a follow-up blood test in 90 days. I will post the results of my cholesterol tests when I receive it.

Thanks for spending a part of your day here with me,

James