Christina,
You have received some great information, and I just wanted to "second" some of the information, as well as add to it.
1. As Reta said, your HDL is great! You want this over 50 (at the minimum), so maybe you can reframe your thinking to asking, "why is my LDL (bad cholesterol) still high?". It may give you another frame of reference that you have high GOOD HDL cholesterol, and that is actually more important as a protective factor. Way to go!
2. You did not mention one important factor, and that is the amount you exercise. Losing weight is great for helping to reduce cholesterol, and we do not know if you have a family history of high cholesterol. Sometimes cholesterol-reducing drugs can only do so much...the rest needs to be adding exercise and monitoring what you eat (not just the calories for weight loss). According to Dr. Carrie Jones at EmpowHer (10 Tips for reading your cholesterol test, she mentions, "eliminating trans-fat from your diet, as well as eating healthy fats (avocado and nuts in moderation) can help reduce LDL". Also adding fiber-rich foods can help reduce cholesterol...and adding daily physical activity (not just "exercise") can really make a difference.
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Christina,
You have received some great information, and I just wanted to "second" some of the information, as well as add to it.
1. As Reta said, your HDL is great! You want this over 50 (at the minimum), so maybe you can reframe your thinking to asking, "why is my LDL (bad cholesterol) still high?". It may give you another frame of reference that you have high GOOD HDL cholesterol, and that is actually more important as a protective factor. Way to go!
2. You did not mention one important factor, and that is the amount you exercise. Losing weight is great for helping to reduce cholesterol, and we do not know if you have a family history of high cholesterol. Sometimes cholesterol-reducing drugs can only do so much...the rest needs to be adding exercise and monitoring what you eat (not just the calories for weight loss). According to Dr. Carrie Jones at EmpowHer (10 Tips for reading your cholesterol test, she mentions, "eliminating trans-fat from your diet, as well as eating healthy fats (avocado and nuts in moderation) can help reduce LDL". Also adding fiber-rich foods can help reduce cholesterol...and adding daily physical activity (not just "exercise") can really make a difference.
Let us know how you are doing!
October 25, 2009 - 5:05pmThis Comment
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