Is my cholesterol high?

Question:

I went in and did some lab work for my allergies and I called to get results. The nurse says my cholesterol is high and the doctor wants me to take fish oil. First of all, I exercise regularly, sometime eat unhealthy and that day I di the blood work I was sick so I went and picked up fast food for lunch. I had the blood taken 2hrs later. Could this have affected my tests and maybe it is normal? I am waiting for the MD to return my call and posted this in the meantime for opinions. Thank you in advance.

Answers:
Food could have a slight, but minimal and transient impact on your overall cholesterol levels. Depending on risk factors you have present (age, gender, family history, smoker etc. . .), your doctor may precribe varying degrees of therapy. Most physicians will start with diet and exercise, as this is the most established treatment paradigm out of medical school. Cholesterol lowering medications are therapies that you are on for a long duration of time (usually the rest of your life), so many doctors will try alternative therapies prior to prescirbing (e.g. fish oil, benecol). Ask your doctor about your levels Total Cholesterol, LDL (bad cholesterol), and HDL (good cholesterol). The most important number is your LDL which, if higher than normal, will most likely drive the type of therapy. Even though you could have a high LDL, a high HDL (above 60) could help offset your risk and need for pharmaceuticals. I'd just keep up the exercise and cut the fast food, that stuff always jacks up your levels in the long run.

If they said its high then its high.What kind of answer are you looking for.

Not really. If the doctor tested you and the result was high, it probably is high. Some people have high cholesteral regardless of diet and physical exercise. It runs in the family for some. I know of someone who runs marathons and is on a stict, almost veggie diet; and they have high cholesterol. I was raised on butter and altough I have cut way down on eating it now, have perfect lipid panels.

Sorry. You will have to follow doctor's orders on managing your cholesterol.

What you eat in the 24 hours prior to blood sampling can affect your cholesterol but if they said it's high, it is.

If they are recommending you take fish oil, it probably means they want you to boost your HDL ("good" cholesterol). There is debate, however, over how much your HDL levels really predict/affect overall health. So, take the fish oil just in case, but also exercise (best way to lower LDL, or "bad" cholesterol) and don't eat deep fried anything.

If you don't manage to lower this yourself, depending on how high it is, your doctor may prescribe you a statin.

Is my cholesterol high?

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