Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Saturday, June 13, 2009 Ben asks

Q: WHat do I make of these readings?

Total Cholesterol is 100.

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Answers (1)
6/15/09 2:05pm

Hi Ben,


Here are the recommendations of the American Heart Association:

 

Total cholesterol less than 200
HDL cholesterol at least > 40, ideally > 60

LDL cholesterol at least less than 130, ideally less than 100
Triglycerides less than 150

 

I would consult your physician to learn your other levels (LDL, HDL, and triglycerides).  A total cholesterol of 100 is on the low side, so I'd also discuss with your physician if this is a concern for you.

 

All the best,

Lisa Nelson RD

How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps

 

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6/17/09 11:15am

Hi Lisa,

 

New to this system. Must have screwed in posting the question. It picked up only piece of it.

 

Here was the complete information, that I received with my test results:

 

Total Cholesterol - 100

LDL = 36

HDL = 28

Triglycerides = 119, making VLDL = 24.

 

There is a note, at the bottom, which says t hat Analysis of Total Lipids has been discontinued, and replaced by calculated VLDL value.

 

If you add 36+28+ 24, they add upto 88, so a calc. value of 36 was added, to bring the total to 100.

 

Hence my question, what should I make of these readings?

Reply
6/17/09 12:22pm

Your results do not make sense. Here is the formula to calculate total cholesterol:

 

Total cholesterol = LDL + HDL + VLDL

 

For you, this would equal the following:

 

36 + 28 + 24 = 88 mg/dl total cholesterol

 

Why another value was added in to make your total cholesterol 100, does not make sense.  I recommend going back and discussing your results with your physician.  Maybe there was an error.

 

Also, your HDL is very low.  Check out the article below for ways to increase HDL.


Tips to Raise Your HDL Cholesterol

 

All the best,

Lisa Nelson RD

http://www.lisanelsonrd.com

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