Silpa,
Thanks for your question. It sounds like you're doing all the right things with your diet and exercise. You should know that your cholesterol is only mildly elevated above the normal of 200. In addition to the total cholesterol number, doctors are very interested in the breakdown of the total into its components, especially the LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein also known as the bad cholesterol) and the HDL (High Density Lipoprotein or good cholesterol). The higher the HDL, the lower the risk for heart and vascular disease. Physicians also look at the ratio of Total Cholesterol to HDL which gives an idea of risk for heart and vascular disease. Ideally, you want that number less than four.
Because of your family history, it's important to keep you cholesterol under control, and you're doing a great job so far. When you have your laboratory work repeated, be sure to obtain the other values - total cholesterol, LDL, and HDL. In the meantime, please review our website for more tips on healthy eating and lifestyle changes to keep your numbers under control.
Again, these numbers are just borderline, and you should be able to get them lower with little more effort. Given your exercise level, I wouldn't be surprised if your HDL was very high, therefore lowering your overall risk.
Best wishes.
Martin Cane, M.D.