Cholesterol page

[lexsteeleswang]

hi i have been doing primal now for eight weeks and was just wondering if some one could help me out, i went for a well being test yesterday in which they did my bmi, blood pressure cholesterol etc, but the pharmacist told me my total cholesterol was 6.77 which she said was high, she said it shouldnt really be above 5, when she did my HDL that was 2.59 and she said that should have been around 1 and that the machine she was using could not calculate the TC/HDL ratio, my glucose was 4.2, am i right in thinking that i shouldn't worry about my total cholesterol because my good cholesterol HDL counter acts this.

Any help would be grateful just so i have a clearer understanding

Thanks people

[fiercehunter]

I don't really get cholesterol but the real problem is hardened LDL particles. Total cholesterol isn't what it's all about and high HDL is I think good. Antioxidants are key to prevent heart disease because they keep LDL from oxidizing. Plant oils PUFA has something to do with it too.
I like this article on cholesterol by Ray Peat, maybe it will help you:
Cholesterol, longevity, intelligence, and health.

Increased cholesterol may also be linked to normal aging metabolic processes:

In very young people, the metabolic rate is very high, and the rapid conversion of cholesterol into pregnenolone, DHEA, and progesterone usually keeps the level of cholesterol in the blood low. In the 1930s, a rise in the concentration of cholesterol was considered to be one of the most reliable ways to diagnose hypothyroidism (1936 Yearbook of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Endocrinology, E.L. Sevringhaus, editor, Chicago, p. 533). With aging, the metabolic rate declines, and the increase of cholesterol with aging is probably a spontaneous regulatory process, supporting the synthesis of the protective steroids, especially the neurosteroids in the brain and retina.

Thyroid function has something to do with it also:

After the age of fifty, low cholesterol is clearly associated with an increased risk of dying from a variety of causes. A study of old women indicated that a cholesterol level of 270 mg. per 100 ml. was associated with the best longevity (Forette, et al., 1989). "Mortality was lowest at serum cholesterol 7.0 mmol/l [=270.6 mg%], 5.2 times higher than the minimum at serum cholesterol 4.0 mmol/l, and only 1.8 times higher when cholesterol concentration was 8.8 mmol/l. This relation held true irrespective of age, even when blood pressure, body weight, history of myocardial infarction, creatinine clearance, and plasma proteins were taken into account."

The next step in studies of this sort should be to see how the combination of extra thyroid with adequate cholesterol influences longevity. The rising cholesterol that commonly occurs with aging is probably only partial compensation for declining thyroid function, and by optimizing all of the protective factors, radical changes in the aging process may be possible.

[RichMahogany]

I'm not a doctor, but one of these guys is, and the other is almost: http://chriskresser.com/chris-master...disease-part-3

Basically, they don't recommend trying to analyze anything while you're losing weight. If you're 8 weeks into "doing primal" (whatever that means - subject matter for a different thread), I assume you might be trying to lose weight, in which case the numbers may not be relevant.

[lexsteeleswang]

I'm not a doctor, but one of these guys is, and the other is almost: http://chriskresser.com/chris-master...disease-part-3

Basically, they don't recommend trying to analyze anything while you're losing weight. If you're 8 weeks into "doing primal" (whatever that means - subject matter for a different thread), I assume you might be trying to lose weight, in which case the numbers may not be relevant.

Thanks for your replys when I say 'doing primal' I mean I have swapped to a no grain, limited dairy, organic diet, weight loss is not my priority in the 8 weeks I have gone from 12% body fat to 10% so I am happy at that.

[Jerrod Witt]

Cholesterol is a fat which is produced by the liver and is crucial for normal body functioning. Cholesterol exists in the outer layer of every cell in our body and has many functions. It is a waxy steroid and is transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is the main sterol synthesized by animals - small amounts are also synthesized in plants and fungi.

Thanks a lot.
Jerrod