My total cholesterol went from 146 to 217 in 4 months! page

[en2ec]

OK. I just had a simple quick cholesterol test today at a health fair at work. I realize that it is total cholesterol, which doesn't mean much at all (and probably not very accurate). Nevertheless, it is alarming that in 4 months, it went from 146 to 217.

4 months ago, my LDL was 92, and my HDL was 54. I started primal about 5.5 months ago.

Granted, I've been eating dark chocolate, drinkng red wine, and exercising in the interest of trying to raise my HDL. But I don't think that I could have raised it by 71 points in 4 months!

Should I go get a full lipid test now? Should I be alarmed?

[MeatSleepRepeat]

I went primal and had my blood work done 4 months later.
total cholesterol 205.
LDL 99
HDL 96
Triglicerides 48

I'm not alarmed with that, and neither was my physician. But, I'm not a doctor...

[Daydreamer]

It is not alarming at all. Mark posted some studies which show that it's better to have a cholesterol reading between 200 and 240 to prevent all kinds of mortality causes.

Your sexual hormones probably had a boost, too, because of that.
It's protective and it's nothing to worry about as long as your HDL is high and your trig down.

[Artbuc]

Many folks say TC is not a good predictor of CVD. The main focus seems to be LDL-P which requires special testing, preferably NMR. However, top lipidologists like Thomas Dayspring and Tara Dall say non-HDL is an excellent surrogate for LDL-P and should be <150 for moderate risk patients and <100 for higher risk patients. If you believe them, having your TC shoot up without a corresponding increase in HDL-C could mean big trouble.

[en2ec]

Thanks everyone for the comments. I think that it is probably OK. I recall now Mark saying that TC between 200 and 240 is beneficial. Neverthelss, I think that I'll go for a more detailed test to make sure that my HDL has at least gone up in proportion to LDL. In any case, I've been curious if my efforts to increase HDL are working.

MeatSleepRepeat: I'd be totally happy if my HDL and LDL were more or less 1 to 1 like you have.

The test I had today also included triglycerides, but it could only confirm they were less than 70. So even if my LDL has gone up, hopefully it isn't the more dangerous kind.

[sbhikes]

Actually, your lower cholesterol number sounds too low, like outside the realm of health. I think there's actually higher mortality for people with very low cholesterol compared to people with higher cholesterol.

[KathyH]

Actually, your lower cholesterol number sounds too low, like outside the realm of health. I think there's actually higher mortality for people with very low cholesterol compared to people with higher cholesterol.

But what if your TC is low but the ratios are ideal?

[sbhikes]

Well, I'm not an expert. It's something I read somewhere. But here's a perspective that suggests maybe it's not so bad. Cholesterol: Can It Go Too Low?

[KathyH]

Well, I'm not an expert. It's something I read somewhere. But here's a perspective that suggests maybe it's not so bad. Cholesterol: Can It Go Too Low?

In either case, are we NOT supposed to look at TC because it doesn't matter?

[Neckhammer]

In either case, are we NOT supposed to look at TC because it doesn't matter?

It only matters in the extreme ranges.....in those cases it may be indicative of an underlying pathology or genetic predisposition (rarely).