Low cholesterol ?

Question

I got my blood results back and it said my cholesterol is at 108 and my HDL cholesterol is at 30 i know this is not normal what can i do in order to have it normal ?

Answer 1

Normal values of cholesterol

HDL ( high density lipoproteins) -normal Adult Rande is 120-240 mg/dl Optimal adult reading is 180. This is considered the good cholesterol.

LDL ( low density lipoproteins) - normal Adult Range is 62- 130 m/dl. Optimal Adult range is 81 mg/dl

Triglycerides - normal Adult Range is 0- 200 mg/dl optimal adult range is 100mg/dl

Cholesterol /LDL ratio
Normal Adult Range is 1-6 mg/dl Optimal Adult reading is 3.5 mg/dl


Whether the value of 108 is designated to your Total cholesterol ( should be less than 200) or HDL- the good cholesterol; overall your cholesterol level is very good or within normal levels. Aside from reading the levels of the HDL or LDL; you should look at the ratio also.


These are risk factors for high cholesterol: obesity ;DM; , high blood pressure, kidney , liver and cardiac disease; previous heart attacks, genetic predisposition heart disease smoking; low HDL levels, age over 45 for men and over 55 for women. as well as a sedentary life style and high stress job. .


Exercising and eating a diet low in saturated and trans fats can help you go a long way toward that goal. If you need more help, effective medications can take you the rest of the way.



Here's an Excerpt from this High Cholesterol Special Health Report put out by Harvard Health Publication:


In the early days of the cholesterol era, researchers naturally assumed that dietary cholesterol (the cholesterol in such foods as eggs, red meat, and dairy products) was the main villain in elevated blood cholesterol, and so they recommended that people stay away from cholesterol-rich foods. Eggs fell from grace as a good, healthful food.


As it turns out, dietary cholesterol isn’t the only food component responsible for raising the level of cholesterol in your blood, or even the most important. Another key culprit is dietary fat—particularly saturated and trans fats. Saturated fats are found in foods such as meats, whole-fat dairy products, and eggs. Trans fats occur naturally in meat, but today people usually get this type of fat in an artificial form contained in hydrogenated oils, used in margarine and many commercial baked goods;fried foods and processed foods.



It appears that high cholesterol levels ( hyperlipidemia) are an unfortunate result of the luxuries of modern life. Our bodies seem to be geared to the low-fat diets of our early ancestors, and we are poorly adapted, at least physiologically, to a life of inactivity and easy access to fatty foods.



Diet isn’t the only cause of high cholesterol. Your cholesterol levels reflect a combination of factors, including your genetic makeup. For some who are genetically predisposed, the amount of cholesterol they eat has relatively little impact on the amount that circulates in their blood. For most people, though, levels of blood cholesterol are closely tied to the amounts of fat and cholesterol in their food.


If left untreated high cholesterol would eventually placed him at high risks for stroke ( CVA) , heart attack or coronary aterial disease or CAD; it may speed up prostrate cancer.

Herbs and natural remedies to lower cholesterol:

Vit B3- Niacin
Artichoke leaf
Soluble fiber-

oats, barley, rye; legumes
fruits such as apples, prunes and berries
vegetables such as carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli

Plant stanols and sterols

Other Supplements
Policosanol ;Red Yeast Rice ;Coenzyme Q10 ;Garlic ; Pantothine Guggul;Niacin; Curcumin; Chromium as Polynicotinate


Lifestyle Changes

=Exercise: Although not everyone can run, burning between 1,200 and 1,500 calories each week doing aerobic exercise can have dramatic results. Not only is exercising a wonderful way to keep your heart healthy, it also helps lose weight, which is an additional benefit. By losing 10 pounds of excess weight, according to Kokkinos, "That's where you see significant increases in your HDL cholesterol."

=Avoid Trans Fatty Acids: Avoid trans fatty acid containing foods such as French fries, cookies, cakes and many of the fried fast foods.

=Minimize Carbohydrates: Minimize carbohydrates by avoiding sugar, flour, potatoes and white rice. Studies prove that HDL level drops dramatically when blood sugar is spiked by carbohydrates.

=Avoid Cholesterol Foods: Minimize the food sources of cholesterol such as egg yolk, liver, kidney, brains, etc.

=Stop Smoking: According to a study at Vanderbilt, within just one week of quitting smoking, HDL levels raised by seven points.


HDL or Good Cholesterol Foods

Red Wine: Drinking red wine is yet another option as long as it is consumed within reason.

"There are antioxidants contained in red wines such as cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, and pinot noir, that help slow down the oxidation of HDL and LDL cholesterol", according to Vincent Rifici of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. What was shown is not that the HDL was higher than those not drinking, but that the HDL contained higher levels of several types of blood fats, thus giving the positive result.


Orange Juice: There was one specific study conducted at the University of Western Ontario in Canada where 25 students drank orange juice every day for four week. The results were amazing. HDL was raised an astounding 21%. The individual leading this study, Elzbieta Kurowska, stated this increase might have been caused by the flavonoid in the orange juice.


Beans: Kidney and red beans are a wonderful choice for raising HDL. These foods are low-glycemic carbohydrates that during digestion do not cause insulin spikes. Studies conducted where people ate foods rich in low-glycemic carbohydrate measure with the highest level of HDL.


Fish: Fish eaten several times a week can also be beneficial in raising HDL since it contains omega-3 fatty acids. This fish would include sardines, salmon, sea bass, herring, etc. If you do not like to eat fish, fish oil can be used as a supplement although the benefit takes much longer.


Olive Oil: Use oils higher in mono-unsaturated fats, such as olive oil or canola oil. Including 1-2 teaspoons of olive or canola oil with each meal would be sufficient.


Oat bran: Lowers cholesterol and LDL and raises HDL. In one study, two ounces of oat bran per day was associated with a 16% lowering of LDL and, after 3 months, an increase in HDL of as much as 15% (JAMA. 1991. 285. 1833-1839).


Onions: Some research suggests that half of raw onion/day may raise HDL as much as 30%.


Soy Products: A 1995 meta-analysis of 38 studies of soy confirmed that it lowers total cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and triglycerides, and raises HDL ("good") cholesterol.

Soluble Fiber: Add more soluble fiber to diet. Soluble fiber is found in fruits such as apples, grapes, and citrus fruits. The fiber in these foods helps lower total cholesterol and often raises HDL levels. You need to consume at least 30 grams of fiber per day.

Drug Therapy

If you have tried some of the above recommendations and have not been successful in raising your HDL level, ask your doctor what HDL-boosting drugs might work best for you. Although some are prescription and can cause side effects, there are other natural approaches like Niacin, which has been shown one of the best methods of raising HDL cholesterol.

When none of the above measures help raise the HDL, doctors prescribe the following drugs that seem to help raise the HDL levels:

Fibrate Drugs: Gemfibrozil, Fenofibrate and Clofibrate) are approved drugs in the "fibrate" category prescribed to increase serum HDL cholesterol. Patients can typically expect to increase the HDL level by 10-30%.

Combination of Fibrate and Niacin: Some patients are prescribed a combination of fibrate and/or niacin with bile acid binding resins to raise the HDL cholesterol levels.



Hope this answered your question adequately. This reply involved a lot of research as well as my own nsg knowledge.and experience as a critical care nurse. I take care of cardiac patients and open -heart bypass pts. Cholesterol is a very impt aspect to prevent coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke.

Answer 2

Well, Im only 18, so I dont really have to worry about cholesterol yet hehe, but my grandparents have bad cholesterol and high blood pressure, and he takes Ginkobaloba (Im not sure if thats how you spell it), and exercise. Cut back on the sweets and really fatty foods to. If nothing seems to work, Id look into some prescription meds.

Answer 3

Low cholesterol is good for body as it optimizes the cholesterol level in the body. Now, which food items are good against cholesterol, to know more about these and to study the full review, click here-
http://cholesterolguardian.com/4-super-drinks-will-lower-cholesterol

Answer 4

Forget your cholesterol-it's fine.
You are anxiety ridden over nothing.
I'm happy for you that you don't have any real problems so you have to search for them but this isn't a problem either so you will have to keep searching-or you could just be happy!.
But seriously-your cholesterol is NOT a problem. You are the victim of SPIN.
check out the link and take care!
http://www.thincs.org/links.htm

Answer 5

the best way to raise your HDL is to exercise. if your total cholesterol is 108, you don't need to worry. even if your LDL is 108, that is still very good.