Cholesterol levels...

raymenrh

I'm 26 and a little on the heavier side fluctuating at about 17 stone. Being that I'm 6'5 tall I have always taken little notice of the BMI recommendations, which recommend I should be an emaciated 13 stone - Most rugby players sit in the obese bracket and their weight can be accounted for by their sheer muscle mass. I myself have familial CHD risk, both my grandfathers died of MI, my grandmother had angina and my father and mother both have high cholesterol.

I was recommended a lipid screen and found my cholesterol raised at 5.8. Thing that makes it worse for me is I'm a clinical scientist doing blood tests for other people, so I know all the risk factors all too well of both high cholesterol and statins.

I'm completely against the use of statin as a primary treatment and will be refusing it's use initially. I’ve never been a fan of taking medication unless it is absolutely necessary anyway. I myself will be trying other routes such as modifying my diet first, that has no risk at all of any side-effects. If that doesn't work then, well I don't know - I'll have to rethink. As I work in a hospital I have access to a number of clinicians in the field and will be conversing with them too to get a fuller picture. If needed I will go to an alternative GP for a second opinion if my doctor tries in any way to force me into statin.

I am in agreement with the attempting exercise and eating healthily. I'm not a TT rider, but if I can do a 75k offroad marathon and survive mostly unscathed, I would refer to myself as fairly fit. I will certainly be using the idea of stating that I am not mr sedentary overweight average in my fight against a statin prescription.

SteveR_100Milers

raymenrh wrote:

I'm 26 and a little on the heavier side fluctuating at about 17 stone. Being that I'm 6'5 tall I have always taken little notice of the BMI recommendations, which recommend I should be an emaciated 13 stone - Most rugby players sit in the obese bracket and their weight can be accounted for by their sheer muscle mass. I myself have familial CHD risk, both my grandfathers died of MI, my grandmother had angina and my father and mother both have high cholesterol.

I was recommended a lipid screen and found my cholesterol raised at 5.8. Thing that makes it worse for me is I'm a clinical scientist doing blood tests for other people, so I know all the risk factors all too well of both high cholesterol and statins.

I'm completely against the use of statin as a primary treatment and will be refusing it's use initially. I’ve never been a fan of taking medication unless it is absolutely necessary anyway. I myself will be trying other routes such as modifying my diet first, that has no risk at all of any side-effects. If that doesn't work then, well I don't know - I'll have to rethink. As I work in a hospital I have access to a number of clinicians in the field and will be conversing with them too to get a fuller picture. If needed I will go to an alternative GP for a second opinion if my doctor tries in any way to force me into statin.

I am in agreement with the attempting exercise and eating healthily. I'm not a TT rider, but if I can do a 75k offroad marathon and survive mostly unscathed, I would refer to myself as fairly fit. I will certainly be using the idea of stating that I am not mr sedentary overweight average in my fight against a statin prescription.

Losing weight helps reduce the risk, after all you do want to try to minimise the amount of lipids sloshing around in your bloodstream, and being overweight wold indicate that you are ingesting too much which isn't going to help! I still don't think that 5.8 is raised!

raymenrh

I actually did just that. Not so long ago I was on the wrong side of 20 stone. I've been hovering around a comfortable 17/16 stone for an age. Ok, I'm still - what medics would call fat, but I'm hardly obese. A cholesterol of 5.8 isn't that high, but it is raised especially for a young person such as myself, it is definatly a wake up call and I will be doing more to combat it. I will definitely be seeking the best non-medication advice to suit my lifestyle. I still don't ever think in a million years I'll reach my supposed 'ideal weight' of 13 stone, well bar a serious infection. I think a more 'healthy' realistic level is around 15 stone for my height. To reach that lifestyle changes are needed - so be it.