[Gabby123]

How many others have been told by their Doctor to keep their TOTAL cholesteral under 80? Mine was 97 and the Doctor wants it under 80.At first I thought he meant HDL or Ldl but no he wants the main number under.This seems low doesn't it?

[cheryl]

Yes it does, and seems to be unrealistic unless you take med's....

I personally give up on that one....I don't want to give any advice but I will say it seems a little out there....to me that is..

Cheryl

[JediSkipdogg]

That would not be possible unless you eat no fats. Your HDL needs to be at least 40, so under 80 would mean an LDL of under 40 and that is nearly impossible unless you are on a no fat diet.

In all the research I've ever found for diabetics it says that LDL should be under 100 and HDL over 40.

[Cyborg]

My endocrinologist says non-diabetics should have an HDL under 130 and diabetics should have an HDL under 100.

[JediSkipdogg]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

My endocrinologist says non-diabetics should have an HDL under 130 and diabetics should have an HDL under 100.

You mean LDL right? I thought HDL was the good and LDL was the bad.

[Dawn]

No...I've never heard of that as a total. I attended a heart health talk and they said that for a diabetic the LDL should be under around 75 but you want to be able to increase the HDL (for men over 40 and for women over 50).

I'm jealous....your total is 97!!! I personally think that is fabulous!!!

[LoDeSp]

My doctor said the diabetic target for LDL was 70 and for non-diabetics it was 100. He also said that 70 was very difficult to attain without medication.

[shockme]

that doesn't sound right-not for the total cholesterol......i thought the total should be under 200? trish

[Jules49]

My HDL is aLways over 80. My LDL is under 70 but I do take Vytorin 10/10. That was to lower the LDL. My HDL would be wrong for Gabby's doctor. My endo has told me it is normal for a thin Type 1 to have a high HDL. I was not always as thin as I am now but the HDL has been high since I first heard about cholestrol.

[Alice]

My most excellent, former endo from Philadelphia recommended that the levels be lower than non-diabetics. This is to prevent damage to tissue which typically occurs even with good control. He said the interior walls of the blood vessels get "scratched", so to speak in diabetics much faster than non-diabetics. This attracts plaque and contributes to hardening of the arteries, clots, etc.

I've been on Zocor as a preventative since I was 28 years old. This is recommended by most endo's.

Since that time, they've also recommended taking a minimum dose of blood pressure meds (Lisinopril, for me) for prevention of kidney damage.

[Penny]

My last tests had Total Cholesterol....139 (says it should be under 200)
LDL.......................29 ( should be less than 100mg/dl)
HDL.......................52 (should be greater than or equal to 40mg/dl)
All good according to doctors, but my Triglycerides were 289 (should be less than 150 mg/dl). I was told my Triglycerides could be a hereditary thing, but I still have been trying to reduce it. This was in May of this year, I am not due to be tested until 2008. I take 10 mg of Simvastatin a day.

[Gabby123]

Total cholesteral for a non diabetic not on any statins or other cholesteral meds is 200 I am told. But for a diabetic with cholesteral problems he told me the new guidlines were a TOTAl cholesteral count 80 or under not your HDL or LDL count. I thought I heard under 100 also .

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by JediSkipdogg

You mean LDL right? I thought HDL was the good and LDL was the bad.

Oops... Yes, you are correct.

[BlueSky]

The liver creates cholesterol for a number of very good reasons, and without it life is not possible. The obsesion with reducing cholesterol because it is found in plaque, and the suggestion that "cholesterol can't be too low" low, is a bit like saying that, because petrol is inflammable, you really shouldn't be carrying it around with you in your car .... .

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by Gabby123

Total cholesteral for a non diabetic not on any statins or other cholesteral meds is 200 I am told. But for a diabetic with cholesteral problems he told me the new guidlines were a TOTAl cholesteral count 80 or under not your HDL or LDL count. I thought I heard under 100 also .

So-called Cholesterol therapeutic targets have been set by the NCEP (National Cholesterol Education Program) based on risk categories. This has been written up in the ATP3 guidelines, which doctors use for guidance in making clinical judgements.

There are three 10 year heart attack risk categories. If your risk is <10% (no risk factors), the LDL target is <200mg/dl. If your risk is 10%-20% (2 or more risk factors), the LDL target comes down to <130 mg/dl. Risk factors include smoking, atherogenic diet, obesity, inactivity etc. The top level of risk is people who have had a heart attack or have other " CHD risk equivalents". For them, the LDL target is <100 mg/dl. Diabetes is considered a "CHD risk equivalent". So, in terms of the ATP 3 guidelines, we should all strive for LDL < 100 mg/dl.

But it doesn't end there. The ATP 3 guidelines were reviewed in 2004, based on clinical trials that had been recently completed. And it was suggested that lowering the LDL target level for the top level of risk to 70 mg/dl is a "therapeutic option". These targets apply to LDL, not total cholesterol. And I don't know where your doctor gets a target of 80mg/dl from.

The problem with all this is that the LDL targets are now well below "normal". Average LDL in the US is 130 mg/dl. And studies show that maximum longevity corresponds to an LDL level of 80-160 mg/dl. The ATP 3 guidelines have been pitched at a lower level to encourage intesive treatment of at-risk patients. But one has to wonder how healthy sustained abnormally low cholesterol levels can be. The rising incidence of nasty statin complications suggests that this might not be such a good idea.

The doctors are always giving me a hard time over this. I am a diabetic, I am over the age of 45, and I am on what is considered to be an "atherogenic diet". But as long as my LDL is in that 80-160 range and there is no evidence of heart disease, I am happy and won't take a statin. Especially since my triglycerides are low (101 mg/dl) and my HDL is high (82 mg/dl).