Fasting blood lipid results

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi I am 30 year old male. I recently did a blood test for cholestrol. My results are shown as Total Cholestrol = 272. Triglycerides = 239 HDL = 42 LDL = 183 VLDL = 47 CHOL/HDL ratio = 6.4:1 Please advice me ont his

Dear Binu: According to the American Heart Association the desirable Total cholesterol level is <200 mg/dL. Your total cholesterol level is 272mg/dL which is in the high risk category. With HDL (good) cholesterol, higher levels are better. An HDL cholesterol of 60 mg/dL or higher gives some protection against heart disease. Your HDL level is 42 mg/dL which is low. HDL cholesterol level less than 40 mg/dL for men, puts you at higher risk for heart disease. The lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol, the lower your risk of heart attack andstroke. In fact, its a better gauge of risk than total blood cholesterol and your level is between 160 to 189 mg/dL at 183, which is high. Triglyceride is another form of fat. If your level is <150 mg/dL it is normal and in your case it is 239 mg/dL which is also high. If this was a fasting lipid test, then you have high cholesterol that is predominantly made up of bad rather than good cholesterol, which increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. You can help to lower bad cholesterol levels further by eating a heart-healthy diet, avoiding smoking and getting regular physical exercise. I would advise lifestyle modification for a 3 month period and then a repeat test. If after a 3 month period your results are not improved, lipid-lowering medications may be commenced.