I had my cholesterol tested and I'm a bit anxious about the results. I'm already talking with my doc about the results, but would like to hear from others. I'm 37 years old, healthy, in good shape. I workout at least 140 minutes per week. I'm a vegetarian and have been for many years.
My cholesterol is 137. My triglycerides are 81. My LDL is 78. And my HDL is 43. All of the results sound great, with the exception of my HDL. I like to think of myself as being in good health, so it bugs me that my HDL is low. When I look "low hdl" up it talks about increasing exercise, etc. I'm confused, has anyone ever had great cholesterol except for HDL?
Actually, its looks to me like your HDL is fine. The absolute number of your HDL is lower than average, but that is because your total is much lower than average. One way to look it is to look at the ratio of your HDL to your total cholesterol. A good ratio is 5:1 or lower, and ideal is about 3.5:1
Your ratio is 3.1:1. This is a fantastic ratio. You are fine.
Add nuts and red wine to your diet. Yes- red wine is known to raise HDLs. Good luck!
You don't say what type of vegetarian you are (vegan, etc), but shrimp is quite good for raising HDL. I am a quasi-vegetarian, but I eat seafood and my HDL is nearly 80% of my total cholesterol.
I do not want to offend you with this suggestion, I know I would never consider eating red meat to raise my iron, for example, it's just a thought if your personal beliefs would allow it :)
I believe that your HDL should be above 40 so you're almost there. And yes, exercise can increase your HDL level. That's the good cholesterol. If you had high LDL it would be more of a concern.
Exercising elevates your HDL
I'll trade my numbers for yours.
