What influences cholestrol levels?

Id like to get it checked but I can't exactly go to the gp and ask for a check for no reason, do more obese peple have higher levels or is it not related to body weight.

Thanks

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Reply 1

Comp_Genius

yes they do, but it also depends on diet and metabolism by the liver

Reply 2

horrorboy

Yea being overweight, eating a fatty diet, metabolism, insulin level (Ive heard) and being formula fed instead of breast fed as a baby.. well Ive ran out of factors.

Reply 3

Fleece

Check your eyes. If you've got a grey/white ring around your cornea then you've got too much cholesterol.

Reply 4

lil one

a high in saturated fat diet

Reply 5

natsing

Cholesterol can be a genetic issue as well as a dietary one, if there is a history of high cholesterol in your family go to the GP and ask for a test, the doctor will be happy to have one done!! I'm very proud of my cholesterol level- 3.2 last time it was checked, woo hoo!!

Reply 6

Anonymous #1

What wrong with doing your own research & using google these days?? There's loads of stuff out there...including some from far more trustworthy sources than internet randoms e.g. British Heart Foundation:

Do I need to have a cholesterol test?

There is a strong link between high blood cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease. If you are affected by some of the other risk factors for coronary heart disease, such as high blood pressure or diabetes you will be offered a cholesterol test. Having high blood cholesterol level alone is not as significant as when you have high blood cholesterol with one or more risk factors, so if you are not affected by the other risk factors, you may not be offered a test.
You should have a cholesterol test if:

There is a history of premature coronary heart disease in your family (this means that someone in your immediate family has developed coronary heart disease before the age of 55 if they are a man or 65 if they are a woman) or familial hyperlipidaemia (i.e. a family history of high fat levels in the blood)
You have diabetes
You are taking drugs for high blood pressure
You already have coronary heart disease or peripheral arterial disease or have had a stroke
You smoke
You are obese

Can I test my own cholesterol levels?

You can buy cholesterol testing kits to use at home. These kits are apparently quite accurate when used in the laboratory by skilled professionals but results have been found to vary when used by people at home. This suggests that they are not very simple to use. If you decide to use a home testing kit for your first cholesterol reading or to monitor your levels long term you should always discuss the results with a health professional, who will be able to advise and support you.

Mobile screening units in high streets cannot guarantee an accurate measurement. As with home testing kits, this could cause either unnecessary worry, or complacency. They are also problematic because they don’t give you a follow up appointment, and because the person that tests you may not know anything about your general health or medical history.

Reply 7

Anonymous #1

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/hypercholesterolemia.htm

What cause high cholesterol levels?

Cholesterol levels can run in families. If the inherited cholesterol levels are very high, this is called familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) or familial combined hyperlipidaemia (FCH) where the triglyceride levels are very high as well.

Levels can also be influenced by the part of the world you live in: cholesterol levels in northern European countries are higher than in southern Europe and much higher than in Asia.

It is known that the relationship to food is significant, but there is no doubt that genes also play a part. High cholesterol is also seen in connection with other diseases, such as reduced metabolism (due to thyroid hormone problems, for example), kidney diseases, diabetes and alcohol abuse.

Reply 8

Anonymous #1

& so on...

NHS Direct

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=100&sectionId=16838

Blood cholesterol checks should be done in people with:

* A family history of cholesterol disorders
* A history of many heart attacks in the family, especially if some of these have occurred at a young age
* Obesity
* Diabetes
* Thick yellow patches (xanthomas) around the eyes or elsewhere on the skin. (These are cholesterol deposits and can often be seen in some patients with inherited or familial cholesterol.)
* High blood pressure
* Acute inflammation of the pancreas (acute pancreatitis).

Reply 9

Anonymous #2

why the hell are u anonymous? You could have got rep for those posts... :frown:

Reply 10

WokSz

It depends on a wide range of factors. But if you eat a high percentage of saturated fats, you're likely to have a high level of cholesterol.

Reply 11

Anonymous #1

Anonymous

why the hell are u anonymous? You could have got rep for those posts... :frown:

I always post anonymously to answer in H&R. :redface:

Reply 12

Fleece

Abusing the anon.

Reply 13

Anonymous #1

Fleece

Abusing the anon.

I have my reasons - which the mods can probably guess!
& use it to attempt to answer questions not ask idiotic ones or abuse people, pfff. They can let me know if they have a problem with it. :smile:

Reply 14

goodLife

horrorboy

Yea being overweight, eating a fatty diet, metabolism, insulin level (Ive heard) and being formula fed instead of breast fed as a baby.. well Ive ran out of factors.

Being breast fed really influences cholestrol :eek:

Reply 15

Helenia

Anonymous

I have my reasons - which the mods can probably guess!
& use it to attempt to answer questions not ask idiotic ones or abuse people, pfff. They can let me know if they have a problem with it. :smile:

Which I don't. There are more legitimate reasons for wanting to stay anon than simply that your story is embarassing.

Reply 16

dj_dave87

As is the case with most things the body needs, it is able to synthesise them. Cholesterol is among the essential molecules and as such the body synthesises it. By virtue of the fact you're a student, you're cholesterol might well be a little high, but not stratospheric. In this case, diet may well be a factor in its reduction. More generally, though, the reasons for high cholesterol are physiological: by which I mean rate of synthesis and degradation. It is for this reason that statins are prescribed by the truckload. If you have a cholesterol of, say, 8 (which you won't for another 40 years if at all), then no amount of change in the diet will reduce it to normal.

Reply 17

Ghetto_Princess12

It depends on what you eat mainly and it can sometimes run in the family.

Reply 18

biscuitking

goodLife

Being breast fed really influences cholestrol :eek:

yes - something to do with metabolic enzymes or summat :smile:

some good answers on here, shame I won't learn about this in detail till march :frown:

Reply 19

dj_dave87

x Sara

It depends on what you eat mainly and it can sometimes run in the family.

I think that first part just contradicted my entire post. If so, then it's just not true. Diet is not the principal cause of elevated cholesterol levels. That is not to say it is not responsible at all.

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