Hi!
Had my blood tested for the first time purely out of interest and found out that I have slightly elevated levels of cholesterol.
I'm a 29yo male, 6ft tall and weigh 80kg (down from 89kg on 1st Jan). My father was on statins when he was alive however I'm unsure as to what extent his high cholesterol levels were self inflicted / genetic.
I have been eating quite well this year as I've been trying to lose a bit of weight (this has been successful). I expect that my results would have been slightly worse before I started eating more healthily, however I didn't have the foresight to test this at the time.
I've been eating approx. 2250 cals per day this year (at a maintenance of about 2750 = 500cal deficit), I've been eating lots of green vegetables, lots of fish and poultry, eggs, nuts, berries, oats, bulgur wheat, olive oil and whey protein. I have been drinking alcohol usually 1-2 days of the week & eating steak / other red meat based products a couple of times a week. Also not shy of butter / other solid animal fat based foods but wouldn't say that these make up a huge amount of my caloric intake - perhaps a couple of naughty meals per week with elevated levels of saturated fats etc.
I exercise regularly but mainly strength training with some light cardio, I work on my feet and I cycle or walk most places.
My questions:

• I feel that I've been eating fairly well. I've been doing this for approx 4 months, can I expect my cholesterol levels to improve if I keep going as I am or is it likely that I've hit the limit of what can be achieved with my current diet? Do I need to make changes to see improvement in my results?
  
• Does caloric excess / deficit tend to have any effect on how our bodies deal with cholesterol?
  
• I plan to transition to a higher calorie diet soon (averaging around 2750cals per day). Are there any considerations as to what the healthiest ways to do this might be with regards to my cholesterol levels?
  
• Any other tips and tricks / resources for me to check out please let me know!
  

Results below:
Total Cholesterol - 208.82 mg/dL or 5.4 mmol/L (Range: < 5) LDL Cholesterol - 135.34 mg/dL or 3.5 mmol/L (Range: ≤ 3) Non HDL Cholesterol - 150.81 mg/dL or 3.9 mmol/L (Range: < 3.9) HDL Cholesterol - 58 mg/dL or 1.5 mmol/L - (Range: ≥ 0.9) Total Cholesterol : HDL ratio - 3.6 - (Range: < 4) Triglycerides - 79.72 mg/dL or 0.9 mmol/L - (Range: < 2.3)
Please note I did the mg/dL calculations online. I hope that they are correct.
Thank you

I am 47 and my calcium score is 34. I also have a total of 210 Cholesterol. Of that 118 is LDL which is high. I do have high HDL as well. When I put it into a calculator online it said my "age" was 11 years older than i really am. I am only half way through Outlive. I dont know what to do next. What should I be doing now to reverse this trend? How bad are those 2 things, especially combined? I exercise by running and squats and jump roping albeit only about once a week. I dont eat junk food but I dont restrict foods at home or diet.

Folks, I just had some blood labs taken.
I'm struggling to make sense of what I believe is my Lipid Panel.
I'd welcome some help please?
My numbers are;

• Cholesterol = 5.1
• Triglyceride = 1.5
• HDL Chol. = 1.3
• LDL Chol. = 3.1
• Chol. HDLC Ratio = 4.0
• HbA1c (IFCC) = 32

Do the numbers indicate I'm Insulin Resistance please?
How do I calculate that myself please?

Folks, I just had some blood labs taken.
I'm struggling to make sense of what I believe is my Lipid Panel.
I'd welcome some help please?
My numbers are;

• Cholesterol = 5.1
• Triglyceride = 1.5
• HDL Chol. = 1.3
• LDL Chol. = 3.1
• Chol. HDLC Ratio = 4.0
• HbA1c (IFCC) = 32

Does the numbers indicate I'm Insulin Resistance please?
How do I calculate that myself please?
​

UK Male, 65, 6ft, 178lbs, no health conditions. I had an NHS cholesterol test and the advice was "normal range." However, I have read that the results (especially the serum cholesterol) are not normal. or barely normal and I am not sure how to proceed with my GP?
Results were: Serum cholesterol: 5.2 mmol/L. Serum triglycerides: 1.23 mmol/L. Serum HDL cholesterol level: 1.54 mmol/L. Calculated LDL cholesterol level: 3.2 mmol/L. Serum cholesterol/HDL ratio: 3.4. Serum non HDL cholesterol level: 3.7 mmol/L.
Thanks

I just got a (relatively) comprehensive blood panel done. Missed a few things, but a good start. Wanted to get feedback from the brains here on what I can do to address some of my health concerns, given the labs and my personal context.
Context: Male. late 30s, trim/healthy all my life. Lifted for years, started cardio this year just for heart health. Eat clean as fuck. Realistically at about 13-14% BF. Will get more into diet later since everyone thinks of a good diet differently. I take Mag, Zinc, D/K, and Theracurmin. No other supps, no drugs. The main health concerns I have are:

• Bad sleep. Perfect sleep hygiene but wake up early most days and cannot fall back asleep. The Matthew Walker pod episodes did enough to scare the shit out of me on this. Probably related to...
• High anxiety/stress at work,and what I perceive to be high cortisol (may be caused by bad sleep, or causing bad sleep itself).
• High fasting glucose (~95-105) and high-ish A1C (5.4-5.6) for a decade now.
• Lowish but in-range T (ranging from low 300s to low 500s, usually in the 400s). True since my early 20s, not a late 30s thing.
• Persistent belly fat despite cutting / being skinny everywhere else. As someone who has worked out for a long time and done a lot of reading, I have a hunch this is cortisol/testosterone/sleep related as opposed to just being "lose the last 3% bro". I also have a hard time putting on serious muscle. For context, even at a skinny weight (and lifting/eating well), my abdominal skinfold hovers around 22-30.

Everything else is honestly fine. People in my life see me as the paragon of health. Labs - From Marek (their aggressive reference ranges). Labs taken at 830am, fasting, after a night of 2-3 hrs of sleep (could not sleep). Lipids:

• Apo-B: 75 (<90)
• Total Chol: 151 (100-199)
• HDL-C: 69 (>39)
• LDL-C: 73 (<100)
• Trigs: 39 (<150)
• LDL-P: 655 (<1000 "Low")
• HDL-P: 29.7 (Low, target >30.5)
• Small LDL-P: 180 (<527)
• LDL Size: 20.6 (>20.5)
• Large VLDL-P: 1.0 (<2.7)
• Small LDL-P: 180 (<527)
• Large HDL-P: 12.1 (>4.8)
• VLDL Size: 40.9 (<46.6)
• LDL Size: 20.6 (Low, Target >20.8)
• HDL Size: 10.3 (>9.2)
• LP-IR Score: <25 (very good according to their table)

Comments: Looks pretty good, all lipid sizes seem good except LDL/Small LDL/Large VLDL sizes are close to median rather than 'super good'. Not sure how much lower ApoB can be without drugs, which I am not super keen on. Forgot to do LPa so will do that next time. And maybe CAC.
Omega:

• OmegaCheck: 9.8 (>5.4)
• Arachdonic Acid/EPA Ratio: 4.2 (3.7-40.7)
• Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratio: 4.0 (3.7-14.4)
• Omega 3 total: 9.8
• EPA: 2.9 (High, target 0.2-2.3)
• DPA: 1.5 (0.8-1.8)
• DHA: 5.4 (High, target 1.4-5.1)
• Omega-6 total: 39.0
• Arachidonic Acid: 12.2 (8.5-15.6)
• Linoleic Acid: 24.8 (8.6-29.5)

Comments: Seems good, but is there any risk in "high" EPA and DHA? I do eat a lot of fish.
Hepatic Function:

• Protein, Total: 7.9 (6.0-8.5)
• Albumin: 5.2 (High, target 4.1-5.1)
• Bilirubin, Total: 0.4 (0.0-1.2)
• Bilirubin, Direct: 0.14 (0-0.4)
• Alkaline Phosphatase: 84 (44-121)
• AST: 23 (<41)
• ALT: 33 (<45)

Comments: Prefer to have lower liver labs but not sure how. Is Albumin slightly a high a symptom of something bad?
Hormones

• Testosterone: 395 (264-916)
• Free Testosterone: 9.8 (.7-25.1)
• Cortisol: 15.3 (6.2-19.4)

Comments: Test a little lower than normal, but could be the 2 hours sleep. Always lowish, usually in 400s. Cortisol, I may do follow up testing for 24 hour urine/blood to get a sense of it there are issues with overnight.
Metabolic

• A1C: 5.6 (<5.7)
• Fasting Glucose: 99 (<100)
• Fasting Insulin: 4.8 (2.6-24.9)
• Calculated HOMA-IR: 1.2

Comments: This is the lab I want to fix most. I eat completely whole foods, about 1.0g per LBM protein. I am at about maintenance TDEE as my weight has stayed steady. I eat a complete diet, mostly protein from fish and chicken, but red meat as well. Not vegan or close to it. Dairy limited to yogurt every breakfast. I alternate carb days (4x a week when lifting) with high-fat low-carb days (3x a week when not lifting and just doing cardio). My 2-week CGM experiment told me that my baseline glucose is usually in the high 90s or low 100s. When I eat carby meals, depending on the meal, I see spikes from 140 to sometimes as high as 180. Double-humped return to baseline over 2-3 hours. I really think the issue is my high baseline glucose, which I think should be in the 80-90 range rather than ~100, given all my other stats, diet, etc. Given relatively low fasting insulin, is it really insulin resistance? How do I become more insulin sensitive?
Other:

• Homocysteine: 9.2 (<14.6)
• C-reactive protein: 0.47 (0-3)
• Uric Acid: 5.6 (3.8-8.4)
• Vit B12: 826 (232-1245)
• Vit D: 75.8 (30-100)
• Ferritin: 201 (30-400)

Comments: These seem fine. Not sure anything pops. Given my ok homocysteine levels and already high Omega 3 levels, not sure there is anything to change diet or supplement-wise to drive homocysteine even lower. Already taking Theracurmin and Magnesium L-Threonate. But open to advice!

Hello MTHFRs of Reddit!
43yo male here. I've been on a health optimization journey. Started with low carb diets to improve my cholesterol and blood glucose (mixed results, see more below), and then fell into the rabbit hole of self directed testing. I arrived on this subreddit after discovering I have some variants of the gene mutations discussed here.
I got some lab work done to inform the MTHFR supplement stack approach. I don't think I found any smoking guns that would point to an obvious issue that needs to be addressed however I admit I have a ton to learn. I'd appreciate any pointers to get me off to a good start.
First a little bit about what I am looking to improve:

• Anxiety
• Autoimmune (Rheumatoid Arthritis)
• Brain fog
• High LDL / High Triglycerides
• High fasting glucose (~100)

Genetic Genie

• Red
  • VDR Taq
  • MAO-A R297R
  • BHMT-02
  • BHMT-04
  • CBS A360A
  • CYP2D6 S486T
• Yellow
  • COMT V158M
  • COMT H62H
  • MTHFR 03 P39P
  • MTHFR A1298C
  • MTRR A66G
  • MTRR A664A
  • CYP1B1 L432V
  • CYP1B1 N453S
  • CYP2C19*17
  • GSTP1 I105V
  • SOD2 A16V
  • NAT2 I114T
  • NAT2 K268R

Blood Work

• Vit D 25-OH: 48 ng/ML (30-100)
• Calcium: 10.4 mg/dL (8.5 - 10.5)
• Folate: 19.3 ng/mL (200-1100)
• Vit B12: 406 pg/mL (200-1100)
• Homocysteine: 8.4 umol/L ( < 11.4 )
• HDL: 46 mg/dL ( > 40 )
• LDL: 185 mg/dL ( < 100 )
• Triglycerides: 90 mg/dL (< 150)

Choline Calculator Results

• 7 egg yolks.
• Methlyfolate Score: 46% decrease

Current Stack

• Vit D3: 5000 IU every other day
• Fish oil: 2200mg 2x a day (1400 EPA / 480 DHA)
• Sertraline 200mg
• Humira

Thank you!
​

In case anyone is like me and does a lot of their bloodwork on on their own in between the annual stuff your doctor does, I was able to get the Cardio IQ advance lipid panel just now for $108 on walkinlab using code Friend20.
This panel includes the following tests:

• Cardio IQ® Cholesterol, Total
• Cardio IQ® HDL Cholesterol
• Cardio IQ® Triglycerides
• Cardio IQ® Non-HDL and Calculated Components
• Cardio IQ® Lipoprotein Fractionation, Ion Mobility
• Cardio IQ® Apolipoprotein B
• Cardio IQ® Lipoprotein (a)

I was mainly needing/wanting those last three, but also interested in seeing how my going back to pescatarian is helping everything and if there are any changes since I last tested at the beginning of the year. I shop around between a few different lab ordering sites. Since I ordered with this one again, I finished earning a $30 credit with this order, so that can go toward whatever test I do next.

Got some blood work back, triglycerides are at 210 mg/dLH, HDL I'd at 35 mg/dL.
Unless I misunderstood calculating, their ratio would be a big fat 6, which is not good. Apparently anything over 3 is concerning.
Would it be better to try and raise HDL or lower triglycerides, or both, and how would I go about either? Or am I not taking context from the other lab results that would mean these levels are fine?
Edit: I did fast before the blood draw.
Edit 2: I am reading through the responses, even if I'm not responding. Thank you all for the info.

Seeking awakening could be described as a mission to discover:
- Who you are (by finding who you are not)
For some people, the story of this discovery is especially insufferable due to health issues or general fatigue.
I think the health of the story's protagonist can be greatly improved by taking steps to take care of the body if you are not already doing so. This can help the story along.
I wanted to share some simple advice that noticeably improved my energy levels:
Check your magnesium level:
Magnesium deficiency is common in up to 50% of Americans, and can have substantial impact on mitochondrial function and energy production.
If you can't afford to get a magnesium blood test, you can also calculate your magnesium intake. Find the nutrition facts for the foods you're eating and see how the total compares to your recommended daily value.
If you're short, I recommend taking a form of Magnesium known as Magnesium Chloride. There are other forms of Magnesium but these have unique effects. Magnesium Chloride is the least likely to cause gut indigestion, is more effective than Magnesium Oxide, and is cheaper than other forms like Magnesium Threonate. I take this product [Not sponsored] but any form of Magnesium Chloride should suffice.
Get basic bloodwork:
I'm not sponsored, but I highly recommend ordering tests through Marek Health. The simple reason is because this is far cheaper than any source I have found, it can even be cheaper than your doctor, and is fulfilled by Quest Diagnostics, which is widely available across the United States.
Here are some basic tests with costs that I would recommend:
Lipid Panel - $8.00
Liver Panel - $5.00 or CMP - $8.50
Thyroid- $13
You could get these tests for a price between $26-$35, although it may be worth asking your doctor if you can get them for less. But for those without health insurance this may be a very affordable option. I found that it is generally much more expensive through other sources.
Consider eliminating seed oils:
This is a recent endeavor of mine and the science is controversial. There are experts in both camps, but after reviewing the literature I was persuaded that seed oils, especially Omega-6, which is very common in most of the foods in a western diet, promotes inflammation and health diseases through a process known as lipid oxidation.
I recently cut polyunsaturated fats (except for Omega-3) almost entirely out of my diet and have noticed a substantial increase in energy, although until I have the blood-work to back up the anecdotal subjective feeling I will still only advocate for this as a consideration.
I also supplement 3 grams of Omega3. Because Omega3 is prone to oxidation, it's necessary to be careful about the brand you source from. Again, I'm not sponsored, but I buy from this brand.
Engage in Zone 2 and 5 Training:
"Zone" training refers to heart rate zones. The way that the body metabolizes and utilizes energy changes in different "heart rate zones". These zones have been labeled 1-5.
Zone 1 is approximately achieved at 50-60% of your max heart rate. You can calculate your max heart rate and your personal zones here. Zone 2 is approximately achieved at 70% of your maximum heart rate.
There is also an informal Zone 2 test called the "Talk test" if you don't want to do any calculations. You are in Zone 2 when you are able to talk, but it should be strained.
Zone 5 is achieved by hitting 90-100% of your max heart rate (for example by sprinting).
Beginners may look to hit approximately 1-2 hours a week of Zone 2 training and a couple of Zone 5 activities twice a week. The zone 5 training can be extremely short. A short sprint a couple of times a week will make a big difference.
I like to take 30 minute walks that are around Zone 2 and do a quick Zone 5 sprint at the end. Even if you can only start doing this a couple of times a week, this can make a huge difference!
I hope you may find this useful on your awakening journey. Take care.

I'll share my latest numbers here for reference. But I spend a lot of time obsessing over my cardio health. That doesn't mean I'm super healthy, I just stress about it. I'm a 41m and about 40 pounds overweight.
Every morning I wake up, this is the first thing I think about and countless times throughout the day. I get in this sub and read endless posts, looking for comfort, and never seem to get it.
I found a calculator recently that gave me a 13% chance of heart attack or stroke by age 80 (16% when I added lp(a)). If that's my true risk, why am I so obsessive about this? I have an 85% chance of never having an issue? I swear I wake up and thing any given day, I have a 50% risk of dying from a heart attack. I have virtually no family history of such.
Has anyone in here ever actually had a heart attack? I also wonder how our numbers compare to the average person out there that doesn't even think about it.
I know that I need to do better and I'm off to a good start. My diet is pretty clean m-f now (though the weekends I get off track). Also doing better with exercise, which should help my trigs.
LDL-C 110 HDL 36 Total 195 Trig 245 VLDL 49 LP(a) 108 nmol/l apob 115

37M, 5'10'' 205, white.
I was adopted.
Recently I found out almost everything about my birth parents almost all at once which was pretty overwhelming, and there's some health stuff that really stuck out to me.
Both sets of grandparents lived into their early 80's. On my dad's side my grandmother died of some sort of cancer and my grandfather died from something heart related/possibly beginning stages of alzheimers.
I'm going to focus on his lineage.
My great grandfather died in his early 40s from a heart attack. HOWEVER I'm told he got rheumatic fever as a child that they were unable to fully treat and it damaged his heart.
My grandfather had bypass surgery 3 separate times, but ultimately lived to be 82. However I'm told he ALSO got rheumatic fever as a child and it damaged his heart.
He had 3 kids (2M, 1F). What would be my uncle died at age 39 (!) from a heart attack. I am told he had high blood pressure and high cholesterol and did nothing about it and didn't exercise. He was also obese but I'm told he didn't look that big (whatever that means). This info comes from what would be his cousin who got that info from my father. Aunt got breast cancer in her late 40s and tried to pray it away (yikes).
My father is currently 65 or 66 and in relatively poor health (my words). He has congestive heart failure and diabetes. According to him he is 60 lbs overweight. He owns and runs a barestaurant so he's out there living some sort of life.
So I'm having trouble parsing all of this. That's a lot of heart stuff, however there seems to be some bad behavior and/or extenuating circumstances. I'm trying to figure out how much of this is likely to be genetic and how much is likely attributable to behavior.
I'm a few lbs overweight but working on it. Until 2020 I was never over 200. I've always held a lot of weight in my thighs and butt (I'm told where you hold the weight matters some). I've been pretty active my whole life. For the past 2 years I've been weightlifting 2-4 times a week. I've done that before over the years but never as long as 2 years. I run on and off. Probably 500-600 miles last year. Biked about 400-500 miles this summer. In the past 10 years I've run 2 marathons and 2 half marathons, though I haven't done one in 6 years or so. In the past 10 years I've averaged 10k steps/day-I work on my feet. I prob average this back to 2010 or but my phone only goes back to 2014.
Diet. Was vegetarian/pescatarian through most of college and a few years after. Red meat maybe 3 times a month. Cook with olive oil. Cheese more common than red meat but not crazy. Generally I've thought of my diet as fairly healthy despite my love of carbs. Rarely eat fast food. Rarely eat packaged food-love to cook.
Drinking: On average 2 drinks a day (crept up during Coronavirus) though I've essentially cut that in half the past 7 weeks and feel good about sticking with that.
BP: Typical for me is in the 115-125 over 75-80 range. My resting heart rate is generally 55-60.
No current meds, smoked during college and a couple years after but haven't in 10+ years. Never used drugs besides marijuana periodically but haven't used that since probably November?
My doctor seemed relatively unconcerned about the family history and said he was hearing a common data point of people who didn't take care of themselves and pointed out that I was adopted and probably didn't learn a lot of their bad habits because of it. Pointed out that I don't seem to have high blood pressure.
He ran a lipid panel and these were the results:
Cholesterol-188 Triglycerides-72 HDL-57 LDL Calculated-117
He didn't call me about the results. I was surprised he was so unconcerned. Should I be?

I am currently enrolled in the 2nd year of a 5 year Bachelors + Masters program in Electronics engineering. I just wanted a couple of questions answered, thought it would be the best place to ask:

1. What are analog ICs used for these days, besides like sensors/ADCs ? From what I have learned so far via my courses, most processing and storage is done digitally. And it seems like only ADC/DACs are needed for sensors.
2. Would AI replace analog designers ? would it become like digital design where you write code in HDL or some HLS tool and then AI or some other software trickery is used to automate the rest of the design flow? what would an analog designers do then in their job?
3. I talked to a Senior Director of Engineering at a big name firm (fortune 500), he works at the compiler level rn(he started with communication systems). He gave me advise that, you always have to start out doing what ever is the new hot shit around; and rn AI/ML seems like the hot new shit around. How true is that? like for my thesis research, I am planning to work on some sorta mixed signal NPU (if possible). Like is something like an analog NPU actually useful or is it overhyped?
4. Is something like MAGIC/ Klayout good enough to gain exposure to layout level when applying for a job? like if I say in my resume, I designed X with MAGIC/Klayout, would it actual be beneficial? Basically the FOSS tool chain (that has developed over the years/ is developing) verilog/verilog AMS xschem + NGSPICE MAGIC/Klayout/OpenROAD (for digital) would carry some actual experience relevant to the industry? or is experience in proprietary tools like Cadence suite necessary
5. Is working on an FPGA using SystemVerilog/Verilog or some HLS tool similar to the current design flow for digital design? i..e if I do FPGA related work in academia, can I then apply to those skills to a job in digital IC design? (as my first job) or would I need experience purely focused on IC design part
6. I have to choose a domain for my research (for the next 3 remaining years of my program). I have narrowed it down to either mixed signal hardware design or system architecture/low level programming (using HLS and FPGAs primarily). --------------------------------------------------------------- So far related to analog/mixed signal design: I have taken a basic analog electronics course, a basic digital design course, a basic VLSI course, designed a bit sliced ALU completely from verilog level to layout level (using magic), designed a few analog circuits at bread board level, such as a multi stage audio amplifier, an op amp based calculator. And I like it. I appreciate an intuitive understanding of analog components and circuits (though not very good at solving questions in exams related to it) and I like it despite all that. --------------------------------------------------------------------- so far related to system architecture: Have had a basic course on processor architecture. i implemented a toy Y86 ISA in verilog (its made up by authors of the book for educational purposes and sits somewhere in between the x86 and RISC V ISA). I like this kinda work/topics too. Programming isn't my forte. ------------------------------------------------------------- I am neither good at mixed signal design nor at programming (never done competitive programming whereas everyone else in class seems to be doing it). So in either case I will have to work on those skills. Which one should I choose? I would definitely prefer job security but don't wanna miss out on understanding of designs from an architectural level, if I do IC design.

I had a physical in May of 2023 and my cholesterol numbers were high. I had my 2024 physical yesterday and she took fasting cholesterol again... the only thing I can say is that I didn't eat very well Thursday night as I had a work party, but I was fasting for 12 hours.
Column 1 is May, 2023 and column 2 is the new result from Feb, 2024:
​
Total Cholesterol: 209 -> 209 (no change)
Triglycerides: 127 -> 114 (a drop!)
HDL: 52 -> 53 (increase of 1)
VLDL: 23 -> 20 (decrease of 3)
LDL Calculated: 134 -> 136 (increase of 2)
​
I am a little concerned about how high my LDL is. Not sure what VLDL is but that went down?
Would really appreciate some advice. I won't lie that I didn't really make any changes since May, 2023 but am willing to do so now (am in a much better head space than I was last year) but also don't want clogged arteries in 2 years.
​

Hello, I am a Cardiologist. Since the role as risk factor for cardiovascular disease of Lp(a) in the recent years has increased I started asking it in the laboratory testing for my patients.
Some laboratories report "Apolipoprotein AI", is it the same of the Lp(a)? From wikipedia I would same it's not. Can I obtain the Lp(a) from the apo-AI? Somewhat how we can calculate LDL from total cholesterol+HDL+Triglycerides with Friedewald formula? I wouldn't like to ask again to repeat a blood test

I am going to an appointment with a new doctor tomorrow where I want to talk about my concerns with my blood lipid panels. My non-HDL-C is about at the 85 percentile, LDL-C is about at the 85 percentile, and my ApoB is about at the 80 percentile. Neither the LDL or ApoB tests were in the high risk range but they were very close to being in the high risk range. My lathosterol and demosterol are high, so I think that means that my cholesterol production is high. I am in my mid-30s and I am in good health otherwise, I don’t have any other risk factor for having bad lipids such as excess weight or a bad diet. I have a family history of heart disease so I suspect it is from that.
I got a set of labs that Attia recommended outside of my normal health care provider. I’ve asked for lipid panels in the past and they have been kinda high too. My provider used a calculated value for LDL instead of direct measure and never tested ApoB, which is not what Attia recommends.
Attia has used a case like mine as an example of someone who should probably get a calcium score test or a CT angiogram to directly measure how much calcification or soft plaque there may be. I am thinking that this may be a good thing to do, but I am also open to doing something else since I am not an expert obviously.
How should I approach talking about this with my doctor? How have all of you talk with your doctors successfully or unsuccessfully in the past about getting more aggressive treatment for issues or Attia’s ideas if they are different from your physician? Particularly, how have you presented outside tests to your physician that they did not order?
I just don’t know how I approach this with my doctor. I don’t want to say anything about “doing my own research” because I doubt that doctors like hearing this and in addition to that, what the hell do I know. But I have listened to enough content from Attia (although I still have a ton more material to go through) to think that this is something that I really should pay attention to. I don’t know how to approach this in a way to make sure that I don’t get dismissed because I am young and healthy now.

Background:-
I'm 37/M. 179cm, usually about 98-99kg range. No alcohol or Smoking habit. But have very bad eating habit (fast foods, high carbs, sugar drinks, overeating, late night snack etc.). Daily one hour walking in avg speed is the only exercise in my otherwise sedentary WFH lifestyle. Family history of diabetics is there.
Now;
Last week, let's say Day 1, I took my lipid profiles from a local private lab. The numbers read,
Total Chol. = 233 HDL = 34 LDL = 184 VLDL = 29.7 Trigly. = 149
Since all numbers are bad, I decided to consult doctor. Got appointment on Day 4 on a multi-specialty hospital. She asked me to get bit more tests for sugar, urine, tsh etc. to get more clarity on my health. That hospital had packages and discounts for these tests so, on Day 5, took the tests there. Results directly sent to doctor. Sugar came in about borderline high and rest of the tests came back as normal. So she suggested lifestyle changes and referred me a cardiologist and he gave me medication for high cholesterol and asked to come back in 30 days with another test.
After reaching home only I saw, the testing package I took in the hospital included Lipid profile as well and cardiologist was shared only those numbers. Their numbers read,
Total Chol. = 264 HDL = 52 LDL = 200 VLDL = 19 Trigly. = 104
I'm bit confused on the cholesterol numbers as both tests showing big differences esp. in HDL and Triglycerides. Even VLDL too . But since , sadly, LDL is even higher and he gave medication according to the latest report (and of his hospital lab) only, I didn't want to disturb the doctor on this.
But still, I didn't know 4 days could make these kind of differences in the numbers. The only change I incorporated in those three days were, added 10 more minute of jogging along with walking. And on Day 2 Lunch, I had a party where I had few pieces of fried foods and small portion of cheesy and saucy salad. Otherwise, I had only regular balanced home made food . Didn't have any of those bad food habits I mentioned above.
And today, upon analyzing the test reports from both days again, I found one significant difference; The Method used by the labs for the tests.
Day 1, private lab used the method Elimination/Catalase for HDL/LDL and Kinease-Peroxide method for Triglyceride.
Day 4, big hospital lab used the method Direct Enzymatic for HDL/LDL and GPO-POD for Triglyceride.
Both used some Calculation methods to arrive at VLDL. They didn't mention how.
I have no idea what are these methods. So I just wanted to check here,

• What is the difference between these methods?
• Could the testing methods cause such different numbers?
• If yes, which one should I trust?
• Or am I unnecessarily concerning here, as these number variance is normal ?

Thank You.

I'm 1 month in on 20mg. Due to go up to 40mg now, and see the doc again in 1 month.
Had bloods before starting, then again a few days ago. Bloods have come back with raised cholesterol. How much is too much, conscious I'm not seeing doc again for a month, should I be worried? Are the rises too much, is the doc going to say to come off it?
Calculated Non-HDL Cholesterol gone from 3.4mmol/L to 4.6mmol/L.
Serum Cholesterol gone from 4.8 to 5.9
LDL Cholesterol gone from 3.1 to 4.1
Serum Cholesterol/ HDL ratio gone from 3.4 to 4.5
Anyone have any experience with how bad these values are?

Hey All,
Doctor says my cholesterol is a little high, and curious how to interpret these results. He literally didn't say anything other than I am a little high and he is slightly concerned. I know with all the recent data about LDL and variances within it. Other than this, he said my blood work is excellent.
MALE, 56yrs of age, 173lbs.

Cholesterol: 194

Triglycerides: 58

HDL Cholesterol: 51

LDL Calculated: 131

VLDL Cholesterol: 12

Cholesterol/HDL Ratio: 3.8

LDL/HDL Ratio: 2.6

Also, any thoughts on lowering the LDL. I am very active now (started an exercise routine about 4 months ago, eating much better).
Your thoughts on those readings?