37yrs old and i have cholesterol (LDL 3.7)?

im 37yrs old and have just been told by my doctor that i need to go on tablets for the rest of my life. my overall cholesterol level is 5.9,im 6ft and weigh 16.5stone and do not exercise but i am a very active worker, non smoker and rare drinker although i think my past exploits with fast food and alcohol may have caught up with me. my doctor wasnt to concerned about the overall level but was quite shocked at my LDL level. can anyone tell me more about LDL levels and if they know if this is a high reading or not because everyone who i talk to cant see any further than the 5.9 overall reading, i am very confused and quite worried.

Your LDL(bad) must be below 3.4, while your HDL(good) must be higher than 1.0. Your TRIGLYCERIDES must be below 2.3. Over all the average must be below 5.2. I'm sure your doctor gave you the speech about the risk of heart and stroke associated with high cholesterol but what he did not tell you was the risks associated with taking something like Lipitor for example. It does not reduce your chances off heart decease and if anything can cause liver damage. If you don't want to take medications for the rest of your life a simple diet and daily exercise is the solution to your problem. I'm sure he told you to lose weight. It could be a result of years of poor diet and even lack of exercise. Most of the time it is hereditary, which means we can't change our genes. We can however take responsibility and make the necessary changes for a healthier tomorrow.. Before you start popping pills eat healthier and find some kind of exercise that you can do everyday. Do it with a friend if it gets you motivated. You can do this if you want. Make the decision and go for it. Then the next time you go to see your doctor you will have results. GOOD LUCK! I was 34 when my doctor gave me the speech, so I know. Mine 6.2. Within four months I went down to 4.8.

Not sure what a "stone" is equivalent too, but normal total cholesterol is ideally less than 200. HDL (Happy cholesterol) is the good cholesterol and should be greater than 50. This is acheived by exercise. LDL is your bad cholesterol and should be less than 100. This is acheived by eating lots of fruits and vegetables. You can take meds to change your levels, but you can try exercise and diet initially. These are your modifiable risk factors....however, you may have bad genes and this will usually require medication to control.

don't worry, you tend to have more cholesterol as you age

This first link is a .pdf file about how to lower your LDL cholesterol level, and the second one is site that explains about cholesterol. It does give examples of what levels you should be aiming for, but you'll need to convert from mg/dL (the American system) to mmol/L (the International system). It does tell you how to do this.

Best of luck.

Oops! I almost forgot. According to the tables given in the second url, you are borderline high.

Hi there are plenty off websites to look on lots with loads off great information .I also had a slightly high colesterol it was 5.1 overall and my gp was very happy with this,so i cant understand why he wasent with yours.Its differant if its 7,9 buts its 5.9.I havent got to go on no pills,just to have another blood test in 3mths.Good Luck

I had a similar condition and believe me, you should be worried, that way you will be motivated to help yourself. The risk of you having a heart attack is very high!

The best book I have read is, "Before the Heart Attacks", by Dr H. Robert Superko. He explains what is LDL and its impact, plus what you should do next. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Before-Heart-Att...