New Guidelines for Cholesterol Readings

[Pablo]

Depends. If the LDL is over 70 its a problem and I guarantee you at 185 the LDL will be 90+.

You can exercise til the cows come home and genetics trumps all that. I rad 30,000+ miles for 25 years. Ask me how I know.

Are you a doctor? LDL under 99 is fine if there is no history of heart disease from what I read.

I do agree, your body makes most of the cholesterol. If you have a genetic tendency to bad heart health, you can do your best to control it. If drugs are the answer, then sure, so be it.

But there absolutely no science that says total of 185 is a death sentence in an otherwise healthy person.

 

[alarmguy]

Search peer published studies on cardiac deaths for patients on and without statins. There is no statistically significant improvement for patients on statins.

https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardi...7/15/19/36/reduction-of-myocardial-infarction

https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/article/30/17/1883/7208766?login=false

And sadly, for those who don’t listen to their doctor, which there seems to be many even in this forum … well, all I can say is listen to your doctor or seek another opinion because these are facts and the link below addresses those skeptics. It’s kind of funny, but it’s not funny, when faced with life or death all of a sudden the skeptics stop playing doctor and start relying on the medical community which they used to disparage.

Read on below,
“Tens of Thousands of Heart Attacks and Strokes Could Be Avoided Each Year if Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Were Used According to Guidelines”
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/t...ering-drugs-were-used-according-to-guidelines

Don’t ignore the science. Sadly, some wait until their life depends on it, and only then do they welcome it with open arms.

 

[Pablo]

What are your triglyceride levels? Mine was 174 last month and I'm very concerned.

You should watch them over a little time. Mine stay around 100, if they jumped to 174, yes I would check my diet, I believe 0 - 149 mg/dL is considered normal range.

 

[Lubener]

It's not ridiculous it's fact. No i am not a doctor but have seen this drug first hand ruin lives. If you find that ridiculous then that's on you. Doctors don"t cure they treat as there is no profit in cures. Maybe you need to wake up and educate yourself.

I have been on a statin for two years. I never had any side effects, my life isn't ruined and have had the best blood work results after taking it. It's the job of the doctor to weigh the possible side effects versus the benefits. So since you are not a doctor, just someone with all the answers, your comments have no basis are pure nonsense.

 

[Frankrank]

Statins Will Wreck Your Health

In short, statin drugs have not derailed the rising trend of heart disease, and instead have put users at increased risk of health conditions linked to their use, such as diabetes,26,27 dementia28 and others, including:

Cancer29
Cataracts30
Musculoskeletal disorders, including myalgia, muscle weakness, muscle cramps, rhabdomyolysis and autoimmune muscle disease31
Depression32
In the event you’re taking statins, be aware that they deplete your body of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and inhibit the synthesis of vitamin K2. The risks of CoQ10 depletion can be somewhat offset by taking a coenzyme Q10 supplement or, if you’re over 40, its reduced form ubiquinol. But ultimately, if you’re looking to protect both your brain and heart health, avoiding statin drugs and instead optimizing your diet.
26 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325567
27 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/dmrr.3189
28 https://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/62/supplement_1/102
29 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23833125
30 http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=34065
31 http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1691918
32 https://annals-general-psychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12991-017-0144-4

 

[PontiacHO]

Show m e the data. I have a friend who at the age of 55 was taking a statin. He had sore joints in the morning so he stopped. Six years later he died of cardiac failure. He could have switched to a different statin. He refused to. Being bull headed cost him his life IMHO. Iwish we could stick to personal experiences instead of condeming or even lauding the drug in general. I have given real life examples in all my posts

What?? That is my personal experience. No, I didn’t graph the issues but this was hurting me to the point that I couldn’t exercise. THAT will cause an early death.

 

[repairman54]

I've been on statins for 20 yrs. now with no side affects. My wife is on Repatha due to statins giving her joint pains, it works for her.
4 stents onboard also from 20 yrs ago.
Doctor makes the difference along with personal responsibility and self education of your condition which will help you gauge your Dr.. Today we can log onto our blood lab work and see the results unlike years ago.
Whose your Dr. ? Kevorkian or Oz? They are both doctors. No different than your choice of repair shop technicians.

 

[Al]

Doctors don"t cure they treat as there is no profit in cures. Maybe you need to wake up and educate yourself.

Are you a doctor? LDL under 99 is fine if there is no history of heart disease from what I read.


But there absolutely no science that says total of 185 is a death sentence in an otherwise healthy person.

I am merely passing on what My Dr. Told me with respect to the new recommendations.
No 185 is not a death sentence in and by itself. Again depends on the Total Chol/LDL Do your own research Pabs..or don't. Again..just sharing what I know from reading PubMed, discussions with my doc, and real life results from my Heart death prone BIL who is 89 and been taking statins for35 years.

 

[Pablo]

In so many words what some of are saying PREVENTION is better than attempting DRUG INTERVENTION.

Yes, genetics. And yes everyone is different. My lipid numbers are decent for a 30 year old. One doc said statins, just because I'm older at 67. How is THAT right?

Do all you can, don't give up! If diet and exercise - I mean REAL, not halfhearted attempts don't work - yes find a good doc with a good drug.

Side note, I have deconstructed some of the studies posted in this thread. Will avoid that battle. But good learning experience.

 

[Vil_Riker]

You should watch them over a little time. Mine stay around 100, if they jumped to 174, yes I would check my diet, I believe 0 - 149 mg/dL is considered normal range.

Last year this time was 94 My diet over that time has been horrendous.

 

[Pablo]

Last year this time was 94 My diet over that time has been horrendous.

Get back on it Holmes

 

[TomYoung]

Funny I was thinking of a backpack bypass filter.

I was looking for a Euro spec replacement.

 

[alarmguy]

Ok to expand on my last post. I never in my life had a lipid panel that was considered out of the "safe"zone.
Yet I have arterial disease. Angiogram showed random blockages of 20% "all over the place" around my heart. For those who do not know, 20% is the min that can be seen in this state of the art procedure which is considered the gold standard. I actually let them know I REALLY wanted this procedure because of my family history and what was going on at the time. My doctors practice managed to get it approved.

A stress test will only show blockages of 60 to 70% to put things in perspective. So I am good considering and "may never need intervention"

So MY healthy eating habits look like I may never need intervention in my lifetime for stents or by-pass surgery which All male members before me needed. I vowed not to go down that road, also avoided the diabetes in the family, so far. I am concerned more so with the latest anti cancer drug I just finished up with.

So what is my problem? Lipoproton A. Its hereditary and NOTHING can be done about it yet. It's the other Cholesterol that can not be controlled by any means. Chances are many of you reading this have the same issue and if your doctor didnt check yet, you should get it checked because drugs are in the pipeline. Anyway in the meantime to keep me as "clean" as possible my cardiologist (interned at the Cleveland clinic) wants me to continue my 5mg statin even though my LDL is low. However it did go up a little to 64 and he suggested increasing my statin to 10mg. Science says if I can get it as close to zero as possible do to my lipo A, or in the 20 to 30 range. I told him to give me another year. I have had some health challenges as well as moving to a new home and fell off a LITTLE bit watching my weight. Still eating healthy though.

So as good as these numbers look, if you have high Lipo A you are screwed for now. 1 in 5 of you have high.
This was my last lipid results and more to come in a few months. Yet because of Lipo A I have low levels of plaque "all over the place" around my heart.

A snippet of previous tests, different health system, we moved to a new area.

 

[Pablo]

Ok to expand on my last post. I never in my life had a lipid panel that was considered out of the "safe"zone.
Yet I have arterial disease. Angiogram showed random blockages of 20% "all over the place" around my heart. For those who do not know, 20% is the min that can be seen in this state of the art procedure.
A stress test will only show blockages of 60 to 70% to put things in perspective. So I am good considering and "may never need intervention"

So MY healthy eating habits look like I may never need intervention in my lifetime for stents or by-pass surgery which All male members before me needed. I vowed not to go down that road, also avoided the diabetes in the family, so far. I am concerned more so with the latest anti cancer drug I just finished up with.

SO what is my problem? Lipoproton A. Its hereditary and NOTHING can be done about it yet. It's the other Cholesterol that can not be controlled by any means. Chances are many of you reading this have the same issue and if your doctor didnt check yet, you should get it checked because drugs are in the pipeline. Anyway in the meantime to keep me as "clean" as possible my cardiologist (interned at the Cleveland clinic) wants me to continue my 5mg statin even though my LDL is low. However it did go up a little to 64 and he suggested increasing my statin to 10mg. Science says if I can get it as close to zero as possible do to my lips A, or in the 20 to 30 range. I told him to give me another year. I have had some health challenges as well as moving to a new home and fell off a LITTLE bit watching my weight. Still eating healthy though.

So as good as these numbers look, if you have high Lipo A you are screwed for now. 1 in 5 of you have high.
This was my last lipid results and more to come in a few months. Yet because of Lipo A I have low levels of plaque "all over the place" around my heart.
View attachment 295116

A snippet of previous tests, different health system, we moved to a new area.
View attachment 295117
View attachment 295118

You make more than one good point here.

PS EDIT: So happens I have my blood draw tomorrow AM (it's been OVER a year) - I messaged and ask to add Lipoprotein A. No problem, added. That said both sides no history of heart or stroke issues. Smokers on one grand side made it to 90's, other side near 100 non smokers. My mom still going (94), my dad last year from old fashioned influenza at 96.

EDIT 2: Headed to the county fair. Ice cream float, corn dogs, funnel cakes, YEAH! Ima blow the blood lab UP!

 

[Al]

he suggested increasing my statin to 10mg. Science says if I can get it as close to zero as possible do to my lipo A, or in the 20 to 30 range. I told him to give me another year. I have had some health challenges as well as moving to a new home and fell off a LITTLE bit watching my weight. Still eating healthy though.

I am right there with you.

I mentioned the guidelines to my daughter who is 53. She is fantastic shape and her cholesterol was like 150, LDL 65. She is now on a 5mg statin and Cholesterol is 126, HDL 72, LDL 35. Many on here and in general would think this is ridiculous and taking Statins are not good. So be it.

 

[alarmguy]

I am right there with you.

I mentioned the guidelines to my daughter who is 53. She is fantastic shape and her cholesterol was like 150, LDL 65. She is now on a 5mg statin and Cholesterol is 126, HDL 72, LDL 35. Many on here and in general would think this is ridiculous and taking Statins are not good. So be it.

Your daughters LDL is fantastic!
Great post, I love hear things like this.

Im on the road to being back to normal now. Now completed a 6 month regimen of an anti cancer drug and 6 weeks of radiation 5 days a week (Im all good now, no cancer) but my weight went off the wall. I'll be getting lipids test in the next couple months and extremely serious about getting back to normal.

After my last post just this morning, Cardiologist appt in OCT and they called this morning to set up an Echogram, routine to make sure all is good now after taking Orgovyx anti cancer drug.
My last Echo only less than 2 years ago showed perfect heart function. I think my EF was 61
A Normal EF score is 50 to 70. Any higher or lower not good. AS mentioned I have 20% plaque in many places in my heart veins.

I say to my family all the time, I dont play doctor (another family member does and is a walking disaster) and yet another is like me and healthy.
I take advantage of everything the medical community offers. Paid health insurance my whole life without needing it. Now it's my turn to use it to its full potential. At the same time I do research and consult with my doctors. I actually think some enjoy our conversations. I use my research to ask questions and make sure I am getting full use of all I can. Most of all informed decisions about my health care.

 

[alarmguy]

You make more than one good point here.

PS EDIT: So happens I have my blood draw tomorrow AM (it's been OVER a year) - I messaged and ask to add Lipoprotein A. No problem, added. That said both sides no history of heart or stroke issues. Smokers on one grand side made it to 90's, other side near 100 non smokers. My mom still going (94), my dad last year from old fashioned influenza at 96.

EDIT 2: Headed to the county fair. Ice cream float, corn dogs, funnel cakes, YEAH! Ima blow the blood lab UP!

That's a great family history, wow. My dad passed at 69, heart attack, previous quad bypass at 62ish and diabetes.
Brother still going at 70, quad bypass at an early age in his 50s, diabetes and in heart failure.
My sister even older is doing great, no issues.

This was my Lipo A Dec 2023