Just got my physical results back.

HDL is 65
LDL is 150.

Ok, I understand that I need to reduce the LDL to under 100 but what about the HDL?

They tell me that the goal for HDL should be 40-59, but based on what I've read, "the lower the better" for HDL.

Is that not true?

Wha'sup with all this confusion I'm finding on HDL?

Thanks! :)

PS. I will review all answers as soon as I'm back from dinner at McDonalds :D :p

Okay, think of it like this... the HDL is considered the Heavenly Darlings... good cholesterol.

LDL... Little Devils = bad cholesterol.

Did you follow a strict diet 2 weeks before the test? Drink any alcohol within 24 hours of the test? Exercise within 12 hours before the test? All of these can alter the test results.

With your HDL you are in the "acceptable" range. This range is between 40-60 mg/dl

Your LDL, also called Total Cholesterol is 150, the desirable range is less than 200 mg/dl. So it seems that you are doing okay here too.

P.S. Bring me a Big Mac if you would please. :cool:

I did nothing different before the physical, EXCEPT that I took one half of a Xanax about 1.5 hours prior to the physical. The Dr. did tell me that my ekg may be affected by that but that the blood tests should not be.

PS. It's been many months since I had any Xanax.

I did not eat after midnight - and only had water and coffee (with a literal pinch of sugar) prior to the physical.

Should either of those affect the cholesterol number?

... and why do they say that my HDL should be lower?

Your HDL should be lower by only about 5 points. This isn't that drastic. Did you have any of your famous beers 24 hours before the test? If so, this may be the cause of that 5 points.

Yes I did drink beer the day before. Two brewskies; my typical daily.

I do recognize that as a "beef and starch" guy I need to do better. I'll start today and go out for Fish N Chips :)

Thanks, J!

Don't leave out the beef entirely, you need the protein and iron. I'll put a steak on the grill for you.

Looks like your levels are pretty good. I wouldn't worry excessively over this. The 2 beers alone could be just enough to have altered the test.

Whew, thank goodness.

Please take my Strip Steak off the grill while it's still moo'ing a bit. I like them medium rare :)