March 26, 2021

I was told that I have hyperlipidemia (abnormal lipids). What can I do to improve it?

Do you know what hyperlipidemia is? Nowadays, it is called dyslipidemia.

 

When you had a blood test at a medical checkup or physical checkup, you may have been told that your neutral fat and cholesterol levels were higher than usual and that you may have dyslipidemia.

In this article, we talk about dyslipidemia (hyperlipidemia).

What is dyslipidemia (hyperlipidemia)?

Dyslipidemia (hyperlipidemia) is a disease in which the amount of lipids in the blood is either too high or too low. The Atherosclerosis Society of Japan (AASJ) has set the following standard values for dyslipidemia (hyperlipidemia).

Diagnostic criteria for dyslipidemia

Bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol): 140mg/dl or more
Good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol): less than 40mg/dl
Neutral fat (triglyceride): 150 mg/dl or more

The data collected on an empty stomach is used.

Reference: From the Japanese Atherosclerosis Society

Since the reference values may change depending on age and gender, a person is not immediately diagnosed with dyslipidemia just because he or she is slightly out of the reference values. The diagnosis of dyslipidemia is made based on a combination of various data.

There are various types of dyslipidemia (hyperlipidemia), and the causes vary.

About Cholesterol

Until 2015, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) was defined as a total cholesterol level of 220 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) or higher. However, this criterion does not exist today.

There is data on the cholesterol level that makes people live the longest. This is a value that is recognized all over the world. It is known to be around 280mg/dl.

In other words, until now there was no evidence that total cholesterol levels had to be below 220 mg/dl, but both the U.S. and Japan had established such a standard.

Currently, there is no standard value, so around 220mg/dl is considered to be high.

However, please note that there are still doctors who give cholesterol medication just because the cholesterol is a little high, but there is no evidence to support this.

Now, it is true that the upper limit has been abolished and there is no longer a standard value, but those who have been taking cholesterol medication should be careful if they think it is desirable to continue. It has been medically proven that those who are currently taking cholesterol medication do not benefit from it, except for those with familial hyperlipidemia.

Cholesterol and Meals

The truth is that we get only 20% of our cholesterol from food, and the remaining 80% is made in our bodies.

In the past, some people may have been told to eat only one egg a day, but this is nonsense when you consider that 80% of cholesterol is produced in the body.

Cholesterol is produced by the body, so it doesn’t make much difference whether the amount of cholesterol you consume from food is reduced by 10% or 20%.

Therefore, it is recommended that you take in a good amount of fat and calories in your diet.

About triglycerides (TG)

When triglycerides (TG) in the blood are high, people often think that they are obese. But in fact, it is glucose, or carbohydrate.

When we consume sugar (glucose), we convert it into energy for our activities, but the unused energy is converted into fat and stored in the body, which is called triglycerides.

Therefore, if you have high triglyceride levels, stop eating sugar and carbohydrates, and you will lower your triglyceride levels.

Finally

If your health checkup or physical examination is out of the standard range, you may be worried.

However, most of them can be treated without treatment and return to within the standard range. If you are too worried and don’t know where to start, I recommend that you consult a specialist or refer to information with proper evidence on your own for judgment.

Be careful never to believe information that only advertises products or easy word of mouth.

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