We just got his results back & it looks pretty good to me (dr. mom ). What I'm wondering is if the "normal ranges" are indeed normal, or if they are exaggerated for statin prescriptions.

He took statins for nearly 20 years & quit just over a year ago. He eats fairly low carb since that's what I cook; I do add more veggies & fruits to his meals. He eats breads & higher carb away from home, but that isn't usually more than once a week.

And if age makes a difference, he's 79.

The first number is this year's result, the number in parentheses is from 2 years ago while he was still taking the statin.

Cholesterol - 228 (155)
Trig - 78 (71)
HDL - 63 (51)
LDL, calculated - 149 (89)
Chol/HDL Ratio - 3.6 (3)

I can't figure out the ratio business as a single number isn't a ratio. I'm sure the doctor will say something about the Cholesterol total & calculated LDL. They give the normal range for Cholesterol as <200 and LDL as <100 (tho 2 years ago the normal range was 65-130).

Are there sources for other normal ranges that a doctor would accept?

While playing a doctor on the internet I too think his results are terrific!

New guidelines were released late last year but many doctors appear not "to have gotten the memo", some outright ignoring the new guidelines. Here they all are for you to figure out. Good luck with that...there is an interactive calculator too.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Condi...155_Article.jsp

Note the broad brush advice is ONLY for people age 40-75. His age does matter! Older people actually benefit from higher cholesterol, not that your DH's numbers are high. LDL high cut-off is now 160 unless he has risk factors, total cholesterol cut-offs downplayed in favor of "lifestyle" factors.

Cholesterol Clarity Is your best resource for the truly alternate ranges and ratios. Dr Westman's most useful ratio is Trigs divided by HDL (78 / 63 = 1.2 ) Higher than 4 is a problem, any ratio under 2 excellent, and 1 optimal. In fact in CC's world, a trig of 70 or lower and an HDL of 70 or higher is Optimal Plus, so your DH is near perfect...but you already know that!

Thanks for the link! His risk factors are excellent as he eats what we would call a heart-healthy diet - LCHF - and doesn't drink or smoke, and gets plenty of exercise. Since I quit smoking over 20 years ago he no longer gets the 2nd hand smoke.

The only complaint I have is that he feels so good he thinks he's going to live forever. We were looking at properties yesterday & he fell in love with one that needs a ton of work. I worry that if we got a fixer-upper and he died on me, I'd have to sell or hire the work out as my skills won't build a house. That's one of the reasons why we want to move as we've lived for 14 years in a fixer-upper that we didn't have enough money to fix.

One of the good points about that house is the next-door neighbor is a nurse who raises beef cows & goats.

Needs a ton of work at 79? More the "work" part than the age would stop me. Ladder work, handling heavy equipment, etc...better if you could get a crew in to 'fix up' everything before moving. The goats sound fun though! Glad that you are both so healthy now to enjoy an active lifestyle.

Just to clean up the "ratio business," the 3.6 is the ratio of Chol to HDL (Chol/HDL ratio): 228/63=3.6.

Workaholic. He can't just sit in his rocker and vegetate. I easily could.

Thanks Dan for the ratio explanation.

/rant I seriously don't understand why doctors would give elderly people statins. It is stupid and utterly misguided.