Total Cholesterol LDL-Cholesterol HDL-Cholesterol Triglyceride
101/08/03 253 148 55 64
101/11/02 251 184 57 53
102/02/08 232 166 54 60
102/05/08 264 193 61 52
My Triglyceride level decreased from 64 to 52 over the 9 month period, while HDL-C (the good cholesterol) gradually rose to 61. However, you may notice that my total cholesterol and LDL-C (the bad cholesterol) rose over this period. Recent studies indicate that total and LDL-C are not so precise in predicting cardiovascular risk. Apolipoprotein-B is a more reliable indicator of cardiac events, so I checked twice out of my own pocket (not reimbursed by national insurance policy):
Apolipoprotein-B
102/12/28 109 mg/dl (normal range: 46 - 174 mg/dl)
102/03/13 102 mg/dl
Moreover, the ratio of total cholesterol : HDL-C is a very specific indicator of cardiovascular risk. If this ratio is above 5, it means high risk for heart attack. My ratio declined from 4.6 to 4.33. Triglyceride to HDL-C ratio greater than 3.5 means pattern B and high risk for cardiovascular disease. My TG / HDL-C ratio decreased from 1.16 to 0.85.
TC / HDL TG / HDL-C
101/08/03 4.6 1.16
101/11/02 4.4 0.92
102/02/08 4.29 1.11
102/05/08 4.33 0.85
Another indicator of chronic inflammation is CRP which was 0.37 mg/dl ( Normal value < 0.748 mg/dl) on 102/02/08 and was 0.02 mg/dl on 102/05/08. Less inflammation means less likelihood of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease etc.