A friend of mine ask me to help interpret his cholestrol results (see
below).  We were able to find lot's of sites that explained the terms
in a very general way, but what he really wanted to see was exactly
what the numbers mean, what ranges are healthy, etc.  I told him
Google Answers was the best way to figure this out, so please don't
fail me now!  :-)

Results:

      - CHEMISTRY I, con't             
         Cholesterol, Total      224    h        238    h
         Triglyceride, Ser/Pl      88        65
         HDL Cholesterol      66 @       64 @
         Non-HDL Chol, calc    158 @       
         Direct LDL Chol     154    h @       
         VLDL (Calculated)              13 @
         LDL (Calculated)             161 @
         Chol/HDL Ratio     3.4        
         TSH               1.56

Your friend's physician should be the one to interpret his laboratory
results and discuss their meaning.

Generally speaking, your friend's total cholesterol is "borderline
high," which means that he should examine his diet and possibly
consider taking medication. Such medication is available with a
physician's prescription, which again leads your friend back to his
doctor for assistance.

Hello,
The important parts of the lipid panel are HDL, LDL and triglycerides.

Total cholesterol should be less than 200.
Triglycerides should be less than 150.  
HDL ("good cholesterol") should be greater than 40.
LDL ("bad cholesterol") should be at the following levels:
< 160 : zero to one cardiac risk factors
< 130 : two cardiac risk factors
< 100 : patients with coronary artery disease, diabetes, carotid
disease or abdominal aortic aneurysm

TSH should be between 0.5 to 5.  

Please see your personal physician for individualized interpretation.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

Thank you for the comments.

Personally, I would also be interested to learn a little more about
the non-HDL Cholestrol numbers in the report:

         Direct LDL Chol     154    h @        
         VLDL (Calculated)              13 @ 

What is VLDL?


         LDL (Calculated)             161 @ 

What is the theory behind the direct LDL to LDL-calculated conversion?


         Chol/HDL Ratio     3.4

Why is this ratio of interest?


         TSH               1.56

What is TSH?


May be a bit much to ask at this price-point, but certainly appreciate
the comments!

Hi mrfrog,

Perhaps I can clear up a few things for you... which I agree is a
mystery of numbers.

When you get the results of your blood cholesterol test your doctor
may give you a ratio of your cholesterol. The ratio is obtained by
dividing the HDL cholesterol level into the total cholesterol.

The ideal ratio is 3.5 or below. 

A ratio of 4.5 carries an average risk. 

Ratios of 5:1 or higher are potentially dangerous. 

For example, if a person has a high, total cholesterol of 280 mg/dl
but a high HDL level of 70 mg/dl, the risk ratio is 4, which actually
carries a lower than average risk. The use of this ratio may predict
coronary artery disease more accurately than total cholesterol levels.

This site might help interpret all the numbers for you.

Cholesterol, Other Lipids, and Lipoproteins
http://www.healthandage.com/Home/gm%3D6!gid6=2301

My colleague kevinmd made a good suggestion about your friend's
physician discussing the results of testing.

Hope this helps,

tlspiegel

Hi Mr. Frog,

Here are a few websites of interest:

Lipoproteins:
http://www.lipoproteins.net

LipoProfile:
http://www.liposcience.com/clin_faq.htm

Lipids Online:
http://www.lipidsonline.org/meetings/insulin_resistant/ginsberg/presentation_text.cfm

Lab Tests:
http://www.amarillomed.com/howto.htm

Hope these are helpful to you,
V

Fascinating!

Here in the UK, the doctor gives you just one value which, presumably,
is the ratio that TLSpiegel has shown in her helpful comment.

I've brought my own count down progressively by going on to a low-fat
diet, cutting out dairy products, more fruit and vegetables and using
Benecol 'butter' and yoghurts.

Moreover, I feel great ... so it's all been worthwhile.

Regards

PB

I thought I'd add another comment regarding the ratio.  About 12 years
ago I was tested for cholesterol and the total was in the 300+ range,
however the other numbers were more than terrific.  So my ratio was
very low.

Apparently the problem is genetically related as all family members
had very high numbers but I was the only one who lucked out with only
a total cholesterol sky-high reading, and other numbers that were
considered good to excellent.

The funny thing is after much testing/drug taking/diet/exercise to
lower the total I was told my body will manufacturer total cholesterol
no matter what I do or don't do.

As my doctor succinctly put it:  "You can eat the Yellow Pages
Directory and you're body will continue to produce high readings... so
do what you want and enjoy your life!"

tlspiegel