I am 43 years old.  5'8 210 lbs.  I work out everyday and watch what I
eat. I just found out that my LDL is 153 amd my creatinine is 1.5. 
How worried should I be?

Hi darrellblackandblue,

I like to see people take an interest in their lab results!

I?d like to know two things:

 1) Were you were fasting when your blood was drawn for these tests?
While fasting is not important for many lab tests, LDL is one of those
parameters that should be run on a fasting specimen.
2) What were your other Lipid Panel results? You really need to look
at ALL the results for a complete picture.

The 153 value you have stated is borderline high. If you were not
fasting (10-12 hours), consider doing so and having your blood drawn
again. LDL stands for ?Low Density Lipoprotein? and is commonly called
?Bad cholesterol?.  Other parameters included in a Lipid Panel are:
Cholesterol, Triglycerides, HDL (High Density Lipoprotein ? ?Good
Cholesterol?). From these measured values, your VLDL (Very Low Density
lipoprotein) and coronary risk factor is calculated.

 With your LDL value, I would not get terribly worried, but I would
take steps to lower it by reducing saturated fat intake, eating more
fruits and vegetables, and exercising. (Easy to say, harder to do!) .
If your HDL was 38mg-60mg, this is great. If your HDL is greater than
60mg, this can help protect you from a heart attack!

http://health.allrefer.com/health/ldl-values.html

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ldl/test.html

Creatinine is generally used as a screening test for kidney function.
In the hospital where I work, your value of 1.5 would be in the higher
end of the normal range. (Each testing lab has its own reference
values, and the lab that tested your sample may have a slightly
different range.) Your results should have come with reference ranges
from the lab that performed your test. This holds true for your HDL as
well.

Men have a slightly higher serum (blood) creatinine level than women,
due to muscle mass. Serum creatinine, unlike urine creatinine, or BUN,
another commonly ordered kidney function test, is fairly constant, and
is not affected by protein intake. A tremendous increase in protein
intake along with intensive exercise, over an extended period may
increase your serum creatinine.
http://health.allrefer.com/health/creatinine-serum-values.html

To summarize, I would not be overly concerned about your lab results.
If you had not fasted, fast and have your blood re-drawn.  Ask the
person drawing your blood to release the tourniquet as soon as blood
starts flowing into the Vacutainer, and don?t pump your fist prior to
blood drawing. Simply close your hand, and open it when the tourniquet
is released. Studies have shown that having the tourniquet on too
long, and pumping your fist can alter somewhat the lab results.(Causes
the analytes to become slightly concentrated)

Hope this helped with your understanding of your lab results. If any
part of my answer is unclear, please request an Answer Clarification
before rating, and I will respond as soon as possible.

Regards,
crabcakes-ga

Search Stategy:
Normal lab values
Personal clinical lab knowledge

Clearer than my doctor, that's for sure!

Creatinine values vary with muscle mass, which is the main reason men
generally have a higher value.  If you work out a lot, you may have a
higher muscle mass which would contribute to a higher level.  As an
indication of kidney function, a single value is not as much help as
noting a rise in the creatinine level over time.  In other words, 1.5
may be normal for you depending on your body type, but high for
someone with less muscle mass who normally runs around 1.1.  If there
is reason to worry about kidney function, there are more specific
tests that can be done by your doctor, or he could repeat the
creatinine at some point to see if it is rising.

I have been doing an intensive bodybuilding regime for the past three
months, making good gains.  I know I need more water, not only to
reduce the creatinine level but for muscle growth.  I am concerned
because my mother is a kidney transplant patient and I must control my
blood pressure with vasotec.  I want to avoid the possibility of
kidney damage.

Regarding the LDL, I did the test after a 16 hour fast, my HDL is 53. 
I will add more veggies to my diet; I love them, but I have been
obsessive about protein lately (probably adding fat of all kinds in
the bargain).  Thanks again for your info, I will show my doctor.