LDL Shock

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when hopes are realized at last, there is life and joy." (Proverbs 13:12)

I went for the free health screening test organized by a community club nearby last month . I have not gone for any such test for the past four years after I have cancer as my whole attention is devoted to fighting cancer.

After I have cancer, I have been very careful on my diet. So when I collected my health screening report, I was shocked to find out my LDL Cholesterol (bad one) is at 5.1 mmol/L where the desirable reading is 3.4. My HDL cholesterol and triglycerides are OK. I was advised to seek medical follow-up immediately. I went to a polyclinic and was told by the doctor that l I can experience heart attack within 2 years with such high reading! I was put under Statin (which helps to block enzyme from liver that produces cholesterol) straight away.

The surge of my bad cholesterol may be due to the removal of my ovaries which caused the sudden plunge in estrogen. Without estrogen in helping to control the amount of fat, called lipids, the LDL can increase rapidly. Consuming mainly fish for past few years gave me the false sense of security, not realizing that fish also adds cholesterol to my body though lesser extent compares to red meat. So now I am cutting down on fish and eat at least a cup of boiled barley a day. Barley contains soluble fiber called beta-glucan ( also found in other grains such as oats) which may help to lower cholesterol level by reducing the absorption of cholesterol and fat into the bloodstream. I will also try to eat more fish that have Omega-3 oil such as salmon, ikan terubok, tengiri papan (according to HPB handbook).

Of course, I also understand that diet will take much longer time to produce result. The best method is still in engaging moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as brisk-walking which I try to achieve at least 150 minutes per week. Qigong apparently is not effective in this instance.

I will have to go for cholesterol test again in 2 months’ time; hopefully all these efforts produce results.