Normal Variation in Cholesterol Level (blood pressure, doctor, diet, exercise)

[Pfalz]

I donate blood with some frequency and today when I was in they showed me how to access charts with various health metrics that they measure each time I donate. Hemoglobin was interesting - I could see the peak in winter and trough in summer as is expected. Pulse and blood pressure confirmed what I feared; showing clear peaks in winter which is my most stressful time of the year with work.

One thing I couldn't explain was cholesterol. I had measurements ranging from 171 to 212 with no apparent trend up or down. It also didn't look like the high of 212 was an outlier because there was another measurement of 207 and the 171 also didn't appear to be an outlier as there was another measurement of 171. Is this kind of variation in cholesterol normal?

Notes: I've not taken any drugs with the exception of ibuprofen (maybe once every couple of months for headaches) so I don't think that could be a factor. I've also not gained or lost any weight or had any other changes in health. Finally, there was no seasonality of the cholesterol like the other numbers.

[GJJG2012]

Your cholesterol sounds fine. I remember hearing years ago that 200-240 was borderline. There is a doctor in Sweden who has devoted much of his life to studying cholesterol and has a book called Fat and Cholesterol Are Good For You. One elderly internet Doc said if your cholesterol is under 300, don't worry. Another "natural" health internet doc said that cholesterol under 200 was associated with an increase in strokes!

Remember the scam they tried to pull on us a while back, claiming they now believed cholesterol over 100 was dangerous? So if that was true, everyone would have to take statins for life! Someone pointed out that before statins were invented, many lived to be 80-90 years old, & that no combination of diet & exercise could keep cholesterol at 100.

I don't know if your cholesterol varying from 171-212 is unusual. All I can suggest is typing into searchbox causes of cholesterol variations. Best wishes.

[Mikala43]

I get tested quarterly and mine can vary depending on my recent exercise and diet. It's always in the good range so I don't pay much attention to it.

[nmnita]

I wouldn't be concerned; it can vary, as mentioned for many reasons. I too, remember when up 240 was nothing to be concerned about: then it went to under 200 is what everyone's should be or you need to be on meds, then they stared saying too many people are on meds. All we can do is listen to our bodes pretty much and yes, our doctors as well, but they all have different ideas. This goes for blood pressure as well. .

[WildColonialGirl]

It varies depending what you've just eaten. You could experiment, next time have a huge fry-up for breakfast, the time after that have a low fat diet for a couple of days before.