Q: I am a 37 years old man who underwent a lipid profile test and the result showed cholesterol total – 208 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol - 32 mg/dl, LDL cholesterol – 133 mg/dl, VLDL cholesterol – 43 mg/dl, triglycerides – 218 mg/dl, ratio - 6.5. Urine test showed – albumin - trace, sugar - nil, pus cells - 4-6 hpf, epi-cells 1-2 hpf, RBC - occasional, casts - nil, crystals - nil, bacteria - present, mucus – present. What should I do to have good general health?

A:The most important finding of your lipid profile is low HDL-C. HDL-C is good cholesterol and higher is better for health. On the other hand, LDL-C is bad cholesterol and lower is better. Others values are borderline high. The first step is to have a low fat diet and the second to exercise at least 150 minutes a week in the form of brisk walk/jogging/playing badminton etc. This will increase your HDL-C as well to a certain extent. Do not consume more than a litre of oil/fat in a month. It is important to avoid frequent fast foods, which are very high in saturated fats and even salt.