Cholesterol level doesn't tell the whole story
Q. I am 75 years of age. If I eat nutritious, healthy foods, will I be able to do normal exercise, such as low-impact aerobics, without ill effects? Should my cholesterol reading in the 250 to 260 range be a concern?
A.B., San Diego, Calif.
A. This is a medical question best left to your personal physician, who is familiar with your health history and lifestyle habits. However, the fact that you are 75 and exercising means that you're obviously doing a number of things right.
That cholesterol figure, by itself, does place you in what's considered a higher-risk category for heart disease. But high cholesterol levels in people over 60 are not that good a predictor of heart disease. You also have to consider that the cholesterol level, by itself, doesn't tell the complete story.
Ask your doctor for a breakdown of the HDL ("good" cholesterol) and LDL ("bad" cholesterol). Whatever you decide, make sure you begin any new exercise regimen with caution.
Q. I have read conflicting information about taking copper and zinc at the same time. They are both in the dietary supplement I am taking, but I will switch to another one if this combination is not a good idea. What is the problem and the right way?
U.A., San Francisco, Calif.
A. We have good methods to determine the amount of a nutrient that's needed to prevent a deficiency. Science, however, has only begun to consider the ways in which the ratio between nutrients can affect our metabolism.
Zinc and copper, for example, have an unusual relationship in that the amount of zinc in relation to copper may be just as important as the levels of these nutrients individually.
Zinc plays a role in many enzymes, including those involved in detoxification, sex-hormone production and wound healing. It is also involved in taste and smell. Copper helps in the formation of red blood cells, is essential for normal hair and skin, and is needed for normal respiration and the production of certain antioxidant enzymes.
Both are essential, but too much zinc can deplete the level of copper in the body. Likewise, if the copper intake is excessive, the level of zinc can suffer. The antagonism comes into play only if there is an imbalance.
The message, at least with zinc and copper, is that we shouldn't overdo it unless there is a medical reason to do so. There is no problem with taking recommended amounts of zinc and copper at the same time. The recommended daily value for zinc is 15 milligrams, and the tolerable upper limit is 40 milligrams. For copper, the daily value is 2 milligrams and the tolerable upper limit is 10 milligrams per day. These figures are for adults 19 years old and older. (For those not familiar with this term, "tolerable upper limit" represents the highest level of intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects in almost everyone.)