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Originally Posted by dina1957
Woo:
Are you aware that metabolic syndrome (syndrome X) is a cluster of problems, one of them is elevated CHO with with low HDL and high TRI . Also PCOS is present in the majority of cases, and BTW, some not overweight women have it too.
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Yes, I knew that.
I also always greatly suspected I had it due to symptoms.
I don't know why I'm so surprised to see my lipids are crap, though. I think I just thought that eating LC would magically fix everything. I guess it doesn't work that way.
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Have you ever get tested for PCOS, you just assumed because of irregular/absent periods? I believe that there are tests like free Testosterone and other hormones that can indicate PCOS, also ovarian ultrasound seems very good indicator of the syndrome. I'd get tested first before assuming PCOS. Being more than 100 pounds overiweght definetely puts strain on your reproductive system and wreckes all your hormones.
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No, I've never gotten officially tested, however I am almost certain I do have it.
First of all I had every single symptom, quite badly, prior to begining LC. I know excess weight can also mess up the reproductive system, but that doesn't explain how the symptoms poofed almost over night upon starting the diet. The acne I had since I was about 9 years old went away
within a week... far too short a time frame to attribute to weight loss. I had the first period in my life within a month of the diet.
When I was 16 or 17 I had my hormones checked for abnormalities. Unfortunately I never got to see the results, but the doctor did say testosterone was "a little high" (I'm sure it was very significant, you know how doctors are - they play down anything they can't readily medicate). She wasn't even screening me for PCOS, so who knows what else showed up. I didn't request it, as I had no idea what PCOS was at the time... I just knew there was probably something wrong with my hormones.
I never got the ovarian ultrasound to check for cysts... I just got a referral from my doctor to have that done, though.
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Also, I've known girls without PCOS and not actually obese, who have their periods stopped because of significant weight loss too (vanity fair). May be we can't be as lean as this society wants us to be to maintain our female functionality. May be your body is not happy with your current weight, and you need to regain 10-20 pounds? 
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My sister also has PCOS symptoms and has never weighed more than 140 lbs... but she is heavily apple shaped despite this rather low weight. Currently she's about 130.
I would accept low weight as a possible cause, but the thing is the problems began to onset when I was still obese. Maybe it's just the process of losing weight itself that is causing issues... maybe not. Personally I think it's the PCOS.
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Well, for what I can see, not everyone even on Atkins has low (<60) TRI , so the opposite is true as well. Despite everyone being 100% positive, that TRI are directly related to carbs consumption, some folks on Atkins still have much higher TRI than it should be, and some experience raise in TRI despite the lc diet. Carbs are not only the culprit, alcohol does the trick with TRI, impared liver function work against us, and of course metabolical imbalance is aproblem.
As for hyperinsulemia, how you've managed to lose weight if you insulin level is still too high, it doesn't seem right. It's actually very easy to test, get your fasting (8 hours) insulin level checked, and you'll know where you stand. You better do GTT with insulin level.
Again, rather than assuming anything, please, see Endo and get blood work done, it's very crucial for women's health to maintain her periods, especially at such a young age. If PCOS is confirmed, there is Metformin (Glucophag) for PCOS, it is Rx to promote ovulation.
Best of luck,
Dina
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People say tri = carbs ... but I am coming to the conclusion that high tri = insulin/metabolic abnormalities. It just so happens that for most people, the metabolic abnormalities are caused by over eating too many carbs.
You can be hyperinsulinemic and still thin. You can be IR and lose weight. The thing with insulin is not just the raw level, it's more what the level is compared to the blood sugar and other processes related to it. Athough raw level is significant, the ultimate marker of metabolic syndrome is the level of insulin
relative to the level of blood glucose (energy). This is what a true GTT measures. It is possible to be fasting, or even starved and still hyperinsulinemic. If insulin is higher than what it should be relative to the level of sugar, that's elevated insulin. It is a mistake to assume hyperinsulinemia can only occur if one is eating to the point where they are gaining weight. Hyperinsulinemia can make it much
easier to gain weight, and conversely eating too much causes hyperinsulinemia... but it's a mistake to say weight loss is an impossibility if relatively elevated insulin is present. Insulin can be absolutely low, yet still relatively elevated. Take a diabetic and starve them, and sure their insulin levels will come down. They will elevate glucagon and burn fat. However, I'm quite certain that if you measured the diabetic's insulin and compared it to that of a healthy person under the same conditions... it would
still be elevated. So, even if absolutely low (e.g. compare someone with metabolic syndrome in the fasted state to a healthy person in the fed state, yes the metabolic syndrome person may have "low" insulin), it can be relatively high and theoretically hyperinsulinemic (e.g. compare that same person to a healthy person in the fasted state, and the metabolic syndrome individual will have
relatively higher insulin). I hope this is making sense.
I once read somewhere that those who have true metabolic syndrome often do rather poorly on ketogenic diets. If one really sits and thinks about it, it makes a lot of sense. To thrive on a ketogenic diet you really need to push insulin low, so as to fuel your body adequately. If for whatever reason you can't do that by dietary modification alone, your body won't be able to raise catabolic hormones and efficiently handle the protein/fat load you are dumping on your body. Result? You feel about as good as a diabetic with poor control. Sapped of energy and absolutely lethargic. You never quite get over induction "flu" because of the hyperinsulinemia. If this were true, it would certainly explain my intolerance of extremely low carbohydrate levels.