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  #1   ^
Old Tue, Nov-18-08, 09:28
1tahiti 1tahiti is offline
New Member
Posts: 1
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 225/205/185 Male 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 50%
Default blood tests=increase in Cholesterol - HELP

Hello, this is my first ever post...I am freaked out that my Cholesterol went up from 213 to 239 on Atkins...I just my new blood tests back and was very dissapointed...background on me = male, former athlete, exercise frequently ( even before atkins) ...45 yrs old...on atkins for 9 weeks...lost 25 lbs...225 to 200 ...exercise 6 days a week 45 minutes cardio/day...

stats pre-atkins total cholesterol 213 = LDL 148, HDL 44, triglycerides 110
after atkins total cholesterol 239 = LDL 169, HDL 57, Triglycerides 66...
i am religious about logging in my food intake...I average about 1700 cals/day...and ~ 28-23 net carbs/day

Very upset with these results as this is the only diet that has worked for me and I would prefer to alter it than quit it...
Should I cut out the Eggs and have just the whites?
Should I cut out the Cheese?
Should I cut out the Steak?

please give me some ideas, or assistance as i am ready to quit and go back to the oatmeal and high fiber diet that had me at 213 Total cholesterol...but 25 lbs heavier...
thanks
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  #2   ^
Old Tue, Nov-18-08, 09:47
jschwab jschwab is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 6,378
 
Plan: Atkins72/Paleo/NoGrain/IF
Stats: 285/220/200 Female 5 feet 5.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 76%
Default

Your HDL ("H"ealthy cholesterol) went up and triglycerides (high ones are the surest predictor of heart disease) went down. You are in good shape as far as I'm concerned and much healthier than when you started. My husband has a cholesterol of over 300 but his HDL is high (remember that's the healthy kind - it's supposed to be over 50 and the higher the better) and his triglycerides are low so he's not worried at all.

Janine
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  #3   ^
Old Tue, Nov-18-08, 10:11
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,843
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
Default

The cholesterol test isn't very helpful to low carbers. When your triglycerides go down your LDL particles get bigger, which is good. Those particles are harmless. It's the small LDL that causes plaque. But the Friedewalde calculation calculates your LDL from it's volume, it doesn't count the particles. So really, your LDL count has actually probably gone down, but the simple cholesterol test used by doctors won't actually show that. Just remember that having low triglycerides means your LDL score will be wrong (to the high side).

On the other hand, having high triglycerides you can actually have a much higher LDL count than is reflected in that test.

So the end result is, the test is pretty much worthless. If you REALLY want to know your risk, get an NMR cholesterol test.

Read this for more info (Just added a link on there showing that LARGE ldl is linked to living a really long time)

Last edited by Nancy LC : Tue, Nov-18-08 at 10:38.
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  #4   ^
Old Tue, Nov-18-08, 11:21
jschwab jschwab is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 6,378
 
Plan: Atkins72/Paleo/NoGrain/IF
Stats: 285/220/200 Female 5 feet 5.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 76%
Default

I just found out something on this forum that completely changed my perspective - the plaque that causes heart disease is something like 3% cholesterol and 70% calcium deposits. But nobody will tell you to cut back on your calcium consumption.
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  #5   ^
Old Tue, Nov-18-08, 11:49
LessLiz's Avatar
LessLiz LessLiz is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 6,938
 
Plan: who knows
Stats: 337/204/180 Female 67 inches
BF:100% pure
Progress: 85%
Location: Pacific NW
Default

Quote:
on atkins for 9 weeks
And there ya go! VLC diets tend to increase LDL in the short term, which is pretty well known. After 3 months you see the real story in your cholesterol numbers.

That said, what Nancy wrote is correct.
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  #6   ^
Old Tue, Nov-25-08, 04:34
amandawald amandawald is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,737
 
Plan: Ray Peat (not low-carb)
Stats: 00/00/00 Female 164cm
BF:
Progress: 51%
Location: Brit in Europe
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jschwab
I just found out something on this forum that completely changed my perspective - the plaque that causes heart disease is something like 3% cholesterol and 70% calcium deposits. But nobody will tell you to cut back on your calcium consumption.


I always wondered about that, too. The cholesterol is there because it was "sent" there, so to speak, to repair damage. Blaming cholesterol for clogged arteries is like blaming the paramedic who turns up to help after an accident for having caused the accident in the first place.

The calcium, I believe, gets there because of poor calcium absorption, probably due to low magnesium and Vit D3 levels and/or too little sun exposure/too much sunscreen.

amanda
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  #7   ^
Old Tue, Nov-25-08, 04:42
amandawald amandawald is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,737
 
Plan: Ray Peat (not low-carb)
Stats: 00/00/00 Female 164cm
BF:
Progress: 51%
Location: Brit in Europe
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1tahiti
Hello, this is my first ever post...I am freaked out that my Cholesterol went up from 213 to 239 on Atkins...I just my new blood tests back and was very dissapointed...background on me = male, former athlete, exercise frequently ( even before atkins) ...45 yrs old...on atkins for 9 weeks...lost 25 lbs...225 to 200 ...exercise 6 days a week 45 minutes cardio/day...

Very upset with these results as this is the only diet that has worked for me and I would prefer to alter it than quit it...
Should I cut out the Eggs and have just the whites?
Should I cut out the Cheese?
Should I cut out the Steak?

please give me some ideas, or assistance as i am ready to quit and go back to the oatmeal and high fiber diet that had me at 213 Total cholesterol...but 25 lbs heavier...
thanks


Please please please get hold of the book "The Great Cholesterol Con" by Malcolm Kendrick. That will really put your mind at rest. Or find him talking on YouTube. There's a link posted by Hutchinson somewhere.

But here's the good news in brief:
- these numbers mean very little as your cholesterol can go up or down very easily, so there is no such static thing as a "cholesterol level" which stays exactly where it is for months on end.
- high cholesterol levels are strongly associated with long life in men and women.

According to Kendrick, one of the main factors which causes heart disease is stress. It is a crying shame that you have been stressed out by these virtually meaningless numbers.

So, relax, have another steak, or make yourself a cheese omelette with the yolks in: none of these things will do you any harm!!! You're doing a great job - what you need is some better weapons against the cholesterol demonizers!!! (see above)

amanda
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  #8   ^
Old Wed, Nov-26-08, 08:43
LOL79's Avatar
LOL79 LOL79 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 518
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 214/176/135 Female 5ft.7"
BF:
Progress: 48%
Location: South Africa
Default

Mine went up after 3 months (from around 300 to 330, which freaked out my doctor), but was down significantly by 6 months (to 275). Apparently, this can happen to some folks. I haven't tested in a while since I had a baby and that messes with the levels.

The only thing I changed permanently in those 3 months was dropping coconut oil, and increasing omega oil and soluble fiber (ex flaxseed, nuts), so no idea of that changed anything.

I tried to do LC and low fat together initially, but didn't stick with it very long.
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