Test Results - Good and Bad

[Atriana]

I had my lipid profile done on 8/28 when I started this way of eating and I had them retested yesterday. Here are the results

8/28
Total 247
Trig 265
HDL 44
LDL 150

10/13
Total 221 :)
Trig 104 :D :D
HDL 31 :( :(
LDL 169 :(

I am glad that the total dropped 26 points and the tryglycerides a whopping 161 points - but what do I do about the drop in the HDL? I'm not to worried about the 19 point rise in LDL, but the HDL number really bothers me. What now?

[Natrushka]

Atriana, there is some information from PP that relates to elevated LDL that should aleviate some of your concerns:

LDL cholesterol is made up of different particles that vary from person to person. Depending on the type of particles that predominate, one is said to have either pattern A or pattern B. With pattern A, the LDL is light, fluffy, and relatively large. This pattern is actually thought to be beneficial. With pattern B, the molecule is heavy, dense, and relatively small. This pattern is thought to be detrimental. Pattern B is a partial consequence of excessively elevated triglycerides. When triglycerides go down after the Protein Power Plan has been adopted, a phenomenon called the "beta shift" occurs where LDL is transformed into pattern A. So, paradoxically, even though the level of LDL appears to increase, the type of LDL that is being formed is usually much healthier. The difficult part is that the lab testing to determine your levels of LDL "A" and LDL "B" can only be done in a research laboratory with electrophoresis methods. While we cannot be 100% certain that this is what happened in your case, the research strongly supports this view

The Eades also maintain that the ratio of triglycerides and HDL is more important than the actual readings:

The most important thing is to look at the overall picture. With the Protein Power approach we look at the triglyceride/HDL ratio as one of the best measurements of risk for heart disease. An upper limit of 5 is considered desirable, with anything over that indicating an increased risk. Some measures to help bring down your cholesterol and LDL levels are: stay on the plan (some people panic and feel that the plan is causing the opposite effect), take a "no-flush" niacin 500 mg 2-3 capsules per day, increase your fiber intake with perhaps psyllium seed powder-1-2 TBS mixed in water per day, and avoid excessive saturated fats and trans fats (fried foods and margarine.)

Your ratio went from 6 to 3.35 :)

Nat

[Atriana]

Yes, the ratio did improve :D
I guess it is the fact that the "good" HDL dropped so low - it is supposed to be higher than 40 and it is only 31.
I am already taking a good multi with niacin, plus an additional Bcomplex formula that has niacin in it. Also, I am taking milk thistle and garlic (which is supposed to reduce cholesterol). Actually, after reading VitaNutrient Solutions my supplements are:

Multi
Dieters Advantage
Oil formula (fish, Borage, Flax, Evening Primrose, Black Current, Wheat Germ Oils)
B Complex
Additional C
Additional E
Milk Thistle
Garlic
CoQ10
Potassium
Magnesium
ALA
CLA
I've got som lecithin granules, but forget to take them most of the time.
I guess I could start upping the fiber - is there anything in addition to exercise that I can do to raise the HDL?

[Natrushka]

About raising the HDL, I'm not sure.. but what I gathered from PP is that your levels will continue to change as the plan progresses; My HDL went down a bit too (I believe the US measurements is around 35) but I had my blood tested after 6 weeks of LCing. PP advises waiting 3 months before testing, I will ask to have it done again in January to see if there's any change.

Exercise is definitely something to continue; and I plan on it as well. As you said, your ratio has improved and your triglycerides and total chol are on the way down; give it a few months and have it rechecked.

Nat