How low should your Triglycerides be?

[iqcomp]

Hi all.

This is my first post. I have been following a Paleo/ Protein Power diet for the last 18months. Lost 55 pounds. Unfortunately didn't test my Cholesterol before starting this way of eating. Did a test a few weeks ago and the results were:

Total 6.73mmol 260mg/dl
ldl 4.66mmol/L 180mg/dl
hdl 1.90mmol/L 74mg/dl
tri 0.38mmol/L 15mg/dl

Are my triglycerides freakishly low?

My doctor was bitchin about my overall cholesterol and didn't even seem to notice my HDL and Triglycerides scores.

This is huge Forum I don't know why I didn't find it before. Been spending to much time reading the Paleofood digests that have been piling up in my inbox. Traffic sure has increased since the Gary Taubes article came out. I wonder if it's the same here?

Chris I.

[CindySue48]

According to the Americal Heart Association, triglycerides should be under 150 mg/dl....nothing is said about if it can be considered too low....of course, they also don't say anything about cholesterol being too low either, and there's research out there that says that should not go below 160!

The reason the doc ignored the triglycerides (in my opinion) is because there's been so much hype about total cholesterol and LDL....but no one's really talking about the fact that the high triglycerides is just as dangerous, maybe even more dangerous!

I'll do some looking around, see if I can find out how low is too low with the triglycerides.

[freydis]

I have a question about triglycerides, too.

My pre-Atkins level lipid panel said my triglycerides were 263.
My post-Atkins, in September, lipid panel said 118 - a significant drop! But, my post-Atkins November panel says 146 - quite a rise from September and my diet hasn't really changed.

In September, I had gone off of all my meds, including Zocor, Metoprolol, Prinivil, Glipizide and Norvasc. By November, I had re-started all except the Glipizide, which was replaced by Glucophage. Could the meds be raising my triglycerides?

Also, in September, I was eating a LOT more bacon. It seemed to be the one food that kept me in ketosis and seemed to help me lose weight. I was also consuming Aspartame. I have since restricted my bacon to once or twice a week and am not consuming Aspartame anymore. Could either of these change triglycerides?

Other than these changes, I can't think of anything different. Two days before the lipid panel, I began taking co-enzyme Q-10 supplements, but they shouldn't have had an effect on the test. I also began fish oil supplements the day before the test - again not soon enough to change any results. And I fasted the full 14 hours before testing.

Overall, my total cholesterol went down from pre-Atkins 211 to post-Atkins 193. BUT, HDL went down a bit, LDL went UP a bit, and my doctor is still not happy with these numbers (because I'm a diabetic heart patient). Also, my Hemoglobin A1c has gone up two full points since leaving glipizide for glucophage.

[catspaw]

The lab paperwork I got with my last cholesterol test had 35 as being the lower end of the normal range for triglycerides. This may mean nothing at all (you know how lab paperwork is...)

I'm lucky to have a doc who looks at the whole picture. My total was 262, but because I have a good ratio with 88 HDL and trigycerides in the 40s, no meds. :D

[Natrushka]

Chris, I found an old post on this subject with some great info from Doreen T. It should help.

Can Triglycerides be too low? (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=51907&highlight=triglycerides)

HTH
Nat

[iqcomp]

Thanks for digging up other thread. Here are my eating habits that might help explain my scores.

I eat fish 4 to 5 times per week usually canned salmon, herring, sardines or mackerel. Most of the time one of the helpings of fish is sashimi at a sushi place or at home. My main staple is beef usually eye of round or striploin. I eat some hamburger, chicken or pork. I never trim the fat on anything. Usually eat 2 omega 3 eggs per day in an omelet. My vegetables are either greens (dandelion, rapini or spinach), romaine lettuce, okra. I also eat a grapefruit in the morning and an orange at night. I eat no more than two dried figs per day. I drink a least 3 or more liters of water per day

I take 2000mg of wild salmon oil and 1000mg of Seal oil every day, I also take 500mg of regular niacin per day. I drink some booze almost everyday an ounce or two of brandy or a 4 ounce glass of wine.
I use a lot of EV olive oil maybe 3 liters a month. I drink a double espresso in the morning and a turkish coffee in the afternoon. A tea at night either mint from my garden or organic Earl Grey.

I never cheat with sweets, my weakness is bread. Once a week maybe I eat a sandwich of some sorts for lunch when I don't feel like spending $20 at a steakhouse or sushi joint. But my rule with a sandwich is it has to be a pita or thin bread wrapping a lot of meat and veggies not the other way around.

[Natrushka]

Chris, I think you've answered your own question :)

You are eating fish (quite often), you are taking fish oil and niacin, you use EV olive oil, you don't eat sweets and you drink alcohol - this all explain your high HDL and your lowered triglycerides. Do you exercise as well? Cardiovascular exercise to the tune of 1200 calories burned per week is another way to raise HDL; being a non smoker is another (these are all things I have reasearched as my HDL is on the low side).

My only other questions would have had you had your thyroid and liver checked of late (as per Doreen's post)?

Nat