Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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So I'm 3 months paleo now. I take my cholesterol every 2 weeks with a CardioChek machine. My TG are fairly stable around 85-95 (unless I've been binging on nuts in which they jump to 130 for a day or two). My HDL is pathetic as always staying stuck around 30-34. But my LDL has shot up from 75-80 to 126! This happened in only 2.5 weeks from March 15 - April 5 on my third month of eating Paleo. WTF?! Now my HDL/LDL ratio is terrible. It was already bad to begin with because I've never had HDL higher than a 36 in my life (genetic?)

So I've been reading about what might be causing the LDL to rise. I'm hearing things from too many dietary saturated fats, not enough carbs, to micronutrient deficiencies like choline, inisitol, zinc, selenium, and copper. I know I'm already sub-clinical hypothyroid. My TSH is always between 4.8 - 7. I tried levothyroxine once and I thought I was going to have a heart attack on it - I reacted terribly with high blood pressure spikes and chest tightness. So I'm not taking anything for it now. Iodine scares me because some people say it can make hypothyroidism worse - not better. In fact, I've been taking fucoxathin which for the past couple months too and that already contains iodine so....

Since so many of you here have had the same problem of LDL going up, have any of you been able to fix it with supplements like choline, inisitol, zinc, selenium, & copper? Any recommendations?

I don't want to give up eating Paleo. For the first time in my life, I can fit into size 30 Levi Skinnys! But having high LDL and stubborn HDL stuck in the 30s isn't a long term solution either.

Please Help! :-)

flag	asked Apr 9 2012 at 14:09 D.K. 1,379●5●18

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Why do you insist on treating a number instead of your health? – Dave S. Apr 9 2012 at 14:23

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Because the numbers can lead to bad health later down the road. – D.K. Apr 9 2012 at 15:04

Dave got a good point. The numbers can lead to bad health, but do you really think bringing it down with artificial stuff is going to solve everything, especially as nutrition science still doesn't know the causes of many things? – Korion Apr 23 2012 at 16:52

Amy B. · Answer 1 · 2012-05-07 16:37:41Z UTC

Have you looked into your LDL particle size at all?

More and more evidence seems to be emerging that it's not total LDL that you should be concerned with, but rather the particle size. You want to aim for more of what they call the "large fluffy" type and not the "small dense."

Kind of like how we used to look at total cholesterol and freak out before the scientific community understood more about LDL, HDL, and trigs. Don't sweat your total LDL if you don't know your particle breakdowns. (And I would even say don't sweat that too much, either. The cortisol from stressing over the minutia will probably do you more damage than anything from the blood lipids anyway!) ;-)

Generally speaking, people who eat relatively fewer carbohydrates have low trigs and their LDL is mostly the large, fluffy type. They seem to go hand in hand.

Re: low thyroid function -- I have to look around for a good source, but I remember reading that high LDL usually goes along with hypothyroid b/c you need thyroid hormone for proper functioning of the LDL receptor. (Again, not sure of the details. I'll try to find a citation somewhere.)

greymouser · Answer 2 · 2012-04-09 14:48:09Z UTC

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How is your diet in respect to HDL raising foods?

Avocadoes? Olive oil? Niacin in fish and mushrooms? All good for getting a better ratio.

... but I have to second @Dave S's comment - it's fun to track stats and changes, but worry about your actual health and how you feel first.

answered Apr 9 2012 at 14:48

greymouser
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I eat mushrooms and fish nearly every day. I might cut back the tilapia and mahi and focus more on salmon so I get even more Omega 3's, but I'm already supplementing with 2G a day of omega 3s in capsule form. I can't eat avocados though - gives me gas, bloating, and pain. I "feel" fantastic so far, but I don't want to develop heart disease or clogged arteries all because of this diet spiking up my LDL. – D.K. Apr 9 2012 at 15:08

You eat too much omega 6 in my opinion. Talapia, avocado, and nuts are all high omega 6 foods. – Jay Apr 9 2012 at 19:17

Avocados (like olives/olive oil) have a reasonable 6:3 ratio compared to overall amount, since the vast majority of the fat is MUFA. However, I generally agree with @Jay's sentiment. Shame you can't eat avocados! If you do go for salmon, make sure to get wild caught and not farmed that are fed corn (seriously). – greymouser Apr 9 2012 at 20:06

Would eating wild salmon 4 times a week (or every other day) be overkill? – D.K. Apr 9 2012 at 20:35

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For what it's worth, I believe that short and intense exercise has helped boost my HDL. I'm not sure if the science backs that up or not, but my HDL literally doubled in a matter of weeks when I started with HIIT and paleo eating. Surely the HIIT contributed. – Anonymous Chump May 7 2012 at 17:13

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electiveaffinities · Answer 3 · 2012-07-22 11:32:38Z UTC

Perhaps consider doing megadose full-flush, immediate-relased niacin (nicotinic acid). It increased my HDL from 39 to 68 and tripled the protective HDL2b subfraction? Get your liver monitored if you do niacin and start at a small dose (50mg or so) then work your way up to 1,500-3,000mg. Not everyone can tolerate high-dose niacin but for those who can it has incomparable results. It also lowered my LDL from 135 to 74 (you need to take over 2,000, i think, for the LDL-lowering benefits; apparently one gets the full HDL-raising benefits at around 1,500). Do see a doctor if you go this route.

Chris · Answer 4 · 2012-08-11 21:32:27Z UTC

I've had high LDL for a long time then finally noticed that I had a manganese deficiency (7.3 whole blood manganese) and after treating that (up to 12.3 now, taking Mn 50mg/day) the LDL has started coming down. In just the past 5 months its come down from 140 to 84 and has dropped over 20 points in just the past month alone. All without any change in diet, and I don't exercise.

Has anyone fixed their rising LDL by supplementing choline, inisitol, zinc, selenium, & copper?

4 Answers