Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hi Folks,

My lipid panel just came in. The results do not look peachy. Here are the stats:

Total cholesterol 309

Triglyceride 21

HDL cholesterol 104

LDL (Calculated) 201

Cholesterol to HDL Ratio 3.0

Look at that LDL. It's sky-high, and my doctor is concerned. Should I be worried? Here's a sample of my daily menu:

Breakfast:

4 eggs 1 tbsp of added fat (either butter, EVOO, or coconut oil) 1 roasted beet

Lunch:

6oz of a cooked protein (either chicken with skin or beef) 2 cups of melange of roasted cauliflower, carrots, and swiss chard. 1 tbsp of added fat (either butter, EVOO, or coconut oil)

Snacks during the day:

1 piece of fruit (e.g. one grapefruit, one apple, or one nectarine) 2 boiled eggs

Dinner:

Pretty much a variation on what I had for lunch.

Thank you very much for any and all input!!!

flag	asked Jun 11 2012 at 22:48 Arthur 63●1●7

what were your labs before you started eating so well? I mean are these numbers worse or better or..? I personally would want to have my CRP (high sensitivity) tested. – Crowlover Jun 11 2012 at 23:39

My last blood test one year ago (when I was already on Paleo) was exactly the same except my LDL was 120, not 200. Only two things have changed: more meat, more added saturated fat (i.e. butter and coconut), and more eggs (sometimes up to 8 per day instead of 3). What's CRP? Any other suggestions? THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INPUT! – Arthur Jun 12 2012 at 0:12

Pre-paleo HDL was 39 and LDL was 56. – Arthur Jun 12 2012 at 0:23

wow sorry about this Arthur. You eat so well too. My understanding is that its a measurement of inflammation related to atherosclerosis but also a good marker for general inflammation in the body. This is a good explanation. heartdisease.about.com/od/cardiacriskfactors/a/… – Crowlover Jun 12 2012 at 0:41

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CRP = C-reactive peptide, and yes it is an inflammatory marker. LDL as "bad cholesterol" is too simplistic. Your extremely high HDL makes up for it. Cholesterol: HDL means very little ... LDL:HDL is a better measure, and yours is a healthy 2.0 – interrobung Jun 12 2012 at 1:14

show 2 more comments

jumbie · Answer 1 · 2012-06-12 01:48:18Z UTC

Your body seems like it is very good at using the fat as energy. Hence the low triglyceride numbers. My numbers are in the 40's. I'm not a doctor but I can tell you that your LDL calculation is WAY off. The traditional formula(Friedewald) labs use to calculate LDL does not work when you have "low/normal" triglyceride levels. I had the same problem. You can use this website
to calculate your LDL using the Iranian formula. It works much better for lower triglyceride levels. I took the liberty of entering your numbers and your LDL dropped to 138.

Jamie · Answer 2 · 2012-06-12 03:51:37Z UTC

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Read this - http://chriskresser.com/5-reasons-not-to-worry-about-your-cholesterol-numbers

answered Jun 12 2012 at 3:51

Jamie
5,972●1●5●18

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Good info. thanks Jamie. – Crowlover Jun 12 2012 at 4:40

Totally great info. Found it just before reading this thread - to quote it "If you want to worry about your cholesterol numbers, forget about total cholesterol and LDL and pay attention to the ratio of triglycerides to HDL." - this is what predicts whether your LDL is fluffy (healthy), or small and dense (the only worrysome thing, the thing that causes heart attacks) – Jamie Jun 12 2012 at 9:07

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Going on the numbers posted in the question: trigylerides =21 /HDL = 104, totals to 0.2, well under the number 2 required to suggest your LDL is light and fluffy, suggesting very healthy results..keep eating those good fats! – Jamie Jun 12 2012 at 9:10

Eugenia · Answer 3 · 2012-06-12 01:48:37Z UTC

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Have a read here: http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/06/i-lost-weight-and-my-cholesterol-went-up/ According to this blog post by this doctor, when losing weight, fat's toxins are released in the bloodstream, so these blood numbers are to expected. Definitely keep a close tab on all your numbers though, it might be of concern.

edited Jun 12 2012 at 1:48

answered Jun 12 2012 at 0:52

Eugenia
11.5k●1●5●18

Eugenia I just want to tell you that I have really appreciated all the information you give on this site. I also looked at your blog ;) GREAT stuff. Thanks so much. – Crowlover Jun 12 2012 at 1:01

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Thank you, I appreciate this! :) – Eugenia Jun 12 2012 at 1:14

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Omg, great link! My sister's results were really bad after switching to paleo for a month and I had no idea why. Thanks! – hb Jun 12 2012 at 1:35

Annika · Answer 4 · 2012-06-12 02:17:29Z UTC

My recent lipid panel was almost identical to yours! All my ratios were ideal, and I have no other risk factors, so I'm not too worried about cardiac risk. However, Chris Kresser and Chris Masterjohn both believe that very high TC and LDL and very low HDL and triglycerides could indicate a metabolic, immune, or inflammatory issue. What that might mean for me, I have no idea.

I posted a question about my levels a few days ago and got some excellent answers. Here's the thread:

Yikes! Total cholesterol over 300?

Kelli · Answer 5 · 2012-06-12 00:01:27Z UTC

Wow...those numbers are a little scary! Is this an increase since you started? Are you exercising? My inexperienced opinion would be to reduce your eggs to 2 or less per day, increase your dark, leafy greens (spinach, asparagus, broccoli, etc), take the skin off the chicken and limit beef to 1x per week. I also have had very positive experiences with increasing exercise and reducing cholesterol. I saw a 30 point drop with just an hour of daily, intense exercise.

ry · Answer 6 · 2012-06-12 00:34:32Z UTC

Go on a plant based diet. All that animal product contains saturated fat and cholesterol. Plants don't have cholesterol and the fiber will help remove the cholesterol. Please check this book out. http://www.amazon.com/The-Engine-Diet-Firefighters-Save-Your-Life/dp/0446506699
http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002

You can always eat canned fish stuff with high Omega 3 like sardines and canned salmon. Pretty cheap. Ideal way would be for you to just eat plants legumes and whole grains. Those numbers are scary and very high. Goodluck and God bless you.

Please Hack My Cholesterol Levels (blood test results inside)

6 Answers