Blog

2

OOPs I posted this question in an answer. Sorry about that. Anyway, I am allergic to tree nuts so found pure paleo hard to follow. I added peanuts and PB, but read about peanut mold so cut peanuts and PB out. I cut out grains and alcohol (I eat desserts when I drink - lose inhibition) am sleeping better, and my crossfit workouts are easier. Well, not easier, but at least I don't feel like I have to make an appt with a cardiologist after I finish anymore. I eat a cup of greek yogurt everyday and have been making Whey protein powder shakes. I also eat prunes everyday. Seems like it's working for me. Then I discovered PaNu and thought I'd try some heavy cream in my coffee. Love it.! The problem is my lipid panel does not look so good and I am really worried about how my high fat, low carb diet is going to further increase my total and LDL levels. My c-reactive protein level is normal and the overall profile says I am low risk. Normal TSH too. I am 52, 5ft 8in and 128 pounds. I am very active and have plenty of energy. I am post menopausal. Had a couple of tough years with night sweats, serious stress with kids leaving for college, going back to grad school. My life is balancing out now so am trying to tweak my diet to improve my cardiovascular risk. My plan is to keep eating meat, veggies, some fruit, a little dairy and some whey protein powder and get labs drawn in a month. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding what I am eating and if a month is long enough trial to have my blood drawn?

flag
@Allison Page -- take a look at my NMR Lipoprofile and Richard of Free the Animal's interpretation of it: freetheanimal.com/2009/03/nmr-lipoprofile.html – Patrik Jul 4 2010 at 19:56
Allison, did you have your lipid panel done yet? I am curious to see how paleo might have affected your profile... – aris Sep 3 2010 at 1:57
I did and haven't been on this site for a while. Sorry for the delay in answering. I cut out all grains, beans, soy products, rice and alcohol. Can't stop dairy. Just full cream and yogurt mostly. No more skim milk. My total Cholesterol came down from 258 to 217. HDL went from 77 to 60 probably due to no alcohol! Triglycerides down from 92 to 69. LDL from 163 to 143.VLDL from 18 to 14.Lipase was 58. CRP was 0.5 down from 0.6. So I was pleased with the results. Ratios were all good. Inflammatory markers like the ALT,PLAT, WBCs were low. Your thoughts? – allison Page Oct 24 2010 at 19:35

4 Answers

2

Cholesterol is reactive to inflammation. It may take more than a month for healing, then again maybe not. I'd replace the whey with grassfed, wild, free range animal meat and use coconut oil to cook, upping healthy saturated fat intake helps bloodwork. If not already taking omega 3 and strongly limiting omega 6, start immediately, and make sure vit D levels are adequate

Keep in mind higher total cholesterol is also linked to longer life in older women, post meno . I'd only worry about trigs. When you do get bloodwork again, have them determine the size of your LDLs fluffy vs dense

link|flag
thanks for your reply. Where can I find some research on higher total cholesterol linked to longer life in post menopausal women? I hope it's true! Do you know what test I should ask for to determine LDL particle size? – allison Page Jul 4 2010 at 16:08
If you ask for a test for LDL particle size, they'll probably know what you mean. You want mostly large fluffy ones, which have been shown to be neutral in terms of heart disease, compared to the smaller dense LDL particles. – Drew aka CrossFit Junkie Jul 4 2010 at 17:32
Thanks again. I just looked at my triglyceride level and it's 92. Total 258, LDL 136, vldl 18 and HDL 77. Ratios of all those markers are good/low. In 2004 my total chol and LDL were 174 and 95, 190 and 120 in 2007 and 258 and 163 in 2009. For sure my stress level and menopausal hormone changes played some role in these increases. Overall though, the ratios still say I am a cardiac risk. I still don't like the upward trend. – allison Page Jul 4 2010 at 18:10
I've read that it is really your HDL that you should be concerned with, as that is the good cholesterol that cleans up your arteries, and can whisk away any clogs. With an HDL of 77, I think you're doing quite well. I wish I had that number! My HDL is quite low, and I'm hoping that will change with my diet. Also, FYI, I've read it is a myth that dietary cholesterol = blood cholesterol, so don't worry about the high fat stuff. It is the wheat/grains (and therefore inflammation) that actually cause problems. – Paleolady Jul 5 2010 at 2:38
1

I'm working on repairing my lipid profile as well and have gathered a bit of data on influences. Feel free to wander over to my blog (http://www.whointheworldarewe.com/2010/05/24/cholesterol-influences-map-v0524/) and check out the map.

I'm having some success.

link|flag
Thanks for your reply. I will check out your blog for sure. – allison Page Jul 4 2010 at 16:09
1

Red yeast rice is often touted as a natural alternative to the nasty statin class of meds, but red yeast rice works because it is a naturally-occuring statin, chemically identical to one of the synthetic statins -- but you can't patent a rice...

My doctor pushed statins, too, and after a couple of months, every variety caused severe muscle and joint pain ("myalgia") in my hips and pelvis, which may have done permanent damage.

When I finally pushed back and said "no more statins," my doc actually reassured me that the efficacy claims for statins are actually misleading. Yes, they may reduce the incidence of heart disease by 50%, but they only work on a couple of people out of 100, so one person gets a heart attack and one doesn't. The other 98? No impact either way. Obviously, the odds are that you're in the vast majority, for whom statins don't help anyway -- and are (for me) certainly not worth the risk.

link|flag
I've read that statins only work on men over 50 who have had a previous heart attack. – Paleolady Jul 5 2010 at 2:39
1

My HDL went up and my LDL and Trigs went down after adopting a paleo diet with fats consisting of mainly coconut oil, and saturated fats. Not sure what my lipid panel will look like once I am postmenopausal. I guess only time will tell.

I'd have to do a little search to find the articles I've read regarding cholesterol and heart disease.

link|flag
I just read Mark's daily apple cholesterol thread. Best explanation I've ever read. Very informative. marksdailyapple.com/forum/…) – allison Page Jul 4 2010 at 21:34

Your Answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.