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Failed cholesterol and triglycerides numbers (Read 1084 times)

Poppypbr


    90% or more of the cholesterol in our blood is manufactured by our own bodies. We cannot reduce our serum cholesterol all that much (perhaps 10%) by eliminating cholesterol from our diet.

     

    Any fats we consume stimulate the production of bile and its release from the gall bladder to break down fats. Bile in the intestinal tract is then modified as it is absorbed by the large intestine and converted into CHOLESTEROL as it enters the bloodstream. Therein lies part of the cause of the cholesterol reading.

     

    Fiber in the diet, when it is present, tends to absorb excess bile and carry it out of the body. Some people avoid fiber because it stimulates peristalsis. If their diet is high in fats, which acts as a lubricant, then fiber tends to give them more of a problem with bowel control so they avoid it. Yet the fiber is what they need to avoid the higher serum cholesterol as well as reduce the absorption of the broken down fats (lipids) which become triglycerides in the bloodstream.

     

    Your HDL/LDL ratio is improving. Just give it a little more time and stay with the exercise. Is it possible that your diet consists of a lot of processed (not fresh) foods that are high in fats and sugars? Try reducing the fats and getting as much as you can from fresh vegetables and fruit.

     

    You may also reduce your liver's production of cholesterol by taking 400 IU of vitamin E and 1000 mg of vitamin C every day just prior to the main meal of the day. They help to protect and heal the walls of the circulatory system which are assaulted daily by the absorption of foods into the bloodstream. The resulting chemical irritation can cause the liver to produce cholesterol in order to heal the arterial wall damage.

     

    Triglycerides can also shoot up dramatically because of an alcoholic drink or a high calorie pastry prior to the drawing of a blood sample. I recommend a minimum 12 hour fast prior to giving a blood or urine sample or there will be some tests that go out of range or read higher than what is your actual normal.

     

    Best dietary advice I've read comes from Dr. Joel Thurman. He is on the Internet and he has been on PBS several times. Follow his advice and you'll see your numbers improve dramatically while you lose weight without feeling hungry and without dieting: just change what you normally eat to lower calorie alternatives that have superior nutritional contributions.

    Trent


    Good Bad & The Monkey

      Your HDL/LDL ratio is improving.

       

      Improving?

       

      Wing's ratio is 1.0. Dreamy I say. Fan-friggen-tastic.

       

      Also, while you spoke of dietary causes for cholesterol changes, you did not address the influence of exercise. Exercise can be a powerful modulator of HDL and even LDL, as we see in this case.

       

      Info from the American Heart Association. In particular, it discusses the ration of total cholesterol to HDL: Some physicians and cholesterol technicians use the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol in place of the total blood cholesterol. The ratio is obtained by dividing the HDL cholesterol level into the total cholesterol. For example, if a person has a total cholesterol of 200 mg/dL and an HDL cholesterol level of 50 mg/dL, the ratio would be 4:1. The goal is to keep the ratio below 5:1; the optimum ratio is [below] 3.5:1.

       


      Wing's ratio is 2.7:1. DREAMY!

      Trent


      Good Bad & The Monkey

        The lab report and doc's note I got back ONLY highlighted the issue with the triglyceride level, so I looked at the whole thing in a negative light. Nothing positive was said about the HDL/LDL numbers.

         

        Yeah, reports only tend to highlight the bad, not the good. You need to rely on your healthcare provider or your own research/knowledge for the good.

         

        < soapbox >

         

        I am reminded of a manager I once worked for. He once told me this during my annual performance review:

         

        "Wing, if I never ever talk to you, it means you are doing a great job!"

         

        That was pretty much the entirety of our conversation...

         

        This is not uncommon in our current overburdened healthcare "system". And eliminating Medicare and Medicaid, reversing the Affordable Healthcare Act and leaving everything to free market will not fix that "system" or give front line, overworked, burnt out healthcare providers more time or incentive to take the time to explain things.

         

        < / soapbox >


        Feeling the growl again

          < soapbox >

           

           

          This is not uncommon in our current overburdened healthcare "system". And eliminating Medicare and Medicaid, reversing the Affordable Healthcare Act and leaving everything to free market will not fix that "system" or give front line, overworked, burnt out healthcare providers more time or incentive to take the time to explain things.

           

          < / soapbox >

           

          Yes, unfortunately, the system is still screwed up either way.  But you can still speak with your business...if you look hard enough there ARE doctors out there who care and will try explain and do the best they can for you.  They are people too...my experience has been that if you ask questions most will try to answer them.  But a lot of patients don't think to proactively ask the questions in the short time they are in front of the doctor (takes time to think about results and come up with questions) and the doctor has the pressure to move on...so they do.  Typically not a conscious effort to slight the patient, IMO.

          "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

           

          I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

           

          Trent


          Good Bad & The Monkey


          A Saucy Wench


            IMHO total cholesterol is WAY over-rated as a measure of health.  As you just learned you have to look at the components.  I have not eyeballed the data in a number of years now but I believe the correlation of high HDL (which you have) with lower risk of heart attack is as strong as the correlation of high LDL (which you do not have) with higher risk of heart attack.

             

            Many are going purely by RATIOS now and your ratios are excellent.

            I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

             

            "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

            DoppleBock


              I always fast at leat 12 hours - Often closer to 16 and my Triglycerides are highly varaible each year.

               

              Funny - The worst they ever were is when I had been trying the beck to lose weight and the last 2 days before the blood draw I had taken almost no Carbs - Had run many miles including the morning of the blood draw and was very dehydrated ~ Trying to make weight as it is not just a blood draw but you weigh in and they test a bunch of stuff and give you a healthy "Score"

               

              I ended up 99/100 as my Triglycerides were high

              Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

               

               

              Wing


              Joggaholic

                90% or more of the cholesterol in our blood is manufactured by our own bodies. We cannot reduce our serum cholesterol all that much (perhaps 10%) by eliminating cholesterol from our diet.

                 

                I see that happening to my Dad. He had high total cholesterol (low 300s, I don't know what the HDL/LDL breakdown was) and was put on some cholesterol drugs which lowered it to low 200s nowadays. He is skinny and is fairly low within the normal range on the BMI scale. He's not big on junkfood or redmeat...etc (He had teeth issues, so meat are too chewy for him anyway). He walks/jogs a few times a week and he tries eating only 1 or 2 not-so-big meals a day (rice/noodles/veggies with little meat).  From what I can tell his diet is pretty healthy with low calorie intake. Still, the cholesterol number just wouldn't budge.

                Wing


                Joggaholic

                  254 is higher than 153. But if you were to check next week, the trigs could just as easily be 102. They fluctuate fairly wildly and inflammation can cause them to rise, including from recent running. I would do nothing about the trigs right now, and then recheck next year.

                   

                  Triglycerides can also shoot up dramatically because of an alcoholic drink or a high calorie pastry prior to the drawing of a blood sample. I recommend a minimum 12 hour fast prior to giving a blood or urine sample or there will be some tests that go out of range or read higher than what is your actual normal.

                   

                  I always fast at least 12 hours - Often closer to 16 and my Triglycerides are highly variable each year.

                   

                  These are all very informative. I looked back at what I did before the blood test and I can see (or make excuse) how the high triglyeride number might have come about.

                   

                  My blood was drawn around 9AM. I was told to not eat anything after the midnight prior. My dinner finished probably around 7pm the night before. I finished a very slow medium-effort 10k run (w/ 5k in vibram which I'm fairly new to) by around 10:30pm. My log says I was quite tired and sluggish that night because I did a sorta-tempo/interval run the night before. Afterward I most likely drank a 32oz gatorade, maybe also a banana or something. Therefore I had approx. a 10 hour fast. So I guess maybe the running, sugary drink, and short fast all worked together against me for the test...


                  Feeling the growl again

                    I see that happening to my Dad. He had high total cholesterol (low 300s, I don't know what the HDL/LDL breakdown was) and was put on some cholesterol drugs which lowered it to low 200s nowadays. He is skinny and is fairly low within the normal range on the BMI scale. He's not big on junkfood or redmeat...etc (He had teeth issues, so meat are too chewy for him anyway). He walks/jogs a few times a week and he tries eating only 1 or 2 not-so-big meals a day (rice/noodles/veggies with little meat).  From what I can tell his diet is pretty healthy with low calorie intake. Still, the cholesterol number just wouldn't budge.

                     

                    The reduction you can see on diet alone really depends on your genetics.  For someone who has excessive cholesterol intake and genetics is not driving high cholesterol, they may see a reduction of >>10% based on dietary modification.  For someone who already has lower dietary intake, or especially lower dietary intake coupled with genetic predisposition, what is acheivable via diet alone may be much more limited.

                     

                    Many years ago....before many of the more recent developments....the inventor of Lipitor told me that the only two really effective ways to raise HDL were marathon running and being an alcoholic.  So the benefits of running to raising HDL (and improving your ratio) have been known for quite awhile.  And even if diet isn't touching your LDL number you can still improve your ratio then....

                    "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                     

                    I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                     

                    Wing


                    Joggaholic

                      the inventor of Lipitor told me that the only two really effective ways to raise HDL were marathon running and being an alcoholic

                       

                      Looks like I'm stuck with running then... (1 beer and I'm out, seriously! Damn genetics...)


                      Queen of 3rd Place

                        Not a bummer. It is good news Smile

                         

                        Argh! I ALWAYS forget to look at the ratios!! Angry

                        Ex runner


                        #artbydmcbride

                          <great checkup numbers>

                           

                          blah blah blah.... . I've lost a few pounds even though I'm already underweight, ..blah blah

                           

                          I know I can't expect some medical diagnosis over a message board, I'm just kind of bummed and felt like ranting...

                           

                           

                          Congrats on the cholesterol numbers, dude.  Now go eat a bagel

                           

                          Runners run


                          Feeling the growl again

                             (1 beer and I'm out, seriously! Damn genetics...)

                             

                            Sounds like a good way to stick to a budget to me...

                            "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                             

                            I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                             

                            JoyceH


                              My husband used to have crazy high cholesterol levels. In 2007 we both went vegan and his cholesterol dropped dramatically. Reduce or ditch the animal proteins (meat/flesh, eggs, dairy) . Everyone is different....but it was that simple with my husband. He's a mean lean running machine now!Smile

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