HI.I have been on atkins since April and read this board since May but was afraid to post(english second langv,) Now i need you help. I just had my blod test and my cholesterol stas are:
total 186
HDL 77
LDL 101
My doctor sent me a note saying that my bad cholesterol is high and i need diet /lifestile changes.From what i can find it is not so bad. What do you think?
Thank you.

Welcome, kashtan.

From your numbers I get a "risk ratio" of 2.4 My risk ratio is at about that rate (with an even higher total cholesterol level) and all my drs think that's great.

I would suggest that you get a second opinion. It sounds as if you current md is not up on the latest research.

HTH!

__________________

That's odd. Your total lipids are better than mine, and my doctor told me mine were in the normal range.

Unless the reference ranges for the lab your doctor uses are different than most, you blood lipid profile looks quite good. Most referencees suggest that anything below 200 is within the normal range; some references say up to 240 is normal depending on your age.

for example - from http://www.reutershealth.com/wellconnected/doc23.html

Total cholestrol less than 200 is desireable, between 200 and 239 is borderline, over 240 is high.

LDL below 100 is optimal for people with multiple risk factors (smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, existing heart disease, family history, etc).
LDL below 130 for people with 2 risk factors
LDL below 160 for people with 1 or 0 risk factors

HDL over 60 is optimal
HDL below 40 is too low

Atkins website lists similar ranges. From - http://atkins.com/Archive/2002/5/14-516408.html :

Total cholesterol: The normal range is 120-240 mg/dL ; the ideal is less than 200 mg/dL.

LDL: The normal range is 60-160 mg/dL; the ideal is less than 130 mg/dL.

HDL: The normal range is 35-60 mg/dL; the ideal is more than 50 mg/dL.

Triglycerides: The normal range is 10-160 mg/dL; the ideal is less than 80 mg/dL.

HDL-to-cholesterol ratio: Total cholesterol should not be more than 3.5 times the HDL. Even better is a ratio of less than 3.0.

__________________
~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

I agree, although I am not a doctor. From everything I've learned here and from reading, that seems fine. And I believe when you first start LCing, your cholesterol levels can be out of whack for awhile. I think you should wait another couple of months and get it checked again and see if you LDL's improve some. How's your blood pressure?????? That's another thing that will benefit from this lifestyle. Mine was sky high before I started this and now it's VERY normal!!!!!

A second opinion wouldn't be bad either. I would even try to find a doctor who isn't against LCing.

__________________

Hi everybody.Thank you. I think maybe my doctor read my mothers results. i don't know. Barb i have been low carbing since April so i thoght it was enough time.I lost 15 pounds and need to loose 15 more. This doc iss not realy against lcarbing he just god this smerk on his face when i told him i am starting.But he told me go ahead even thou a am breastfeeding,maybe he thought i would not last.Thanks again.Oh and my name is Oksana i hope you would not mind me post once in a while(even with mistakes).

Oksana-
Welcome to the board and don't worry about mistakes--i make them all the time and English is my first language!! You communicate very well, so keep at it and let us know how you are doing.

__________________
Renee
1/19/04
261/220/160
41 lbs off
60 lbs to goal



Race to 199 Challenge
Labor Day Challenge: Focusing on the Journey
Personal Goal: 199 by 12/31/05

Oksana - You're very clear and please join in!!! This is a great place for support and it's even better if we know you're there. Cheers - Debra

OH yes Oksana, keep posting. Doing this will help your English very much. And you are doing a great job!!!! I know how hard it is to communicate in another language and I respect you for writing here!!!!! GOOD JOB!!!!! Reading what we post will only help you get the rules of the language straight in your head. And by the way, if we ever write anything you don't quite understand............let us know, we'll try to clear it up for you and make it easier to understand, or at least we'll try!!!!!!!

__________________