After 4 months of LC my overall chol. [235]and HDL[76] are both elevated,they used to be 180 and 42 as well as my glucose test[101 was 81]. My M.D. says ignore it, eat LC for the rest of my life, it's the smartest choice I could have made. I've always been athletic and never more than 5 pounds above a BMI of 24.Moving now toward BMI of 22. Can someone explain the science behind my M.D.'s confidence in the face of what I would have considered bad news? Thanks

Well, we need more information. Your HDL being elevated is not a bad thing. What's your LDL look like? I'm betting that with your HDL looking so good, your ratios are below average on the risk-factor scale.

My doctor agrees that the HDL/LDL ratio, and now even particle size are more important that the total cholesterol number.

Mikeyrat

Started Atkins 5/30/2003
337/264.5/237 - 6'2" 43 YO
Wife: 224/194/165 - 5'11"

Your cholesterol can rise if you are a little afraid of needles, obviously your Dr knew this, s/he also knows that Lcarbing is beneficial.

BigLez Soon to be Littlelez

If you have never made a mistake then you've done nothing

Must have been first time jitters. Amending my first post. HDL is now 67. LDL is 162. Triglycerides is 46. I'm 5'4 and currently 133 pounds. I'm also confused about how my fasting glucose test came back higher this time than when I was eating 5 times as much carb?

The reason your doctor is happy with your results is that they have improved. He know that what is most important in determining any risk are two things: Your triglyceride level and your Total/HDL ratio.

Your triglycerides are fabulous. You don't say what they were, but 46 is very, very good.

Your total/hdl ratio (now called the "risk ratio" by my local hospital) has gone from 4.3 to 3.5. One should aim at 4 and under.

Unfortunately we spend too many years looking at total cholesterol numbers before finding out that the ratios are more important than the total number. Your doctor is right up to date with the latest findings.

As for your blood sugar, if you show no clinical signs of blood sugar instability, one higher reading is not cause for alarm.

I'm unfamiliar with how anxiety can effect a lipid profile.

HTH

Maggie
5'1" ~~ Atkins since '98 (160+)
Maintaining nicely (110 +/-)
~~ Redhead until further notice!

Thanks! I was stuck on the old ideas of what constituted good health. For the previous 15 years before LC, I have used a diet typical of a lot of female gymnist and martial artist practitioners, a calolic restriction plan of 40% protein, 30% fat and 30% high fiber carb. Kept my triglycerides 80-100 and fasting glucose between 80-94, but in the past few years it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep my weight stable. So here I am. Has anyone stayed on less than 5% carb indefinitly?

Hi there,

I am a second year medical student (writing for my wife here) and I can assure you that your cholesterol is BETTER than it was before the diet.

You see, HDL is actually the good type of cholesterol that you may have heard about on TV or the radio. So, you might ask, why is HDL cholesterol good?

Well, HDL cholesterol (via an unknown mechanism) actually REMOVES other types of cholesterol from the blood and blood vessel walls. [Don't be alarmed: 100% of human beings before the age of 10 have some sort of cholesterol deposits in large vessels (these are called "fatty streaks").] It reduces atherosclerosis according to current research.

Take Home Message is this: Your total cholesterol means NOTHING without taking into account the ratio of TC:HDL or LDL:HDL.

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[This message was edited by pristine on 01-18-04 at 09:02 AM.]

Thank you very much for your reply to my older post. I appreciate the clarification about HDL in particular and cholerterol overall. Would you be kind enough to expand upon the triglyceride impliations. I realize you believe my level is healthy especially relative to HDL ratio. Are there any negative implications on either triglycerides or HDL from high intake of dietary saturated fat as long as carbohydrate is severly limited?

And, as further reassurance, a blood glucose of 101 is still within the the normal range. As is 81, which is on the low side of normal. Most doctors look at 120 or higher as an indicator if you aren't showing any other signs of high sugars. If you are exhibiting symptoms of blood sugar instability, then 100 or higher is the indicator for more tests or monitoring.



Always eat your veggies first!
LCE member since March 2002

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Would you be kind enough to expand upon the triglyceride impliations. I realize you believe my level is healthy especially relative to HDL ratio. Are there any negative implications on either triglycerides or HDL from high intake of dietary saturated fat as long as carbohydrate is severly limited? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hope I can help you here. Your triglycerides, if I recall, are very low (46). This is very good, a common finding among Atkins dieters. The long-term implications of elevated Triglycerides are less clear than elevated LDL, for example. They can vary substantially based on what you have recently eaten, while cholesterol actually must be synthesized within the body and, therefore, seems to represent a more important estimate of your cholesterol status.

Rest assured, with LOW triglycerides, this is perfectly OK; it suggests to me that your body is quickly burning triglycerides from your diet and fat cells for energy rather than carbohydrates, sugar, or glycogen (stored glucose); this is why Atkins dieters usually have triglyceride levels in the double digits. Please keep in mind that the recent ATP-III recommendations (provides docs with recommendations regarding LDL, HDL, Triglycerides, blood pressure, etc.) are triglycerides &lt;150!.

Your MD is right on the mark when he encouraged you to keep with your low-carb lifestyle. Again, keep up the great work!

By the way, your blood sugar of 101 was nothing to worry about either. For example, Diabetes type II ("adult-onset") is diagnosed with 2 FASTING blood glucose levels of &gt;126. Your body on the Atkins gets its sugar from a process known as Gluco-neo-genesis ("new-sugar-formation"), which occurs in the liver. This will keep your blood glucose levels around normal range throughout the day (80-105 or so). Good job!

Thanks again, Glouconeogenesis is a new fact for me but does explain a lot! All the years I kept carb intake to 25-30% of calories cerainly helped, but once I turned 30, I started to notice body fat content creeping up. Even cutting carbs to 20% didn't help. Last 6 months I've been at less than 5% carbs and can honestly say I'm in the best shape of my life,as measured by more than one of the standards I use. With dietary fat intake close to 55-60% you can see why I'm wondering about the long term implications of saturated fat in my diet. Any further thoughts would be much appreciated. BTW - For the first time in my life the delta between my chest measurement and waist is at an all time high!! One of the standards I refered to that has as much to do with vanity as it does health and fitness.

Hi Ripley,

I've posted 2 "mega-posts" under the title of "Why your cholesterol WILL go down" within the last couple days. I think the 2 posts will answer some of your questions regards your ultra-low carb and high fat diet. Good job!

P.S. They are in the Newbies and Induction section...

Thanks again! It's seems from what I've learned in the last few months that the ratio of triglyceride to HDL is the most important insight into your overall health. Closer to a less than 1:1 ratio the better. Assuming a strict low carb diet, is there any value to choosing mono over saturated fat? As "almost a doctor", I hope you don't mind an obscure question.

Good question. As far as current research shows, the effects of mono- vs. polyunsaturated vs. saturated vs. hydrogenated (...and so on) types of fats, the only speculation is what happens to your LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides. This is the "end point" in terms of measuring your overall lipid profile, which suggests if you're eating the 'right' foods or not....

Since yours are great -- there is no reason to change what you're doing!

I'd say just keep up the good work!

What do you think of the ancient notion that the most important insight into a man or woman's well being is the degree to which the chest measurement is greater than the waist? What a tailor would call "the drop". Was a part of a martial arts philosophy from a time 3000 years before cosmetic surgery. Just curious what you'd think.