Catalyst Athletics Forums - So-How bad are these blood numbers?

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So-How bad are these blood numbers?

Two years ago, I had blood work done, Total Cholesterol was around 165, HDL was around 50, other important numbers were also low, AS I was not eating meat, just a little fish. Also ate no eggs, low fat, ran long distances, ate ton of carbs.

About a 18 months ago I started to eat meat and started reading the current literature about the benefits of good fats and good meats.

My diet has consisted of great local meats, lard, coconut oil, eggs and no fake or processed foods.

I went in for my two year checkup and the after my blood work came back, my DO practially had a heart attack with the change of my numbers.

Total Cholesterol 348 Range should be 150-200
Triglycerides 106 Range should be 70-200
HDL 89 Range should be 35-55
LDL 242 Range should be 83-129
VLDL 17 Range should be 14-40
Chol/HDL 3.9 Range should be 1.0 - 5.0

I said, hey my HDL almost doubled and my VLDL is really low, plus the ratio isn't too bad.

He looks at me like I'm nuts and says, you need medication now and I suggest you see a Dietitian.

No, and No. So he noted in my chart that I refused and wants to see me in 30 days.

Now I know I eat alot of meat and maybe no enough veggies/fish and fruit, hence my Fitday profile looks like Fat 55% Protein 30% Carbs 10-15%.

I have no problem cutting back a tad on the Fats, but just wanted everyone and anyone comments.

PS. My Creatinine Serum level was high at 1.86, should be in the 0.7-1.4, which I mentioned I was taking Creatine sup, he told me I need to stop and I agree as I was obvioulsy getting enough Creatine from my high meat intake. Told me I need to have that level checked in two weeks as I'm on the road for kidney failure. Well that spooked the shit out of me, Creatine stops today along with upping my water intake to get some flushing going on.

Thanks for any feedback.

Jay,
Don't get all freaked out, you'll be okay. Your HDL is awesome.

Read this about the creatinine http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_supp lements/catching_up_on_creatine

Give me a call at the office, 520-577-6888, it's been too long since we've talked anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garrett Smith (Post 60075)

Garrett;
Your the best, I'll call you around noon EST.
Thanks.

I'm interested in this as well, Jay & Garrett...please let me know what you decide it all means!

Craig

Looks fine to me honestly. Although I'm not a doc.

Really high HDL is good. LDL doesn't matter as much because I believe it's a summation of LDL and HDL or something along those lines. It's VLDL that's the risk for atherosclerosis and such.

Cholesterol doesn't really mean too much either AFAIK especially since HDL is high and VLDL is low.

Low triglycerides is definitely good as that generally shows insulin resistance.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. :p

IMNSeducatedO that's on the high side. Um... as far as camps go you'd probably have to be in the "cholesterol doesn't matter at all" camp to think otherwise.

A short primer on lipids from Quest Diagnostics:

Test Overview

Cholesterol and triglyceride tests are blood tests that measure the total amount of fatty substances (cholesterol and triglycerides) in the blood.

Cholesterol travels through the blood attached to a protein. This cholesterol-protein package is called a lipoprotein. Lipoprotein analysis (lipoprotein profile or lipid profile) measures blood levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

* Cholesterol. The body uses cholesterol to help build cells and produce hormones. Too much cholesterol in the blood can build up along the inside of the artery walls, forming what is known as plaque. Large amounts of plaque increase your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.
* HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol helps remove fat from the body by binding with it in the bloodstream and carrying it back to the liver for disposal. It is sometimes called "good" cholesterol. A high level of HDL cholesterol may lower your chances of developing heart disease or stroke.
* LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol carries mostly fat and only a small amount of protein from the liver to other parts of the body. It is sometimes called "bad cholesterol." A high LDL cholesterol level may increase your chances of developing heart disease.
* VLDL: (very low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol contains very little protein. The main purpose of VLDL is to distribute the triglyceride produced by your liver. A high VLDL cholesterol level can cause the buildup of cholesterol in your arteries and increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
* Triglycerides are a type of fat the body uses to store energy. Only small amounts are found in the blood. Having a high triglyceride level along with a high LDL cholesterol may increase your chances of having heart disease more than having only a high LDL cholesterol level.

Some medical experts recommend routine cholesterol and triglyceride testing to screen for problems that affect the way cholesterol is produced, used, carried in the blood, or disposed of by the body. Others may choose to routinely measure only total cholesterol and HDL levels.

Since I just had my lipids done also I'll post them later for comparison. I think Jay and I are somewhere close in age so it may be relevant.

I'm younger (22), but here's mine as of a few months ago --

Total cholesterol: 188
LDL: 108
HDL: 71
Triglycerides: 47
VLDL: 9

I tend to eat very vaguely clean with high fat and lowish carbs, but also regularly eat entire pies and the like. Little metcon and bodyfat high teens.

Thanks everyone, keep the comments coming.
Jay

Quote:

The Effect of a Plant-Based Diet on Plasma Lipids in Hypercholesterolemic Adults.

A Randomized Trial.

Christopher D. Gardner, PhD; Ann Coulston, MS, RD; Lorraine Chatterjee, MS; Alison Rigby, PhD, MPH, RD; Gene Spiller, PhD; and John W. Farquhar, MD

3 May 2005 | Volume 142 Issue 9 | Pages 725-733

Background: A variety of food combinations can be used to meet national U.S. guidelines for obtaining 30% of energy or less from total fat and 10% of energy or less from saturated fat.

Objective: To contrast plasma lipid responses to 2 low-fat diet patterns.

Design: Randomized clinical trial.

Setting: 4-week outpatient feeding study with weight held constant.

Participants: 120 adults 30 to 65 years of age with prestudy low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations of 3.3 to 4.8 mmol/L (130 to 190 mg/dL), body mass index less than 31 kg/m2, estimated dietary saturated fat at least 10% of calories, and otherwise general good health.

Measurements: Plasma lipid levels.

Intervention: Two diets, the Low-Fat diet and the Low-Fat Plus diet, designed to be identical in total fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrate, and cholesterol content, consistent with former American Heart Association Step I guidelines. The Low-Fat diet was relatively typical of a low-fat U.S. diet. The Low-Fat Plus diet incorporated considerably more vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, consistent with the 2000 American Heart Association revised guidelines.

Results: Four-week changes in the Low-Fat and Low-Fat Plus groups were –0.24 mmol/L (–9.2 mg/dL) versus –0.46 mmol/L (–17.6 mg/dL) for total cholesterol (P = 0.01) and –0.18 mmol/L (–7.0 mg/dL) versus –0.36 mmol/L (–13.8 mg/dL) for LDL cholesterol (P = 0.02); between-group differences were –0.22 mmol/L (–9 mg/dL) (95% CI, –0.05 to –0.39 mmol/L [–2 to –15 mg/dL]) and –0.18 mmol/L (–7 mg/dL) (CI, –0.04 to –0.32 mmol/L [–2 to –12 mg/dL]) for total and LDL cholesterol, respectively. The 2 diet groups did not differ significantly in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Limitations: 4-week duration.

Conclusions: Previous national dietary guidelines primarily emphasized avoiding saturated fat and cholesterol; as a result, the guidelines probably underestimated the potential LDL cholesterol-lowering effect of diet. In this study, emphasis on including nutrient-dense plant-based foods, consistent with recently revised national guidelines, increased the total and LDL cholesterol-lowering effect of a low-fat diet.

http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/142/9/725