Blood work results are good, but need some help with raising HDL, advice please!

#1

Hey all, I’ve had my husband (and myself) on keto for 12 weeks now. My husbands blood work just before starting:
Triglycerides: 304
HDL: 25
LDL: 80
Glucose: 112

12 weeks in his new labs are:
Triglycerides: 114
HDL: 28
LDL: 94
Glucose: 76

His LDL has gone up a little bit I think this is normal on Keto, correct? I’m thrilled with his glucose and triglycerides!! He’s had these similar numbers as the first set for many years. I am looking for info on increasing that HDL Cholesterol though.

Thanks so much! (And he’s lost 20 pounds as well, which is about all he needed to get rid of!)

(Rob) #2

All correct. LDL goes up on keto to being with since it is transporting fat-based energy around the body. Good news is that it is almost always the safe, light fluffy LDL but you can only tell with a Lipid Profile test, not available everywhere. HDL is rising and typically it continues to rise as long as you stay keto. It is less a matter of special things to eat but length of time on keto. That said, others may know of things that may speed it up.

Congratulations to both of you and KCKO!

(Mitali) #3

You could try supplementing with Omega 3 sources if you are not already.
Look into fish oil supplements (salmon),
Flaxseed oil and use olive oil while cooking.

#4

Thank you!!

#5

Thanks!! I was thinking fish oil—he doesn’t like to take them but he won’t eat salmon very often either…I guess he needs to pick one!

(Mitali) #6

If the problem is with fishy burps, then there are some lemon flavored gel capsules without the fishy taste.
The gel capsules go down pretty easily than the liquid form.
The benefits of fish oil are more than just increasing HDL, it will aid in overall health.

(Tricia Roth) #7

I just finished reading the Big Fat Surprise. It was a little dense and hard for me to get through, but one of my takeaways is that animal fats will raise HDL. Have you thought about cooking with lard or tallow?

I wonder where one buys tallow? I saw lard on the grocery store recently, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen tallow.

#8

Thank you for the tip! I’ll take a look on amazon for those! Appreciate it!

(Jane) #9

I am a chemical engineer and one of our plants gets beef tallow in by the rail car!

I should ask for a qt sample jar the next time I visit that plant :rofl:

On the other hand… it is likely not food grade as nasty as it smells and I don’t want to stink up my kitchen purifying it. :persevere:

(Jeff Gilbertson) #10

These are the ones we use:

Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega

No burping issues at all.

(Raj Seth) #11

Those numbers are fantastic!! TriGs down from 304 to 114 in 12 weeks!
LDL is so low, If it were me, I would be looking for ways to raise it :rofl:
Glucose - Fabulous.
TriG/HDL ratio - 12+ to 4

So KCKO, and the HDLs will respond when they are ready to. For now there is nothing but good news in that 12 week transformation.

Congratulations

(Diane) #12

Be careful with the lard at grocery stores, some of it has “partially hydrogenated” as a descriptor. This means it has trans fats. Not the kind of lard we want.

(Diane) #13

I agree with the advice about KCKO, as this WoE will continue to show benefits down the road. Here is an article with some other ideas.

(Rob) #14

Certainly in the US and probably wherever else trans fats are banned surely this is illegal? Lard may well say hydrogenated but that is ‘fully’ rather than partially which apparently makes all the difference…
http://www.armourlard.com/why-lard
(I know it is from a lard producer, but still)

(Diane) #15

@Capnbob: So, here’s what I bought that I have been thinking I shouldn’t use. The Spanish translates as partially hydrogenated (which is what I was remembering). The English just says hydrogenated. The nutrition information indicates no trans fats.

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58949B80-3439-4912-A170-2A508608C24D.jpeg2899×3173 2.27 MB

So, is this okay to use? I realize it may not be the very best quality, but it is bad?

(Rob) #16

Call me a trusting fool (and food companies aren’t typically the most trustworthy) but if it had trans fats they shouldn’t be able to sell it. I wouldn’t stress over it personally but maybe get better lard in future if concerned. People swear by leaf lard (no leaves are harmed).

(Jeff318 ) #17

Thank you for this article. I needed to read and gain information about my HDL which always shows lower thann 39. I am just a little overweight in the stomach area. I have joined my wife with Keto eating and normally in the past month have had two meals per day.

(Robin) #18

HI Jeff and welcome to the forum. Be aware you are responding to an old thread from 2018, so probably won’t hear from the poster now.
But others on here are very insightful as to cholesterol. But I know they will want more info in order to offer advice.
Do you have specifics for your other lipid numbers, also age, weight, medical issues, and reason for going keto will help.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #19

Yes. But lard in the U.S. can still come with preservatives that someone may or may not want to avoid.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #20

Welcome to the forums!

There is no reason not to post in an old thread, just be aware, as Robin mentions, that you might not get a response.

But as far as raising HDL is concerned, lowering carbohydrate intake and increasing fat intake, especially saturated and mono-unsaturated fats, will lower your triglycerides and raise your HDL. I know this is contrary to all the nutrition advice of the past 60 years, but it’s what works for us.

Especially avoid industrial seed oils, such as soybean, cottonseed, safflower, canola, and so forth. They are not only nauseated if over-consumed, they can also have a number of detrimental effects on our health. We recommend getting fat from cooking with butter, lard, tallow, bacon grease, and so forth, and from eating the fat that comes with meat, instead of trimming it off.