Cholesterol, energy and long term health

cholesterol
(Dave) #1

Ok, so here is a quick lowdown on where I am.

  • I am 39 yo, weigh 189lbs (85kgs) and have a BMI of just under 25 (although not carrying much fat).

  • LCHF for 5 yrs - slowly fell off the wagon about 18 months ago due to 2nd child and working away from home a lot with no control of my food (military). When I was home my wife generally prepared food for me coming in from work.

  • Keto for last 8 weeks with great results for weight loss, but not had that energy spike or mental clarity often spoken.

  • Tested blood ketones and they are normally between 0.5 - 1.5mmol but on occasions are either side of that band.

  • Father had heart attack at 56, gall stones about a yr later and gall bladder removal shortly afterwards.

  • I never exercised more than was required to pass my fitness test but have decided something has to change

  • Had cholesterol test in 2012 and Nov 2017 -

    image

  • Worried about my lipid levels so had a Calcium Heart CT Scan on Fri (awaiting results) and managed to convince the military doctor to order a VLDL particle size test, should have results by next week.

I am at a point now where I have 2 young children and I am really beginning to fear my risk for CVD is so high that I will end up dying before seeing them grow up, which really concerns me. I have thrown myself into Keto and have been doing well and managing to exercise >3 time a week for an hour at least each time.

So my questions if someone would be great enough to help me find some answers -

  1. Are my cholesterol numbers bad or am I just being paranoid?

  2. What foods or actions help to reduce Triglycerides?

  3. What foods or actions help to increase HDL?

  4. When does this burst of mental clarity happen?

Thanks in advance for any advice or help as I am pretty scared about my future with my children.

(Dan Dan) #2

@cwodavids hope this helps and gives you peace of mind.

Why Cholesterol Can Go High on a Ketogenic Diet

if you want more just Google “DR. Berg high cholesterol”

(VLC.MD) #3

Looking forward to those.

Your lipids are fine. Exercise is good if you want to live a long happy life. If keto has 50 benefits, exercise has 100.
Both are likely additive

#4

Over the last decade, research into cholesterol indicates that it’s not the all-out monster doctors once believed. It’s mainly produced by our bodies as needed for transport, repair, support brain health as we age, etc. Two suggestions: one, read or listen to The Great Cholesterol Myth by Sinatra and Bowden. Two, check out Dave Feldman’s work at Cholesterol Code (website). Three, skim the article below to review which ratio is most important as a predictor of cardiovascular health.

Here’s a link to Dave. You can find more about his work at his site above.

When it comes to mental clarity, you’ll find that it happens over time. Most don’t wake up “buzzing,” but rather they realize gradually after several months that their energy levels have become very stable, that they don’t get those weird sugar crashes they once got an hour or two after eating, that going without a meal doesn’t make you lose your cool, get headaches, fatigue, etc. Many of us joke that we feel better at 46 than at 26.

(Richard Hanson) #5

Hi Dave,

Your Tri/HDL has improved fantastically! It looks to me like you are doing much better in 2017 then in 2012. Great Job!

You have been LCHF for five years compared to my five months. Mental Clarity? Perhaps, you are already so smart that there is not any noticeable room for improvement. Seriously!

Keto for Life!

Thanks for your service,
Richard

(Dave) #6

Thanks for everyone help so far, it has been helpful.

Okay, so here is my next update -

My CAC came back with a score of 0, which is good… And bad. I am only 39, so technically a little young for a CAC so this could provide a false positive, although I am not sure that is entirely the case as I think my cardiac health is good, although absolutely no proof of that and my numbers certainly dont appear to show that.

I convinced my doctor to order a VLDL and hsCRP test, which he did… Kind of, it is a calculated VLDL, not a measurement which is frustrating as it is based on my Triglyceride levels. Anyway, here are my numbers which were done 8 days after the previous numbers which are in brackets below

hsCRP 1.80 mg/l (first time measured)
Glucose 77 mg/dL
Sodium 138 mmol/L
Potassium 4.0 mmol/L
Calcium 9.5 mg/dL
Total 237 (247)
Tri 141 (101)
HDL 43 (59)
LDL (calculated) 166 (167)
VLDL (calculated) 28 (first time value)
non-HDL Cholesterol 194 (no idea what this means or why it is relevant)

I now appear to be going the other way with a 40% increase in Tri and a 30% drop in HDL… Any ideas where to go from here or what it all means?

(Dave) #7

Regarding Dave Feldman and his protocol and thoughts, in a nice way, so what? It is really interesting stuff but what does it actually mean in practical terms and how can this information be used? I get that lipid levels vary and change but how can I use this information to make better informed decisions and to improve my long term health? Dave does very well at breaking things down and explaining things but his ‘research’ is has an n=50 or so which is not a large demographic or research base on which to make any real theories from, there just isn’t enough information or thorough enough research.

I have read Peter Attia’s Straight Dope on Cholesterol and that doesnt really help my understanding any, again, so what? How can I apply this new found information?

I am really struggling to work out what to do…

#8

The Feldman stuff is part of the big picture of cholesterol. It’s to help you understand (in case you don’t) that lipid levels vary and change, that they look differently in a low-carb diet than they do for sugar eaters, that immediate dietary choices impact blood tests, and that the presence of cholesterol is an important part of our overall body health. In terms of “what to do,” you’ve got a good calcium score, so that should alleviate many concerns. As Sinatra writes in the other article I linked, there are ways to adjust your trigs and HDLs. Perhaps give those a shot, and do some deeper reading via “The Great Cholesterol Myth” by Drs Bowden and Sinatra.

(Dave) #9

As I am so stressed about my numbers I have thrown money at the problem now and have just received back a Cardio IQ Lipoprotein Fractionation Test… The results are not good and have me really confused as I am following a Keto diet, dont smoke or drink and do about 3-4 hrs of cardio in the gym every week. My numbers are not going the right way at all, any thoughts, ideas or anything that you can offer to stop me stressing out? My detailed results are attached.

Thanks again for everyone’s help, you are really helping me to try and understand how I move forward.

Cardio IQ Lipoprotein Fractionation - Dec 2017.pdf (190.2 KB)

Cardio IQ Lipoprotein Fractionation - Dec 2017
Cardio IQ Lipoprotein Fractionation - Dec 2017.jpg5962×3354 2.24 MB