Cholesterol trending good, right Guys? Guys?

[robintemplin]

14 months ago, I began Keto and taking a statin. (My cholesterol had always been terrible, even by keto standards.) One month after starting the statin, my lipids were:
Total 158
Triglycerides 119
HDL 41
LDL 95
My doc was pretty happy, but wanted me to work on raising the HDL and lowering the LDL.
My triglycerides/HDL ratio was 2.9

After one month, I quit the statin (unbearable side effects).
Today I got my current results(no statin, strict keto):
Total 325
Triglycerides 89
HDL 68
LDL 240
My Triglycerides/HDL ratio is 1.3
That’s good progress, right?

My doc is flipping. About the total and the LDL. He wants me to try the new injections for cholesterol. They are pretty new and insanely expensive, even IF my insurance approves it. I’ve read about the new drugs and they don’t seem to be tested thoroughly enough and the results are minimal. I think.

My inclination is to KCKO. Any input?

[ctviggen]

I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. But I do believe you’re heading in the the right direction. Your HDL is vastly improved, and your trigs are getting there.

I don’t recommend the PCSK9 inhibitors. They aren’t great at actual benefits.

I should note there are those who believe LDL is “it”: if it’s “high”, you must lower it. I’m not one of those people.

[KetoType2]

I quit my statin drugs after 6 months Keto. My lipid panel showed large LDL particles, which many of us believe are not indicative of cardiovascular disease. Big Pharma makes billions of dollars pushing these drugs…go figure.

[MarkGossage]

You are
A> female
B> older than average

Higher cholesterol is protective. Your LDL is a calculated number based on some rough ideas that might not be applicable when you are keto and your doctor is an idiot.

How long had you fasted before the blood was taken?

Important ratio is Trig/HDL which in your units you want to be sub 2.0 yours is currently 1.3 nothing to worry about.

[lfod14]

How has it been since you quit them and the test? There’s going to be a rebound. Do you track what you eat? Do you know how much fat your taking in? You really need an NMR and not a standard panel, but if you’re not tracking you have no way to troubleshoot if you react well to dietary changes.

[Alecmcq]

Higher cholesterol is protective

This. A thousand times over. The “high cholesterol results in heart disease” theory is a myth borne out of extremely poor “science” 60 years ago, and there are no major studies proving the link.

[anon94382398]

Triglycerides down and HDL up. Looks great.

Send the legal drug dealer the www.cholesterolcode.com website so he can get educated.

[robintemplin]

I fasted at least 12 hours. My blood was drawn at 10AM and I don’t eat after 7 or 8 pm. Everything you said make me feel better. And thanks for finding a nice way of saying I am an old lady! LOL. I’ll take it. I feel better than I did at 30, so I’m just happy to be here.

[robintemplin]

Excellent! I need to educate myself too probably. But this all confirms that I am on the right track.

[robintemplin]

Thanks… It’s been a year since I dropped the statin. I tracked what I ate for about 6 months, then went on auto pilot. I pay close attention to carbs. Always well under 20… usually around 10. I am pretty close to carnivore… mostly meat, cheese, heavy cream in my decaf in the morning. I could try cutting down on dairy, I suppose. I am an all-in type person. No cheating. I’m too addictive to risk a sip or nibble outside keto. My gut instinct is to stay on plan. I did a heart calcium scan and my score was 30. As long as my LDL is not truly a threat, I’m just gonna keep on trucking. But am always open to advice on here. I’m still learning.

[robintemplin]

@ctviggen @KetoType2 @MarkGossage @lfod14 @Alecmcq @anon94382398
Thanks for everyone’s input and encouragement. I should add, I’ve also lost 50+pound. I have to believe that fact alone is healthier than a year ago. I’m not gonna let my doc scare me. He supports me doing keto and applauds my weight loss. He just doesn’t know enough about it. We’ll learn together. You’ve given me some good info. Thanks.

[Janie]

I’ll take it. I feel better than I did at 30

Me too!

Can’t say I feel better than at 24 before I had my first kid……. but keto can only turn back the clock so much when you are 62!!!

[MarkGossage]

Phew I did have to think about that one for a while to get the phrasing right… glad it worked!

[FrankoBear]

Hi Robin. Yes, that looks good.

Do you have concurrent inflammatory markers with that LDL number? If your fasting insulin, high sensitivity C Reactive Protein etc is low that is important to know. In terms of LDL specifically then it would be good to know what the LDL-a level is. LDL-a is an indication of oxidised LDL. The oxidised lipid in the LDL-a is linoleic acid.

So, following a low linoleic keto way of eating by avoiding processed, packaged ‘keto foods’, avoiding processed industrial seed oils, and, if in the USA avoiding eating chicken and pork (including bacon), will reduce the concerns of the LDL number.

I didn’t know much of this until yesterday when listening to this interesting podcast: https://carnivoremd.com/ending-the-debate-over-seed-oils-with-tucker-goodrich/

[robintemplin]

Hey, I just watched your video. Good job!

[robintemplin]

Well, well, well… I eat a lot of packaged meat… sliced from the grocer’s deli… because I am lazy about food prep since I lost any significant appetite. I’ll listen to the podcast too. sometimes the science is over my head, but the conclusions are certainly worth knowing!

[robintemplin]

But I do not eat food packaged as “keto”. Don’t trust the suckers. I have had a feeling I should ditch the deli meat (and bacon???) and just have my hubby grill up a bunch of burgers and steaks. And I do make a killer roast or brisket. So I’ll mend my ways. Thanks.

[PaulL]

The “high cholesterol results in heart disease” theory is a myth borne out of extremely poor “science” 60 years ago, and there are no major studies proving the link.

Not only that, but there are actually studies that disprove the link.

[Alecmcq]

there are actually studies that disprove the link.

Indeed. The astonishing thing is how the official medical community can be so blind and just go along with the statin industry’s game. History will show that whatever forces are at work have cost hundreds of billions and millions of lives.

Knowing this stuff does make you very suspicious of everything else the medical community suggest and makes you wonder what their real agenda is.

My personal belief is that money makes you very blind.

[Alecmcq]

My favourite facts in this space are:

1. The US study that showed the average cholesterol level of people attending hospital with a heart attack was lower than the average US cholesterol level. If cholesterol causes heart attacks, how can this be?
2. My favourite charts are below. Not very strong correlations here, but if there is a correlation between cholesterol level and heart disease (and all cause mortality) it is that lower cholesterol levels are associated with more CVD and higher all cause mortality.

So, if cholesterol is protective, why is my Dr trying to kill me by telling me to be on statins and reducing my cholesterol? Because he is told to do it by the standards of care. If he doesn’t and I do have a heart attack and he hasn’t suggested statins when I have high cholesterol he is then charged by the medical authorities for not following the standards of care.

So, the problem is the Standards of Care. Who makes these? People who have vested interests in the pharmaceutical industry. This is a scandal and should be illegal.