My latest blood work is in and I’m surprised at some of the results. Now let me preface anything I say with I know that these results are based on comparisons to an average of people who eat the SAD so I don’t think it can be held as a completely accurate assessment.
So I had a blood test done at my sixth month mark on carnivore so this one is nearly at my one year mark.
Total cholesterol then was 299 and this time it was 269.
LDL was 225 and now 190.
Wouldn’t bother me a bit if it would just stay up there.
Trigs was 87 and now 66. 
HDL was 57 and now 66.
That gives me a ratio of 1.
All of the other markers we within the averages of what is
considered average or normal except sodium and potassium but that’s detailed on another thread.
Another surprise was my A1c. It was 5.2 but now 5.6. Other than basic fluctuations I’m not sure how to explain that increase. Maybe I fasted too long. I had be fasting for about 18-19 hours.
My estimated glucose was also elevated. Was 103 but now 114. Same phenomenon as the A1c?
So my doc wants me to stop taking my potassium supplement and stop drinking so much water. I only drink about 4-6 16 ounce glasses a day. That doesn’t seem excessive to me.
Anyways I found it all to be very interesting.
More results from my recent blood work
A1c is based on the premise that your red blood cells live a very precise length of time. IIR it’s a measure of glycation. If your rbcs are now living longer than expected, your A1c would likely go up, but you could argue that’s because your cells are actually healthier and not dying on (a SAD) schedule.
I am not sure if this theory’s been proven. It certainly throws a spanner in the works, as it might actually mean higher A1c (at least in conjunction with keto or carnivore) is desirable. 
An observation I made while going over my results was that the LDLc recommendation.
The first time a statin was ever mentioned to me was probably back in the early to mid 90’s. The doctor at that time suggested I get on a statin because my LDLc was as he put it, “ borderline high” at 200.
So in this latest test my LDLc was 195 and my present doc is saying it’s extremely high. Then I noticed the average that they recommend now is 130. Good Grief! 🤦🏼
In another five years it’ll probably be down to 100.
Well I refused the statin back then and I’m still refusing it. I’m just fine with it being what “they” consider high.
A1c is based on the premise that your red blood cells live a very precise length of time
That’s an interesting take! Red blood cells should live for around 120 days iirc, before they get recycled. Most people on SAD don’t see those kind of numbers any more and it can drop to as little as 20 days. The longer an RBC is around, the more they’ll find sugar coated I guess.
@Geezy56 It’s 100 where I live. My doctor wants me on a statin since I got 130 last time, even though I got a CAC scan done with a score of zero.
My blood sugar is always high in the morning, then comes down all day. You can find studies of HbA1c and variation due to file time of red blood cells.
The best way to actually determine is to measure using a CGM, which also provides an estimate of HbA1c.
Also, I have found my Hba1c actually going up. I think that’s in part because I’m exercising 5 days a week now, and that causes higher blood sugar all day. It’s only a few points per day, around 5 maybe, but 5x5 days adds up.
Yep it’s 99 where I am! My doctor recommended statins when I was 140 and again at 160. Since then and since stopping the statins, my triglycerides have come down tremendously, from 200-400 down to 63. I gave her the literature I found about statins and sent her the link to Dr Nadir Ali videos to help her understand why I stopped my statin. I recently had an increase in my LDL at 170, but she did not recommend the statin and said “your levels look good.” That’s because my triglycerides were so low. So maybe she learned?? Or maybe she is just choosing to not engage with the tinfoil hat lady. 
My last test showed my LDL dropped to 144, without a statin, so … 
That’s great about your doctor not forcing you to do anything. Makes life easier.
I’m concerned mine will want me to take a stain (which I won’t).
And your values also bring up a point I’ve never understood. If you look at the literature, they assume the value that they take from you at a certain point is what your value is…forever. But your values (and mine) show that is not true. These values vary all the time.
Your A1c and glucose are going in the wrong direction. This would be my focus. What does your doctor say?
He didn’t say anything about it. He was concerned about my elevated potassium numbers. According to their averages I am still within the normal ranges but I agree with @ctviggen and the others that these thing’s fluctuate with the time of day and the activity level and the longevity of the red blood cells theory is very interesting as well.
It was a puzzle because I am carnivore and what little carbs I get are from the small amount of dairy I eat occasionally and what may be in the meat I eat. So unless there is something really weird going on in my body I’m not too concerned about that being a little elevated. Now if it were to keep going up then that would be a horse of a different color.
Excellent! You are definitely no longer insulin-resistant.
To be able to use HbA1C as a three-month average of your daily serum glucose, you need to ensure that your red blood corpuscles live for precisely 90 days, no more, no less. If they live longer, they will pick up extra glycation and will therefore give a falsely higher reading; if they live less, then they won’t get as glycated and will give a falsely lower reading.
You also need to be neither over- nor under-hydrated, since that also influences the results.
You don’t think two or three quarts of water a day is a lot? Also, how much other fluid are you drinking?
Whereas the use of HbA1C is predicated on the idea that they live precisely 90 days.
Brother I live in Texas so that doesn’t seem like much to me. 
I only had three 16 ounce glasses today.
And other than my one cup of tea in the morning all I drink is water.
Aren’t we supposed to get eight 8oz glasses of water per day at minimum? That’s 64 oz at minimum which is two quarts. If he is drinking 4-6 16oz that’s pretty much recommended but even if at his high end it’s only 4 glasses over what’s recommended. I drink about the same as him every day. I’m confused why you would think that’s too much?
You know, I have no idea how much water to drink. After reading this (Waterlogged: The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports):
I just drink when I’m thirsty. The problem with this is that my water intake is highly variable. Some days, I don’t drink much. Other days, I drink a lot.
This says the recommendation is about a gallon of water (about 4 liters) per day for men:
(Yes, it uses 15.5 cups and not 16 cups…but seems easier to add a cup.)
Bob, 4 liters per day sounds good to me, as an average or ‘starting point.’
If one’s kidneys are not seriously compromised, then the old idea that “as long as your urine isn’t dark, you’re okay on water intake” applies, I think.
That may change somewhat as we get older - we tend to get less sensitive to vasopressin (anti-diuretic hormone) and our kidneys aren’t as good at concentrating urine, so we may lose more water than we would have at a younger age, all other things being equal. Not saying this is a big deal, just that dehydration is more likely in the old versus the young. We may have damped-down thirst sensation, as well.
We’re always exhaling water vapor and losing water through our skin - this is 600 - 800 ml per day for a lot of people. Water in excreted stool is also part of the “insensible water loss.”
The ‘floor’ for adults and water replacement is 1.5 to 2.5 liters per day. This is like postoperative patients who are in a controlled environment, and with a very low activity rate.
And of course there are variables. Breathing humidified air, one might only exhale 200 or 300 ml of water per day, but if exercising hard at high altitude then it might be 1500.
Perspiration - maybe a half liter per day when cool and at rest, but for some people and intense exercise it’s nearly 4 liters per hour. Hot, humid weather, moderate to strenuous exercise (cutting wood, digging with pickax and shovels, moving stuff with a wheelbarrow, etc.) I’m sure I drink 2 liters per hour, maybe more.
{Emily Litella mode: on} Never mind! {Emily Litella mode: off}
Actually, the sport drink manufacturers recommend even more, especially when you’re drinking their product!
Isn’t this exactly as it should be? Or do you think your body never developed the feedback mechanism to know when it’s properly hydrated?