Cholesterol

Nettie wrote:
|| Has anyone here had there cholesterol go up from eating Low Carb
|| style? for example Atkins = lot of protein, & eggs etc?
||
|
| Yes, I have. In November of 2003 my cholesterol was 174. I have my
| cholesterol done once a year, for several years, and it has always
| been between 145-175. My triglycerides were normal and my LDL was in
| the good range. I've never had high triglycerides and my LDL has
| always been good.
|
| At the end of January of this year I began Atkins and in May of this
| year (after losing 40 pounds) had my cholesterol done - I requested
| my doctor do a cholesterol test because of the diet and it was 253.
| I was shocked! My LDL was still good, as were the triglycerides.
|
| I've since done a few modifications (cut out all bacon, use low fat
| yogurt, less cream, less eggs/week - - I already eat mostly chicken
| and fish) and will have it tested at the end of the summer. If it is
| still high then, I will go off low carb and do something else to lose
| the remaining weight I want to lose.
|
|
| I like eating low carb - I feel good and it works for me - as far as
| losing weight, that is - but I'm not willing to stay on it if the
| high cholesterol continues.
|
| We pardon to the extent that we love.
| Francois de La Rochefoucauld


Nettie, do you realize what you just said? If your LDL and triglycerides
are still good but your total cholesterol shot up, then it is your HDL
(good) cholesterol that increased. Don't you realize that this decreases
your risk for cardiovascular disease? That risk of stroke and heart attack
dramatically decreases as the HDL to total cholesterol increases? This is a
good thing, not a negative thing! Yet you say your are modifying your diet
to try to reverse it! And that you are not willing to stay on LC if the
"high cholesterol continues!

Your post -- or logic -- makes no sense.
--
Peter
270/216/180
Before/Current Pix:
http://users.thelink.net/marengo/bef...eafterpix.html

On 30 May 2004, Nettie wrote:

From: Martha Gallagher

On 29 May 2004, Nettie wrote:



Has anyone here had there cholesterol go up from eating Low Carb style?
for
example Atkins = lot of protein, & eggs etc?


Yes, I have. In November of 2003 my cholesterol was 174. I have my
cholesterol done once a year, for several years, and it has always been
between
145-175. My triglycerides were normal and my LDL was in the good range.
I've
never had high triglycerides and my LDL has always been good.

At the end of January of this year I began Atkins and in May of this year
(after losing 40 pounds) had my cholesterol done - I requested my doctor do
a
cholesterol test because of the diet and it was 253. I was shocked! My
LDL
was still good, as were the triglycerides.


Um, maybe I'm not understanding this, but if your LDL and triglycerides
are still good, then doesn't that mean that the reason your total has gone
up is because your HDL has?

If so, that's a good thing.

Really.


Eek! I should have said my LDL went up 79 "points" and my HDL remained
what it usually is (50).


Ok, well that sucks. But, important caveat, some people do see a rise in
cholesterol when they first start doing low carb. It's theorized that
cholesterol is actually what your body uses to heal itself for some
purposes and therefore high cholesterol levels are actually indicative of
the body doing some long postponed repair work. It's not uncommon for
people to see that spike up and then have it come back down.

More importantly, have you had a CRP (preferably a hs-CRP) done? That
measures inflammation levels and, from what I understand, the cutting edge
thinking is that that is a more reliable indicator of potential
cardiovascular problems than high cholseterol.

Martha





--
Begin where you are - but don't end there.