LDL cut in half

[DragonBits]

I do eat whole eggs every morning and yes they are good for you, however nothing budges my HDL. Not avocado, eggs, butter, fish oil, fish, MCT oil, etc.

I am trying alcohol to raise HDL. About 5 oz of red wine a night, or a couple of beers. I think it's just the alcohol content that's important, not that it is wine or whiskey. I won't measure HDL again for another month, but my level tends to be around 40. Curious to see if this raises my levels.

And the link Vince posted is interesting in that losing weight initially lowers HDL but in the longer term (1 year +) raises HDL.

I also have seen studies that suggest different HDL response to lowing weight by dieting vs exercise. (Running).

 

[Gianluca]

I am trying alcohol to raise HDL. About 5 oz of red wine a night, or a couple of beers. I think it's just the alcohol content that's important, not that it is wine or whiskey. I won't measure HDL again for another month, but my level tends to be around 40. Curious to see if this raises my levels.

And the link Vince posted is interesting in that losing weight initially lowers HDL but in the longer term (1 year +) raises HDL.

I also have seen studies that suggest different HDL response to lowing weight by dieting vs exercise. (Running).

I wouldn't advise anyone to drink Alcohol to raise HDL but curious to see if you get any improvements, try to do some cardiovascular exercise instead or use "real" extra virgin olive oil, I don't recall but some isolated nutrient can offer some help with it, I personally wait to stabilize all my hormones then take care of HDL

 

[Will Brink]

Nothing special about this this BW but happy and wanted to share my lipid profile improvement, my LDL cut literally in half, also my post meal triglyceride went from 150 to 107, improvements on my Hemoglobin as well and liver Enzymes I believe are optimal, need to work on HDL a bit

Things I have changed.

1- Started NP thyroid
2- Kyolic Garlic
3- less meat more plants, almost none of Dairy
4- Switched from 20mg Test Cyp Everyday IM to 70mg 2 x week SubQ

I bet the thyroid made most of the changes in lipid, It would have been nice to see for each of the first 3 what impact had on lipids

Impressive!

 

[MarkM]

Bonetti, those improvements are impressive. Has it made a difference in how you feel?

Years ago my lipid profile looked terrible. My Total Cholesterol was running at 308. LDL was 252, Triglycerides at 226, and HDL only 11. The doctor was all over me and told me I was about to have a massive coronary. I tried statins but they had a negative impact on my liver so I stopped taking them.

So I lost a little bit of weight (about 10 lbs), started eating better (no specific diet) and began drinking a whole lot more water. I also started taking 500 mg of niacin each day. The last three blood work ups had my Total Cholesterol at 142, 144, and 138; LDL 89, 88, and 77; Triglycerides 103, 102, 95; and HDL 39, 40, and 42.

I'd like to get my HDL up higher but nothing I do has moved it higher but it has moved all the way up from 11. Being on TRT probably suppresses the HDL to some extent.

Thanks for sharing your story, it helped remind me of my own progress with cholesterol.

 

[DragonBits]

Bonetti, those improvements are impressive. Has it made a difference in how you feel?

Years ago my lipid profile looked terrible. My Total Cholesterol was running at 308. LDL was 252, Triglycerides at 226, and HDL only 11. The doctor was all over me and told me I was about to have a massive coronary. I tried statins but they had a negative impact on my liver so I stopped taking them.

So I lost a little bit of weight (about 10 lbs), started eating better (no specific diet) and began drinking a whole lot more water. I also started taking 500 mg of niacin each day. The last three blood work ups had my Total Cholesterol at 142, 144, and 138; LDL 89, 88, and 77; Triglycerides 103, 102, 95; and HDL 39, 40, and 42.

I'd like to get my HDL up higher but nothing I do has moved it higher but it has moved all the way up from 11. Being on TRT probably suppresses the HDL to some extent.

Thanks for sharing your story, it helped remind me of my own progress with cholesterol.

Mark, those sorts of changes with trigs, HDL, LDL sound more like a liver problem (like hepatitis or something else) than a diet / weight problem.

Then when the problem went away, your trig, HDL, LDL returned to more normal levels.

Losing 10 lbs and eating better will help, but moving HDL from 11>40, Trig from 226>110, etc, are dramatic changes that seem more like resolution of a health problem. A lot of health problems resolve on there own without intervention.

But I assume your doctor at the time also looked at things like AST/ALT to rule out some sort of liver problem.

This is also why it's good to have a long term baseline on blood work going back as long as possible, decades, to help know what is causing problems / changes. (Like for some reason, my potassium is often slightly (50% of the time) out of range on the high side, it's been like that for 30 years. Doctors never seem concerned)

 

[MarkM]

Mark, those sorts of changes with trigs, HDL, LDL sound more like a liver problem (like hepatitis or something else) than a diet / weight problem.

Then when the problem went away, your trig, HDL, LDL returned to more normal levels.

Losing 10 lbs and eating better will help, but moving HDL from 11>40, Trig from 226>110, etc, are dramatic changes that seem more like resolution of a health problem. A lot of health problems resolve on there own without intervention.

But I assume your doctor at the time also looked at things like AST/ALT to rule out some sort of liver problem.

This is also why it's good to have a long term baseline on blood work going back as long as possible, decades, to help know what is causing problems / changes. (Like for some reason, my potassium is often slightly (50% of the time) out of range on the high side, it's been like that for 30 years. Doctors never seem concerned)

Yes, I have blood work all the way back to 1992. So these changes did not happen overnight. Actually my cholesterol was first checked in 2006 when it was so high and has gradually come down over the years. My AST/ALT jumped considerably when I went on statins which is why my doctor took me of of them. They also ran numerous test for hepatitis which were all negative. Actually there was a false positive which meant at some point in my life I had been exposed to it but my body developed anti-bodies to fight it off.

But the drop and improvement to current levels took a very long time.

 

[DragonBits]

Yes, I have blood work all the way back to 1992. So these changes did not happen overnight. Actually my cholesterol was first checked in 2006 when it was so high and has gradually come down over the years. My AST/ALT jumped considerably when I went on statins which is why my doctor took me of of them. They also ran numerous test for hepatitis which were all negative. Actually there was a false positive which meant at some point in my life I had been exposed to it but my body developed anti-bodies to fight it off.

But the drop and improvement to current levels took a very long time.

Perfect evidence, congrats, I also have blood work back to 1992.

I don't get a lot of dramatic changes, my HDL has been as in a range of 36-54, trigs have been as low as 73 or as high as 280, but tot C was 178-220 during that time period. When my HDL was 54 and trigs were 73 my weight was at it's lowest for the last 30 years. But I was also eating a lot of fish and Thai food.

Now I am back a little below that weight, so I am curious what my numbers will be next time.

 

[jdthoosier]

Interesting. I'm now 60, and my lipids levels are far better than when I was in my 20's. At my last blood test review a month ago, the Defy NP asked if I was on statins (nope!)

I struggled with my HDL levels in particular my whole life until about 4 years ago when I started TRT plus cleaned up my diet after I was told I should do gluten and dairy free due to some stomach issues.

My HDL went from 28 mg to 46 mg. At one time, the PCP put me on niacin to try and raise my levels, to no avail. My LDL has dropped from the 70's to 53 mg.

Not entirely sure why - but maybe a combo of TRT, consistent exercise, and a clean, more plant-based diet where I dumped red meat in favor of mostly fish, and free-range eggs 3 days a week. As far as fish, I focus mostly on high quality salmon roe, sardines, and Alaskan salmon. Not cheap, but sure seems to be working for me.

 

[Gianluca]

Bonetti, those improvements are impressive. Has it made a difference in how you feel?

Years ago my lipid profile looked terrible. My Total Cholesterol was running at 308. LDL was 252, Triglycerides at 226, and HDL only 11. The doctor was all over me and told me I was about to have a massive coronary. I tried statins but they had a negative impact on my liver so I stopped taking them.

So I lost a little bit of weight (about 10 lbs), started eating better (no specific diet) and began drinking a whole lot more water. I also started taking 500 mg of niacin each day. The last three blood work ups had my Total Cholesterol at 142, 144, and 138; LDL 89, 88, and 77; Triglycerides 103, 102, 95; and HDL 39, 40, and 42.

I'd like to get my HDL up higher but nothing I do has moved it higher but it has moved all the way up from 11. Being on TRT probably suppresses the HDL to some extent.

Thanks for sharing your story, it helped remind me of my own progress with cholesterol.

I believe a get a better response from Aerobic activity, for instance when I run now I do feel a much quicker improvement of my circulation and it last longer, you know the feeling of a good cardio session, my guess is the endothelium working better now, it is more elastic.

But I don't believe LDL levels can have an impact of this feeling, I have gone SubQ with my TRT and my hemoglobin is lowering and since my Thyroid I have less shortness of breath and possibly the last two had an impact on my cardio sessions, regardless LDL level

 

[Vince]

Finally, egg yolks contain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid, and arachidonic acid, a long-chain omega-6 fatty acid. Preliminary evidence shows that these fatty acids are anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective and may even have an anti-cancer effect [10].Feb 27, 2014

Clinical Correlations › 2014/02/27
The

 

[DragonBits]

Finally, egg yolks contain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid, and arachidonic acid, a long-chain omega-6 fatty acid. Preliminary evidence shows that these fatty acids are anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective and may even have an anti-cancer effect [10].Feb 27, 2014
View attachment 10056
Clinical Correlations › 2014/02/27
The

The article seems to suggest having one egg a week is OK.

My mother is 82 lbs and always eats 2 eggs, one egg a week is, IMO, stupid advice. Who only eats one egg a week, why even bother?

"Missing out on the egg yolk means missing out on the nutrition in your breakfast. Although the yolk is high in cholesterol, most studies agree that consumption of up to one egg per week is unlikely to have a substantial impact on the risk of CAD or stroke among healthy adults."

 

[fifty]

"up to one egg per week". oh brother.

 

[Vince]

The article seems to suggest having one egg a week is OK.

My mother is 82 lbs and always eats 2 eggs, one egg a week is, IMO, stupid advice. Who only eats one egg a week, why even bother?

"Missing out on the egg yolk means missing out on the nutrition in your breakfast. Although the yolk is high in cholesterol, most studies agree that consumption of up to one egg per week is unlikely to have a substantial impact on the risk of CAD or stroke among healthy adults."

Most days I eat 6 eggs

 

[Vtail]

Most days I eat 6 eggs

Do you also supplement with fish oil? Or do you figure you're getting all you need through the eggs?

 

[Vince]

Do you also supplement with fish oil? Or do you figure you're getting all you need through the eggs?

Yes I supplement heavily with fish oil. 2400 mg twice daily. I do get my levels checked.

 

[Bentiger07]

Nothing special about this this BW but happy and wanted to share my lipid profile improvement, my LDL cut literally in half, also my post meal triglyceride went from 150 to 107, improvements on my Hemoglobin as well and liver Enzymes I believe are optimal, need to work on HDL a bit

Things I have changed.

1- Started NP thyroid
2- Kyolic Garlic
3- less meat more plants, almost none of Dairy
4- Switched from 20mg Test Cyp Everyday IM to 70mg 2 x week SubQ

I bet the thyroid made most of the changes in lipid, It would have been nice to see for each of the first 3 what impact had on lipids

I'm in slightly above average shape and a healthy BMI, but genetically have higher LDL. Because high LDL is tied to ED, I try to keep it down. Do you think Kyolic Garlic is helping a good deal with that? I considered it, but then I think I recall there was soy in it or something. Soy's not something I wanted to take with my T on the lower end.

I strongly believe your LDL drop is most likely due to number 3. You significantly dropped saturated fats and dietary cholesterol, the 2 things that are probably the heavy hitters for increased LDL.

 

[davidrn]

Yes I supplement heavily with fish oil. 2400 mg twice daily. I do get my levels checked.

When you say you get your levels checked, do you mean the omega 3 to 6 ratio? I did that test a decade ago after a couple of Paleo years.

 

[Vince]

When you say you get your levels checked, do you mean the omega 3 to 6 ratio? I did that test a decade ago after a couple of Paleo years.

Yes ratio and amount

 

[davidrn]

Yes ratio and amount

Would you mind sharing the ratio results? I think this is a great opportunity to pass along info about the historic ratio, 10,000 years ago it was close to 1-1, today as high as 1 - 50. When I did mine it was 1-3, I was thrilled, but never met anyone else who has had the test done, or found if anyone is approaching the 1-2 level.

The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids - PubMed

Several sources of information suggest that human beings evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) of approximately 1 whereas in Western diets the ratio is 15/1-16.7/1. Western diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and have excessive amounts of...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Ideal Ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Reducing Inflammation

We hear about omega fatty acids all the time. Omega-3, omega-6, yeah, whatever that means…they’re a good thing, right? Well,

dailyhealthpost.com

 

[Vince]

Would you mind sharing the ratio results? I think this is a great opportunity to pass along info about the historic ratio, 10,000 years ago it was close to 1-1, today as high as 1 - 50. When I did mine it was 1-3, I was thrilled, but never met anyone else who has had the test done, or found if anyone is approaching the 1-2 level.

The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids - PubMed

Several sources of information suggest that human beings evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) of approximately 1 whereas in Western diets the ratio is 15/1-16.7/1. Western diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and have excessive amounts of...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Ideal Ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Reducing Inflammation

We hear about omega fatty acids all the time. Omega-3, omega-6, yeah, whatever that means…they’re a good thing, right? Well,

dailyhealthpost.com

I'll try to find it this weekend.