High Cholesterol??

[Bubblewinks]

Hello,

 

So I got blood work done and my doc said my cholesterol is high.  I LOVED being on the Whole30.

 

Can someone explain this to me more?

 

Okay so I'm 37 years old and a female, High Cholesterol does not run in my family

 

I did this test FASTING and two weeks AFTER I did the WHOLE30.  I'm not in any way saying the Whole30 caused my high cholesterol because it wasn't tested before I did this and for all I know it could have been higher and this could have dropped it down to 200.

 

I want to do the Whole30 again but with the fat you have to eat, I'm nervous about doing it again.  My doc told me to eat a high fiber, low fat diet.  I'm going to a nutritionist this week.

 

Here are my numbers:

 

Total Cholesterol: 200   

HDL-46mg

Triglycerides 122mg

LDL-130

 

[Guest Andria]

While many people freak out over an increase in total cholesterol they might see after a Whole30, it is not necessarily something to worry about.  A TC of 200 is not a problem(despite what our doctors tell us, there is so much more to the cholesterol picture).  Generally, people completing a W30 will see an increase in HDL and decrease in triglycerides.  Your HDL is low and your triglycerides, while not bad, are a bit higher than one would expect to see on a W30.

 

More  information is needed: what were your numbers before the W30? What was your diet like before W30? List 2-3 days worth of W30 meals so we can see how you ate while on the plan.

 

Don't expect anything good to come of your meeting with a nutritionist.  They will tell you to go back to a low fat high grain diet( ), which will NOT serve you well

[MeadowLily]

You've emphasized that it does not run in your family,  you're nervous  and you've shared your doctor's Rx for HC.

 

So why do to want to do this again...  It made you feel good and you loved it.  You don't know what your reading was before the W30.

 

Are you at your target weight?    If not,  how would you know if the W30 had anything to do with your HC.   If we start out with extra weight,  if our pre W30 diet was filled with less than optimum food, that can be the main reason for HC.  Trans fats in the form of fast foods, refined foods,  food and alcohol sugars, pizza,  potato chips....and so forth.   These can all be reasons for HC.    It doesn't run in the family, so you don't believe family history comes into play.  The only guide you have is what your diet was like before you started.

 

Now that you have your baseline numbers,  try it again if you choose.   Don't be fearful and nervous.   It's only 30 days.   Go back and retest.   One more question...how do you eat inbetween.   If we return to those refined foods,  HC is going to rebound like weight gain does.   We only keep our good numbers if our good new habits continue.

[Tom Denham]

Seriously, you have work to do to educate yourself. Unfortunately, listening to your doctor alone may mean you remain dangerously ignorant. You might imagine from what I am saying that I lack respect for MDs, but I don't. I just know better than to listen to any particular doctor in isolation. Although I am not now nor have I ever been a physician, I did have a role in medical education years ago. Cholesterol is one of those issues where many doctors get their information from a pharmaceutical rep and haven't actually done any thinking at all. So you need to do some reading and thinking yourself. 

 

Here are a collection of articles to get you started:

http://whole9life.com/2014/10/truth-cholesterol/

http://whole9life.com/2014/12/truth-cholesterol-part-2/

http://whole30.com/2013/09/doctors-and-whole30/

http://paleononpaleo.com/paleo-high-cholesterol/

http://paleononpaleo.com/paleo-cholesterol-testing/

http://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-cholesterol-and-saturated-fat-are-not-the-enemy

http://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-statins-dont-save-lives-in-people-without-heart-disease

http://healthcorrelator.blogspot.com/2013/05/sudden-cholesterol-increase-it-may-be.html

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/

http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/statins/statin-madness/

 

PS, except for your triglycerides, I would not mind having your cholesterol profile.

[Bubblewinks]

Thank you everyone for your reply!

 

To Andria:

 

This is what I ate

 

Breakfast: 3 Eggs cooked in Ghee or Coconut Oil w/Spinach or a sweet potato

Lunch: Turkey burger wrapped with lettuce, green salsa, avocado, tomato, onion

Dinner: Chicken breast rolled in mustard, with almond meal and then baked with Brussels sprouts cooked in coconut oil

 

Some dinners I would have steak, or carnita meat cooked in a crock pot with salsa.  But my breakfast usually stayed the same.  Or my other lunches would be a salad with shrimp/chicken, nuts, avocado, and compliant salad dressing

[Guest Andria]

Your meals look really good, as long as your are eating enough to keep you from being hungry between meals(make sure you are adding enough fat per meal as all of your cooking fat may not transfer from the pan to your plate).  Is the Whole30 quite a departure from your previous woe (way of eating)?  Do you have a good deal of weight to lose?  If so, it might take longer than 30 days to see improvements in your HDL and Trigs (especially if you are still losing weight).  You are doing well, and I wouldn't stress over your numbers.  Continue eating this way and have your numbers checked again in 6 months Good Luck!

[Bubblewinks]

Thanks Andria!  I'm about 12 pounds overweight.  I try to eat good, but I looooooooooooove latte's and sugar LOL.  Thanks for answering

[renaissancedeb]

I've been doing 99.99% Whole30 since August 11. I've lost 15 lbs and some of my digestive issues (IBS, reflux) have resolved. Been doing mostly low FODMAPS too.

 

I was SO excited to get my cholesterol tested after 4 months but it SKYROCKETED! In June, my numbers were: Total 233, HDL 66, LDL 156, already on the borderline high side. Last week, my numbers were: Total 268, HDL 62, LDL 192. Triglycerides went from 52 to 66.

 

I have eaten 3 small cookies in 4 months, my only cheats! No other sugar, grains, alcohol, dairy. But I've been eating about 2 eggs/day (which I never did before), some ghee and olive oil and coconut flakes for fat (small amounts). My doctor is talking about putting me on statins if my numbers don't go down. I'm at a normal weight now, age 60, otherwise good health. I will read the links to the articles posted.

 

Typical W30 day for past four months: 2 scrambled eggs w/ ghee and herbs, steamed spinach for breakfast, maybe a banana w/ coc. flakes; salad w/ soy-free tuna in water, carrots, balsamic vinegar for dressing, maybe avocado; dinner would be baked chicken or fish plus steamed green veggies; I was eating raw cashews for fats but too hard on the stomach so I stopped; intermittent cashew cookie Larabars. That's pretty much IT. Sometimes breakfast protein is reheated chicken or fish.

 

Also, I used to take a daily multivitamin, Vit D3 2000, B6 100, Fish Oil 1200, but I stopped them all because of additives.

 

Any thoughts, especially for protein sources other than eggs?? Again, I will look at resources posted but I'm short on time right now. THANKS!!

[kirkor]

I think most of your concerns will be addressed once you peruse some of the links Tom gave, but just a quick point that dietary cholesterol doesn't equal blood cholesterol; in other words, it's not the eggs.

[Tom Denham]

Your cholesterol levels sometimes go up when you are losing weight - a temporary phenomenon that stops when you quit losing weight. I wouldn't think that 15 pounds since August would do that, but that might be a factor.

 

I learned after I fired a doctor I had worked with for 10 years that I have a genetic pre-disposition to high cholesterol - familial hypercholesterimia. Nothing makes my levels go down except drugs. I actually take a non-statin drug to keep my cholesterol around 230-240. If I was more confident of my understanding of good science, I might not take anything, but my cholesterol goes to something over 300 when I am not on the medication I am taking now and I am not a real scientist. My cholesterol was at 140 when I was still taking a statin drug, but I have enough confidence in my understanding of how the body works to live with cholesterol 100 points higher than it used to be. 

[MeadowLily]

Individuals can have a strong genetic component, 2 or 3 generations back and not even really know it.  It could be hereditary and it's finally showing up.   You can run and do everything perfectly and yet it doesn't budge.   Statin drugs have big side effects.   I know what they did for my Mawmaw.   Side effects are rarely  mentioned and they give them to everyone at the drop of a hat.

[renaissancedeb]

I definitely want to avoid drugs because if there are side effects, I get them. I will read those articles and attempt to educate myself (more) about all this. I really need to understand more about the eggs/dietary cholesterol thing. So much to learn!

[praxisproject]

15 pounds since August would likely spike your cholesterol. Get another test done after the weight loss stops

 

Many doctors are completely unaware of spikes in cholesterol during and after weightloss, so you can easily be given medication which is not required at all.

 

Too little food cholesterol and your body will also kick into overdrive and produce more cholesterol (as your body can make it). My father was on an extreme no-cholesterol diet many years ago and it put him in the hospital. Back then they didn't know the body made cholesterol and many doctors still use antiquated cholesterol information.

[renaissancedeb]

Wow, that's very interesting. Never heard of this factor. I confess all the information is complex and confusing but I'm trying to sort through it bit by bit. Thanks for weighing in (so to speak)!

[praxisproject]

I remember reading another article that explained it better, but this one is pretty good too: http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/06/i-lost-weight-and-my-cholesterol-went-up/

[renaissancedeb]

Very interesting, Praxis. Many thanks!

[keightlynn]

My cholesterol tends to be quite high overall, but my doctor doesn't mind because my ratios are excellent.  That's really all that matters, especially for women.  The main thing you want is low triglycerides.  If you have high HDL and a good radio, I wouldn't even worry what the overall number is.