Cholesterol Test Results (what went wrong?!)

[bookishrunner]

I went through my Whole 30 about 7-8 weeks and then went through the reincorporation phase and decided to keep dairy (limited), but to otherwise eat Whole 30. Over the past 5 weeks I played with my carbs a bit so that my total percentages was something like 55% fat, 35% protein, 10% carbs. I recently decided to get a total blood work up done, just to check things out. While everything else was fantastic, my lipid panel was a mixed bag.

Triglycerides: 64

Cholesterol: 266

HDL: 74

LDL: 179

VLDL: 12.8

LDL/HDL ratio: 2.4

My MD told me that my LDL was about 79 pts high and my total cholesterol was about 66 points high, as well. I know there is a lot of literature about specific parts of LDL (small dense LDL vs. regular LDL) and this test didn't differentiate.

I wondering what I need to tweak (if anything) in my diet.

Relevant Bio: I'm a 29 yo, male ultrarunner. About 150 pounds (usually) and 6 feet tall. Here's a sample of my diet (normal day).

Breakfast:

- 4-5 slices, free range, vegetarian fed bacon

- 4-5 pastured eggs, scrambled in bacon grease

- (sometimes with) "bullet proof" Green Tea (with 1 tsp MCT oil and 3-4 tbsp grass-fed butter)

[sometimes I just go with the "bullet proof" Green Tea by itself.]

Lunch:

- 1/2 pound grass-fed beef, grilled in grass-fed butter (or coconut oil)

- 1-2 cups of broccoli sautéd in with the meat

- (sometimes with) 2 tbsp of organic sour cream

Dinner:

- baked sweet potato with 2 tbsp grass-fed butter

- (sometimes with) 2-3 slices of free-range, vegetarian fed bacon

- 1 grilled chicken breast, cooked in grass-fed butter (sometimes another 1/2 pound of grass-fed beef)

There you have it; my day in food. Anything jump out? I was thinking that I could stand to reel things in a bit on the fats (even though they are good fats) and eat more of a variety of veggies. Maybe cut back a bit on the beef? Not sure about that last one.

I want to trust the research and the system, but it's a different story when you are looking at your own blood test. Massive heart attacks run in my family—due to diet. Granted my diet and my father's are not the same, but it's still a sobering factor.

Any help? Thanks!

Mike

[quotidianlight]

Get the differentiated test before you do anything. You really don't know if your results are bad or good.

[Tom Denham]

Your triglycerides are good and I think that is the important number. Experts disagree on what is a good overall cholesterol number. Personally, I consider 250 okay.

My doctor tells me that I have a familial tendency towards high cholesterol. Without medication I was at 281 a few months ago. On new meds, I am at 223. I was taking statins that got my cholesterol down under 150, but I decided that was too low and I didn't want to take statins. A new doctor is working with me now.

A couple of sites I find helpful are http://www.drbriffa.com/ and http://eatingacademy.com/. Both have lots on cholesterol.

[bookishrunner]

Thanks a ton, Tom. Very helpful. I'll be checking these sources out tonight and in the days to come.

[MtnRunner]

I haven't been tested yet but I am concerned and interested about the numbers too since I also have a genetic tendency towards high cholesterol and it was a little high even when I was a vegetarian. I guess if I were in your shoes I would try to get more of my fats from plant sources (avacado, olive/coconut oil, nuts) over animal sources (cholesterol only comes from animals). Not sure it that would help. And I would echo your comment about more veggies since I don't really consider sweet potato a veggie which would mean you are only eating broccoli at lunch.

Pretty easy to get veggies in with each meal and makes it even more filling. Good luck!

[rustymom]

There are 2 formulas for LDL calculation. The more common one doesn't work well when triglycerides are below 100.

Check this out. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread4723.html