[saggy]

I just had a fasting blood test and since I have been on the SBD, my bad cholesterol is up and my good cholesterol is down. My LDL is 135 and my HDL (good cholesterol) was 47 (which is lower than it used to be). I am wondering why my blood work results are opposite of what they should be. I thought my LDL would go down and the HDL would go up. My dr. advised me to go on a low fat diet. The paper she gave me told me to limit nuts. I thought nuts were good for us! Any insight?
Thanks
Sonya

[twodogmom]

Hi saggy,

I have several questions, so please bear with me.....

How long have you been following the SBD? How long has it been since your previous blood test? What were the results for your total cholesterol and your triglycerides? How about your Cholesterol/HDL ratio? Did they change at all? What were your previous results? If your total cholesterol went down significantly, that may make your HDL go down a little bit also. Have you been exercising? Exercise will help raise your HDL cholesterol.

What kind of fat have you been eating? Saturated fat and trans fats will cause your blood lipids to go up. Unsaturated fat, like that in olive oil, will help bring them down.

You're right when you say that nuts are good for you....but in moderation. Remember that nuts are mostly fat, and even though it's the "good" kind of fat, too many nuts will bring your total fat intake up, which may influence your blood lipid results (and not in the way you want them to be influenced).

[saggy]

Twodog mom----I have been doing SBD for about a month. My total cholesterol was 192 (considered normal). Triglycerides were 42. My total choleterol is up from 184 last year. And I do about 5 days of cardio a week. Usually for 45-60 minutes. As for fats, I rarely eat red meat and I do use only olive oil. I wonder if the cheese and eggs had something to do with the raise in LDL's.
Thanks for your response
Sonya

[twodogmom]

Hi Saggy,

First of all, I'm not a doctor, I'm a Clinical Laboratory Scientist/Medical Technologist (a "lab tech"), and I'm just offering you some information based on my knowledge of laboratory medicine, but please be sure to listen to your doctor and follow her recomendations!! Don't change what you're doing based on what I have to say, I just wanted to try to give you a little more insight and background on these lab tests.

Your total cholesterol and triglycerides are both great! And you are doing fabulous with your exercise!

Do you remember what your HDL and LDL results were from your previous blood test? The reason why I'm wondering....if the numbers only went up a little bit, that may not be significant. With lab tests, a small amount of fluctuation or variablilty can occur and not be significant. I'm talking about a very small change in numbers here, like 2-4%. That is something that is just inherent in the testing methodology. So for example, if your LDL was 130 and is now 135, that is not a statistically significant change.

It sounds like you are eating well. Recent studies have shown that eating eggs will not really impact cholesterol levels in most people, so unless you're eating 2 dozen a week I wouldn't think that would be a cause. Most cheese contains a lot of saturated fat, so if you are eating a lot of cheese that could have some impact on your LDL.

Some people are genetically predisposed to have elevated blood lipid results, no matter what they weigh or what they eat. My Mom and my sister both are very thin, and they also have elevated cholesterol (total and LDL) and triglycerides. My Mom has been on Lipitor for a couple of years now, and has finally gotten her cholesterol and triglycerides down to normal levels. So your lipid levels may not be due to what you do or eat, but may just be a genetic process that you can't control.

I hope this information was a little helpful and not too confusing. But once again, please follow your doctor's direction on how to bring your lipid levels to where she wants to see them.

[saggy]

Twodogmom---Thanks for the info. My LDL from last year was 118 and my HDL was 56. I am guessing that there is a genetic component with my blood. My dad died from a heart attack when he was 50 ( I was only 10). My mom was on Lipitor for a while and that helped her. My brother ( who runs daily, is thin, and eats good stuff all day) also has a high LDL. Guess it runs in the family. The doctor told me to follow a low fat diet and get my weight to 160. Thanks again
Sonya

[Ruthxxx]

Sonya, SBD is not really a low fat diet - it's a good fat diet. Let's hope it stabilizes your bloodwork. I'm type 2 diabetic and it sure has worked for me. My doctor is a convert!