Blood Lipids

After my father died, I felt a driving need to get a hold of my health.  Since both my parents were hypertensive and diabetic and had cancer, I sensed an impending doom being overweight.  So I embarked on the quest to lean down.  I don't say 'lose weight' because it is possible to be normal or even under-weight but still have a high percentage of body fat.  In the weight-lifting world, this is known as 'skinny fat'.  In the medical world, this is known as 'normal weight obesity'.  See this link for more information on the condition: http://advanced-fitness-concepts.com/articles/1010TM.pdf  Skinny fat people as well as conventionally obese and overweight people may experience insulin resistance or prediabetes.  BMI-wise, I was technically 'overweight' on the cusp of 'obese'.  Not a healthy place to live. 


Enter the low carb lifestyle change, which truly worked to lose bodyfat (check out previous posts).  But enter criticism & concern from others who hold on to the 'eating fat makes you fat & unhealthy' dogma.  There was a sincere concern from family members about cholesterol and heart health since low carb eating is also high fat.  To allay concerns, I got a physical done complete with bloodwork.  I had results from my last physical in 2007 with which to compare.  Keep in mind that four years ago I ate a typical "healthy" diet: whole grains many times daily (oatmeal or whole grain cereal at breakfast, whole wheat bread for sandwiches at lunch, brown rice with dinner); low fat or fat free snacks (baked, low-fat crackers/chips, raisins, fruit); fat-free/ reduced fat dairy (skim milk in coffee & cereal, reduced fat cheeses, heart healthy spread instead of butter).


Note on VLDL & LDL levels: VLDL & LDL are not directly measured but rather calculated based on your triglyceride level.  See the following link for an explanation: http://www.livestrong.com/article/30831-calculate-ldl-cholesterol/  Step 3 in the link is your VLDL number, although it does not state that on the webpage (VLDL = triglyceride/5).




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	2007	2011	healthy range
total cholesterol	175	195	100-199 mg/dL
triglycerides	94	42	0-149 mg/dL
HDL cholesterol	53	87	>39 mg/dL
VLDL cholesterol (calculated)	19	8	5-40 mg/dL
LDL cholesterol (calculated)	103	100	0-99 mg/dL

As you can see, on the low carbohydrate high fat diet, my triglycerides dropped more than 50% to less than 1/3 of the maximum healthy range.  Keep in mind that triglycerides and good cholesterol (HDL) are greater predictors of future coronary events (ie heart attacks) than are total cholesterol.  You want triglycerides low & HDL high.  In my case total cholesterol increased because my HDL increased to a level more than double the recommended minimum value, which again is what you want.  VLDL & LDL (aka bad cholesterol) both dropped for me in response to the low carbohydrate high fat diet change.  Here is a useful link for understanding blood lipids: http://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/high-triglycerides-versus-bad-cholesterol.aspx  But to really get the science & politics of blood lipids, I recommend reading Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories.


Here's something 'fun' that could also be very enlightening.  It's a heart attack risk calculator from the American Heart Association:  https://www.heart.org/gglRisk/locale/en_US/index.html?gtype=health

So to sum up:  we have been lead to believe that eating fat turns into 'bad fat' (triglycerides, LDL, & VLDL) in the blood which then clogs arteries.  Contrary to that, most recent science shows that eating carbohydrates increases triglycerides ('bad fat') and eating smaller amounts of carbohydrate along with increased percentage of calories from fats boosts your good cholesterol (HDL) while lowering your 'bad fat'.

At this point, being the wife of an attorney, I feel compelled to say that I DO NOT work as a medical professional, and my writing should NOT be construed as medical advice.  Consult your regular health care provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise regime, or medication regime. !!!