So I just received a complete male panel from LabCorp, and despite having picture perfect lipid profiles for all of my entire life (and no history of vascular disease or CHD on either side of my family) I am testing really high for total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol for the very first time…most likely due to a significantly increased (saturated and unsaturated) fat diet.
My numbers are as follows:
Total Cholesterol: 285 mg/dL (Range: 100-199)
HDL Cholesterol: 115 mg/dL (Range: > than 39)
LDL Cholesterol: 161 mg/dL (Range: 0-99)
vLDL Cholesterol: 9 mg/dL (Range: 5-40)
Triglycerides: 47 mg/dL (Range: 0-149)
LDL/HDL Ratio: 1.4 (Range units: 0.0-3.6)
So it appears that eating 3-6 whole eggs a day, fattier cuts of steak and chicken, and an overall diet of over 100 grams of fat daily have skewed my numbers and significantly bumped the total and LDL cholesterol up.
(Note: I heavily supplement with fish oil and Omega 3’s, olive oil and unsaturated fats as well, and limit carbohydrate intake to or under 100 grams a day for the most part. Protein consumption is usually between 170-230 grams a day as well, mainly from animal sources.)
My question: Does anyone else have similar numbers, and if so, what was your doctor’s advice?
It seems that, despite the high LDL and total Cholesterol readings, the major parameters of lipid health (high HDL, low LDL/HDL ratio, as well as very low triglycerides and vLDL) indicate near optimal lipid health and low cardiovascular risk, depending who you talk to and what formula you use.
My previous blood work from a year ago (different doctor) indicated similar numbers, albeit with a total cholesterol of 240 mg/dL and an HDL reading of 111 mg/dL, which my doc said was great and to leave it alone, mainly because the HDL was so absurdly high and triglycerides so low.
But with the added fat in the diet, everything appears to have gone noticeably higher, so now I am planning to cut the total fat (particularly the saturated animal fats) in my diet down substantially.
Any relevant feedback, concerning similar findings and input from members, would be most appreciated.