Hi - I've sent the following e-mail to atkins support THREE times ( since Jan. 30) and have not received a reply. Please help!!!! Do they still answer questions?


I am still waiting for an answer to my question originally posted on January 30. Please help before I guit Atkins. I just got my blood test results back and my doctor said that he's never seen a cholesterol level go so high! I started Atkins 6 months ago and have lost over 30 lbs.I've also stopped taking my colitis meds and feel great! My blood test then showed the following:
HDL 65
LDL 123
TRIG 62
Total Chol 200
C/HDL 3.1
My recent results were:
HDL 91
LDL 223
TRIG 69
Total Chol 328
C/HDL 3.6

I eat alot of Mayo(hellman's regular). steak, and 3 eggs a day. I'm now trying to eat more fish, and chicken, and fewer eggs and mayo. Any suggestions or comments about my numbers?
Thanks alot, Val

Wow, Val .. congrats!! Those numbers are excellent

A HDL over 60 is protective against heart risk, even if the LDL is elevated. Triglycerides below 150 .. beautiful. Chol:HDL ratio below 4.6 ... perfectamundo!!

Elevated LDL is no longer an indicator of heart risk unless there are other significant risk factors .. and it appears your other clinical risk factors are very low. They now know that there are different types of LDL particles, some which are "bad" and some which many experts believe to be beneficial. Have a read through this thread in the Cholesterol forum .. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=89205 .. There are lots of links and more information which I think you'll find very reassuring.




Doreen

The only recomendation I would make is to eliminate the mayo. It is made of soybean oil, which is not very healthy.

I think you should read this...
http://www.dvdmon.com/pp/cholesterol.asp

Your total cholesterol is high, but like Doreen said, total cholesterol is not an accurate measure of heart disease risk, and an antiquated way of measuring it. Ratios between HDL:total cholesterol as well as triglycerides and HDL are thought to be more important than total cholesterol.

Your HDL is extremely high, and the higher the HDL the lower your risk factor (meaning it is better to have higher total cholesterol if the ratio is equally low.)

Second, your HDL:Chol ratio is about the same, and well below any risk factors.

Third, check the ratio between Triglycerides and HDL. The lower the ratio between Trigs and HDL, the more likely it is that the LDL in your blood is the sort that is thought to not be dangerous (and this is because the "bad" LDL has a hand in creating Triglycerides). Remember, LDL is a figure which is derived of everything that isn't HDL. Not all LDL is the same, there are many subcatagories. Some types are protective. Some are neutral, and others still are dangerous. High triglycerides relative to low HDL is a very important risk factor because it means you have a lot of dangerous cholesterol vs very low protective cholesterol.

Your old ratio between Trig:HDL was roughly 1. This is considered good (ratio should be under 5, and ideally under 2).

Your new ratio is .8. This is even better, because it means you have relatively more protective/neutral cholesterol than dangerous ones.

All in all, your results are about the same as they were before, in fact better in some areas. I wouldn't let the high total cholesterol worry me too much. Because your ratio between triglycerides and hdl is so improved, it is likely that the extra LDL is the protective kind.

Thanks to all for the great advice. I wonder why Atkins didn't respond to my question? Answers and suggestions are always better and faster on this BB anyway!

BTW - I reached my first goal of 150 lbs and now weigh 148! new goal is 130. I no longer take medication for colitis either!