and my doc said my cholesterol is getting too high.

Last time I had a full test was 2 years ago and everything was, in her words, "perfect". I've been on atkins since august and now my cholesterol is 175. (I dont remember the other numbers off the top of my head, they were around 45). She doesnt know I'm on atkins and she told me to eat less saturated fat.

I love this woe because I feel so much better, but now I'm freaked out about my cholesterol and thinking of switching to South Beach. Has anyone had this happen to them?

I checked the Atkins website, and they recommend exercising, cutting back on meats processed with nitrates (bacon, sausage, cold cuts), and limiting intake of hard cheeses.

You can read more of what they say at http://atkins.com/helpatkins/faqs/faqhealth/index.html. It's the subheading, "Since I have been on Atkins, my cholesterol has gone up. Why? And what can I do about it?"

Before you go into a full panic, can you get a copy of the numbers?

What's more important is the ratio. The total cholesterol number has no meaning unless you have the breakdown.

Here's a link to understanding cholesterol numbers. When you have the total picture, it will ease your mind.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=89205

and another

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=162946


Karen

Total cholesterol of 175 is not even close to high. Is that your LDL or total?

Quote:

Atkins diet and low carbohydrate diet discussion provided free for information purposes, NOT as medical advice.

Remember the disclaimer at the very top of this page. That being said, I agree wholeheartedly with the responses that have been given so far in this thread. I do want to second the exercise advice. I totally pigged out on carbs from 12/15 to 1/6. I decided to try to reverse the affect by working out very strenuously since then [I try to burn about 350 calories (adjusted down from 700 on an elliptical machine)]. Now, I haven't had any bloodwork done period since I've been on Atkins, but I heard that exercise is a great method for cleaning out your system.

Of course, if you are new to exercising, or out of the habit, start slow and work your way up!!! A side benefit of exercising is increased mental acuteness (not sure if that is a word, but whatever).

Thanks for the responses, my panic is receding a bit. Here are the exact numbers:

Total Cholesterol: 175
Trigliceride: 41
HDL: 44
LDL 123

So total cholesterol of 175 isnt bad? My doctor said my LDL was getting high and I needed to cut back on fats.

I dont eat meats with nitrates and I'm allergic to regular dairy so I dont eat any hard cheeses. I do buy a small block of goat cheese once or twice a month, but thats it.

I *do* need to exercise. I just ordered some tapes and I'm waiting for them to arrive.

That is insane. Your numbers are great. I dont know what your doctor is talking about. Cholesterol numbers dont get much better than that.

From WebMD.com:


That's probably what she's looking at. Also, can you find [edit - was "do you know"] your LDL number from the previous exam? If you've gone up quite a bit, your doctor may be concerned even if you haven't hit "redline" yet.

This link gives what are considered "normal" values, but take them with a grain of salt since nearly half of those who have heart attacks have what are considered "normal" values (in other words, it's not a very good predictor of who will and won't have a heart attack...docs would be just as accurate flipping a coin and basing your chances on heads/heart attack, tails/no heart attack).
http://health.allrefer.com/health/c...est-values.html

According to this link, your values are just fine. As for the LDL, having it go up is not necessarily a bad thing if the increase is due to a shift from the small, dense (thought to be harmful) LDL particles to the larger, fluffy (now thought to be beneficial) LDL.
Your ratios are all very good, your LDL is not even what would be considered "high" and your triglycerides are excellent.
I'd say keep doing what you're doing (although exercise is never a bad idea ) and have your levels checked again in about 6 months.

Plus, you said you had gone 2 yrs ago and were perfect. Is it possible that you're cholesterol went up after that but before you started lowcarbing, and now it's lower than it was?

I wouldn't worry too much. Your numbers are better than mine and mine are going down since this WOE.

October January
HDL - 47 51
LDL - 166 150
Triglycerides 207 71 WOW!!!! -136 in only 3 months!!!


I bet yours were up before you started this WOE. See if you can get it checked again in about 3 months or so.


Alli

Some individuals may require an LDL less than 100, such as those that are post MI, or insulin dependent diabetics with risk factors etc. Generally they are already on lipid lowering agents already, but I wouldnt write off elevated LDL as a benign finding (especially if it was a significant increase over last years number). Anyone with categorical obesity (especially truncal obesity) + hypertension + Diabetes (niddm or iddm) + age greater than 55 + male or menopausal women needs to pay heed to their cholesterol levels. In recent years this dysmetabolic syndrome ( alittle bit fat, alittle bit of htn, and a little bit of insulin resistance) has been linked repeatedly to greatly increased risk of heart disease. Granted there are many new findings that are beginning to link other factors to heart disease (some people are more prone to vascular inflammation) but caution should still be used when consuming large amounts of fat. Make sure an take an aspirin everyday, especially if you have significant family history or other contributory risk factors. Hopefull very few dieters here are smokers as well, but if so, you should work on kicking the tobacco habit before working on the excess weight.
-Getz

I would second that, but I think you need to qualify WHAT kind of fat contributes to heart disease. According to research, it seems that the heart-clogging fats are comprised of polyunsaturated fats, not saturated fat.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...3&dopt=Abstract

It's the transfats (read--hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils) that are creating the damage. According to Mary Enig in her book "Know Your Fats", research has indicated that TFA's:
1. lower HDL cholesterol
2. raise LDL cholesterol
3. raise the atherogenic lipoprotein, Lp[a], especially in individuals who already have Lp[a] levels that are too high
4. alter cholesterol ester transferase activities
5. alters the mixed function oxidase enzymes that potentiate undesirable chemicals
6. displace the type of protective antimicrobial fatty acids in the food supply that would reduce the viruses and bacteria now known to cause lesions in the arteries.

There simply is no evidence to conclusively prove that saturated fat causes ANY kind of damage.

Wow lots of great information here, thanks for the replies.

After doing a little research and looking at the info you guys gave I've decided to make a few changes.

-work out regularly and stop making excuses to do so
-work flax seeds and/or flax seed oil into my diet
-stop having burgers with no bun from wendy's for lunch (transfats)
-watch for other sources of transfats (I use goat butter, olive oil, and coconut oil at home)
-get retested in 3 or 4 months to see if there is any improvement

If my LDL has gone up at all on this diet I think the fast food burger patties might be to blame, I cant think of any other transfats I've been eating. I've already started exercising and I'm going to be keeping that up.

Thanks again for all the help

Just to compare, I found my old results from Nov. 2001:

Total Cholesterol: 165
LDL: 102
HDL: 53
No # for triglicerides that I can find.

So my LDL is up ~20pts and HDL down ~10pts. Oddly enough, I was eating a lot of junk at the time and not working out at all. A few months after this is when I first went on weight watchers and my carbs quadrupled.