high triglycerides and low HDL and high HDL ?!? What gives?

ashtadani

So I recently got my cholesterol test back and I am having a hard time understanding what I could be doing wrong with my diet and exercise for my triglyceride levels to go up so high but I reduced/raised the LDL HDL levels. Earlier this year I tested for vitamin D and was told it was very low so since June I have been taking a vitamin D and omega 3 supplement.


Here is a year to year comparison :

2013: Total cholesterol -193
2014: Total cholesterol- 212

2013 HDL: 87 mg/dL
2014 HDL: 108 mg/dL

2013 LDL: 87 mg/dL
2014 LDL: 70 mg/dL

2013 Triglycerides, Serum: 97
2014 Trigycerides,Serum: 171


I am a fairly active person ( workout 3-5) times a week. I’ve lost 11 pounds since January. I eat a fairly low carb and mostly no refined carbohydrates at that, lactose free , high protein diet with plenty of veggies and fruit. I think the only corrupt would be wine on the weekends  I guess I just don’t know what to do in order to lower my triglyceride levels when I look online they say my HDL and LDL are good.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Need2Exerc1se

That is odd, especially since Omega 3 supplements are often prescribed to lower triglycerides. Exercise should also lower it. I would suggest dicussing your diet and exercise habits with your doctor to see what could be causing it. It could be something not related to diet.

RodaRose

You could be on a medication that is causing the triglyceride number.
Also you could have hypothyroidism.
Family genetics could be in play.

sofaking6

Have you asked a doctor?

bokaba

171 is a little above the recommended 150, but not that much. You should probably do several tests over the course of a few weeks to determine what your triglyceride averages are. Your total cholesterol is a little bit above normal, but not by much. Your HDL is very high compared to your LDL, which is good, but unusual. Triglycerides are fat and other lipids that transport energy to body tissues. The main culprit is taking in more calories than you burn specifically carbohydrates. Fatty liver disease can also effect the body's ability to eliminate unneeded triglycerides. My triglycerides were once over 500, but reduced to 200 about a year ago and I suspect have reduced even further since then as I was not exercising or eating a healthy diet at the time.

laton008

Was you labs fasting?

ashtadani

Thank you everyone for you input. I did ask my doctor and she said based on my age and diet and exercise she doesn't see concern and just continue on my diet and exercise regimen. This was a fasting test however I will be following up in three months to reconfirm my numbers.

thatsleepyguy

Edit:

Isn't fish oil purported to increase the good (HDL) cholesterol in relation to the bad(LDL)?

If anything, having slightly more HDLs than LDLs, as you do, appears to be optimal for health and not at all a cause for concern.

mrs_j_smith

Could be genetics. Or, maybe you had a bowl of pasta or alcohol the night before? I've also seen people have high TRIGS when they switch to juicing or daily smoothies. High TRIGS is typically caused by increase carb/sugar intake. I'm sure everything will return back to normal at your follow up Keep up the great work!

Booksandbeaches

HDL is the "good" cholesterol, so having it higher than the LDL ("bad" cholesterol") is ok.

I'm on a very low-carb diet. My results, just got them back two days ago, are the complete opposite of yours. My triglycerides went down dramatically from triple digits to middle double digits. My LDL went down. HDL went up and overall cholesterol is the same it's been (under the cut-off). My risk of heart disease is well below the average for women.

I've read that for some people starting a low-carb diet can initially create wacky labs, but if you've been at it for a while (I've been at this for over 6 months now), it stabilizes.