Want to Lower Total Cholesterol and LDL - macronutrient question

momochris

I eat no refined sugar, am able to keep my dietary sugars and saturated fats down, and my fiber intake is adequate. MFP says carbs should be at 50% daily. Is that correct? It seems high. Would that number be different for someone who wants to lower their cholesterol?

Thank you!

neanderthin

Lower is the wrong question considering most people that have had heart attacks have what would be considered, having normal cholesterol levels. What we really want is just to lower our heart attach risk which by default lowers heart disease.

There's sub classes of LDL which relate to the size of the particles where a high number of one particular one, the smallest one, is the problem. These small particles are more prevalent in a diet where HDL is low and triglycerides are high and this phenotype is associated with, for the most part, from consuming the SAD diet and more specifically the consumption of ultra processed foods where refined carbohydrates and added sugars on a percentage basis are higher represented in the diet. Lower those and our heart attack risk lowers a lot.

Getting to your question. It's not really how many carbs but the type of carbs that contribute, but that on it's own is just a reductionist look and other factors need to be addressed. For example, if a person is overweight or obese, has diabetes, PCOS, fatty liver these are all associated with these small dense particles and increase the risk for a heart related event, which is common knowledge and all of this stems from Insulin resistance and chronically higher levels of blood sugar throughout ones life.

So, is 50% carbs too high, no, not if these carbs are basically from whole foods, like whole grains and legumes for example. Personally I consume a low carb diet which is by default a whole food diet and also higher in animal protein and fat and if this was a problem with heart disease then the ADA (American Diabetes Association) or the AHA (American Heart Association) wouldn't support a low carb diet for the mitigation of either diabetes and IR or heart disease.

The takeaway is basically stay away from high sugar refined carbs and try to replace any UPF with more whole foods. Heart health and longevity simply can't be optimized without exercise and not surprising, exercise increases HDL and lowers triglycerides. Reducing weight and reversing diabetes will again by default lower our risk for heart disease. It's basically lifestyle that dictates our overall health that includes our heart health. Cheers

yirara

milenaweissberg400 wrote: »

that sounds right. just remember that carbs dont mean white bread and pasta but rather whole grains, starchy vegetables etc. if you want to lower your cholesterol levels, also consider exercising as this increases so called HDL which pick up excess "bad" cholesterol in the body.
if you need help: https://www.m-poweredhealth.com/

A substantial part of southern Europe just fainted. Nothing wrong with white bread and pasta as long as overall nutrition is adequate and no medical conditions present. Gosh, now I really want a proper, freshly baked baguette with good, non-industrial butter and a thick slab of ham.

momochris

Thank you for the replies. In 2015, my total cholesterol was 303 and my doctor wanted to put me on statins. That day, I went plant based cold turkey after speed reading Dr. Greger's book, "How Not to Die". In 6 weeks, my total cholesterol had dropped down to 167. I was plant based for 5 years, then plant based except in social situations, and then somewhere during COVID, I slipped back to the horrible SAD way eating. I had been unusually tired for months and went in to see my doctor for labs. My cholesterol had crept up:

Total Cholesterol ~ 264 (High)
HDL ~ 70
Triclycerides ~ 52
LDL - 184 (High)
Total Cholesterol to HDL ~ 3.8

I had a low glucose number (not the A1C #) so the doctor ran additional labs and I don't have any issues with fasting glucose, insulin, thyroid function (free T4 or c-peptides), so maybe this is an anomaly.

I immediately got rid of all refined sugar and tracked everything I ate, focusing on lean meat, complex carbs, veggies and fruit. I started to get a couple of odd symptoms parallel with the diet change ~ I am extremely thirsty (seems unquenchable and I get hot/clammy a few times.

I went in to the doctor yesterday and my hydroxybutyrate is high - 58. He thought I was restricting my carbs too much because that number is affiliated with ketosis. I had showed him a handwritten list of my my carb numbers (i.e., one day was 21% carbs, 34% protein, 45% fat - keeping saturated fat very low) and I now realize he thought I was having 21g a day of carbs. I don't think it should put my in ketosis doing 60-100g of carbs a day, but maybe my body is trying to readjust from my extreme bad eating to extreme good eating.

For the record, I am active, 64, 5'5, 128 pounds, and take no meds.

I have more tests next week so I'm just trying to figure a good carb percentage to aim for. It seems weird for me to try to add carbs, but they are all good carbs.

xrj22

A few years ago I was BMI 27 and had cholesterol of 246. At that time I was eating a fair amount of cheeses, eating out several times per week (meat and potatoes type food), and 1 - 2 beers more nights than not. I went plant-based whole food, no refined sugar or white four. in 4 months brought my weight down 30 lbs, and my total cholesterol down to 160 (with good ratios). On a plant based diet, much of my protein was coming from beans, quinoa, lentils, etc. Which also have a lot of carbs. 50% carbs worked great with that type of diet. I don't think high carbs are a problem as long as you are getting enough protein and the carbs are from whole foods, which mostly have a low glycemic index. I think the important things are to get enough protein, restrict saturated fats, restrict added sugar and refined flour, and control weight. If you find a way to do that which works for you, let the balance between fats and carb be whatever it is.

momochris

xrj22 wrote: »

A few years ago I was BMI 27 and had cholesterol of 246. At that time I was eating a fair amount of cheeses, eating out several times per week (meat and potatoes type food), and 1 - 2 beers more nights than not. I went plant-based whole food, no refined sugar or white four. in 4 months brought my weight down 30 lbs, and my total cholesterol down to 160 (with good ratios). On a plant based diet, much of my protein was coming from beans, quinoa, lentils, etc. Which also have a lot of carbs. 50% carbs worked great with that type of diet. I don't think high carbs are a problem as long as you are getting enough protein and the carbs are from whole foods, which mostly have a low glycemic index. I think the important things are to get enough protein, restrict saturated fats, restrict added sugar and refined flour, and control weight. If you find a way to do that which works for you, let the balance between fats and carb be whatever it is.

The points you made about what is important makes sense to me and I'm doing that now (last 2 weeks). I can't believe I went so far off track during COVID. I was shocked when I read the labels and saw how much refined sugar crept into my foods. I was topping my healthy salads with Poppyseed dressing ~ I got rid of that and use my own oil/vinegar/garlic and spice dressing. I can't believe how much that store dressing tasted like candy...BLEH! I now have added oatmeal in the morning with Ceylon cinnamon, berries, walnuts and topped with hemp hearts. My body just feels better in the morning now. It's amazing how the right fuel makes such a difference
I have friends who are on statins because they say the high cholesterol is hereditary. It may be, or it may be that they and their family weren't eating in a healthy way. My biggest concern about their statin use is they have acceptable cholesterol numbers but continue to eat poorly, and are on many other meds for other issues.

AnnPT77

I had a similar history (BMI 30-point-something, cholesterol 230, triglycerides 193, HDL 45, LDL 146 - and those not my highest ever). My doctor was urging statins. Losing weight down to a healthy range brought my lipids solidly into the normal range (actually somewhat before reaching goal weight) and they've stayed there for nearly 8 years since. (I'm 5'5", was 130.2 pounds this morning.)

To the OP's specific question: My carb intake has been right around 50% (usually plus or minus a percent or two) all through weight loss and 7+ years of maintenance. It is mostly from fruits, veggies, no-sugar-added dairy, and whole grains. I don't rule out white flour or added sugar, but my taste preferences don't lead me to consume lots of those.

When my blood lipids were all bad, I wasn't really eating SAD. (I've been vegetarian for 49 years, ate lots of whole grains, veggies, fruits, etc. Virtually no fast food, relatively little so-called junk food, etc.). When it got better, I was mostly eating the same range of foods, but different portion sizes, proportions on the plate and frequencies to hit calorie goal and fine-tune nutrition. I go over the MFP default sugar goal every day, but I admit that most of it is inherent rather than added sugar.

SAD can be detrimental in various ways, but I'm not sure whole foods in themselves are an assurance of either weight loss or reasonable lipids. It's a multi-factor thing, and healthy weight per se matters, I think. Being active might, as well. (NB I was very active when obese, and have stayed that way.)

There are people with genuine genetic factors, i.e. familial hypercholesterolemia, who have high cholesterol at a healthy weight, while active, when eating a nutritious diet that would be sufficient for others to attain reasonable blood lipid levels. (I don't believe I'm one of them.) Does everyone who says it's genetic have a relevant chromosome defect? Probably not. Reportedly (according to US CDC), the incidence is around 1 in 250 people.

neanderthin

Comprehension fail = logical fallacy lol, I love this place. Cheers

momochris

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I had a similar history (BMI 30-point-something, cholesterol 230, triglycerides 193, HDL 45, LDL 146 - and those not my highest ever). My doctor was urging statins. Losing weight down to a healthy range brought my lipids solidly into the normal range (actually somewhat before reaching goal weight) and they've stayed there for nearly 8 years since. (I'm 5'5", was 130.2 pounds this morning.)

To the OP's specific question: My carb intake has been right around 50% (usually plus or minus a percent or two) all through weight loss and 7+ years of maintenance. It is mostly from fruits, veggies, no-sugar-added dairy, and whole grains. I don't rule out white flour or added sugar, but my taste preferences don't lead me to consume lots of those.

When my blood lipids were all bad, I wasn't really eating SAD. (I've been vegetarian for 49 years, ate lots of whole grains, veggies, fruits, etc. Virtually no fast food, relatively little so-called junk food, etc.). When it got better, I was mostly eating the same range of foods, but different portion sizes, proportions on the plate and frequencies to hit calorie goal and fine-tune nutrition. I go over the MFP default sugar goal every day, but I admit that most of it is inherent rather than added sugar.

SAD can be detrimental in various ways, but I'm not sure whole foods in themselves are an assurance of either weight loss or reasonable lipids. It's a multi-factor thing, and healthy weight per se matters, I think. Being active might, as well. (NB I was very active when obese, and have stayed that way.)

There are people with genuine genetic factors, i.e. familial hypercholesterolemia, who have high cholesterol at a healthy weight, while active, when eating a nutritious diet that would be sufficient for others to attain reasonable blood lipid levels. (I don't believe I'm one of them.) Does everyone who says it's genetic have a relevant chromosome defect? Probably not. Reportedly (according to US CDC), the incidence is around 1 in 250 people.

Thank you ~ that was an interesting read My weight has always been normal (5'5", ranging between 123 and 134 throughout adulthood), but I can eat ALOT for my size without significant weight gain. So even though I'm eating healthy again, I'm going to have to keep track of portion sizes and resume consistent exercise/activities to keep my cholesterol in check. 1 in 250? There are a lot of people using that genetic factor as an excuse!

momochris

neanderthin wrote: »

Comprehension fail = logical fallacy lol, I love this place. Cheers

Do you have a point you want to make about anything specific or share some helpful knowledge? If not, no need to be rude...scroll on. Cheers!

sollyn23l2

momochris wrote: »

neanderthin wrote: »

Comprehension fail = logical fallacy lol, I love this place. Cheers

Do you have a point you want to make about anything specific or share some helpful knowledge? If not, no need to be rude...scroll on. Cheers!

Don't take it too seriously. He's just insulted nobody responded to his first comment.

neanderthin

sollyn23l2 wrote: »

momochris wrote: »

neanderthin wrote: »

Comprehension fail = logical fallacy lol, I love this place. Cheers

Do you have a point you want to make about anything specific or share some helpful knowledge? If not, no need to be rude...scroll on. Cheers!

Don't take it too seriously. He's just insulted nobody responded to his first comment.

Haha, and no animals were hurt in the process.

sollyn23l2

neanderthin wrote: »

sollyn23l2 wrote: »

momochris wrote: »

neanderthin wrote: »

Comprehension fail = logical fallacy lol, I love this place. Cheers

Do you have a point you want to make about anything specific or share some helpful knowledge? If not, no need to be rude...scroll on. Cheers!

Don't take it too seriously. He's just insulted nobody responded to his first comment.

Haha, and no animals were hurt in the process.

I mean... I'm sure the chicken I ate for dinner yesterday would disagree. 🤣

Corina1143

momochris wrote: »

Thank you for the replies. In 2015, my total cholesterol was 303 and my doctor wanted to put me on statins. That day, I went plant based cold turkey after speed reading Dr. Greger's book, "How Not to Die". In 6 weeks, my total cholesterol had dropped down to 167. I was plant based for 5 years, then plant based except in social situations, and then somewhere during COVID, I slipped back to the horrible SAD way eating. I had been unusually tired for months and went in to see my doctor for labs. My cholesterol had crept up:

Total Cholesterol ~ 264 (High)
HDL ~ 70
Triclycerides ~ 52
LDL - 184 (High)
Total Cholesterol to HDL ~ 3.8

I had a low glucose number (not the A1C #) so the doctor ran additional labs and I don't have any issues with fasting glucose, insulin, thyroid function (free T4 or c-peptides), so maybe this is an anomaly.

I immediately got rid of all refined sugar and tracked everything I ate, focusing on lean meat, complex carbs, veggies and fruit. I started to get a couple of odd symptoms parallel with the diet change ~ I am extremely thirsty (seems unquenchable and I get hot/clammy a few times.

I went in to the doctor yesterday and my hydroxybutyrate is high - 58. He thought I was restricting my carbs too much because that number is affiliated with ketosis. I had showed him a handwritten list of my my carb numbers (i.e., one day was 21% carbs, 34% protein, 45% fat - keeping saturated fat very low) and I now realize he thought I was having 21g a day of carbs. I don't think it should put my in ketosis doing 60-100g of carbs a day, but maybe my body is trying to readjust from my extreme bad eating to extreme good eating.

For the record, I am active, 64, 5'5, 128 pounds, and take no meds.

I have more tests next week so I'm just trying to figure a good carb percentage to aim for. It seems weird for me to try to add carbs, but they are all good carbs.

I'm so glad to know you were able to bring your numbers down. My numbers are way high. My Dr. Prescribed statins. I'm not taking them. I had a health scare in January 2022, surgery, then additional health problems. My blood pressure was way up, too. Thyroid and sugar doing well. Doctor mentioned hereditary cholesterol, since it was so high. I kept telling the Dr. that I just needed to get back to being myself. My blood pressure was around 150/95. It's now 117/60 and I'm feeling much better. I'm looking forward to seeing what has happened with cholesterol and triglyceride.