Eggs and cholesterol. Weird blood results.

JosieB2014

Went to the doctors today and received my liver test results.

Everything was low, except for my cholesterol which sat at 7. I was shocked at this result because I work out 6 times a week, vigorously and I eat clean religiously.

Riddle me this, I eat for breakfast 3 egg whites with one full egg each morning I have read numerous studies in dictating the cholesterol in eggs is actually quite good for you.

Thoughts?

ktsimons

Do your mom and dad have high cholesterol?? Mine do, and there isn't a darn thing I can do about it but keep up the good food, eat a slight deficit and exercise.

There are studies today that are showing interesting things with the size of the cholesterol molecules floating thru your blood stream, too...pray for large ones - LOL - they are the kind you want and typically hereditary high cholesterol levels are large molecule!

ldrosophila

It's possible genetics and no matter what you do your liver just likes to make cholesterol.

Now there was one recent study that did find some kind of correlation, but it's just one study and there were some questions to the methods. And of course now I cant find it.

You could do a little experiment cut out the yolks for a few months (change nothing else in your diet and exercise program) and have the doc re-run your lipids. If it changes then you know it effects you if it doesnt then enjoy your yolk till your heart is content.

I bet your MD would be pretty curious to see the results too.

MstngSammy

Watch out for Hydrogenated Oils. (shortening, margarine). These are created in a lab and aren't absorbed into our cells the same way natural oil do. They are found in fast food, baked goods, processed foods, you name it. Read your labels.

There have even been studies about homogenized milk...how the process of homogenization breaks the fat up so tiny that it can actually move through the cell walls.

My cholesterol was in the low end of the high scale until I started watching what was in my food. I've also upped my green veggies (green cleans ) It is has dropped dramatically.

I do eat small amounts of butter, raw coconut oil, and olive oil and egg yolks.



(yes I realize I'm not a scientist. This is from my own research and personal experience. Opinions may vary)


I wish you luck!

Lightbulb1088

I have to watch my cholesterol and the cardio doc said only 3 eggs a week. So I've had to find other things to eat. turkey sausage, greek yogurt, fruits, veggies, low fat cheeses. Whole grain cereals.
Oh watch animal fats, I cut them all as much as possible lean meats or chicken and fish.. Nuts have healthy fats, I use olive oil, and there are other oils that you can use but I've not tried is coconut oil.

Good luck.

aimforhealthy

Bump, cause I have my grandma staying with me for the holidays and her cholesterol is quite high.

guroprincess

Your cholesterol was just.. 7? What?

There's HDL and LDL. There is "good cholesterol" and "bad cholesterol" and the ratio is what is important.

Athijade

Current research supports the idea that the cholesterol in foods does not impact blood serum levels. The vast VAST majority of cholesterol is made by your own body and there is very little you can do about it. My grandmother, who has never been over weight or had a bad diet, has to be on medications to keep her cholesterol levels in check. It is just the way it is.

Also, a "7" doesn't really tell you anything. What are your HDL and LDL levels? What is your ratio? What are your triglycerides? You need a lipids panel before you even wonder about things.

SnicciFit

My cholesterol has never been an issue, but since I've been eatin 3-6 eggs per day (yes per DAY), my ratio has been the best my doc has ever seen! I guess raising the good cholesterol helps lower the bad.

guroprincess

My cholesterol has never been an issue, but since I've been eatin 3-6 eggs per day (yes per DAY), my ratio has been the best my doc has ever seen! I guess raising the good cholesterol helps lower the bad.

Yeah this:

When we talk about the “good” and the “bad,” we are simply referring to cholesterol that is either transported from the liver to your tissues or from the tissues back to the liver. A simple analogy is dump trucks in the blood stream. There are trucks that are hauling cholesterol away from the liver to your tissues and ones hauling cholesterol back to the liver from your tissues.

The dump truck that hauls cholesterol to your tissues and away from the liver is known as LDL or low density lipoprotein. This is known as the “bad” cholesterol. At higher LDL levels, and in light of certain conditions such as diabetes, the cholesterol can be deposited in your blood vessel. Over time, this cholesterol can start to form a plaque in the wall of your blood vessel (artery). This plaque can enlarge and impede blood flow but can also rupture and spontaneously clot your blood vessel. We worry about this when the blood vessels of the heart are affected. Limited blood flow to the heart muscle can cause recurrent chest pain known as angina. Sudden loss of blood flow to the heart muscle results in a heart attack (myocardial infarction). How then does your “good” cholesterol come into play.

HDL, or high density lipoprotein (the good guy), is simply the dump truck that can haul cholesterol out of your blood vessel and carry it back to the liver where it is broken down. The more dump trucks you have carrying cholesterol away from the blood vessel the better. This can decrease the rate at which you form plaques or can assist in keeping you from building plaques in your arteries. This is why we shoot for low LDL and high HDL. Diet and exercise are key to lowering LDL and increasing HDL.

http://www.boisekidney.com/edu-high-cholesterol.php

DatMurse

Watch out for Hydrogenated Oils. (shortening, margarine). These are created in a lab and aren't absorbed into our cells the same way natural oil do. They are found in fast food, baked goods, processed foods, you name it. Read your labels.

There have even been studies about homogenized milk...how the process of homogenization breaks the fat up so tiny that it can actually move through the cell walls.

My cholesterol was in the low end of the high scale until I started watching what was in my food. I've also upped my green veggies (green cleans ) It is has dropped dramatically.

I do eat small amounts of butter, raw coconut oil, and olive oil and egg yolks.



(yes I realize I'm not a scientist. This is from my own research and personal experience. Opinions may vary)


I wish you luck!

there is nothing wrong with hydrogenated oils, there is something wrong with trans fat though

JosieB2014

I forgot to mention I'm on roaccutane and that is known to raise cholesterol and that's why I get the monthly checks! My bad

I didn't get a test pre-meds because the doctor said I was healthy enough (silly, I know)


Also, I don't consume butter and my parents both have excellent cholesterol levels. Also, I Only have half tsp coconut oil when cooking and I only eat things that naturally occur, no processed foods.

Hmmmmm.

DatMurse

My cholesterol has never been an issue, but since I've been eatin 3-6 eggs per day (yes per DAY), my ratio has been the best my doc has ever seen! I guess raising the good cholesterol helps lower the bad.

plenty of studies show that eating 3 eggs a day will improve serum cholesterol levels.


Now some people just naturally have high LDL

jenn26point2

My cholesterol has never been an issue, but since I've been eatin 3-6 eggs per day (yes per DAY), my ratio has been the best my doc has ever seen! I guess raising the good cholesterol helps lower the bad.

I eat two full eggs and 3 full slices of bacon each day. Cholesterol numbers have never been better.

MercenaryNoetic26

It's possible genetics and no matter what you do your liver just likes to make cholesterol.

My body loves making cholesterol, lol. But my ratios are ideal, so not freaking out.

OP total cholesterol was 7? I'd eat the whole eggs then. Raise it up, because it is very important in your body. Mine is high! But so is my HDL. So it's not necessarily bad.

DatMurse

It's possible genetics and no matter what you do your liver just likes to make cholesterol.

My body loves making cholesterol, lol. But my ratios are ideal, so not freaking out.

OP total cholesterol was 7? I'd eat the whole eggs then. Raise it up, because it is very important in your body. Mine is high! But so is my HDL. So it's not necessarily bad.

7 represents the mmo/L

need the ratio

JosieB2014

the ldl was high
hdl low

im 64kg
173.5cm tall
21 bmi

so everything is great.

I think one of the main factors may be the roaccutane but im unsure.

jonnythan

I forgot to mention I'm on roaccutane and that is known to raise cholesterol and that's why I get the monthly checks! My bad

I didn't get a test pre-meds because the doctor said I was healthy enough (silly, I know)


Also, I don't consume butter and my parents both have excellent cholesterol levels. Also, I Only have half tsp coconut oil when cooking and I only eat things that naturally occur, no processed foods.

Hmmmmm.

The roaccutane is a significant factor no doubt!

I assume you were fasted for 12+ hours at the time the blood was drawn?

JosieB2014

I forgot to mention I'm on roaccutane and that is known to raise cholesterol and that's why I get the monthly checks! My bad

I didn't get a test pre-meds because the doctor said I was healthy enough (silly, I know)


Also, I don't consume butter and my parents both have excellent cholesterol levels. Also, I Only have half tsp coconut oil when cooking and I only eat things that naturally occur, no processed foods.

Hmmmmm.

The roaccutane is a significant factor no doubt!

I assume you were fasted for 12+ hours at the time the blood was drawn?

I was definitely fasted.

Bobbie8786

Like others have said, genetics plays a HUGE role. I have known many people who are extremely healthy, exercise constantly and eat right and their "bad" cholesterol won't budge without meds. I highly doubt it's the eggs.

jonnythan

For the Americans who are used to total cholesterol numbers with 3 digits, I'm assuming the OP is reporting her results in mmol/L. 7 mmol/L is 270 mg/dL which is pretty high.

JosieB2014

Like others have said, genetics plays a HUGE role. I have known many people who are extremely healthy, exercise constantly and eat right and their "bad" cholesterol won't budge without meds. I highly doubt it's the eggs.

thanks i'll see what my derm says Friday, fingers crossed I can continue my medication !

jonnythan

I forgot to mention I'm on roaccutane and that is known to raise cholesterol and that's why I get the monthly checks! My bad

I didn't get a test pre-meds because the doctor said I was healthy enough (silly, I know)


Also, I don't consume butter and my parents both have excellent cholesterol levels. Also, I Only have half tsp coconut oil when cooking and I only eat things that naturally occur, no processed foods.

Hmmmmm.

The roaccutane is a significant factor no doubt!

I assume you were fasted for 12+ hours at the time the blood was drawn?

I was definitely fasted.

What did your doctor have to say about the results? Do you have any results from before you were on the roaccutane? How long do you plan to be on it?

JosieB2014

For the Americans who are used to total cholesterol numbers with 3 digits, I'm assuming the OP is reporting her results in mmol/L. 7 mmol/L is 270 mg/dL which is pretty high.

thanks for the conversion jonnythan :]

I'm going to get my results sent to me so i can be sure.

JosieB2014

I forgot to mention I'm on roaccutane and that is known to raise cholesterol and that's why I get the monthly checks! My bad

I didn't get a test pre-meds because the doctor said I was healthy enough (silly, I know)


Also, I don't consume butter and my parents both have excellent cholesterol levels. Also, I Only have half tsp coconut oil when cooking and I only eat things that naturally occur, no processed foods.

Hmmmmm.

The roaccutane is a significant factor no doubt!

I assume you were fasted for 12+ hours at the time the blood was drawn?

I was definitely fasted.

What did your doctor have to say about the results? Do you have any results from before you were on the roaccutane? How long do you plan to be on it?

my doctor just asked if i ate butter, whether i exercised, checked my weight and I told him that i exercised 6 times a week, ate meticulously clean and that i eat a lot of eggs lol. he wasnt much help.

to which he replied, "maybe dont eat as many eggs"

lol

jonnythan

my doctor just asked if i ate butter, whether i exercised, checked my weight and I told him that i exercised 6 times a week, ate meticulously clean and that i eat a lot of eggs lol. he wasnt much help.

to which he replied, "maybe dont eat as many eggs"

lol

Hah! Was this an internist/general practitioner or a dermatologist or what?

SoDamnHungry

I have higher cholesterol due to genetics. It was actually way too high until I found out I was hypothyroid and started taking medication. That ended up fixing it.

Jewlz280

Hmmm... that seems really out of whack and I would tend to agree the meds are what is causing the issue. But since you weren't tested beforehand, there is no true way to tell. But I'm darn certain that it isn't your diet. More and more studies are coming out showing that eating meat (lean, natural grass fed beef, eggs, etc.) have no negative bearing on cholesterol. But, many studies are also showing that by increasing certain foods high in the good stuff you can reverse the bad. Avocado's are one of them with all those good fats and if you think about it, it makes sense to eat the good fats because our bodies were made to eat the good stuff. LOL Not the stuff made in a factory like... ewww... margarine. HA. In all seriousness, I wonder if you upped the content of the good fats in your diet with avocado, coconut oil and the like if it would have any chance of fighting back against the meds? The only way you will know is if you try it. But personally, I wouldn't stay on ANY med that jacked my cholesterol up. But again, because you aren't sure if it was high before the meds, you just won' t know until you do the whole guinea pig thing with yourself and your doc. Either way, good luck. And if you do decide to 'test it out' over the next few months, you should update.

Showcase_Brodown

What you are eating (dietary cholesterol) probably has very little to do with your serum cholesterol.

Have you thought about fiber? One thing that it does is take some of the bile with it on its way out of you. Your body then needs to use some cholesterol to produce more bile, therefore lowering cholesterol.

*Edited for clarity

JosieB2014

Does the fact that I've recently started taking carnitine make a difference?

jonnythan

Why are you taking carnitine?