High LDL cholesterol levels

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BenSalazar
BenSalazar Posts: 10
in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone done extensive research on what types of cholesterol is good for people who have high levels of LDL?

If you don’t mind, it would be great if you could share your findings. Thank you.
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  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,020 Member
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    Well there is only one type of dietary cholesterol. Particle size and total particles are what's important. generally lifestyle dictates the types of lipoproteins (ldl,vldl,idl,hdl) the liver manufactures. Weight loss and exercise are the 2 most important factor to improve the types the body will start to produce.
  • takumaku
    takumaku Posts: 352 Member
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    Your doc will need to run some tests to determine the sizes of your cholesterol.

    For example,

    -- When I was running and following a High carb, low fat diet, my LDL was moderate and the HDL was low.

    -- Then switched to still running and following a High carb, moderate plant-base fat diet, my LDL were low and my HDL levels shot up.

    Tests run by my doctor was able to explain how my dietary change impacted my scores. When I was following a low fat diet, my HDL had nothing to do, so while the numbers were small, their particular size (VHDL or something like that) was huge. My doc described the size as something of a mac truck.

    When I changed my diet to a moderate plant-base fat diet, my HDL had something to do. So the liver was able to produce more.
  • ernestbecker
    ernestbecker Posts: 232 Member
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    Well there is only one type of dietary cholesterol. Particle size and total particles are what's important. generally lifestyle dictates the types of lipoproteins (ldl,vldl,idl,hdl) the liver manufactures. Weight loss and exercise are the 2 most important factor to improve the types the body will start to produce.

    Thank you for sharing.
  • ernestbecker
    ernestbecker Posts: 232 Member
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    Your doc will need to run some tests to determine the sizes of your cholesterol.

    For example,

    -- When I was running and following a High carb, low fat diet, my LDL was moderate and the HDL was low.

    -- Then switched to still running and following a High carb, moderate plant-base fat diet, my LDL were low and my HDL levels shot up.

    Tests run by my doctor was able to explain how my dietary change impacted my scores. When I was following a low fat diet, my HDL had nothing to do, so while the numbers were small, their particular size (VHDL or something like that) was huge. My doc described the size as something of a mac truck.

    When I changed my diet to a moderate plant-base fat diet, my HDL had something to do. So the liver was able to produce more.

    This is fascinating. I appreciate you taking the time to write this out. I will consult with my doctor on this. Were these specialized tests you had done?
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
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    I'm interested in this, too, because I have high LDL, but I also exercise. My diet wasn't that bad, but I did have eggs, shellfish, and red meat. I've given all these foods up and am trying to eat a higher percentage of complex carbs and vegetables and lean proteins like fish and chicken breasts. I haven't had an egg or a hamburger in about 6 weeks. I exercise 5-6 days a week, even before the cholesterol test. My HDL was high, around 67, so that's good, but the LDL was 170 -- bad! I'm trying to lose some body fat and about 10 lbs. before the follow up in May. Otherwise, it's Lipitor.
  • BenSalazar
    BenSalazar Posts: 10
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    This is all appreciated. Many thanks. with regards to particle size, is that defined by the type of meat I eat, or more by the activity level and amount I eat. It's a bit confusing.
  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
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    Lots of exercise will fix bad cholesterol.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,020 Member
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    I'm interested in this, too, because I have high LDL, but I also exercise. My diet wasn't that bad, but I did have eggs, shellfish, and red meat. I've given all these foods up and am trying to eat a higher percentage of complex carbs and vegetables and lean proteins like fish and chicken breasts. I haven't had an egg or a hamburger in about 6 weeks. I exercise 5-6 days a week, even before the cholesterol test. My HDL was high, around 67, so that's good, but the LDL was 170 -- bad! I'm trying to lose some body fat and about 10 lbs. before the follow up in May. Otherwise, it's Lipitor.
    I'd get a second opinion from someone who specializes..........lipitor is income to Dr's.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,020 Member
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    This is all appreciated. Many thanks. with regards to particle size, is that defined by the type of meat I eat, or more by the activity level and amount I eat. It's a bit confusing.
    Not really, particles size is generally dictated by lifestyle but as far as diet is concerned carbohydrates mostly the refined type aka sugar are the worse. Increased protein and decreased carbs generally increase HDL and decrease the amount of very small particles you have. Saturated fat increases HDL while a low fat diet drops HDL like a stone. People that are fairly active and are not overweight will benefit as well. MetS and most of those symptoms play havoc on our cholesterol, so losing weight and getting exercise, increasing protein in the diet is probably a good start, and red meat is not the bad guy.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
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    Interesting. What lowered my LDL and raised my HDL was reducing carbs but increasing fibre.
    I still ate the same amount of sat. fat.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,020 Member
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    Interesting. What lowered my LDL and raised my HDL was reducing carbs but increasing fibre.
    I still ate the same amount of sat. fat.
    That's pretty common Fred........it happened to me a few years ago when I switched to a lower carb diet (25%) but getting more protein for me was more steak and more saturated fat. My HDL has been just over 100 for the last 5 years and my particle size are the good ones, can't really complain considering I like ribeye.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
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    Interesting. What lowered my LDL and raised my HDL was reducing carbs but increasing fibre.
    I still ate the same amount of sat. fat.
    That's pretty common Fred........it happened to me a few years ago when I switched to a lower carb diet (25%) but getting more protein for me was more steak and more saturated fat. My HDL has been just over 100 for the last 5 years and my particle size are the good ones, can't really complain considering I like ribeye.
    Yup. As an n=1 study, the whole "eat less fat" thing seems contradictory to me. It should be "eat less carbs".
    Good thing I love meat. :wink:
  • ernestbecker
    ernestbecker Posts: 232 Member
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    In about a week I'll have a comparison posted of my blood levels before and after a one month Raw Vegan challenge I did in February. It will be interesting to see the side by side.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    High LDL cholesterol in itself is not an issue.

    LDL particles are only harmful when they are oxidized.

    Diet and fitness are the best way's of controlling what they do.

    The best thing to do is exercise to increase levels of HDL's. Limit or cut out foods which will cause inflammation and oxidation in the body. These are primarily Processed carbs, added sugar, grain, trans fat etc.

    Eat lots of food rich in antioxidants.

    A diet low in carbs and high in fat have been shown to reduce the triglycerides in the blood stream and to increase the LDL particle size (making them less of a risk in our bodies).

    Good luck.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Check out the work of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn from the Cleveland Clinic.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    Hi,

    I've done a quick google search so I now know WHO he is, but couldn't find any of his papers.

    Do you have any links to stuff he has written.

    Cheers
  • maj1958
    maj1958 Posts: 16 Member
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    I have had high LDL levels for a long time. I was confused because tryglicerides were very low , glucose low and HDL very good.
    It turns out that I have hereditary high cholesterol. Luckily I exercise regularly and eat a fairly clean diet but even at that, I still need to take a low dose of statins to keep ldl's in check. I learned my lesson when I decided I would try to handle it with just diet and exercise and tested at 257! It's worth discussing with a doc and seeing if you have a family history of high cholesterol.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
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    Hi,

    I've done a quick google search so I now know WHO he is, but couldn't find any of his papers.

    Do you have any links to stuff he has written.

    Cheers
    The blog below has a brief critique of his study and some of the problems with it. It's towards the bottom:

    http://anthonycolpo.com/forks-over-knives-the-latest-vegan-nonsense-dissected-debunked-and-destroyed/
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Hi,

    I've done a quick google search so I now know WHO he is, but couldn't find any of his papers.

    Do you have any links to stuff he has written.

    Cheers
    Yes, here is a page from his website with a listing of various articles/studies. He also wrote a book called "Make Yourself Heart Attack Proof" where he goes in depth into his study and how he successfully treated many patients with heart disease by switching their diet. There are also videos on youtube of him giving speeches.
    http://www.heartattackproof.com/articles.htm
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
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    From the page I linked:
    The trouble is, using a study involving multiple interventions as ‘proof’ of the effectiveness of a single intervention is a sterling example of inappropriate extrapolation. Esselstyn’s intervention was multifactorial: each patient was assigned to a very low-fat lacto-vegetarian diet and cholesterol-lowering drugs, the most common protocol being cholestyramine, 4 g twice daily, and lovastatin, 40 mg to 60 mg daily (Esselstyn has since gone on to eschew the use of low-fat dairy). Esselstyn’s strict dietary instructions meant forsaking all the refined processed garbage the patients were previously eating. So in in addition to eschewing meat, the patients also had to forgo all the nutrient-depleted, sugar/vegetable fat/additive-drenched junk they were previously scoffing down.

    So let’s take a look at the long list of potential confounders. As a result of the intervention, the patients lost weight. Weight loss itself, irrespective of the diet employed, can causes improvements in arterial function, regression of arterial thickness, and anti-platelet activity[2-5]. The one consistent theme is that the degree of IMT reduction is linked to the amount of weight lost, not the mode of diet followed.

    Esselstyn used a multiple intervention study which included weight loss and statin usage, and then concluded that one intervention reduced CVD risk... :frown:
    He used no control group either.

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