Hello all...it's been awhile. My last message of 3 months ago I decided to try and debunk the egg myth about eggs raising blood cholesterol levels. Since most of us eat a Paleo or a modified Paleo kinda diet, I thought I'd tell you my results. Tho I know many can't tolerate eggs but luckily I do and have added the protein into my diet (one egg) in the morning and less Rice Chex. Well here are my results. I know that Polly and Tex were wanting to hear about my little test even tho I think I may have screwed it up a little.
For 3 months I added 6 eggs a week (1/day) yolks and all even tho doctor warned me about the yolks. But unfortunately I added a baked potato with 2 tbsps of Earth Balance spread, soy free (lots of fat in this dang fake butter) once a week. So now I don't know the culprit but here are my results:
First off the best news! My Trigs went from 229 to 128! (Due to eating a low sugar diet, exercising and stabilizing the ole thyroid). Mind you, I still eat high carb. So I was shocked with these results.
MY HDL (good cholesterol) went from 66 to 73...another Wowza!! (Is this due to the healthy fats in the egg yolk, exercising or both?)
Here's the not so good news:
My LDL (bad cholesterol) went from 112 to 121. (Is this due to the cholesterol in the egg yolk? Or the saturated fats in my 2 tbsps or butter per week? Or (my bad) the fatty dark chocolate bars I binged on (yes I relapsed) a few weeks before having blood work done? Of course 121 is still in the normal range but doc says since I have hypothyrodism, it needs to be under 100.
My total cholesterol (which I totally don't get) went from 224 to 220. Has been like this for a few years. Why is this over the recommended under 200 range when other numbers are so good? And isn't it the ratio between LDL and HDL that matters? And why is doc not so thrilled with my results? I am!! She wants to do a cardiac IQ test on me in 6 months...she says it's a more accurate test to evaluate whether a patient needs meds or not. First off, why have I been getting inaccurate tests done all this time? And second, I thought doctors weren't being so quick to prescribe statins any more? Is she behind in the latest research? Of course, I'm not taking a statin no matter what...last thing I need is D from a statin which would more than likely happen to me since heart meds aren't my friend. Beta blockers trigger a flare in me...I know those aren't statins but you can see my reluctance to take them.
So what do I give up? The whole egg to see if the butter is the culprit? I hate to eat just the egg whites but thinking I had better. I still binge on chips and eat the same amount as always so I know they aren't the culprit but will lower my intake of them anyway...not good for me tho I did find some with just Olive oil in them....still not good for me I know.
So I guess I've managed to screw up my little egg test...now not sure about anything. I have started exercising 3 times a week and apparently need to up that. Was having some heart fluttering going on so stopped for awhile but started putting some apple cider vinegar in my water and now doing much better...didn't realize how good that stuff is but know to go light on it...need the potassium tho.
Been doing well otherwise...no D since September of 2012. Had a little nervous tummy when we left for vacation ( my first since being diagnosed) but all was good once I got to the beach. Cooked most meals in the condo but managed to eat safely at one restaurant and was very happy.
Any input will be appreciated in regards to my cholesterol. Any experts out there? Know Polly and Tex will chime in. I'm just so confused....too bad doctor doesn't seem to help...may have to fire her too!
Thanks for reading!
Terri
My 3-month egg/cholesterol test.
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
My 3-month egg/cholesterol test.
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis in July, 2012 then with Celiac in November, 2012.
Hi Terri,
Sorry for the late response. I lost a long, detailed response that was almost ready to post, due to a computer crash that could have been prevented, if I had just corrected the problem when I should have, until waiting until it was too late.
It's difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of various influences in your diet, but I would guess that the Earth Balance spread, and/or the chocolate bar "binge" may have had some undesirable effects on your test results.
Doctors can act so dumb when it comes to cholesterol test results. Your doctor would be as happy as a lark if you had my HDL cholesterol result. My HDL is roughly 40 points lower than yours, so that would put your total cholesterol number around 180. But that's a dumb attitude, because there's nothing good about a total cholesterol number that's due to a low HDL result. On the other hand, there's nothing bad about a higher total cholesterol number if it's due to a high HDL result. Unfortunately, doctors apparently don't give much thought to interpreting cholesterol test results. Maybe most of them don't understand what total cholesterol represents. It's a calculated number, not a test result.
To calculate your total cholesterol number, all you have to do is to divide your triglyceride count by 5, and then add that number to the sum of your HDL and your LDL test results. That's all there is to it. So why do most of them seem to have so much trouble understanding it (or rather, misunderstanding it)?
IMO, not only is the total cholesterol result irrelevant, but it's typically misleading, and probably the primary reason why most doctors don't correctly interpret cholesterol test results, and what they mean for the patient.
IOW, maybe your doctor is undertreating your hypothyroidism, and thereby allowing your TSH to be too high (and this is causing your total cholesterol results, LDL results, and triglyceride results, to be higher than they should be, and your HDL result to be lower than it should be). Note that the research article points out that this can occur even when the TSH falls within the so-called "normal" range.
This article by Chris Kresser does a good job of explaining the issue:
What Causes Elevated LDL Particle Number?
If your doctor is dissatisfied with your cholesterol test results, perhaps she needs to adjust your thyroid treatment program, instead of trying to treat a symptom of thyroid dysregulation (cholesterol level).
But she is correct that a Cardio IQ Lipid Panel would be much more useful than the standard cholesterol tests, because it also tests LDL particle size/density. As you say, "First off, why have I been getting inaccurate tests done all this time?"
Here's a brief description of the theory behind the new test :
The New Blood Lipid Tests -- Sizing Up LDL Cholesterol
And for a more in-depth discussion on this issue, Chris Kresser has a good article:
The Diet-Heart Myth: Why Everyone Should Know Their LDL Particle Number
And last, but not least, from what I can see, while a few doctors may be beginning to see the light regarding the downside of statins, as long as the top level advisory boards in the medical arena continue to promote their use, doctors out in the field will probably be reluctant to go against their recommendations, and will continue to prescribe statins right and left.
You're very welcome. Thanks for the update.
Tex
Sorry for the late response. I lost a long, detailed response that was almost ready to post, due to a computer crash that could have been prevented, if I had just corrected the problem when I should have, until waiting until it was too late.
It's difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of various influences in your diet, but I would guess that the Earth Balance spread, and/or the chocolate bar "binge" may have had some undesirable effects on your test results.
Doctors can act so dumb when it comes to cholesterol test results. Your doctor would be as happy as a lark if you had my HDL cholesterol result. My HDL is roughly 40 points lower than yours, so that would put your total cholesterol number around 180. But that's a dumb attitude, because there's nothing good about a total cholesterol number that's due to a low HDL result. On the other hand, there's nothing bad about a higher total cholesterol number if it's due to a high HDL result. Unfortunately, doctors apparently don't give much thought to interpreting cholesterol test results. Maybe most of them don't understand what total cholesterol represents. It's a calculated number, not a test result.
To calculate your total cholesterol number, all you have to do is to divide your triglyceride count by 5, and then add that number to the sum of your HDL and your LDL test results. That's all there is to it. So why do most of them seem to have so much trouble understanding it (or rather, misunderstanding it)?
IMO, not only is the total cholesterol result irrelevant, but it's typically misleading, and probably the primary reason why most doctors don't correctly interpret cholesterol test results, and what they mean for the patient.
IMO your doctor is confused about the ways that hypothyroidism affects cholesterol levels. She seems to mistakenly think that cholesterol affects thyroid levels. That's bass-ackward. Instead, thyroid function (actually, thyroid dysfunction) affects cholesterol levels.Terri wrote:Of course 121 is still in the normal range but doc says since I have hypothyrodism, it needs to be under 100.
Effects of Thyroid Dysfunction on Lipid ProfileThyroid function regulates a wide array of metabolic parameters. Thyroid function significantly affects lipoprotein metabolism as well as some cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, thus influencing overall CDV risk [1-3]. Indeed, even within the normal range of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) values, a linear increase in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TGs) and a linear decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels has been observed with increasing TSH [4].
IOW, maybe your doctor is undertreating your hypothyroidism, and thereby allowing your TSH to be too high (and this is causing your total cholesterol results, LDL results, and triglyceride results, to be higher than they should be, and your HDL result to be lower than it should be). Note that the research article points out that this can occur even when the TSH falls within the so-called "normal" range.
This article by Chris Kresser does a good job of explaining the issue:
What Causes Elevated LDL Particle Number?
If your doctor is dissatisfied with your cholesterol test results, perhaps she needs to adjust your thyroid treatment program, instead of trying to treat a symptom of thyroid dysregulation (cholesterol level).
But she is correct that a Cardio IQ Lipid Panel would be much more useful than the standard cholesterol tests, because it also tests LDL particle size/density. As you say, "First off, why have I been getting inaccurate tests done all this time?"
Here's a brief description of the theory behind the new test :
The New Blood Lipid Tests -- Sizing Up LDL Cholesterol
And for a more in-depth discussion on this issue, Chris Kresser has a good article:
The Diet-Heart Myth: Why Everyone Should Know Their LDL Particle Number
And last, but not least, from what I can see, while a few doctors may be beginning to see the light regarding the downside of statins, as long as the top level advisory boards in the medical arena continue to promote their use, doctors out in the field will probably be reluctant to go against their recommendations, and will continue to prescribe statins right and left.
You're very welcome. Thanks for the update.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hey Tex, sorry about the computer crash...that sucks. Thanks for responding back.
Fortunately my thyroid levels are very good now which is why I guess my Trigs went down so far to 128. My HDL has always been high which is a good thing. To me, all my numbers are normal. Still need to figure out how they came up with 220 for total cholesterol...will use the formula you gave me and see what I come up with...you said 180 for total cholesterol? The only reason she wants my LDL below 100 is because I have an endocrine disorder. I have never been able to get my LDL under 100. Last bloodwork I had done it said anything under 130 is considered normal but this doctor wants it under 100. She did tell me that since I was hypothyroid 3 months ago that that is why my Trigs were so high, so she does know that thyroid function causes cholesterol levels to go up. I'm with you and think that the total cholesterol is irrelevant.
Okay...just calculated my Total cholesterol with the formula you gave me and it did come up to 220. Supposed to be under 200 right? But I don't get this as all numbers are in normal range but then total cholesterol is not. So confused.
Thanks for your opinion about the butter and candy bars...I do think they are the culprit as well. So I further tweak he ole diet.
Hope you are doing well.
Terri
Fortunately my thyroid levels are very good now which is why I guess my Trigs went down so far to 128. My HDL has always been high which is a good thing. To me, all my numbers are normal. Still need to figure out how they came up with 220 for total cholesterol...will use the formula you gave me and see what I come up with...you said 180 for total cholesterol? The only reason she wants my LDL below 100 is because I have an endocrine disorder. I have never been able to get my LDL under 100. Last bloodwork I had done it said anything under 130 is considered normal but this doctor wants it under 100. She did tell me that since I was hypothyroid 3 months ago that that is why my Trigs were so high, so she does know that thyroid function causes cholesterol levels to go up. I'm with you and think that the total cholesterol is irrelevant.
Okay...just calculated my Total cholesterol with the formula you gave me and it did come up to 220. Supposed to be under 200 right? But I don't get this as all numbers are in normal range but then total cholesterol is not. So confused.
Thanks for your opinion about the butter and candy bars...I do think they are the culprit as well. So I further tweak he ole diet.
Hope you are doing well.
Terri
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis in July, 2012 then with Celiac in November, 2012.
That was just an arbitrary number that, as I mentioned, would be the case if you had my HDL level (my HDL level is 40 points lower than yours). That number does not represent any kind of goal. In fact, I consider it to be unhealthy, because it's too low. I wish I could increase my total cholesterol result, but unfortunately I haven't been able to do that since my surgery. Cholesterol numbers are very closely linked with genetics, unfortunately.Terri wrote:you said 180 for total cholesterol?
Other than that, I seem to be doing OK, thanks.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Okay...gotcha! Good to hear you are doing well. Ya know I have a friend who can't get her good cholesterol up either no matter what she tries. She even works out every day. Yep, genetics.
Getting lots of rain down here in Houston. Guess we need it tho. We just visited South Padre Island for the first time..a little nicer than Galveston. Tho being that close to Mexico made me a little uncomfortable but was a fun trip.
Take care,
Terri
Getting lots of rain down here in Houston. Guess we need it tho. We just visited South Padre Island for the first time..a little nicer than Galveston. Tho being that close to Mexico made me a little uncomfortable but was a fun trip.
Take care,
Terri
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis in July, 2012 then with Celiac in November, 2012.