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I was going to post this on the other IF thread but it disappeared somehow.
I have just done a 3-month intermittent fasting regime whereby I ate in the 4-hour window of 4pm - 8pm. I did a blood test before and when I finished yesterday. I have been a veggie for 20+ years, so no meat, no fish, few eggs, few milk products.
We measure ours in mmol/L. The Maximums in brackets which are printed on the blood reports.
My total cholesterol did not change significantly, down a little 5.44 -> 5.37 (should be < 5.18)
My LDL went down from 3.25 -> 2.95 (should be < 3.30)
My HDL went up from 1.4 -> 1.8 (should be 1.04-1.55)
Although I have lost weight, (70Kg -> 63Kg) that was not really the aim.
I was hoping that it would reduce my cholesterol but obviously I need to try something else.
Anyway...
LDLs are bad. These types of cholesterol are the ones responsible for clogging up and blocking arteries, resulting in hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which is an accumulation of fat buildup inside the walls of our arteries.
HDLs are good. These cholesterols prevent fat buildup in arterial walls, carrying it away from the arteries to the liver where it is processed and eliminated. These good cholesterols help certain parts of our bodies, such as tissues and hormones to function normally. They are also used to make bile, which helps the body process the food that we eat. Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder.
When our bodies produce the cholesterol, it is known as endogenous cholesterol. But when we eat the cholesterol as a component part of our diet, that cholesterol is referred to as exogenous cholesterol.
Vegetarians have low LDL; exercise, vitamin C, and niacin elevate good HDL.
Normal Range/Reference
It is generally considered as healthier to have a total cholesterol range/reference reading of less than 200 mg/dL, that is combining both HDL and LDL numbers. The higher the HDL fraction the better.
If our HDL level is 80 mg/dL and the LDL level is 130 mg/dL, we are considered to be "low risk" for heart disease as we define it today. As our HDL level decreases, our potential for heart problems is said to intensify, even if the total is on the low side. An HDL level below 35 mg/dL is considered to be a dangerous level. An HDL level of 60 mg/dL or higher is considered protective of our circulatory system.
The higher the total Blood cholesterol level, the lower the HDL number will indicate that a potentially high risk for developing coronary heart disease is present. This number will also provide a signal that changes must be made in one’s lifestyle.
Rule of thumb - The ideal total Blood cholesterol level is anything below 200. This does not, however, take into consideration the age and sex of the person and some other relevant factors. A 20-year-old with a total Blood cholesterol level of 190, who has family members who have died of heart disease at an early age, may still be at risk and should have frequent, physician supervised tests. On the other hand, a healthy 70-year-old male with a total Blood cholesterol level of 240, or greater, has already demonstrated his ability to live normally, or not, if there have been problems with clogged arteries.
A "rule of thumb" way of looking at our cholesterol numbers is to divide the total cholesterol level by HDL cholesterol level. A ratio greater than 4.5 indicates a high heart disease risk, while a ratio of 3.5 and lower is considered optimal.
HIGH RISK - Total (combined) cholesterol of 240 mg/dL and above.
HIGH RISK - LDL of 160 mg/dL and above.
Try to balance your intake of omega 3 and 6. Since you don't eat fish, it will be difficult to get enough omega 3. Humans don't convert plant omega 3 as well as they do from fish, but increasing your intake might help. Walnuts, flax and chia seeds are good sources of plant omega 3. You might have to lower omega 6 intake. You'll have to work with it to find a good balance.
A ratio of TotalChol / HDL of 4:1 is the "normal risk group."...Yours is there or a little better, so changing your blood tests won't (statistically speaking) change your risk of MI. According to The Theory, with HDL of 69, you're not only at low risk already, but probably bullet proof.
Chol levels are almost all genetically determined. ...Maybe getting yourself adopted by different parents would help?
I was going to post this on the other IF thread but it disappeared somehow.
I have just done a 3-month intermittent fasting regime whereby I ate in the 4-hour window of 4pm - 8pm. I did a blood test before and when I finished yesterday. I have been a veggie for 20+ years, so no meat, no fish, few eggs, few milk products.
We measure ours in mmol/L. The Maximums in brackets which are printed on the blood reports.
My total cholesterol did not change significantly, down a little 5.44 -> 5.37 (should be < 5.18)
My LDL went down from 3.25 -> 2.95 (should be < 3.30)
My HDL went up from 1.4 -> 1.8 (should be 1.04-1.55)
Although I have lost weight, (70Kg -> 63Kg) that was not really the aim.
I was hoping that it would reduce my cholesterol but obviously I need to try something else.
Anyway...
Hope, that you are aware of different types of LDL - which could make a big difference.
Imagine the LDL particles as people traveling on a highway: if 100 people drive individually in a car - 100 cars can “clog” that portion of highway fast and create a jam.
However, if the same 100 people are riding in 2 buses- the road is wide open for traffic!
I've read mixed reports on it, but apparently for some folks, it CAN impact cholesterol/LDL numbers. Espresso, in particular, can be troublesome for sensitive individuals.
I DO drink coffee regularly, but I dont know if it is enough or what is being suggested. I drink one Nespresso capsule of coffee in the morning and one in the afternoon, but I have a cup full, not small & strong (ie: put more water in to fill up the cup)
I think we have to bear in mind that the article about LDL-P and LDL-C is written by a clinic selling the tests to people, however the information may be technically correct. So as with everything these days, there may be a spin on the information to possibly evoke a fear so that (in this case) we get ourselves tested.
The type of cholesterol test I had is a mystery as the results are all in Chinese, and the "maximums" are geared towards what they think is the "maximum" here and not for a Westerner/Caucasian with a different diet, physiology, and body type. There seems to be a few different lists which the doctors use for blood tests which I have had here over the years. Health care here is not cheap either.
I am not sure if we can take a reading and then compare the values cross-race since biology and lifestyle is so different. Yes, I think we can have some indicators, but I think they may need to be different for different types of populations. As far as I am aware we dont have that kind of detail in our world orthodox medicine at the moment. That means that being a foreigner in a different land has all kinds of unusual things we need to be aware of.
In theory I should not be too stressed as I am retired and dont have the kind of daily work stresses going on.
When I had a pacemaker fitted in 2014, they had to search quite hard to find A- blood just in case... and I believe they said they dont have that many bags of that type around in this country even in large cities - simply because A- blood type seems to be not really an Asian thing. Anyway, thankfully I didn't need it, so I live to fight another day.
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