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I have high LDL (bad stuff) but my HDL is 76.
Was hoping to lower my bad cholesterol through diet and exercise.
I increased my HDL quite a bit but the bad stuff did not decrease.
However, if you have a high HDL it makes the bad cholesterol less of a problem.
Exercise does increase the HDL and I feel that a reading of 49 is too low regardless of what your other numbers indicate....
I know this is an old thread but still very important and of use to people. I just got my lab results back from my doctor they came in the mail. His note reads that my lab tests are within normal/acceptable range. Im very happy about that but really are they that great. Cholesterol 161 LDL 94 HDL 33 Triglycerides 169. A1c Diabetic Test 6.7. I have been a Diabetic for decades. As far as I know my Diabetes is controlled well or so I have been told. So perhaps these are ok results for a diabetic.
I know enough about the subject to know these are just ok results but definitely not that great. In fact the HDL which for me has never been high in my lifetime (i'm 61) is rather low. I have exercised all my life including now, in fact I exercise enough for several people each day. Weights, walking miles. My diet is reflective of a Diabetic one. My height and weight are what they should be and I have never been overweight. I have no idea what it is like to sit at McDonalds or BBQ rib restaurants or eating ice cream. I don't even drink diet soda I drink water and lots of it. Yet I cannot get these HDL numbers up ever. My family has a history of heart disease and diabetes. Both my parents died of its complications.
Normally I would have called the doctors office to go over these labs but I hesitated. Im not very impressed with the medical care in Portland. I find it to be a teaching hospital city and the care reflects that. Very overwhelmed residents provide much of the care and the Physicians seem to oversee their work. However I have noticed much in the way of impersonal service, and constantly being assigned to a new doctor as they leave. I have noticed my health care deteriorate in Portland vs the East Coast where I moved from. The doctors were not transient and the health care was much more stable. Im afraid here Im just a number and the doctor doesn't really go over all these labs with any thought. Or at my age just figures the numbers are ok for a 61 year old Diabetic, that exercises and eats right and nothing more can be done. But having an HDL as low as 33 just seems like the doctor would want to discuss this with a patient.
Does anyone think I am more concerned that I should be, or am I becoming a worry wart and city data gives me the opportunity to vent?
well I was going to give a quick list of ways to raise your HDL, but upon a little research, I came across some information that said one study showed raising levels of HDL could be dangerous to diabetics. It all sounded too complicated for me, so I think you are back to having to discuss it with your doctor. Good luck.
well I was going to give a quick list of ways to raise your HDL, but upon a little research, I came across some information that said one study showed raising levels of HDL could be dangerous to diabetics. It all sounded too complicated for me, so I think you are back to having to discuss it with your doctor. Good luck.
Yes your right I should discuss it with the doctor. As you say beyond exercise and Diet some other measures might be dangerous for Diabetics. Perhaps that is why the Doctor didn't recommend any other measures I should take to raise it. It could very well be Genetics with me that keeps my HDL so very low, as Diabetes seemes to be genetic in my case. I never fit the mold for someone that would have developed the disease, other than a very strong family history of it.
My husband does not have health issues, but does have the same problem with unusually low HDL that you do in spite of eating correctly, being in good shape, etc. My first husband, who passed away unexpectedly, did have diabetes and heart disease. I believe in nutritional supplements and have been very careful in what I give my husband and what I gave my deceased husband. It has helped both of them alot. I put both of them on some supplements for general health, plus for the low HDL and higher LDL I put them on a supplement containing plant sterols, a garlic supplement, Omega 3s -very important to get enough of these to help, and get an Omega 3 that is mercury free, and Nopalea, something that is an excellent anti-inflammatory product. I also highly recommend CoQ10 daily for people over 50, especially if they take a statin drug. There are other things that are also good, but I find these to be the best and they are fine for diabetics. These things got my first husband off several prescription meds, stabilized his blood sugar numbers and got rid of his painful neurapathy (Nopalea in particular on the neurapathy, which you do not appear to have). My current husband has gotten his HDL up 8 points with the above supplements and lowered his LDL about 50 points, along with even lower blood pressure, etc. All his numbers are good except his HDL is still lower than I would like to see it, but 8 points up is better than what it was. This can be an hereditary issue, as you know, but every little bit helps.
While my overall total cholesterol is quite good--183--my HDL is only 49.
Optimally it should be around 60 for a woman.
Has anyone successfully raised their HDL through diet, exercise or supplements? Any tips?
Or am I unduly concerned about the 49 and should forget about it?
My triglycerides are at 102, which I guess is pretty good.
All these numbers get a bit confusing after a while.
49 is not awful, but raising it a bit would be good. and while 60 is better than 49, higher than 60 would be fine as well. It's a bit fuzzy how high HDL can be before it begins to become a problem. some people believe anything over 90-100 for HDL is getting too high and could be a sign of infection that your body is fighting off. Others have 120-130 HDL (which is exceedingly high) but they are fine and it is sometimes caused by a genetic predisposition to make high levels of HDL.
Trigs at 102 is fine. Lower is probably better but 102 is nothing to be concerned about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Floridachic
I have high LDL (bad stuff) but my HDL is 76.
Was hoping to lower my bad cholesterol through diet and exercise.
I increased my HDL quite a bit but the bad stuff did not decrease.
However, if you have a high HDL it makes the bad cholesterol less of a problem.
Exercise does increase the HDL and I feel that a reading of 49 is too low regardless of what your other numbers indicate....
Your 76 HDL is great. It's generally understood that the higher the HDL, the less risk you have for CHD. The HDL to TC ratio is a better indicator of future heart incidents than LDL is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TropicalAussie
As I understand it HDL should be higher than triglycerides.
It doesn't need to be. For example, someone with an HDL of 80 with Trigs of 95 is probably fine. But someone with 95 HDL and 80 Trigs is fine too. I like to see a Trig/HDL ratio of 2:1 or less. But that's only applicable if the test was done in a fasted state, as any food eaten before testing will cause the trigs circulating in the blood to be much higher and it's not a good measurement that you can really count on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimrob1
I know this is an old thread but still very important and of use to people. I just got my lab results back from my doctor they came in the mail. His note reads that my lab tests are within normal/acceptable range. Im very happy about that but really are they that great. Cholesterol 161 LDL 94 HDL 33 Triglycerides 169.
I think those numbers are not really that great actually. They are not awful, but getting your HDL higher and your trigs lower would be a worthwhile goal. Doc is only saying it looks good because they see a 161 total with LDL under 100 and they like that. It's not very intelligent of them to do that, but it's probably ignorance induced. If you raise your HDL to 60, and drop your Trigs to 120, your TC might go up a bit but it's a positive change upward for sure. Reducing your TC below 160, especially with very low HDL, is more dangerous, in my opinion, than raising your cholesterol well above 200 or even 250. Cholesterol is mostly protective in the body. It's vital. Docs have it all wrong. Best way to lower trigs is to stop eating grains like wheat and lower sugar/fructose intake.
Quote:
Originally Posted by L.K.
well I was going to give a quick list of ways to raise your HDL, but upon a little research, I came across some information that said one study showed raising levels of HDL could be dangerous to diabetics. It all sounded too complicated for me, so I think you are back to having to discuss it with your doctor. Good luck.
That's not true. Correlation does not equal causation. High HDL is better for diabetics too. It just depends on so many other factors. I can gaurantee you that the one 'study' showing that did not take into account the other host of reasons why the results might have been skewed in that direction.
Best known ways to increase HDL:
Virgin Coconut Oil - Cook with it, and eat it straight off the spoon daily.
Eggs (especially the yolk)
Real Butter and fullfat dairy
Grass Fed Beef
Monounsaturated fats like avocado and macadamia nuts. NOT canola oil!
Cheers!
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