Inexplicably LOW cholesterol??? (pains, blood tests, depression, doctor)

[Niftybergin]

I went to the doctor today for a follow-up visit, but she was sick, so we have to reschedule for later this week. While I was there, however, I picked up the results of my recent blood work, and my cholesterol was 167. Okay, so that's a good score. Yay. But it doesn't make SENSE.

In early November, my cholesterol was tested through a thing at work, and the total cholesterol was 236. My weight is about the same as it was in November -- a couple pounds heavier, in fact -- and my diet has not noticeably improved. Nor have I been exercising more than in the past. Nor am I taking medications, etc. that are geared toward lowering my cholesterol.

So what could cause a 69-point drop in total cholesterol in 4 months?

Could the test result just be wrong? (The breakdown was 167 total; 44 HDL; 102 LDL; and 88 triglycerides.)

[psulions2007]

What is your intake ratio of unsaturated fats (most vegetable oils... olive, corn, soybean, canola, grapeseed, sunflower, cottonseed, etc.) vs. saturated fats (meat, palm oil, coconut oil) vs. trans fat (partially hydrogenated oils)

[Niftybergin]

That's what makes this so mysterious to me. Of the "cholesterol-lowering foods," the only ones I've eaten with regularity in the last 6 months are beans, almonds, and olives. I eat green olives by the jar and olive oil is the only oil I cook with, so I get it in that form too. Otherwise, my diet in low in fruits/veg/whole grains.

And I have made NO effort to watch my fat intake in the last 4 months -- I haven't been on a diet, and my "normal" diet is predominantly junky and processed, with a few healthy foods tossed in here and there -- and I know that I've eaten an unhealthy amount of saturated fat. I don't even try to watch trans fats.

I'm 38, and as an adult, my total cholesterol has never been less than 198...and I weigh more now than I ever have. So it's weird to me that just 4 months ago, my cholesterol was almost 70 points higher.

I came back Vitamin-D deficient as well.

The 167 seems too mysterious for me to celebrate. I can't help but think it must be symptomatic of something else. My lifestyle doesn't warrant that kind of decrease, unless there's a negative cause at the root of it.

[pitt_transplant]

Cheerios?

Cholesterol Levels Fluctuate With The Seasons

Interesting read about it changes. But yes, the test could be lab error.

What were you eating the year before your first test? Are you eating better stuff than you were years ago?

[psulions2007]

Did you inhale a cheesecake or foie gras before your previous test? That could have also affected it.

[pitt_transplant]

Originally Posted by Niftybergin

That's what makes this so mysterious to me. Of the "cholesterol-lowering foods," the only ones I've eaten with regularity in the last 6 months are beans, almonds, and olives. I eat green olives by the jar and olive oil is the only oil I cook with, so I get it in that form too. Otherwise, my diet in low in fruits/veg/whole grains.

And I have made NO effort to watch my fat intake in the last 4 months -- I haven't been on a diet, and my "normal" diet is predominantly junky and processed, with a few healthy foods tossed in here and there -- and I know that I've eaten an unhealthy amount of saturated fat. I don't even try to watch trans fats.


I came back Vitamin-D deficient as well.

.

Just eating more fiber lowered the s.o.'s BP

also:

Virgin Olive Oil May Reduce Cholesterol Damage

"According to the report, adults who consumed 25 milliliters (mL) or nearly 2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil daily for one week showed less oxidation of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and higher levels of antioxidant compounds, particularly phenols, in the blood."


Honey, Almonds Lower Cholesterol

"After comparing cholesterol levels during and after each diet, researchers found that LDL levels were lowered by an average of 4.4% with the smaller portion of almonds and by 9.4% with the larger portion."


You want to work on the vitaminD. That carries cardio risk as well. Those chewy viactivs are good if you can't get a daily dose of 15 minutes in the sun without burning.

[Niftybergin]

I couldn't tell you what I was eating last November, but I'm sure it was crap. It was 236 then, and that number has just been steadily going up for the last several years.

When I went last week and had the blood drawn for the test, I had been eating better for about two weeks: more fruits and veg and whole grains, more cooking, more whole foods, more water, daily vitamins, no fast food, less junk food. (I'd been having chest pains for a couple weeks, which was what compelled me to make the doctor's appointment in the first place. I had a treadmill stress-test last week and "passed.") But I find it hard to imagine that eating well for 2 weeks would lower my cholesterol by 70 points. Seven points...okay, sure. Maybe I could believe that. But 70?? No way.

I'm beginning to wonder if it has something to do with my brain-chemistry, etc. I have a 25+ year history of profound depression, but I've been "in remission" for about 5 years and off my meds for 6 years. I don't feel depressed at all, and because of my history, that's something I closely monitor. But vitamin-D (in which I'm deficient) is linked to mood issues, and as I've been researching my inexplicable drop in cholesterol, I'm coming around to references about how low cholesterol levels can signal depression or be tied to hormonal issues, which could also tie into depression. I don't feel depressed at all, but maybe there's something chemical going on up there that's indicating otherwise. Or maybe it's just that this depression -- if there is one -- is low-grade and non-acute/non-situational...and therefore different from what I'm accustomed to.

I dunno. Hopefully my doctor will have some good ideas on Wednesday. I predict more blood tests in my future.

[redjan1225]

When I took my cholesterol/triglycerides test at work, I was not fasting. It should be a fasting test where you have nothing but water. That could easily make the difference.