got blood work results...Cholesterol LDL is HIGH! is Keto killing me slowly? :)

**lukx** · 07-07-2010, 09:09 AM

Ok I got blood work results today after spending some time on keto diet, and i'm a bit scared.

Cholesterol LDL 157,7 mg/dl (norm for men : <135)
Cholesterol HDL 73,3 mg/dl (norm : 30-85)
Overall Cholesterol 243mg/dl (norm: 140-200)

What should I do to lower the levels? HELP.

**SallyAnne** · 07-07-2010, 09:12 AM

Did you have your levels checked before you started the diet?

Also - what diet are you following? Is it Dave's diet, or just a keto diet with any kind of fats and protein?

**lukx** · 07-07-2010, 09:31 AM

yes 3 years ago my overall cholesterol was 156 mg/dl.

It's not stricly Dave keto diet I have small carb things here and there.

Here's what I eat daily:

1st: whey protein shake
2nd: cup of oats
3rd : grilled on olive oil chicken breasts with vegetables
4th: some fruit (apple, orange)
6th: grilled on olive oil chicken breasts with vegetables
7th: grilled on olive oil chicken breasts with vegetables or fish
8th: scramble eggs (5 whole eggs)
9th: whey protein shake

I think I pushed too high using whole eggs I think.

I don't any butter or sunflower oil! only Olive oil.

**SallyAnne** · 07-07-2010, 09:48 AM

Does your family have a history of high cholesterol? I ask because it can be hereditary.

Dietary cholesterol isn't bound to blood cholesterol, meaning that consuming high amounts of egg yokes will not effect your blood cholesterol.

here's a good read that's easy to understand:

http://stronglifts.com/cholesterol-s...ny-eggs-daily/

Cholesterol & Eggs: How Many Eggs Can You Eat Per Day?

Jun 4th, 2009 by Mehdi Posted in Nutrition | Print

You eat 40 whole eggs per week. 5 to 6 eggs daily at breakfast. You eat them with veggies, really like them and feel full of energy at the gym each time your day starts with an omelet.

But everyone tells you you’re crazy eating so many eggs. They tell you eggs are unhealthy because they’re full of cholesterol. You’ll clock your arteries and die if you continue. Sounds familiar? Truth or myth? Let’s see.

Why People Say Eating Lots of Eggs is Unhealthy. Eggs contain high amounts of cholesterol. 1 large egg has about 200mg cholesterol and 5g of fat. Almost half of that fat is saturated fat.

The logic is that since eggs are high in cholesterol, a high egg consumption will increase your blood cholesterol. So by cutting eggs from your diet, your blood cholesterol will decrease. This, however, isn’t how your body works.

Facts on Cholesterol. You can find studies showing that high cholesterol levels will make you live longer and more immune to infections & diseases than low cholesterol levels. More facts:

* Your Body Makes Cholesterol. Your liver makes 3-6x more cholesterol than you can get eating eggs and other animal products.
* Cholesterol is Vital To Your Body. You need it for the production of steroid hormones like Testosterone and to build & repair cells.
* Dietary Cholesterol Isn’t Bound to Blood Cholesterol. There’s no relation to cholesterol & saturated fat intake to higher cholesterol levels.

Benefits of Eating The Egg Yolk. Eating the yolk makes your life easier since you don’t have to separate it from the egg white each time. Eating the yolk is also healthier for 3 reasons:

* More Vitamins. The yolk is full of vitamins A, D, E. Vitamin D is especially important since most people lack vitamin D.
* Twice The Protein. Eating whole eggs doubles the protein intake you’d get eating egg whites only: the yolk contains half the protein.
* Increased Testosterone Levels. Saturated fat and cholesterol increase testosterone production. Both are heavily present in the egg yolk.

How to Protect Yourself Against Heart Diseases. This is the real concern people have regarding cholesterol. Some things you can do.

* Lose Fat. People with high cholesterol usually have excess body fat. Read the article on fat loss and apply.
* Exercise. This will make you lose fat and improve your health. Check StrongLifts 5×5 if you don’t know where to start.
* Eat Healthy. No more junk food, sodas, artificial trans-fats and refined sugars. Apply the 8 nutrition rules.
* Get Antioxidants. Like berries and green tea. These keep your LDL particles acting normal, preventing blockage in arteries.
* Relax. Stress can negatively influence your cholesterol levels. Relax, take breaks, exercise, think positive, …
* Avoid Drugs. Cholesterol lowering drugs are harmful to your liver in the long-term and useless if you don’t eat healthier, exercise and lose fat.

If you tried the above and your cholesterol levels haven’t improved, then maybe you’re part of the minority of the population who’s genetically predisposed.

Weston Price vs. China Study. If you paid attention, you’ll have noticed that the nutritional advice on StrongLifts.com is inline with Weston Price’s studies. Which is: omnivore diet with lots of veggies & quality animal products.

The China Study, however, claims correlation between consumption of animal products & diseases of affluence like cancer or heart diseases. They’ll advice you vegetarianism or even veganism.

I’ve chosen my camp. Choose yours. Educate yourself, make your own decision on what you’ll believe & apply and experiment.

**shredded08** · 07-07-2010, 09:58 AM

did you get your triglycerides checked? a better indicator would be if you had low HDL and high triglycerides which you clearly dont have bc of your high hdl

theres two types of LDL, one of which is completely harmless...that's the part the doc wont tell you

**Chris Pearce** · 07-07-2010, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by shredded08

did you get your triglycerides checked? a better indicator would be if you had low HDL and high triglycerides which you clearly dont have bc of your high hdl

theres two types of LDL, one of which is completely harmless...that's the part the doc wont tell you

^
And also... Like Sally asked, do you have a history of high cholesterol in your family?

Lastly, are you taking a fiber supplement at all?

**lukx** · 07-07-2010, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by shredded08

did you get your triglycerides checked? a better indicator would be if you had low HDL and high triglycerides which you clearly dont have bc of your high hdl

theres two types of LDL, one of which is completely harmless...that's the part the doc wont tell you

yes my triglycerides are : 60 mg/dl (norm for men :60-165)
so they are in the lowest possible area... hmm
now about my family chol... hard to say

my father refuses to do blood work or visit a doctor at all...
My grandfather at his old age became diabetic and his brother and sister has simillar problem.
About fiber... few days ago I ordered Dave fiberlyze

Do you think that lack of fiber might have caused the cholesterol problem?

**shredded08** · 07-07-2010, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by lukx

yes my triglycerides are : 60 mg/dl (norm for men :60-165)
so they are in the lowest possible area... hmm
now about my family chol... hard to say

my father refuses to do blood work or visit a doctor at all...
My grandfather at his old age became diabetic and his brother and sister has simillar problem.
About fiber... few days ago I ordered Dave fiberlyze

Do you think that lack of fiber might have caused the cholesterol problem?

taking fiber should help....i wouldn't worry too much about your cholesterol...do you include tuna or wild salmon in your diet? The omega 3 fats will help with inflammation which could possibly reduce your cholesterol but honestly I wouldn't worry about it...

cholesterol gets the worse reputation but is honestly one of the best things for your body...now if you consumed a lot of refined sugars and ate a lot of fat then that would be a different story....also you can take a natural GDA such as chromium or ALA on your cheat meal day

**SallyAnne** · 07-07-2010, 01:06 PM

http://www.springerlink.com/content/cq1l10803t1j9621/

Hussein M. Dashti1, 5 Contact Information, Naji S. Al-Zaid2, Thazhumpal C. Mathew3, Mahdi Al-Mousawi4, Hussain Talib4, Sami K. Asfar1 and Abdulla I. Behbahani1
(1) Department of Surgery, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait
(2) Department of Physiology, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait
(3) Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait
(4) Primary Health Care Salmeiah and Shaab Clinic, Safat, Kuwait
(5) Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, P.O. Box 24923, 13110 Safat, Kuwait

Received: 8 May 2005 Accepted: 8 September 2005 Published online: 21 April 2006
Abstract Objective: Various studies have convincingly shown the beneficial effect of ketogenic diet (in which the daily consumption of carbohydrate is less than 20 grams, regardless of fat, protein and caloric intake) in reducing weight in obese subjects. However, its long term effect on obese subjects with high total cholesterol (as compared to obese subjects with normal cholesterol level is lacking. It is believed that ketogenic diet may have adverse effect on the lipid profile. Therefore, in this study the effect of ketogenic diet in obese subjects with high cholesterol level above 6 mmol/L is compared to those with normocholesterolemia for a period of 56 weeks.
Materials and methods: In this study, 66 healthy obese subjects with body mass index (BMI) greater than 30, having high cholesterol level (Group I; n = 35) and those subjects with normal cholesterol level (Group II; n = 31) were selected. The body weight, body mass index, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, urea, creatinine, glucose and triglycerides were determined before and after the administration of the ketogenic diet. Changes in these parameters were monitored at 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48 and 56 weeks of the treatment.
Results: The body weight and body mass index of both groups decreased significantly (P < 0.0001). The level of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose level decreased significantly (P < 0.0001), whereas HDL cholesterol increased significantly (P < 0.0001) after the treatment in both groups.
Conclusion: This study shows the beneficial effects of ketogenic diet following its long term administration in obese subjects with a high level of total cholesterol. Moreover, this study demonstrates that low carbohydrate diet is safe to use for a longer period of time in obese subjects with a high total cholesterol level and those with normocholesterolemia.

**lukx** · 07-07-2010, 03:53 PM

Thank you SallyAnne and Shredded08 and Chris for your input. I really appreciate your help. Now I have to convince my wife that my diet isn't that bad and overall bodybuilding aint gonna kill me

I also have higher liver things on my blood work but I guess I will ask about those in different topic. Thanks again for all your help.[ame="http://forums.rxmuscle.com/member.php?u=94"][COLOR=#C00000][/COLO"]RX Muscle Forums - View Profile: SallyAnne@@AMEPARAM@@View Profile: SallyAnne</title>@@AMEPARAM@@SallyAnne[/ame]

**Chris Pearce** · 07-07-2010, 04:14 PM

I didn't really do a whole lot, but I tossed in my two-cents. SallyAnne did most of the work. She's really (more) knowledgeable and helpful =P

Again, if you're not taking a fiber supplement, I suggest getting some and taking it regularly. It's not going to make a HUGE difference... but it will help.

Omega-3 oils (from fish or capsules) will help as well

**gottabecool** · 07-07-2010, 04:24 PM

Good info from sallyanne, but to the OP...that isn't a Keto diet. Low carb yes, Keto no.

**lukx** · 07-08-2010, 04:53 AM

Originally Posted by gottabecool

Good info from sallyanne, but to the OP...that isn't a Keto diet. Low carb yes, Keto no.

It might sound stupid but what about adding 100ml of red wine to the diet? Whouldn't it help with lowering cholesterol?
But same time I'm worried about alcohol messing up hormones.
I'm just asking.

**gottabecool** · 07-08-2010, 10:34 AM

Resveratrol is the part of red wine that is useful, Just take that in supplement form for the same yet non-alcoholic effect.

I am actually going to be ordering a custom blend of various cholesterol improving supplements shortly too

I am actually on a Keto though, but hormone problems are to blame for mine.

**HereToStudy** · 07-08-2010, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by gottabecool

Resveratrol is the part of red wine that is useful, Just take that in supplement form for the same yet non-alcoholic effect.

I am actually going to be ordering a custom blend of various cholesterol improving supplements shortly too

I am actually on a Keto though, but hormone problems are to blame for mine.

Well he could try a Vitamin E Supplement. A product such as Toco-8 contains a full tocotrienol complex extracted from palm fruits, so it is a natural solution as well. It is shown to raise HDL and lower LDL. Could be worth a shot, and its not that expensive.

http://www.primordialperformance.com...ine_toco8.html

If he really wanted to take Resveratrol, he could get their Sustain Alpha as well that has 100mg/serving of Resveratrol.

http://www.primordialperformance.com...iqua-vade.html

...and Obviously, fishoil is a must. I use Orange Oximega from Controlled Labs. I don't think they sponsor here so I am not sure if I can link to their store. Its easy to find though, and rated at very low PCB.