Cholesterol levels

[ScottyB]

I had my cholesterol checked while I was at the doctor Friday, and he said that everything was good. However, he said I should get my HDL levels up even though they were in the normal range. He said something about drinking grapefruit juice on the voicemail he left me. I am exercising a lot, so should that help out, or do I need to do something else?

Total = 150
HDL = 43
Triglycerides = 119
LDL = 83

Chol/HDLC ratio = 3.5

 

[eits]

the higher your hdl count, the lower risk you have of having heart disease. your range is normal, but if you have a family history of heart disease, which might be the case if your doctor wants you to increase your hdls higher than normal, then you might want to look into increasing your hdl.

get more exercise, have lots of soluble fiber in your diet, omega 3 fatty acids, cranberry juice regularly... there's a lot you can do... google it.

 

[ScottyB]

the higher your hdl count, the lower risk you have of having heart disease. your range is normal, but if you have a family history of heart disease, which might be the case if your doctor wants you to increase your hdls higher than normal, then you might want to look into increasing your hdl.

get more exercise, have lots of soluble fiber in your diet, omega 3 fatty acids, cranberry juice regularly... there's a lot you can do... google it.

Noi history of heart disease. He just said it is better to have it higher.

 

[Sust]

Eits has the right idea. Dont let a number dictate how much you can slack off on your diet/exercise regimen. Live healthy every day.

Medical science has fairly good evidence that a higher HDL is better in that HDL>40 patients tend to have fewer heart attacks, but I dont know if there's anything biologically definitive showing that high HDLs themselves are going to prevent you from getting a heart attack. For the latter, you're probably going to have to wait another 15-20 years for the answer.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Increase whole grain/oat consumption, increase healthy fat consumption (nuts, avocados, fish oil), decrease sugar consumption. That should definitely help.

 

[Kipper]

Please read this post through to the end, there is some info at the end you may find useful. Those will all have a very, very, very miniscule impact on increasing HDL, if at all. Some low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to raise HDL in studies, but the numbers involved are very, very small - maybe five points in either direction.

The only realistic way to gain HDL appreciable numbers without meds is exercise, particularly the cardiovascular type. I am not aware of studies showing HIIT has an effect on cholesterol levels, although maybe SC is aware of something. If you're overweight, losing weight usually helps. You can lose as little as 10% of your body weight and see a dramatic improvement in cholesterol numbers.

Your doctor may have mentioned grapefruit juice for two reasons: A.) it is high in potassium, which being high in potassium would be helpful if you have a family history of hypertension (high blood pressure) - but OJ, bananas, potatoes, or dark leafy greens would also do the same thing. Second, and more importantly, he would mention it if you have been prescribed a statin (lipitor, crestor, zocor etc.) - cholesterol-lowering meds which also raise HDL and have an interaction with grapefruit juice that worsens side effects (including: myopathy - muscle damage and liver damage). There are also a litany of other medications that interact with grapefruit juice, many of them cardiac meds so check the drug info sheet to see if they interact...or talk to the pharmacist.

 

[Kipper]

the higher your hdl count, the lower risk you have of having heart disease. your range is normal, but if you have a family history of heart disease, which might be the case if your doctor wants you to increase your hdls higher than normal, then you might want to look into increasing your hdl.

get more exercise, have lots of soluble fiber in your diet, omega 3 fatty acids, cranberry juice regularly... there's a lot you can do... google it.

Uh?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Please read this post through to the end, there is some info at the end you may find useful. Those will all have a very, very, very miniscule impact on increasing HDL, if at all. Some low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to raise HDL in studies, but the numbers involved are very, very small - maybe five points in either direction.

The only realistic way to gain HDL appreciable numbers without meds is exercise, particularly the cardiovascular type. I am not aware of studies showing HIIT has an effect on cholesterol levels, although maybe SC is aware of something. If you're overweight, losing weight usually helps. You can lose as little as 10% of your body weight and see a dramatic improvement in cholesterol numbers.

Your doctor may have mentioned grapefruit juice for two reasons: A.) it is high in potassium, which being high in potassium would be helpful if you have a family history of hypertension (high blood pressure) - but OJ, bananas, potatoes, or dark leafy greens would also do the same thing. Second, and more importantly, he would mention it if you have been prescribed a statin (lipitor, crestor, zocor etc.) - cholesterol-lowering meds which also raise HDL and have an interaction with grapefruit juice that worsens side effects (including: myopathy - muscle damage and liver damage). There are also a litany of other medications that interact with grapefruit juice, many of them cardiac meds so check the drug info sheet to see if they interact...or talk to the pharmacist.

I'm actually not sure about HIIT. I would guess that, if done regularly, it would have a similar effect on HDLs. However, just going the safe route with low intensity, sustained cardio will help with overall health and reduce atherosclerotic risk. I knew exercise helped those with troubled cholesterol levels (low HDL, high LDL), but didn't know it explicitly raised HDL. I'll have to research the mechanisms of that.

OP: this post is spot on. Exercise will definitely help. I don't know why I pigeonholed this thread to diet-only solutions, but exercise will be the number one effector on skewing cholesterol in a more favorable manner.

 

[Kipper]

This calculator will allow you to calculate your 10-year cardiac risk:

http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/atpiii/calculator.asp?usertype=prof

Risk factors are here:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4726

Some can be changed, some can't (like gender or age).

 

[ScottyB]

Please read this post through to the end, there is some info at the end you may find useful. Those will all have a very, very, very miniscule impact on increasing HDL, if at all. Some low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to raise HDL in studies, but the numbers involved are very, very small - maybe five points in either direction.

The only realistic way to gain HDL appreciable numbers without meds is exercise, particularly the cardiovascular type. I am not aware of studies showing HIIT has an effect on cholesterol levels, although maybe SC is aware of something. If you're overweight, losing weight usually helps. You can lose as little as 10% of your body weight and see a dramatic improvement in cholesterol numbers.

Your doctor may have mentioned grapefruit juice for two reasons: A.) it is high in potassium, which being high in potassium would be helpful if you have a family history of hypertension (high blood pressure) - but OJ, bananas, potatoes, or dark leafy greens would also do the same thing. Second, and more importantly, he would mention it if you have been prescribed a statin (lipitor, crestor, zocor etc.) - cholesterol-lowering meds which also raise HDL and have an interaction with grapefruit juice that worsens side effects (including: myopathy - muscle damage and liver damage). There are also a litany of other medications that interact with grapefruit juice, many of them cardiac meds so check the drug info sheet to see if they interact...or talk to the pharmacist.

I'm not on any meds. I just had it checked for the heck of it.

 

[ScottyB]

This calculator will allow you to calculate your 10-year cardiac risk:

http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/atpiii/calculator.asp?usertype=prof

Risk factors are here:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4726

Some can be changed, some can't (like gender or age).

<table width="100%" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td>[FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] Age: [/FONT] </td> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] 26 [/FONT] </td> </tr> <!-- Sex --> <tr> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] Gender: [/FONT] </td> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] male [/FONT] </td> </tr> <!-- Cholesterol --> <tr> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] Total Cholesterol: [/FONT] </td> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] 150 mg/dL [/FONT] </td> </tr> <!-- HDL Cholesterol --> <tr> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] HDL Cholesterol: [/FONT] </td> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] 43 mg/dL [/FONT] </td> </tr> <!-- Smoker --> <tr> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] Smoker: [/FONT] </td> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] No [/FONT] </td> </tr> <!-- SBP --> <tr> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] Systolic Blood Pressure: [/FONT] </td> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] 128 mm/Hg [/FONT] </td> </tr> <!-- SBP --> <tr> <td nowrap="nowrap"> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] On medication for HBP: [/FONT] </td> <td> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] No [/FONT] </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#efefef" valign="TOP"> [FONT=arial,helvetica] Risk Score* [/FONT] </td> <td bgcolor="#efefef"> [FONT=arial,arial,helvetica] Less than 1% [/FONT]</td></tr></tbody></table>

Guess I'm good.

 

[eits]

Uh?

look it up

 

[piasabird]

Beware of juice. Most juice is loaded with sugar and other sweet substitutes. If your neck size is large, maybe you need a sleep study also. 2 each 1,000 mg fish oil caps each day have been proven to have good benefits for cardiac health.

Good luck with your health.

I am not sure that drinking coffee and tea or even diet soda is that good for you. Drink lots of water.

 

[Kipper]

look it up

I find ONE study. Hardly convincing.

Hardly a reason to buy the entire store's stock of cranberry, but I suppose it couldn't hurt...

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I find ONE study. Hardly convincing.

Hardly a reason to buy the entire store's stock of cranberry, but I suppose it couldn't hurt...

Besides the large amounts of processed sugar (added or natural) Eat cranberries if you want their affects. Way better for you due to the fiber, antioxidants in the skin, etc.

 

[Kipper]

Besides the large amounts of processed sugar (added or natural) Eat cranberries if you want their affects. Way better for you due to the fiber, antioxidants in the skin, etc.

The American Heart Assocation would recommend no more than ~150 kcal/day in added sugars for men and 100 for women. The WHO (World Health Organization) would recommend no more than 10&#37; of calories.

Either way you look at it, the amounts of added sugars in cranberries (dried or juice - some juice contains no added sugar) is not that much of a deal. If it is an issue your diet is probably chock full of added sugar, in which case HDL level may be the least of your problems.

Either way I hate these "eat one particular food" studies because they seem to be interpreted by the public as meaning the rest of your diet can be horrible, as long as your cranberry intake is good.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

The American Heart Assocation would recommend no more than ~150 kcal/day in added sugars for men and 100 for women. The WHO (World Health Organization) would recommend no more than 10% of calories.

Either way you look at it, the amounts of added sugars in cranberries (dried or juice - some juice contains no added sugar) is not that much of a deal. If it is an issue your diet is probably chock full of added sugar, in which case HDL level may be the least of your problems.

Either way I hate these "eat one particular food" studies because they seem to be interpreted by the public as meaning the rest of your diet can be horrible, as long as your cranberry intake is good.

I think new research may change the AHA's recommendations. Cranberry juice's normal sugar could be detrimental in itself due to lack of fiber. Without slowing of the digestion, fructose fulfills the liver's glycogen synthesis while there's a ton of glucose left in the bloodstream. Sustained blood glucose levels leads to insulin resistance and the fructose influx results in significantly spiked small, dense LDLs. All of this is bad and, I imagine, would negate the positive aspects of cranberry juice in itself. I say, just eat the damn cranberries

 

[Kipper]

I think new research may change the AHA's recommendations. Cranberry juice's normal sugar could be detrimental in itself due to lack of fiber. Without slowing of the digestion, fructose fulfills the liver's glycogen synthesis while there's a ton of glucose left in the bloodstream. Sustained blood glucose levels leads to insulin resistance and the fructose influx results in significantly spiked small, dense LDLs. All of this is bad and, I imagine, would negate the positive aspects of cranberry juice in itself. I say, just eat the damn cranberries

Okay, two problems with what you're saying. First, you generalize. Fructose in itself is not harmful. It is the dose and the frequency of that dose that causes problems. On its face, your post makes it seem like fruit/fruit juice is a bad thing, which it isn't. You're also looking at the recommendations in a vacuum. No legitimate organization has ever given consumers a blank check to consume fruit juice - the AHA included.

Most organizations recommend <8 oz/day, depending on age, which is perfectly legitimate and really wouldn't contribute in any significant fashion to lipids, sugar-sweetened or not. I'm not challenging the biochemistry, but if you are drinking enough juice to make this a problem, you are consuming concentrated sweets in excessive quantities and running counter to a host of mainstream recommendations that suggest restricting juice intake and concentrated sweets ANYWAY, not to mention a host of other issues. Fructose is not the problem, nor is it harmful. The frequency and dose are.

There is nothing in the AHA and the WHO's recommendations that is contradictory - unless, of course, you want to consider each rule in a vacuum.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Okay, two problems with what you're saying. First, you generalize. Fructose in itself is not harmful. It is the dose and the frequency of that dose that causes problems. On its face, your post makes it seem like fruit/fruit juice is a bad thing, which it isn't. You're also looking at the recommendations in a vacuum. No legitimate organization has ever given consumers a blank check to consume fruit juice - the AHA included.

Most organizations recommend <8 oz/day, depending on age, which is perfectly legitimate and really wouldn't contribute in any significant fashion to lipids, sugar-sweetened or not. I'm not challenging the biochemistry, but if you are drinking enough juice to make this a problem, you are consuming concentrated sweets in excessive quantities and running counter to a host of mainstream recommendations that suggest restricting juice intake and concentrated sweets ANYWAY, not to mention a host of other issues. Fructose is not the problem, nor is it harmful. The frequency and dose are.

There is nothing in the AHA and the WHO's recommendations that is contradictory - unless, of course, you want to consider each rule in a vacuum.

I considered the recommendation to mean drinking a significant amount of cranberry juice per day. Clearly 8 or less ounces is not going to be much of a problem. We were working with different proportions. Makes sense.

 

[eits]

I find ONE study. Hardly convincing.

Hardly a reason to buy the entire store's stock of cranberry, but I suppose it couldn't hurt...

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&=&q=cranberry+juice+hdl&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g1