Does the Paleosphere Have Its Own Flawed Diet-Heart Hypothesis? - PaleoHacks.comBack in March of 2011, I got a lipid panel run after eating a diet loaded with butter and cream and at or less than 100g of carbs per day for 6 months or so. Pretty standard "paleo/primal" or "perfect health" diet, right? My lipids were as follows:
- Total cholesterol: 393 (srsly)
- HDL: 55
- Triglycerides: 54
- LDL(Iranian): 271
BTW: My total testosterone the first time was low 300s, so my total cholesterol was actually higher than my testosterone! I didn't get it tested this time, but I can tell that it has increased dramatically (ahem).
Obviously I said "LOL fuck this diet" and got rid of butter and cream and increased carbohydrates. Over time, I've stopped adding pretty much any extra fat to my diet from refined sources (I just eat the fat attached to the steaks, 3-4 egg yolks a day and a lot of raw sunflower seeds primarily) and I've greatly increased my intake of both carbohydrates from basmati rice(250g+ every single day) and fructose (I eat a metric fuckton of apples and other high-fructose tropical fruit every day).
This is the result of yesterday's lipid panel:
- Total cholesterol: 190
- HDL: 84 (srsly)
- Triglycerides: 39 (srsly)
- LDL (Iranian): 66
I can't possibly fathom how the latter could in any way be a worse result than the former or what benefit there could be from increasing fat or decreasing carbs/fructose, though I see people all the time recommend that for increasing HDL and decreasing TGs, respectively. That HDL is with zero coconut intake and a total fat % in my diet of about 30%.
To quote our good friend Mr. Taubes: What if it's all been a big fat lie?
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It's useful for the community to have this sort of feedback. I also see an improved lipid panel with lower trigs in the 30's eating higher carb (~50%s), lower fat (~20%s). FWIW, I'm ApoE4, along with 1 out of every 4 people ... not in the majority, but common enough.
One interesting thing about your change, Travis, is the significant increase in HDL, along with the significant drop in TC. Usually, a drop like that in TC will also have a corresponding drop in HDL. It's curious. Sounds like exercise did not change. I suspect intermittent fasting wasn't added. Assuming niacin is not being used. Alcohol is a commonly referenced factor. Maybe your body is simply settling into it's natural healthy level.
Perhaps nothing, but does make me think of
Chris Kresser's HDL/inflammation experience with patients as something to consider:
I tend to view HDL >85 or 90 in the presence of other inflammatory or immunological markers as a potential sign of infection or immune dysregulation.
I don’t have the reference handy, but I came across a study associating elevated HDL and CRP (occurring together) with INCREASED risk of heart disease….
I frequently see HDL >100 in patients with several other markers of inflammation, such as elevated CRP, ferritin, WBC, monocytes, etc.
answered Mar 30 at 16:39
MarkES1,714●2●11
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The "cholesterol doesn't matter, the higher the better" crowd are clearly a bunch of loons. I think it's more nuanced than both sides claim but there's not much doubt that people with low low cholesterol levels have less of a chance of developing atherosclerosis. And people with very high cholesterol levels are at greater risk. Most hunter gatherers and other healthy ancestral societies tended to have low cholesterol, as do most free ranging animals and healthy babies. Drinking bulletproof coffees and having a total cholesterol of nearly 400 doesn't sound like a smart idea.
Another thing I've noticed is that when someone goes paleo and lowers their cholesterol you'll have everyone saying "congratulations, great job" But when someones cholesterol shoots right you you'll find commemnets like "GOOD NEWS, CHOLESTEROL IS ESSENTIAL TO LIFE".
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Another factor to the lipid panel is what you ate the day before and especially the level of stress. My levels are almost all low (low cholesterol. low LDL, low HDL, and well high triglycerides which run in family and doc still gets confused by). Anyways if I have had a stressful day previous to the test my low LDL and Cholesterol while still low will be in the normal range and my triglycerides at times have doubled when it has been noted that I was extremely stressful the day before and when I have had extra fatty meat (bacon I noticed will up Cholesterol and Triglycerides if eaten the day before the test but not fatty beef).
Just a thought but look at as many variables as you can with lipid tests...and blood sugar tests for that matter.
