Abnormal Lipid Panel Test Results?!?!

[mizzcase]

Last week I went to my doctor for some bloodwork because I thought I might be hypothyroid. All those tests came back OK, but my lipid panel test is abnormal!

Total cholesterol: 211
Triglycerides: 84
HDL Cholesterol: 59
VLDL Cholesterol Cal: 17
LDL Cholesterol Calc: 135

What does this all mean? Could the fact that I had been on inductions (lots of eggs and cheese) for 2 weeks prior to this test have anything to do it? I'm 23 years old and fit, I run about 15 miles a week. Freaking out!

[stardustshadow]

YES, your induction can cause a temporary rise in cholesterol levels, because of fat being released from your fat cells (when you are in ketosis). This is nothing to worry about!! They usually recommend that you wait a few months to get cholesterol levels tested after starting a low carb diet.

Relax!! I am sure you are very healthy!

[stardustshadow]

By they way, it looks like your trigylcerides are very low and that is GOOD!! They are considered the most dangerous, as far as I understand it.

[mizzcase]

Thanks stardust. Apparently my doctor thought it was a big enough deal to mail me the test results IMMEDIATELY, even though I have a follow up appointment tomorrow. I think I'll fast for the day tomorrow and get another lipid panel taken.. see if it has come down at all in the past week. Have been eating mostly salads and no eggs all week.

[stardustshadow]

Well, just know that your lipids will go down naturally as your body adjusts to your new way of eating! I don't know if fasting will help or not! I think the best thing to do is to relax (does your dr. know that you are doing a low carb diet?) and test again in a couple of months. It is more likely that your high lipid panel is caused by the release of stored body fat in your fat cells than the fat in your diet!

[clackley]

Agreed, the lipid panel can be wacky early in changing your woe and losing weight. Usually it takes about 6 months for things to normalize and sometimes longer if still losing weight. As Stardustshadow pointed out, the triglycerides are the thing that will change rapidly and are significant and yours are very good.

[SaraOFlaherty]

Copied from another board, since they only gave you a calculated number I strongly suspect this applies. Print it and take it to your Dr.

LDL Cholesterol is calculated by the Friedewald formula:
LDL + HDL + [Trigs/5] = total.
But because LDL is so small (either Pattern A or Pattern B) in comparison to the other particles, what they usually do is calculate your LDL. They measure your HDL, your Trigs and your Total - so the equation becomes:
Total - (HDL + [Trigs/5]) = LDL.
(Note: Pattern is the "Fluffy, harmless, beachball" type as Dr. Sears refers to them, and
Pattern B is the even smaller dense type (think of BB pellets).)
.
This formula works fine as long as your triglycerides are at least 100 and below 400, but outside of that range things get wonky. And the main problem is, when your triglycerides are below 100, as it often is for folks like us who avoid most if not all low glycemic carbs (grains and sugars),
the Friedewald formula overestimates LDL levels!
.
Because this equation miscalculates LDL if you drop below 100 Triglycerides, some experts recommend that you always, always demand a VAP test, which is a direct measurement of the LDL. People who restrict low-glycemic carbs usually have very low triglycerides, which means that we're going to have problems if the lab uses the Friedewald equation to calculate our LDL levels. And according to Dr. Mary Vernon, "These labs in which the LDL is calculated are not accurate if your triglycerides are below 100... The equation used to calculate these numbers makes assumptions which are not accurate when triglycerides are low."
.
However, there is a newer equation, called the Iranian Equation, that does a better job of calculating LDL when trigs are below 100. That equation is:
(Total/1.19) + (Trig/1.9) - (HDL/1.1) -38 = LDL
.
So, next time you have your cholesterol numbers, plug into the Iranian equation IF your Triglycerides are below 100.

Using that calculation, your total LDL is only 155, which is EXCELLENT. (Someone else can feel free to double-check my math there.)

[synger]

Also, they're finding that it's not just the numbers themselves, but the ratio of total CHO to HDL that indicates heart problems:

Therefore, in adults, the HDL-"good" cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio should be higher than 0.24 (just divide your HDL level by your cholesterol).

Or more precisely, the HDL/total cholesterol ratio:

0.24 or higher is considered ideal [yours comes out at .27]
under 0.24 - low
less than 0.10 - very dangerous.

Generally speaking, the higher the ratio, the better (the lower your risk of a heart attack).

However, HDL is closely related to triglycerides.

It appears common for people with high triglycerides to have low HDL's, and these same people also tend to have high levels of clotting factors in their blood stream, which is unhealthy in protecting against heart disease.

Therefore, in adults, the triglyceride/HDL-"good" cholesterol ratio should be below 2 (just divide your triglycerides level by your HDL).

Or more precisely, the triglyceride/HDL ratio:

2 or less is considered ideal [yours comes out to 1.4]
4 - high
6 - much too high

Better Know Your Triglyceride/HDL Ratio if You Want to Prevent a Heart Attack

[mizzcase]

Thanks so much guys, you're really helping to put my mind at ease.

[ravenrose]

yes, being vlc for that time gave you that great triglyceride number! if you were eating high carb it would probably have been three time that.

[LAGril]

When you say that you might fast before your next test, it makes me wonder whether you fasted before the previoust test. It is pretty important to not eat anything nor drink anything but water for at least eight hours prior to a lipid panel blood draw.