Blood test results were disappointing

[ralphwtaylor]

I was diagnosed with diabetes a couple of years ago and prescribed metformin. I then discovered autophagy and started IF to lose weight. I then introduced a LC diet (<20g) I have lost a lot of weight which has reduced hypertension and put my A1C into a normal range so am now off metformin and a reduced dosage of ramipril. I've just had my latest bloods back and although the A1C is good (32) the lipid results are somewhat disappointing Trigs is 1, HDL is 0.97 and LDL is 5.67. Trigs being down is good and I'm not too bothered about the LDL number being up but I can't understand why the HDL number is so low after following such a low carb regimen for 4 months. I realise this is not directly related to diabetes but it's all driven by metabolic syndrome and inflammatory disease so though I would ask if anyone has had a similar experience.

 

[bulkbiker]

I was diagnosed with diabetes a couple of years ago and prescribed metformin. I then discovered autophagy and started IF to lose weight. I then introduced a LC diet (<20g) I have lost a lot of weight which has reduced hypertension and put my A1C into a normal range so am now off metformin and a reduced dosage of ramipril. I've just had my latest bloods back and although the A1C is good (32) the lipid results are somewhat disappointing Trigs is 1, HDL is 0.97 and LDL is 5.67. Trigs being down is good and I'm not too bothered about the LDL number being up but I can't understand why the HDL number is so low after following such a low carb regimen for 4 months. I realise this is not directly related to diabetes but it's all driven by metabolic syndrome and inflammatory disease so though I would ask if anyone has had a similar experience.

Was it a fasted blood draw for the cholesterol test?

Sorry just saw it is your first post so hello and welcome, I'm assuming you have seen Daisy's welcome post as you seem pretty well informed so won't tag her in this time.

 

[There is no Spoon]

I have lost a lot of weight

Hi Ralph you have just answered your own question there,

[Over simplified version]
Your body breaks down fat to use as fuel which flows through your blood stream until it is used up; during this time lipid results are not a true representation of your situation. This is temporary, give it a couple of months and you should find your numbers go down on your next reading.

It sounds like your doing everything right well done on the weight loss and the reduced bg levels.

 

[ralphwtaylor]

Was it a fasted blood draw for the cholesterol test?

Sorry just saw it is your first post so hello and welcome, I'm assuming you have seen Daisy's welcome post as you seem pretty well informed so won't tag her in this time.

Hi Ralph you have just answered your own question there,

[Over simplified version]
Your body breaks down fat to use as fuel which flows through your blood stream until it is used up; during this time lipid results are not a true representation of your situation. This is temporary, give it a couple of months and you should find your numbers go down on your next reading.

It sounds like your doing everything right well done on the weight loss and the reduced bg levels.

Thanks I was hoping that would be the case. In terms of weight loss I'm down from 242 to 188 lbs at the moment and yes I had been fasting (18 hrs) when the bloods were taken. My doc has given me mds for another 2 months and I'll have another blood test before I see him next and hopefully results will be better.

 

[bulkbiker]

Thanks I was hoping that would be the case. In terms of weight loss I'm down from 242 to 188 lbs at the moment and yes I had been fasting (18 hrs) when the bloods were taken. My doc has given me mds for another 2 months and I'll have another blood test before I see him next and hopefully results will be better.

The recommended fasting time is 12-14 hours.. 18 may have been a bit too long.. I'm guessing you have heard about Dave Feldmans work on cholesterol www.cholesterolcode.com if not you might find it interesting but I certainly wouldn't worry too much about those numbers nor would I even consider taking any medication to artificially lower then.

 

[ralphwtaylor]

Yes I recently found out about that. Apparently the number of LDL receptors is reduced with fasting because fasting lowers insulin levels. So when fasting, both insulin and insulin receptors in the liver drop resulting in higher than normal LDL levels. I found this out from a presentation by DR Paul Mason at the low carb down under conference in Oct.2018 "Blood test on a Ketogenic diet - what your cholesterol results mean".