Type 2 Cholesterol how to bring down Ldl

I needed to cut WAY back on saturated fat. I still eat VLC and 80% fat diet but my fats are mainly plant fat such as avocado, olive oil, mayo, nuts. I do eat red meat but in small quantities and try to buy lean and always 100% grass fed.
Since I started eating an avocado a day my lipids are the best they've been since I can remember. I do generally run higher on HDL but not anymore. Dairy I think could be a problem for some. I don't eat it

Mine came down when I stopped the saturated fats, and the dairy.
It works for many.

Others claim high ldl is good.

I prefer to keep all my numbers in the mainstream targets.

Hi,

My total chol (results back today, funnily enough) has not risen by more than 0.2 in the last 5 years.

During that time I have switched from Low Carb to Very Low Carb, and started mainlining saturated fat in the form of double cream Fat intake is around 80% of energy intake. I have also removed veg oils (except olive) any processed foods, added coconut oil, and added more saturated fat.

- trigs have dropped a bit (they were low to start with, due to low carbing previously)
- HDL has risen a bit
- LDL has risen a teensy bit (but I bet they are big 'n' fluffy)
- and my ratios are now optimal, whereas they weren't quite optimal before.

But I now don't give a flying fig what my cholesterol does... because it is cheerfully doing its own thing and all my dietary adjustments have had virtually no impact.

I don't even consider my results are 'good' - because the only result worth knowing is the fasting Trigs.
Everything else I have no interest in.

If your trigs are low, and your ratios are good, there should be nothing to worry about.


Eating dairy and red meats has not affected any of my lipid profiles adversely. Even after I upped the dairy to stop losing weight there were no adverse affects, and my trigs are currently 0.54. However, I am very low carb. I also eat mounds of eggs.

Edit. I meant my LDL WAS high, not HDL although that is too
Omega 3 in fatty fish should help too, even just walking at a moderate pace.
I believe carbs can cause high LDL as well as tryglicerides.

I just concentrate on my trigs and ratio of total/HDL, which should be under 4. (UK measurement units) Both these are excellent in my case, and that is all I am bothered about.

If you are still losing weight to below a safe level you need to up either carbs, or fats, or proteins. Upping carbs is not always a wise choice, so that leaves fats and protein. It is a fine balance to get the extra calories right, needs to be done carefully and with a lot of trial and error. Personally for me, I introduced cheese and more eggs to my diet, plus double cream, also I returned to my glass of red wine each evening!

Nuts are often recommended, but I'm afraid I don't like nuts!

There is no real way of knowing if you're getting the balance right but adding fatty fish such as salmon to your diet multiple times a week and cutting down/ out high omega 6 fats like saturated fat in bacon, chicken skin, cheese/dairy and seeds oils as well as limiting certain types of nuts should certainly bring your ratios closet and help with inflammation.
The majority of my fats are plant fats like avocado, olive oil and mayo. All known to decrease inflammation. I do eat dark chicken but never the skin or fat and I eat red meat but leaner cuts and all in small quantities and much less often than white meat or fish

Hope that helps

Derek, I have been told over and over again to eat my fish rather than supplement. Your call
I really think if you cut down on the high 6 foods and eat the salmon/tuna you will find good balance. Replacing some saturated animal fats with lean proteins and using avocado, avocado oil, macadamia nuts
I'm not sure if I mentioned it on this thread but since limiting saturated fat and the addition of an avocado a day my lipids are better than they have been in years. I also cut back on high omega 6 nuts and ditched all dairy. So my main fats are avocado, non GMO expeller pressed canola mayo, and a FEW nuts a day. I could eat avocado all day long. Actually half of one is my breakfast and I split the other between lunch and dinner. If it's a huge one I get some for snacks haha

It's not about getting all the omega 3's you can get but about balancing them. Eat fish, ditch seed oils and grease, eat green veggies and you should get close. When eating red meats always buy 100% grass fed. Perfect balance and tastes better too

@lindisfel My diet is hugely dairy and it's not hurting me.

My old numbers for decades when I didn't exercise:
total 6.6, LDL 4.4, HDL 1.8, TG 1.1; BMI 19.5
Now that I exercise:
5.2-5.7, 2.5, 2.5, 1.0; 20.0

The old concern with LDL total lipoprotein was misplaced. Certainly, when health indicators (BMI, blood pressure, etc.) are good overall, then LDL of 3.0 and total of 6.0 are OK.

I eat yogurt with fruit, high fat cheeses (eg cheddar), ice cream, cottage cheese, sour cream, some meat, fruit. No milk. Being lactose intolerant, I need lactase tablets for the cottage cheese and ice cream. A portion of one tablet suffices. One $8 box lasts me many months. A minority of people who eat eggs will see large rises in HDL and LDL. The rise in HDL removes any cause for concern about the rise in LDL. I have avoided white flour products almost entirely since the distant past. I will eat a couple of cookies a week. I lost interest in spaghetti.

Omega 6's. I just read the package label and don't eat omega 6's, except I suppose for the cookies. Potato crisps are fried in sunflower, safflower, or canola oil. When I found out about omega 6 oils a couple of years ago, I was disappointed and I gave up potato crisps almost entirely. They were the only regular part of my diet that contained vegetable oils.