Restating Results

The Manufacturers/Inventors of Crestor

Evidently, I was too confusing in my last post about blood work. There are too many variables, and you have to be a nerd like me to want to talk about them.

So this time I'll keep it short (yeah right).

• Ever since (and maybe before - who knows) I became vegetarian I had a "syndrome" of very low HDL Cholesterol (that's the good stuff).
• I've been on a statin (Crestor) for several years now, which lowered my overall cholesterol profile, but did nothing to HDL.
• We (my cardiologist and me) eventually found that high doses of Niacin (a vitamin) would raise my HDL from the very low 0.8 to the "acceptable but still low" 1.2.
• I went off the statin a few weeks ago, and changed my diet (very low carb) a couple of months ago. New bloodwork was done about a week ago.
• The new bloodwork, with no statin and a changed diet, showed a remarkable increase in HDL. It also showed a very low level of triglycerides. Both of these are very good. This is the news I'm most excited about.
• HDL and Triglycerides are now the important blood markers. Total cholesterol and LDL (the bad cholesterol) are mostly meaningless. We've been told for years to lower total cholesterol and LDL. That's what all the "low fat" nonsense is about. 
• They should have been telling us instead "keep your triglycerides as low as possible, and aim for the highest HDL you can get". At least I'm not dead before finding this out. Low HDL was likely the reason for all my health problems. And adding a statin didn't help. Funny that no doctor ever asked me about this.
• I now weigh 150lbs and have to buy new clothes. I weighed 145lbs in High School.

All of this is tied straight back to diet - obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease and stroke all have the same source. Do yourself a favour and read Gary Taubes' " Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It (Vintage)". He explains exactly what happened to me, and why it is that you find it so hard to lose weight (hint: it's got to do with our body's insulin response to food - specifically carbs).

I thought I'd keep this short. So I failed.