When you fast, your body begins to mobilize stored fats as an energy source, which can lead to temporary increases in blood lipid levels, including both LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein).
I did a little experiment - I ate a very high carb low fat meal before labs and fasted for 36 hr before I saw my PCP. My LDL came into the normal range. I did this knowing that my PCP wanted to start statins if my results again showed a high LDL cholesterol. It helped me avoid an uncomfortable discussion with my PCP. At the same time it shows how flawed the whole cholesterol paradigm is
If LDL can rapidly change based on the last few meals you ate (or didn't eat) how can it measure long term risk. Maybe there is a role for different tests...particle size ot apo b but the basic simple cholesterol testing in my opinion is flawed.
The simple LDL test is a relatively cheap test...maybe it doesn't measure risk in the way that doctors hope it can. Maybe it measures how much fat was in your last few meals or how much fat your adipose tissue is being released.
I prefer CAC and CTA scans to get a picture of how I'm managing arterial plaquing. Currently my CAC is zero despite some cholesterol variation.
I keep it simple, do some walking, practice IF, take magnesium and drink fibre before meals.
Did you fast for 36 hours before the labs?
I have been hearing a lot lately that particle size and apo b are much better assessments as well. Hopefully mainstream medicine will move in that direction very soon.
Don't get lipids checked while you are actively losing weight, that will show as high numbers in blood because you are LOSING FAT from fat tissue. Wait until weight has been stable for 6 months, then check again.
Fear not. Typical during weight loss as others mentioned.
I think you’ll really enjoy and find reassurance in Dr. Jamnadas’ videos, especially given your profession as he’s a cardiologist. I’ve watched dozens of talks of his on YouTube. He talks often about statins being largely unnecessary when diet, etc. are cleaned up because that treats the root cause of many cholesterol issues. So if for some reason your numbers stayed elevated after weight loss settles, he has a lot to say on statins.
His channel
https://youtu.be/0wXWEdipBEg?si=gZTP1-ybC5hTNJpx
One of his most popular talks:
https://youtu.be/RuOvn4UqznU?si=ASgMy9_NLxCPqaVR
I really enjoy this podcast in general, here’s one of the episodes Dr. C did with him.
https://youtu.be/Yg6UhhV_K1s?si=I9aD15tIeZfNxXgf
How Fasting Can Prevent Heart Disease
https://youtu.be/0wXWEdipBEg?si=vcfQ8_uJYXvg9w2A
Rapid weight loss can cause your blood cholesterol levels to increase temporarily before settling back down - I wouldn’t feel like the sky was falling after one test.
You don’t need a statin yet. The recent weight loss could have extra cholesterol circulating in your blood stream. My numbers were similar to yours and came down by eating a zero cholesterol diet for about 10 days.
Fasting can cause rise in LDLs but it usually gets better
How long have you been fasting?
How has your weight/body changed otherwise
Check sugar levels over a few months
You have been losing weight. It's normal for your blood to reflect the cholesterol in your blood stream. What is recommended is to reach your goal weight, then rest a bit and test your blood again.
yeah, I suspected you were based on your profession. There’s a study from 1999. That claims were found that fasting alone. Independent of diet can increase LDL etc.. I’m sending it to this cardiologist I know, but to take a look at I don’t know about the quality of the study because, I didn’t do that great statistics but it’s a little concerning because I am kind of in the same boat. My fat intake was high, but I brought it down and with my fasting regimen being the same lipids were still pretty high and like you I don’t wanna go on a statin if I can help it.
I don’t know anything about the real Quality of this study, but I’m going ask cardiologist I know to take a look at it https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/129.11.2005
It took me about 6 months to turn my entire lipid results around, my triglycerides even went from over 250 to 68. Give it another 3 months and test again. Also if you are losing weight rapidly it can cause your blood cholesterol to rise too fast for your body to properly metabolize (according to my doctor this effect may have led to my cholesterol gallstones so I slowed my weight loss rate and that's when my lipid panel started showing improvement).
>I'm a cardiology nurse
do you prescribe statins with otherwise normal vitals? do you have high bloodpressure as well, or anything else justifying this?
My doc emailed me and said that she's not concerned as the current guidelines do not take these numbers in isolation and my ASCVD risk is 2.3% for stroke, so I'll take that!
2.3%? Over the course of 10 years, or what is the marker? Like your ASCVD is 2.3% at the current moment?
Also, just curious if you have an update on your progress and what you're doing now?
2.3% over the next 10 years. Of course we will check again in the future and go from there. I'm now a full 4 months in to IF and at yesterday's weighing I am down 49.8 pounds.
Yes, do this and don't panic okay. Also, aim for the first appointment of the day when you do this so that you can get drawn at 7am or so. Best to keep to that 8 hours of fasting only.
I got my physical last month and had high overall cholesterol but the ratios were still good. Like compared to pre-intermittent fasting, it sky rocketed. So it looked alarming.
Many of us seem to make this one rookie mistake. I was so proud to be fast 20 hrs when I had my first blood test after about 4 mos of IF. I was devastated to see the cholesterol to go up but happy the triglycerides were down.
Then I researched and learned why. ;(. Doctor doesn’t understand and says I should have statins.
According to Dr.Chaffee the big one is your ratio of HDL to triglycerides should be 1 to 1 or HDL higher. This indicates that the LDL you have isn't SD-LDL which is from sugar, corn syrup, and alcohol primarily.
A recent study has found that higher LDL cholesterol is associated with lower risk of cardiac death and mortality:
https://youtu.be/4nm-xIq7I2Q?si=6FS0Z3rtdC4GZsYT
When 75% of people who show up to the hospital have low/normal LDL cholesterol levels, maybe it's not the cholesterol.
Dr. Paul Mason gives an interesting presentation on why it's unstable plaques, rather than blood cholesterol, that causes heart disease:
https://youtu.be/-xCr3mvFCHM?si=HoW9kdUHkMyKIQ85
That's not really what that study says. there's a U-shaped relationship, with very low LDL and very high LDL both roughly equal and not much difference in the middle. What that study really says is that rather than concentrate exclusively on lowering LDL, we should be trying to lower very high LDLs while working to improve low HDL, as the a good TC:HDL ratio was uniformly better across all brackets.
My doc emailed me and said that she's not concerned as the current guidelines do not take these numbers in isolation and my ASCVD risk is 2.3% for stroke, so I'll take that!
When you fast, your body begins to mobilize stored fats as an energy source, which can lead to temporary increases in blood lipid levels, including both LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein).
So what can you do to see your actual numbers? Would you need to stop fasting for a few days before the 12-hour fast and blood test?
I did a little experiment - I ate a very high carb low fat meal before labs and fasted for 36 hr before I saw my PCP. My LDL came into the normal range. I did this knowing that my PCP wanted to start statins if my results again showed a high LDL cholesterol. It helped me avoid an uncomfortable discussion with my PCP. At the same time it shows how flawed the whole cholesterol paradigm is If LDL can rapidly change based on the last few meals you ate (or didn't eat) how can it measure long term risk. Maybe there is a role for different tests...particle size ot apo b but the basic simple cholesterol testing in my opinion is flawed. The simple LDL test is a relatively cheap test...maybe it doesn't measure risk in the way that doctors hope it can. Maybe it measures how much fat was in your last few meals or how much fat your adipose tissue is being released.
I prefer CAC and CTA scans to get a picture of how I'm managing arterial plaquing. Currently my CAC is zero despite some cholesterol variation. I keep it simple, do some walking, practice IF, take magnesium and drink fibre before meals.
Did you fast for 36 hours before the labs? I have been hearing a lot lately that particle size and apo b are much better assessments as well. Hopefully mainstream medicine will move in that direction very soon.
Yes. Ate a high carb/low fat meal and then fasted for 36hr before going in for my appointment.
LP(a) test
That’s a generous explanation.
Don't get lipids checked while you are actively losing weight, that will show as high numbers in blood because you are LOSING FAT from fat tissue. Wait until weight has been stable for 6 months, then check again.
Fear not. Typical during weight loss as others mentioned. I think you’ll really enjoy and find reassurance in Dr. Jamnadas’ videos, especially given your profession as he’s a cardiologist. I’ve watched dozens of talks of his on YouTube. He talks often about statins being largely unnecessary when diet, etc. are cleaned up because that treats the root cause of many cholesterol issues. So if for some reason your numbers stayed elevated after weight loss settles, he has a lot to say on statins. His channel https://youtu.be/0wXWEdipBEg?si=gZTP1-ybC5hTNJpx One of his most popular talks: https://youtu.be/RuOvn4UqznU?si=ASgMy9_NLxCPqaVR I really enjoy this podcast in general, here’s one of the episodes Dr. C did with him. https://youtu.be/Yg6UhhV_K1s?si=I9aD15tIeZfNxXgf How Fasting Can Prevent Heart Disease https://youtu.be/0wXWEdipBEg?si=vcfQ8_uJYXvg9w2A
It may be a product of age especially if you are a woman. My numbers were great until peri when the genetic high cholesterol curse caught up with me.
Yeah, I'm 55 and smack dab in the throes of menopause!
I was just coming here to say this.
Rapid weight loss can cause your blood cholesterol levels to increase temporarily before settling back down - I wouldn’t feel like the sky was falling after one test.
You don’t need a statin yet. The recent weight loss could have extra cholesterol circulating in your blood stream. My numbers were similar to yours and came down by eating a zero cholesterol diet for about 10 days.
You fasted too long before the lipid profile, stick to the advised 8-9 hours
Eat three meals a day prior to a blood test and then fast 8 hours. Fasting longer than 8 hours screws up the test.
Fasting can cause rise in LDLs but it usually gets better How long have you been fasting? How has your weight/body changed otherwise Check sugar levels over a few months
I've been fasting since 3/1.
But your body is probably still burning fat for energy, which leads to high numbers. Check again in 4-6 months.
That's what I am planning on doing. 👍🏽
All the best!
Fasting since 3/1? Or IF/TRF since 3/1? The former is an incredible feat! Edit: never mind, I see you clarified elsewhere you meant the latter.
You have been losing weight. It's normal for your blood to reflect the cholesterol in your blood stream. What is recommended is to reach your goal weight, then rest a bit and test your blood again.
are you eating a normal diet otherwise or keto carb restriction ?
I'm eating a diet high in fruits and veggies, lean meats, very little processed foods, no alcohol, no soda. 128 oz water daily.
Congrats on finishing your 75 days! That’s such a great accomplishment :)
yeah, I suspected you were based on your profession. There’s a study from 1999. That claims were found that fasting alone. Independent of diet can increase LDL etc.. I’m sending it to this cardiologist I know, but to take a look at I don’t know about the quality of the study because, I didn’t do that great statistics but it’s a little concerning because I am kind of in the same boat. My fat intake was high, but I brought it down and with my fasting regimen being the same lipids were still pretty high and like you I don’t wanna go on a statin if I can help it.
Same here. I mean, I'll take a statin if I have to, but I'd like to wait a bit and see where things are in a few more months.
I don’t know anything about the real Quality of this study, but I’m going ask cardiologist I know to take a look at it https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/129.11.2005
I’ll save you the effort, it’s a trash study
you knew of it already, or read it now ?
What were your HDL & TGs?
HDL was 55, Trigs 75.
It took me about 6 months to turn my entire lipid results around, my triglycerides even went from over 250 to 68. Give it another 3 months and test again. Also if you are losing weight rapidly it can cause your blood cholesterol to rise too fast for your body to properly metabolize (according to my doctor this effect may have led to my cholesterol gallstones so I slowed my weight loss rate and that's when my lipid panel started showing improvement).
>I'm a cardiology nurse do you prescribe statins with otherwise normal vitals? do you have high bloodpressure as well, or anything else justifying this?
My doc emailed me and said that she's not concerned as the current guidelines do not take these numbers in isolation and my ASCVD risk is 2.3% for stroke, so I'll take that!
2.3%? Over the course of 10 years, or what is the marker? Like your ASCVD is 2.3% at the current moment? Also, just curious if you have an update on your progress and what you're doing now?
2.3% over the next 10 years. Of course we will check again in the future and go from there. I'm now a full 4 months in to IF and at yesterday's weighing I am down 49.8 pounds.
Glad to hear! Congrats. Cholesterol improving as well?
Haven't rechecked lipids yet.
BP is normal at 124/72 and that's about what it always runs.
I think I'll ask my doc for a redraw with my next visit in November to see where things are at that time.
Yes, do this and don't panic okay. Also, aim for the first appointment of the day when you do this so that you can get drawn at 7am or so. Best to keep to that 8 hours of fasting only.
Had something similar and my doctor was not pleased!
I wonder what it would show if you were doing keto? I am doing 18:6 and keto with great success, but fear the numbers too!
This is not unusual for people doing IF.
I got my physical last month and had high overall cholesterol but the ratios were still good. Like compared to pre-intermittent fasting, it sky rocketed. So it looked alarming.
Weight loss can cause your levels to increase.
Genetics play a huge factor too. I'm sure you've seen plenty of fit people on statins..I have too and prescribe it often if lifestyle doesn't help
Could help to do some exercise on top of fasting. But a larger portion of lipids are genetic
I just completed 75 Hard, so two separate 45-min workouts every day.
We're there differences from when you tested? Like, we're you fasted the first time but not the newest test?
Many of us seem to make this one rookie mistake. I was so proud to be fast 20 hrs when I had my first blood test after about 4 mos of IF. I was devastated to see the cholesterol to go up but happy the triglycerides were down. Then I researched and learned why. ;(. Doctor doesn’t understand and says I should have statins.
Listen to 2ketodudes podcast episode on cholesterol. Triglycerides divided my HDL is more telling.
What were your triglycerides?
75
According to Dr.Chaffee the big one is your ratio of HDL to triglycerides should be 1 to 1 or HDL higher. This indicates that the LDL you have isn't SD-LDL which is from sugar, corn syrup, and alcohol primarily.
A recent study has found that higher LDL cholesterol is associated with lower risk of cardiac death and mortality: https://youtu.be/4nm-xIq7I2Q?si=6FS0Z3rtdC4GZsYT When 75% of people who show up to the hospital have low/normal LDL cholesterol levels, maybe it's not the cholesterol. Dr. Paul Mason gives an interesting presentation on why it's unstable plaques, rather than blood cholesterol, that causes heart disease: https://youtu.be/-xCr3mvFCHM?si=HoW9kdUHkMyKIQ85
That's not really what that study says. there's a U-shaped relationship, with very low LDL and very high LDL both roughly equal and not much difference in the middle. What that study really says is that rather than concentrate exclusively on lowering LDL, we should be trying to lower very high LDLs while working to improve low HDL, as the a good TC:HDL ratio was uniformly better across all brackets.
My doc emailed me and said that she's not concerned as the current guidelines do not take these numbers in isolation and my ASCVD risk is 2.3% for stroke, so I'll take that!