For those of us with low HDL (A lot of us)

[Pressing]

Do you feel niacin to be a "last resort" option? Reason I ask is because my doctor feels I need to be put on crestor, but atatin drugs scare the daylights out of me. My lipid profile is very poor. It is hereditary.

What is your total cholesterol number? What is your LDL particle size? What is your LDL particle count? And what about Lp(a), do you know those levels?

 

[Adonis89]

just adding an avocado per day for a few weeks almost doubled my HDL from 18 to 30, while still ON....

Now I'm on the bandwagon with sprinkling some raw slivered almonds on my meals or a few tbsp of avocado with meals. As well as 2-3g EPA/DHA which I've always taken daily.

 

[warmouth]

What is your total cholesterol number? What is your LDL particle size? What is your LDL particle count? And what about Lp(a), do you know those levels?

I was at 402 total cholesterol. Cant remember the HDL, but seems it was around 19. I will check to be certain.

 

[matt1164]

I was at 402 total cholesterol. Cant remember the HDL, but seems it was around 19. I will check to be certain.

brother you need to get that in check. that is a terrible ratio.

 

[matt1164]

just adding an avocado per day for a few weeks almost doubled my HDL from 18 to 30, while still ON....

Now I'm on the bandwagon with sprinkling some raw slivered almonds on my meals or a few tbsp of avocado with meals. As well as 2-3g EPA/DHA which I've always taken daily.

Nice!

I am psyched to get bloodwork now. my hdl was 28 last bloodwork and I have thrown in cardio and 1-2 avocados a day for the last 3 months

 

[lookingforanedge]

just adding an avocado per day for a few weeks almost doubled my HDL from 18 to 30, while still ON....

Now I'm on the bandwagon with sprinkling some raw slivered almonds on my meals or a few tbsp of avocado with meals. As well as 2-3g EPA/DHA which I've always taken daily.

Wow an avocado a day did that? I am shocked as I didn't realize it would be that beneficial and also that quick

 

[Cerberus777]

Wow an avocado a day did that? I am shocked as I didn't realize it would be that beneficial and also that quick

Yes, if rest of diet is good...especially with cardio added. Hiit cardio is best.

 

[DK0223]

Yes, if rest of diet is good...especially with cardio added. Hiit cardio is best.

i thought longer/steady duration was better here? in shelby's/kal's new book, they say that 30 min at 70-80% of MHR 3x a week minimum is the recommendation

 

[Cerberus777]

My self and 3 others I know. Have done interval training. And had great lipid improvements. You are at max heart rate for maybe 20 seconds per interval. The rest of the time its 80%. So this is just splitting hairs.

 

[Massive G]

If I had to choose 2 of the three (almonds, avocado, EVOO), I'd choose the EVOO and the avocado. Almonds are easier than avocados for sure though.

I find nuts somewhat pro-inflammatory and allergic. Almonds treat me the best of all of them though, next to macadamia nuts.

curious to this statement - almonds and walnuts seem to flush me a bit much but I eat them anyway....

thanks for the thread on the HDL I was getting ready to start one....mine needs to be raised

 

[DK0223]

My self and 3 others I know. Have done interval training. And had great lipid improvements. You are at max heart rate for maybe 20 seconds per interval. The rest of the time its 80%. So this is just splitting hairs.

thanks for sharing. ive typically been doing 10-20 min fast paced cardio post workout 3x a week. not hiit, but high intensity for the duration of the cardio workout nonetheless

 

[Adonis89]

curious to this statement - almonds and walnuts seem to flush me a bit much but I eat them anyway....

thanks for the thread on the HDL I was getting ready to start one....mine needs to be raised

Yea. I think it's a shame that so many guys don't pay attention to, or don't know what to do about low HDL.

I was kind of flip flopping on the nuts. I seem to tolerate almonds and macadamias well, but peanuts (not really a nut) and walnuts mess with me (peanuts more so than walnuts).

 

[Leggo my Ego]

Yea. I think it's a shame that so many guys don't pay attention to, or don't know what to do about low HDL.

I was kind of flip flopping on the nuts. I seem to tolerate almonds and macadamias well, but peanuts (not really a nut) and walnuts mess with me (peanuts more so than walnuts).

I love peanuts (peanut butter) but I am learning that I don't tolerate them well.

 

[jay_dub]

just adding an avocado per day for a few weeks almost doubled my HDL from 18 to 30, while still ON....

Now I'm on the bandwagon with sprinkling some raw slivered almonds on my meals or a few tbsp of avocado with meals. As well as 2-3g EPA/DHA which I've always taken daily.

WOW, thank you for that avocado comment. I will be adding that starting tomorrow

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Kaladryn]

Another thing to consider, as the author also points out, is that it's important to differentiate between light fluffy HDL and the more dense HDL carrying immune cells.

What have you had success with?

Cardio has by far been the best thing at raising my HDL. When competing, even though I'm on more AAS, my HDL improves from doing 45-60 minutes of moderate intensity cardio daily. Nolvadex has been the other factor that has worked wonders at increasing my HDL.

Honestly I don't put much stock in HDL, I think VLDL and CRP are more important when considering atherosclerosis. Everyone should have a low radiation heartscan and get a calcium score.

 

[Reno911]

Here' some food for thought:

Statin Nation:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry1Z8buyd8I]STATIN NATION (First 13 mins) - YouTube[/ame]

AND:


Book Review of: The Cure for Heart Disease: Truth Will Save a Nation


Dr. Lundell is a cardiac surgeon and a scientist with 5,000 cardiac surgeries under his belt. He is trying to get a message, (with a lot of science behind it) out there. While this message has been "out there" for some time, he makes a more specific case in regards to cardiac health and disease and brings his personal experience and perspective to it. In short, he says that inflammation is the main cause of cardiac disease and that our focus should be on that. In order to reduce inflammation he says everyone should:

1.) Consume more essential free fatty acids, particularly omega 3 fatty acids. He states that there are 4,500 articles that come to this conclusion about the benefits of omega 3 and that some countries like Japan have taken this seriously. The main type of omega 3 we need is EPA and DHA and both come from fish and marine algae, and he suggests only using high concentration purified fish oil with atl ealst 500 mg EPA and DHA. You can test it by putting it in the freezer. If it gets cloudy it has too many impurities. Dr. Barry Sears says the same thing (and sells it on his website).

2. Add CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) to your diet. The body cannot synthesize it so you need to get it from dairy products and meat. CLA has shown to be: a significant antioxidant, increases energy, improve insulin sensitivity, anti-inflammatory (a natural Cox 2 inhibitor that may increase the synthesis of the anti-inflammatory prostaglandins), reduces the production of cytokines, reduces abdominal fat and preserves muscle mass. It has also been shown to be anti-atherogenic. CLA works better when there is adequate omega 3 in our system and vice versa. The benefit of having both is synergistic.

3. Take a baby aspirin (81 mg) once a day. Studies show benefit against chronic low-grade inflammation (it is a non-steroidal anti-inflammation drug).

4. Consume a lot of anti-oxidants.

5. Lower your sugar and carbohydrate consumption

6. Reduce stress to reduce hormone production by adrenal glands. (Exercise, meditation, reading, taking a drive... whatever works)

7. Eliminate transfats completely, which includes hydrongenated vegetable oil (totally or partially) margarine, commercial baked goods, restaurant fried foods. They interfere with normal metabolism of omega 3. Transfats replace normal fats in the cell wall and interfere with function. Other fats, including animal fats, olive oil and coconut oil are healthful in small quantities.

8. Go on a high protein, low carb, med fat diet, but make sure it is the right fat, like olive oil or coconut oil. He sees sugar and refined carbs as a large cause of inflammation.

9. Lose weight if you need to, quit if you are smoking.

10. Exercise daily. Start slow and don't stop.

11. He recommends lots of vegetables, fruit and protein (meat and dairy is fine) but his emphasis is on avoiding the carbohydrates and the wrong fats.

This advice is for everyone, not just people with coronary disease. Everyone has damage already.

He recommends health screening options so that you know your status, get motivated and stay motivated:

1. Test your CRP (C-reactive protein) The lowest risk is 1.0 or below. Above 3.0 and you are in sig. risk category for coronary disease. You can ask your doctor to measure it. Soon it will become standard because it is a better predictor than LDL.

2. Test your homocysteine levels. High leveles indicate low levels of critical B vitamins esp. B12 adn B9 (folic acid). A lot of vegetarians are low in B12; this could be a bigger risk factor than previously realized.

3. Test your omega 3 index, which measures the amount of omega 3 in the cell walls of your red blood cells. Dr. Lundell offers for you to contact him at his website and he will arrange for it for you as it is not common yet.

4. Have a stress echo and stress nuclear scan performed. You can request these tests.

5. Get a CT or MRI scan of your coronary arteries (MRI is better).

6. Have a carotid ultrasound performed. It is also a surrogate marker for coronary disease. It measures the thickness of your artery wall and the ratio of the intima to the media. It is referred to as CIMT (carotid intimal to medial thickness).

 

[DK0223]

Cardio has by far been the best thing at raising my HDL. When competing, even though I'm on more AAS, my HDL improves from doing 45-60 minutes of moderate intensity cardio daily. Nolvadex has been the other factor that has worked wonders at increasing my HDL.

Honestly I don't put much stock in HDL, I think VLDL and CRP are more important when considering atherosclerosis. Everyone should have a low radiation heartscan and get a calcium score.

care to further explain?

 

[warrenpeace]

Can't CRP be skewed by a training session?

I had the number off the charts on my last bloodwork, but I had trained less than 36 hours prior. Should I allow 3 days off before the next test?

 

[Kaladryn]

care to further explain?

Sure.

Taking nolvadex raises my HDL.

 

[DK0223]

Sure.

Taking nolvadex raises my HDL.

lol..dose, duration?